The 5 Cheapest Travel Insurance Companies Of July 2024

We picked the Travel Insured Worldwide Trip Protector policy because it offers robust benefits at an excellent average price. It’s 14% cheaper than the average travel insurance cost, based on our research. We also like its superior non-medical evacuation coverage.

Pros:

• Top-notch non-medical evacuation benefits of $150,000 per person.
• Short waiting period of three hours for travel delay and baggage delay benefits.
• “Cancel for any reason” and “interruption for any reason” upgrades available.

More: Travel Insured International Travel Insurance Review

• Medical coverage of $100,000 per person is on the low side compared to top competitors but might be enough for your needs.
• Missed connection benefits of $500 are lower than many other policies evaluated.

Here’s an overview of coverage types included in the Worldwide Trip Protector policy.

Coverage type	Coverage limit
Emergency medical	$100,000 per person
Medical evacuation & repatriation	$1 million per person
Non-medical evacuation	$150,000 per person
Trip interruption	150% of the trip cost
Travel delay	$1,500 per person $200 daily limit Covered after 3-hour delay
Missed connection	$500 per person Covered after 3-hour delay Cruise and tour only
Baggage delay	$500 per person Covered after 3-hour delay
Baggage & personal items	$1,000 per person $250 per item $500 specific items limit
Hurricane & weather	Covered after a common carrier delay for 6 hours
Cancel for work reasons	Included
Employment layoff	Covered if employed for one continuous year
Accidental death & dismemberment	$10,000 per person

We’re showing top coverage types but other benefits are also included in this plan. Check the policy for more details.

See MoreSee Less

Also included:

• If you return home three hours or more later than your planned return time, you can qualify for pet kennel benefits of up to $500.

Optional add-ons offered:

• If a doctor requires you to stay on bed rest for at least 48 hours during your trip, you can be eligible for bed rest benefits up to $4,000.
• Travel inconvenience coverage allows you to recoup money for unexpected problems, such as closed beaches and attractions, rainy weather, tarmac delays and more.
• Up to $5,000 in rental car damage and theft coverage.
• Up to $1,000 in event ticket benefits if you can’t attend for a reason covered by the policy.

The Atlas Journey Preferred plan stood out in our evaluation because it has the cheapest average rate among the top-scoring plans we evaluated. It’s 22% cheaper than the average cost for travel insurance, based on our assessment.  We were also impressed by its optional upgrades, which include coverage for pets traveling with you, adventure sports, destination weddings, and more.

Another option is the Atlas Journey Premier plan, which costs an average of $408 per trip. That’s about $75 more than the Preferred policy, but it has higher coverage limits. It includes the add-on coverage options of the Preferred plan and also offers an “interruption for any reason” upgrade, along with travel medical benefits of $150,000.

Pros

• “Cancel for any reason” upgrade available with the Premier policy.
• Superior medical evacuation benefits.
• Very good missed connection coverage of $1,500 per person after three hours.

More: WorldTrips Travel Insurance Review

• Medical coverage level is low compared to some competitors evaluated.
• Baggage delay benefits have a 12-hour waiting period.

Here’s an overview of coverage types included in the Atlas Journey Preferred and Premier policies.

Coverage type	Atlas Journey Preferred	Atlas Journey Premier
Emergency medical	$100,000 per person	$150,000 per person
Medical evacuation & repatriation	$1 million per person	$1 million per person
Non-medical evacuation	Not included but upgrade available.	Not included but upgrade available.
Trip interruption	150%	150% of the trip cost
Travel delay	$2,000 per person $150 daily limit Covered after 5-hour delay	$2,000 per person $200 daily limit Covered after 5-hour delay
Missed connection	$1,500 per person Covered after 3-hour delay	$2,000 per person Covered after 3-hour delay
Baggage delay	$300 per person Covered after 12-hour delay	$500 per person Covered after 12-hour delay
Baggage & personal items	$1,500 per person $500 per item	$2,000 per person $500 per item
Hurricane & weather	Covered after a common carrier delay for 12 hours	Covered after a common carrier delay for 12 hours
Cancel for work reasons	Included	Included
Employment layoff	Covered after 30-day wait if employed for one continuous year	Covered after 30-day wait if employed for one continuous year
Accidental death & dismemberment	$20,000 per person	$25,000 per person

We’re showing top coverage types but other benefits are also included in these plans. Check the policy for more details.

See MoreSee Less

Also included in Preferred plan:

• Travel inconvenience benefits of $750 if your arrival home is delayed due to a transportation delay and you can’t work for at least two days, your flight lands at a different airport than scheduled, your passport is stolen and can’t be reissued, and more.

Optional add-ons offered in Preferred plan:

• “Cancel for any reason” coverage.
• Destination wedding coverage in case the wedding is canceled.
• Baggage insurance upgrade to $3,000 per person.
• Rental car theft and damage coverage of $50,000.
• Political or security evacuation benefits of $150,000 per person.
• Vacation rental accommodations coverage of $500 if unclean or overbooked.
• Adventure sports add-on to extend coverage to safaris, bungee jumping and more.
• Hunting and fishing coverage for equipment and cancellation due to government restrictions.
• School activities coverage if trip has to be canceled due a test, sporting event, etc.

AIG’s Travel Guard Preferred plan is one of our favorites because it provides solid benefits at a decent average price. It’s about 4% cheaper than the average cost for travel insurance, based on our data. Optional pet, wedding, security, baggage, medical, adventures sports and travel inconvenience upgrades allow you to customize a policy to fit your needs. Additionally, the Travel Guard Preferred plan includes benefits if under certain conditions you must start your trip earlier than planned, a feature not found in all policies.

Pros

• Offers upgrades to meet the needs and budgets of many different kinds of travelers.
• Reimburses up to $2,500 for meals, accommodations and transportation if you must begin your trip earlier than scheduled due to inclement weather or common carrier changes.
• Provides up to $750 for “travel inconveniences,” such as flight delay to your return destination, runway delays and cruise diversions.

More: AIG Travel Insurance Review

• Very low travel medical insurance limits compared to most other policies we evaluated.

Here’s an overview of coverage types included in AIG’s Travel Guard Preferred policy.

Coverage type	Coverage limit
Emergency medical	$50,000 per person
Medical evacuation & repatriation	$1 million per person
Non-medical evacuation	No, but bundle available
Trip interruption	150% of trip cost
Travel delay	Covered after a 5-hour delay $200/day $800 maximum
Missed connection	$1,000 per person
Baggage delay	Covered after a 12-hour delay $300 maximum
Baggage & personal items	$1,000 per person
Hurricane & weather	Included
Cancel for work reasons	Included
Employment layoff	Covered if employed for 1 continuous year
Accidental death & dismemberment	$30,000 per person

We’re showing top coverage types but other benefits are also included in this plan. Check the policy for more details.

See MoreSee Less

Also included:

• Accidental death and dismemberment coverage of $100,000 per person for flights.
• If you encounter issues such as closed attractions, cruise diversion, hotel infestation, hotel construction and more, you’re eligible for travel inconvenience benefits of $750 total ($250 per problem).
• Trip exchange benefits of 50% of your trip cost that pay the difference in price between your original reservation and the new one.
• Up to $5,000 in ancillary evacuation benefits for expenses related to return of children, bedside visits, baggage return and more.

Optional add-ons offered:

• A “Name Your Family” upgrade that allows you to add a person to your policy who will qualify for family member-related unforeseen events that can apply to trip cancellation and interruption claims.
• Adventure Sports Bundle for adventure and extreme activities.
• Boarding and medical expenses for illness or injury of dog or cat while traveling is covered with the Pet Bundle. Includes trip cancellation or trip interruption if your pet is in critical condition or dies within seven days before your departure.
• “Cancel for any reason” upgrade that reimburses 50% of insured trip costs.
• Coverage of $50,000 for rental vehicle damage.
• Wedding Bundle to cover trip cancellation due to wedding cancellation. Note that brides and grooms are excluded from this benefit.

We chose Nationwide’s Cruise Choice plan because the policy offers the fourth-cheapest average price among the top-scoring plans we analyzed. It includes non-medical evacuation coverage and offers a trip interruption upgrade. We also like that it provides benefits for missed events if your ship changes course or breaks down.

Pros

• Decent missed connection coverage of $1,500.
• Includes $25,000 in non-medical evacuation benefits.
• Provides benefits if you miss out on a prepaid activity or event because your cruise ship changes its itinerary, or if your cruise ship has a fire or mechanical breakdown that delays arrival at the next port of call for two or more hours.

More: Nationwide Travel Insurance Review

• Medical coverage is lower than most other top-rated plans but might be sufficient for your needs.
• “Cancel for any reason” upgrade not available.

Here’s an overview of top coverage types included in Nationwide’s Cruise Choice policy.

Coverage type	Coverage limit
Emergency medical	$100,000 per person
Medical evacuation & repatriation	$500,000 per person
Non-medical evacuation	$25,000 per person
Trip interruption	150% of the trip cost
Travel delay	$750 per person $150 daily limit Covered after 6-hour delay
Missed connection	$1,500 per person Covered after 3-hour delay Cruise and tour only
Baggage delay	$500 per person Covered after 8-hour delay
Baggage & personal items	$2,500 per person $300 per item $600 specific items limit
Hurricane & weather	Covered after a common carrier delay of 24 hours
Cancel for work reasons	Included
Employment layoff	Covered if employed for 3 continuous years
Accidental death & dismemberment	$25,000 per person

We’re showing top coverage types but other benefits are also included in this plan. Check the policy for more details.

See MoreSee Less

Also included:

• Coverage for an extended school year, terrorism in an itinerary city and work-related emergency issues.
• You’re eligible for coverage of $200 per person if your cruise ship has a fire or mechanical breakdown that delays the next port of call for two or more hours or changes the scheduled itinerary.
• “Interruption for any reason” upgrade.

We think Travelex Insurance Services’ Travel Select plan is a solid choice at a competitive price—it ranked third cheapest among top plans we assessed. An added bonus is that children can be covered at no extra cost.

Pros

• Includes free coverage for children age 17 and under (when accompanied by an adult covered by the policy).
• “Cancel for any reason” upgrade ava ilable.
• Very good travel delay coverage of $2,000 per person after a five-hour delay.

More: Travelex Travel Insurance Review

• Medical coverage of $50,000 per person is on the low side.
• Baggage delay coverage requires a 12-hour delay and has a low $200 per person limit.
• Missed connection benefits are lower than many other competitors.

Here’s an overview of top coverage types that are included in the Travel Select policy.

Coverage type	Coverage limit
Emergency medical	$50,000 per person
Medical evacuation & repatriation	$500,000 per person
Non-medical evacuation	No coverage
Trip interruption	150% of the trip cost
Travel delay	$2,000 per person $200 daily limit Covered after 5-hour delay
Missed connection	$750 per person Covered after 3-hour delay
Baggage delay	$200 per person Covered after 12-hour delay
Baggage & personal items	$1,000 per person $500 first item limit $250 subsequent items limit $500 specific items limit
Hurricane & weather	Covered after a common carrier delay for any length of time
Cancel for work reasons	Covered if purchased within 15 days of trip deposit
Employment layoff	Covered if employed for 1 continuous year
Accidental death & dismemberment	$25,000 per person

We’re showing top coverage types but other benefits are also included in this plan. Check the policy for more details.

See MoreSee Less

Also included:

• Delay benefits of $200 for sporting and golf equipment after 24 hours or more.

Optional add-ons & upgrades offered:

• Accidental death and dismemberment coverage of $200,000 per person for flights.
• Adventure sports upgrade to cover activities that would otherwise be excluded.
• “Cancel for any reason” coverage of 75% (up to max of $7,500).
• Car rental collision coverage of $35,000.
• Financial default coverage if your travel supplier goes out of business that provides 100% reimbursement of your insured trip cost.
• Medical coverage upgrade to $100,000 per person.
• Medical evacuation upgrade to $1 million per person.