- May 22, 2022
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- 8 minutes read
Travelex Travel Insurance Review 2022v – Forbes Advisor – Forbes
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Published: May 22, 2022, 7:00am
Our verdict: Travelex Insurance Services’ Travel Select plan is a solid choice at a competitive average price, especially for families, although coverage limits are lower than those of top competitors.
Related: Best travel insurance companies
Travelex Insurance Services is a travel insurance company that provides a wide range of plans for both domestic and international travelers.
Here are key types of benefits included in Travelex travel insurance policies:
Here’s a comparison of Travelex’s Travel Basic, Travel Select and Travel America plans. Travel assistance services are included in all plans.
This budget-friendly plan offers pre- and post-departure coverage with adequate limits. Benefits include trip cancellation, trip delay, trip interruption, emergency evacuation, emergency medical insurance, and baggage and personal effects coverage.
Your U.S. health plan may provide little or no coverage outside of the country and Medicare isn’t accepted in other countries, which is why travel medical insurance is essential if going abroad.
If you’re on a domestic trip, your U.S. health insurance can apply if you’re hurt or get sick. Some travel insurance companies make you file a claim first with your health insurance company. With the Basic plan, medical expense coverage is primary, which means claims are filed first with Travelex, not your health insurance company.
If you purchase a Travel Basic plan within 15 days of your first trip payment, coverage for trip cancellation includes financial default—if your airline, cruise line, or tour operator goes bankrupt—and cancellation for business reasons if you’re required to work during the dates of your trip.
“Cancel for any reason” coverage is not available with the Travel Basic plan.
Travel Select is the premier Travelex travel insurance plan and includes all the coverage in the Basic plan, with higher coverage amounts and optional add-ons. The Travel Select plan also includes sports equipment delay coverage.
Another benefit of the Travel Select plan is the option to request a pre-existing medical condition exclusion waiver, if you have an existing condition you would like covered while you travel. These waivers can be requested at no charge with Travel Select, provided you purchase your travel insurance within 15 days of making your first trip payment.
The Travel Select plan also offers optional upgrades not available with the Basic plan:
Additionally, children under age 17 are included under a Travel Select plan for free, as long as their trip cost doesn’t exceed yours.
The Travel America plan from Travelex is designed for the domestic traveler and groups taking a trip of no more than 14 days.
It includes all the standard types of travel insurance coverage as the Basic and Select plans, with varying differences in coverage amounts. Most notably, Travel America has caps on the maximum amounts for trip cancellation and trip interruption.
The Travel America plan has shared benefits for up to eight travelers, meaning the plan’s coverage limits are shared across all the people listed on the policy.
It also includes $1,000 in emergency pet medical expenses, with a $50 deductible. Additionally, it provides $10,000 in “pet return” coverage, which helps pay for transportation for your pet if you were to get sick or injured during your trip and were unable to travel.
You can be covered for pre-existing medical conditions if you buy the Travel America insurance plan within three days of your final trip payment. You can get this pre-existing condition coverage only if you are physically able to travel at the time you purchase the policy.
Covid is covered by Travelex plans if you (or a travel companion) test positive for the virus and need to quarantine, as certified by a physician.
If you contract Covid right before your trip and have to cancel, these plans can reimburse you for 100% of what you lose in prepaid and non-refundable deposits.
If you get Covid during your trip, and are diagnosed by a physician, you could be eligible for trip delay, trip interruption, emergency medical and emergency evacuation benefits.
You can use the TravelCheck tool on the company’s website to get current information about Covid-related restrictions and travel requirements for your destination.
Related: Best Covid travel insurance plans
Optional Travelex upgrades, depending on your plan, include:
What you pay for travel insurance generally varies by your age and trip cost. Here are examples of prices for Travelex’s Travel Select plan.
Travelex plans include access to its 24/7 travel assistance hotline. Here are some of the services provided:
You can download the Travel On app to receive real-time security alerts, details on food and water safety at your destination, ATM locations, tipping protocols and more.
All travel insurance plans contain exclusions, so it’s good to review the fine print and understand what your travel insurance policy doesn’t cover. Here are some examples of exclusions to emergency medical coverage for Travelex’s Travel Select plan:
You can file a claim on the company website, or call the Travelex customer service number for claims: 855-205-6054.
Pre-existing medical condition exclusion waivers are available from Travelex if you purchase a Travel Select or Travel America plan.
This waiver means that pre-existing conditions won’t be excluded from coverage. For example, Travelex’s Travel Select policy can cover pre-existing conditions if you buy the plan within 15 days of your initial trip deposit. You also must insure the full value of your non-refundable trip cost and you must have been medically able to travel when you bought the plan.
Travelex provides the option to upgrade to “cancel for any reason” (CFAR) coverage on its Travel Select plan.
“Cancel for any reason” coverage gives you the option to cancel for a reason not listed in the travel insurance plan’s base trip cancellation reasons. For example, you may want to cancel your trip because it’s going to rain during your beach vacation.
Make sure to check the rules for CFAR for the plan you’re buying. For example, Travelex’s Travel Select plan will reimburse you for 50% of your lost trip costs under a CFAR claim. You must buy the “cancel for any reason” upgrade within 15 days of making your initial trip deposit. And to make a CFAR claim you must cancel at least two days before your departure date.
Travelex offers two flight insurance plans: Flight Insure and Flight Insure Plus. These flight insurance plans are designed for a last-minute trip or quick getaway weekend.