Airline flight insurance is pushed to customers every day by airlines.
Typically, airlines pitch Flight Insurance just as you are about to confirm your flights. They are aggressive in their language and offer few policy benefits.
United, Delta, American and Delta are all known for selling terrible flight insurance. This may not surprise you. However, younger and more positive carriers such as Alaska and JetBlue are equally awful.
They all offer flight insurance. However, if you look at flight insurance from these airlines, you’ll see that they’re all very poor and expensive.
Many airlines offer coverage that is twice as expensive as comparable flight insurance sold through specialist insurance companies. You should avoid a number of low-cost, high-cost protections for your trip that the airlines have created. You have better options for travel insurance.
Expedia Flight Insurance
Watch out for poorly designed policies, like the one Expedia sells.
The coverage of airline flight insurance was often inadequate when we started to review it. We saw the same expensive policies, with poor coverage, repeatedly. It couldn’t get worse.
Then we reviewed Expedia.
We are unable to comprehend how Expedia managed to put together such a comprehensive set of benefits at such a low cost and with very little protection.
Expedia flight insurance is something you should do. Check your options.
Southwest Airlines
One of our favorite airlines, Southwest, takes a different approach.
Southwest does not offer travel insurance. They allow you to cancel your flights at no cost.
It is quite scary that you don’t have any type of Medical Insurance.
Don’t get us wrong. We love Southwest in every way. We do love Southwest. However, they could offer more help by providing some guidance on how to buy cheap international flight insurance.
International Airlines
Many international airlines follow the same strategy as Southwest: there is no flight insurance.
For example, British Airways sells robust travel insurance to customers from the UK. However, a US customer who buys flights from BA does not receive trip insurance.
This concerns us again. Customers are left without any Medical Insurance or Medical Evacuation coverage on international trips.
It’s not a good idea.
What is the Airline Flight Insurance?
This guide will discuss the following topics:
- Basic Cancellation Cover
- Cancel for Work Reasons
- Cancel for any reason Protection
- Travel insurance for health
- Medical Evacuation
- Optional Flight Insurance
- Recommended Cover Levels
The airline will try to convince you that it’s now or never and force you to buy flight insurance right away at check-out. Don’t let them bully or pressure you. You have some time to choose the right flight insurance for you.
After you have paid your first trip deposit or payment, you have at most 14 days to purchase flight coverage.
What if your decision changes and you wish you hadn’t bought flight insurance?
It’s not a problem. No problem. You have 10-14 business days from the date you purchased flight insurance to cancel your policy and get a refund.
Flight insurance should be purchased promptly. However, you don’t have to purchase it immediately after you book your flight.
Why do I need to purchase flight insurance? – Cancellation
Decide if you really need Airline Flight Insurance before you purchase it. Let’s take a look at the main benefits.
- Cancellation Protection
- Travel insurance for health
- Medical Evacuation Cover
Basic Flight Cancellation Protection
Flight insurance should allow you to cancel your flight and get reimbursement. Most policies will only cover a limited number of reasons.
Basic Trip Cancellation protections are helpful for ‘Tragic Events’.
If any of the following happens, you will be eligible for a full refund
- Accident, illness, and death of you, your traveling partner, business partner or family member
- Jury duty
- Legal appearance
- Accident on the way to the airport
- Hospitalization or death of your host at the destination you are traveling to
- Weather
- Loss of employment
- Bankruptcy of your travel company
Because these types of events are rare, each of these situations is eligible for a 100% refund.
What’s the next level in cancellation coverage?
Cancel Flight Insurance for Work Reasons
You can’t take a vacation if you are working.
Your employer must approve your request for vacation. You can then book your flights and start looking forward to your trip.
What happens if your employer cancels your vacation and requires you to work? You can’t go on vacation and risk losing all the non-refundable money you paid for flights.
That’s where Cancel for Work Reasons flight insurance comes in.
If you are able to get a letter from HR confirming that your vacation was cancelled, you will be eligible for a 100% refund. This is a significant benefit.
This coverage is not available in cheap airline flight insurance plans. They also do not offer Cancel for Any Reason.
Flight Insurance Cancelled for Any Reason
You might have to cancel your trip due to an unexpected circumstance. You may cancel your trip, but still get some compensation.
Imagine you have booked a non-refundable flight ticket to visit your family. Now you aren’t ready to travel.
Many airlines won’t reimburse you one cent for cancelling. The ticket cannot be refunded.
However, if you bought Cancel for Any Reason flight insurance, then you would could cancel your flight and still receive 75% of your money back.
This type of insurance is not offered by any airline. The airline would prefer that you book a fully refundable airline ticket.
Why do I need to purchase flight insurance? – Health
Many people have health insurance that covers you in your home country.
What happens if you are traveling out of the country? It is possible that you will have to pay higher co-pays or deductibles if you travel out of state. This is why it is important to check.
The airline sells weak flight insurance, which does not include domestic health insurance.
This was always our view. Every comprehensive travel insurance we offer includes Medical Insurance. Many travelers feel it is essential to include Medical Treatment and Evacuation in a trip insurance policy.
No matter where you are, our travel insurers believe that Travel Medical Insurance is an essential part of every travel insurance plan.
It is wise to have comprehensive Medical Insurance when you travel abroad. International private hospitals can charge anywhere from $3,000 to $4,000 per night. You don’t want the financial burden of paying for medical bills alone.
What amount of Medical Insurance do I need?
We recommend you have at least $100,000 in Travel Medical Insurance coverage.
You would be surprised to know that airlines offer cheap travel insurance but very little or no Travel Medical Insurance. You run the risk of financial ruin if you don’t have Medical coverage.
Many policies provide Medical Insurance, even for low-cost flights. You can easily find high-quality coverage for a reasonable price.
Here are some benefits levels.
Worldwide Travel Insurance Trip Protector – Time Sensitive Advantages
- Cancel for Work Reasons: 100% Refund
- Pre-Existing Waiver is Yes
- Time sensitive period: 21 days
- No cost for a look for 10 days
- 60-days Pre-Existing Look Back
Travel Insurance Worldwide Trip Protector – Regular Benefits
- Covered Cancellation: 100% refund
- Covered Interruption: 15% refund
- Medical Sickness: 100,000
- Medical Evacuation: $1,000,000
- Medical coverage: Secondary
Why do I need to purchase flight insurance? – Medical Evacuation
Medical Evacuation is possible in the case of an accident that causes serious injury. This type of coverage is included in the best flight insurance. This is why it is so important. Medical evacuations can sometimes be too expensive, and we don’t want to see the bill.
An air evacuation costs between $15,000 and $25,000 per hour. This includes the time it takes to pick you up. You wouldn’t mind having someone else pay that! We know we would!
Flight Insurance Options – US Travel Agents
Some of the most trusted travel insurance companies in the world are based in the United States. All of them offer comprehensive travel insurance suitable for flights.
Aardy is proud to partner with some of the most respected insurers. They have decades of combined experience in helping people worldwide in times of crisis. A.M. is assigned to each Aardy Trip Insurance carrier. A rating of “A” or “A+” is the best.
Our trip insurance carriers compete against one another. Each one tends to offer three plans with increasing complexity and coverage. You can then compare coverage and prices to find the best policy.
International Trip Insurance: What is the coverage level?
It is essential to have adequate travel insurance and emergency medical evacuation coverage when you travel overseas.
You will require more protection than what your Personal Medical Insurance offers.
International Travel Medical Insurance
Do not wait for the US State Department’s assistance if you are hospitalized abroad. They offer financial assistance to US citizens who are injured or sick.
While some systems of health are cheaper than those in the USA, they can still be very expensive. American visitors are not allowed to visit the public health centers that residents use. You will need to seek treatment at a private hospital.
We recommend that you have at least $100,000 Travel Medical Insurance because it is expensive to get overseas health care.
International Medical Evacuation
In an emergency, Medical Evacuation can mean the difference between life and death.
Sometimes, it is necessary to transport a seriously ill patient into a suitable health care facility for medical treatment. It could make a difference between keeping a patient alive and giving them a better quality of life.
You may require a private medical plane with onboard doctors and nurses if your condition is serious.
Even for short trips, air evacuations can easily run to $250,000. You will need $500,000. If you are in remote areas like the Galapagos or the polar regions, then you should have at least $250,000. Remote areas require more time and effort to evacuate.
Medical evacuation insurance is affordable and provides a lot of protection.
Primary and Secondary Cover
Travel Medical Insurance can be Primary or Secondary coverage.
Primary Medical Insurance is our preferred option because it covers all health insurance. You don’t have to pay upfront or out-of-pocket for it. It handles your immediate billing. While you focus on your healing, the insurance will take care of the hospital bills.
Secondary Medical Insurance covers you even if you don’t have any other insurance. It also provides protection in the event that your private insurance doesn’t cover all of your needs. You will be able to claim the insurance company for out-of-pocket costs when you return home.
AARDY
AARDY is the World’s Leading Travel Insurance Marketplace.
Travelers who need to cover their travel costs and provide significant medical coverage can get flight insurance from us. Travelers can quickly get the coverage they require with our simple and intuitive comparison system.
We will give you a list of rates and insurance plans to compare in a matter of minutes. To make it easy to compare them all, we have made it simple for you to do so.
We will always show you the lowest-priced policies first. Our “Recommended” plan will be the least expensive plan with at least $100,000 Medical Insurance and a Pre-existing Condition Waiver. These are the two benefits that we recommend to international travelers.
We guarantee the lowest price. Comparison sites and travel insurers always show identical pricing for the same plan. Our comparison service is free and does not cost extra.
It is easy to find great flight insurance. It’s easy to compare dozens of solid travel insurance plans and make a purchase with confidence.