

We don't need the medical side of traveling domestically,” Moncrief said. Megan Moncrief, chief marketing officer at travel insurance comparison site Squaremouth, said travel insurance can be beneficial for international trips due to the chances of facing more inconveniences associated with higher traveling costs. travelers won’t otherwise have medical insurance abroad. Travel insurance can come in handy when traveling internationally, particularly for medical coverage since U.S. "Once people can identify the things they're concerned about, they can think about what type of travel insurance they need." "Am I concerned that something happens to me medically? Am I concerned if there's delays or cancellations or anything that'll prevent me from being able to go?" Morrow said. You should only consider travel insurance if you're traveling at least 100 miles away and you have travel concerns, according to Suzanne Morrow, senior vice president of e-commerce at InsureMyTrip. Keep in mind, though, that the insurance perks credit cards offer may not be sufficient for larger trips. Some credit cards already offer a few travel insurance benefits such as trip cancellation protection and lost luggage reimbursements. You also may not need to buy travel insurance if you have a card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card or The Platinum Card® from American Express. Even if the next available flight doesn’t work for you, passengers are entitled to refunds from airlines if their flights are canceled or significantly delayed. That's because airlines typically book passengers on the next available flight. Purchasing insurance that only covers flight cancellations or lost baggage may not be wise either.įor instance, if your flight is canceled, you won’t necessarily lose all the money you spent on airfare. Also, if you already have medical insurance, you will most likely be covered in the event of a medical emergency in another state. Flying domestically typically isn’t as expensive compared to international trips. You can skip purchasing travel insurance if you’re traveling within the U.S. While travel insurance has its benefits, you only need to purchase it in certain scenarios. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. I would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. Travel insurance can provide many different types of coverage, though you may feel reluctant to tack on another expense to your trip. However, it also offers coverage for medical and dental emergencies, emergency evacuations in the event of a disaster, 24-hour traveler assistance and accidental death benefits. It covers your lost bags or missed connecting flights in the event you cannot travel due to illness or injury.Ĭomprehensive travel insurance covers many of the same issues as trip cancellation insurance. Trip cancellation insurance is the most basic form of travel insurance. There are two categories of travel insurance: trip cancellation protection and comprehensive travel insurance. Travel insurance is coverage you can purchase to protect yourself from risks and potential financial losses you may incur while traveling, according to insurance company Nationwide. Here’s everything you need to know about travel insurance so you can decide if you should purchase a policy for your next trip.

It can help you potentially avoid losing the thousands of dollars you spent on your vacation.īut when is travel insurance worth buying? However, what do you do when something unexpected occurs and suddenly you can’t take your trip? You’ve spent weeks meticulously planning your vacation - everything from airfare and hotels to an itinerary.
