Comparing Travel Insurance Coverage is an Easy Way to Save Money and Improve Protection
Travel insurance should be an essential part of your vacation planning. Yet after hours spent researching destinations, air travel and hotel rates it’s too often an afterthought; a “take-it-or-leave-it” click during checkout on one of the major travel sites. Research conducted by travel insurance comparison site TravelInsurance.com shows that consumers can greatly expand their options in terms of both benefits and price with a quick online comparison. Many policies cost less than what’s available on the major travel booking sites.
A single travel insurance protection plan is the only option available to a family of four who books a week of sun and surf in Cancun through Expedia. That $264 policy is based on the trip (flights and hotel), priced at $3,800, and is available only during the checkout process. A quick search on TravelInsurance.com reveals 30 comprehensive travel insurance options, all of them priced at less than what’s available from Expedia. Typical costs run from $96 for a plan offered by RoamRight to $248 for a plan offered by AXA Assistance.
It’s not just cost savings that consumers can find by comparing options from TravelInsurance.com’s providers, a group of major insurance companies selected by TravelInsurance.com for their products and customer service history. Almost every policy offered through TravelInsurance.com includes higher coverage limits or benefits not typically available from the basic policies from online travel sites. For example, on that Cancun trip, at least four of the policies reviewed include evacuation, missed connection, baggage delay and accidental death insurance in addition to 24/7 global travel assistance and concierge services. Medical coverage that may cap out at $5,000 under a plan offered by online booking sites has a limit of $100,000 under at least one of the policies offered through TravelInsurance.com.
“A couple of minutes of research can not only save money but also provide thousands of dollars more in coverage as well as coverage that’s not otherwise available,” says Stan Sandberg, co-founder of TravelInsurance.com.
His co-founder Drew Sharma adds, “A vacation can be such a major expenditure that the relatively small addition of travel insurance to your trip budget is well worth it in terms of peace of mind.”
There are a couple of things to keep in mind when researching travel insurance. Travel insurance from most online travel sites is available only at the time you book your trip. But travel insurance through TravelInsurance.com is available until the day before your departure date. Online travel sites offer a Vacation Waiver, which is not the same as travel insurance. A Vacation Waiver may only cover you for change fees and penalties if you decide to change details of your trip before your departure date. And Vacation Waivers typically don’t apply to “non-changeable” airline tickets at all.
Given how much time travelers spend comparing flights, hotels and cruises in order to find the best deal, it is important to also compare travel insurance plans to find the right coverage for the right price.
