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Travel Insurance Questions and Answers

What is Travel Insurance?: It is an insurance that typically reimburse your non-refundable travel expenses if an emergency (death, sickness, airline strike, etc.) occurs right before or during your trip causing it to be canceled, interrupted or delayed. Travel Insurance includes a wide variety of protection benefits to add peace of mind to your trip, like Medical expenses, Trip Cancellation, Trip Interruption, Trip Delay, Emergency Medical Evacuation, Repatriation, Lost and delay of Baggage, Personal Effects, Flight protection, Travel Assistance Services and more.

Why do I need a Travel Insurance?: Traveling overseas always involves risks and nobody knows what could happen when planning a trip to a Foreign Country. In most of the cases, the domestic coverage or travel assistance will not provide the adequate protection and you could be exposed to substantial non expected charges.
Buying Travel Insurance provides peace of mind to your trip and protection in case you and/or your travel companions need to afford unexpected extra costs like Medical expenses, Cancellation or Interruption charges, Trip Delays, Emergency Medical Evacuation, Repatriation, Lost / delay of Baggage, lost of Personal Effects, Flight accidents, and more.

What is the difference between Travel Assistance and Travel Insurance?: Travel Assistance plans are usually not insurance products, so they are not ruled or supervised by Insurance Laws or Regulators. A Travel Assistance program will usually provide services only until contract expiration date, no matter how long your condition might need attention for (i.e. if the traveler is hospitalized on the 13th day of a 15-days contract, he will be covered just until the 15th day). On the other hand, a Travel Insurance Plan will provide medical benefits, as far as it started within the policy period, during 26 or 52 weeks (depending on the purchased plan) or up to the amount covered, no matter if it takes longer than your planned trip.

What is basically covered by the Travel Insurance?: Our International Travel Insurance programs have been specially designed with the following essential list of benefits that provides peace of mind to you and those traveling with you: Medical Expenses, Trip Cancellation, Trip Interruption and Trip Delay, Emergency Medical Evacuation, Repatriation, Lost and Delay of Baggage, Additional Accident Flight protection, Travel Assistance Services and more. See the Summary of Benefits for each plan for details and to find the coverage that better fits your needs.

What types of Travel Insurance are available?: We offer 3 groups of plans >
Cancellation/Medical Plans: These plans provide Benefits of Cancellation and Interruption of your trip plus different alternatives of Medical Expenses Benefits.
Interruption/Medical Plans: These plans are similar to the above but not including the Trip Cancellation benefit.
Medical/Health Plans: Plans oriented to Medical Expenses protection with several alternatives of limits per occurrence together with other additional benefits.

Who is providing support and backing up the Travel Insurance?: The Travel Medical Plans are internationally underwritten by Lloyd's of London, the world's oldest insurance market. Lloyd's of London is rated A (Excellent) by AM Best.
The GlobalTrip Plans are supported by Guardian Life of the Caribbean Ltd. (Member of Guardian Holding Group). Guardian Life of the Caribbean is rated A-(Excellent) by AM Best.
The RoundTrip Plans are underwritten by Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, Ohio, USA. Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company is rated A+ (Superior) by AM Best.

Where can I buy a Travel Insurance?: USA-ASSIST was born to operate electronically and completely online. You can buy with confidence travel insurance plans in a simple, reliable and secure way through an exclusive online system. Please click here to buy now.

Who can buy Travel Insurance?: All kind of groups, organizations and individuals from all around the world can purchase USA-ASSIST Travel Plans, at same cost, coverage quality and with no benefit reduction for any traveler, regardless of country of origin. Please click here for detailed information.

Is there an age limit to buy a Travel Insurance?: Any person over 14-days old can purchase USA-ASSIST Plans. Please note that Platinum, Titanium and Diamond Travel Medical plans are not available for persons over 69 years old.

How much does a Travel Insurance cost?: Prices vary depending on duration of trip, plan benefits and age of traveler. To find out how much your policy would cost, please click here to get a quote.

How can I pay for a Travel Insurance?: USA-ASSIST offers Secure Purchasing Guarantee and accepts main credit cards such as: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Diners y JCV.

What does mean Country of Residence?: It is the country where you have permanent residence, independently of your country of origin. The country of permanent residence can be defined as the country you would wish to be repatriated to in the event of a medical emergency.

What country the Coverage is good for?: USA-ASSIST provides worldwide coverage, provided that you are traveling outside of your country of residence. Nevertheless, Round Trip Plans (which are only available for USA residents departing from and returning to the USA) provide also coverage for trips within the United States.

When is the Coverage active?: Your policy is active as of 12:01AM of the day following the purchase date. However, there are plans with benefits being effective on or after departure date.

When does the Coverage start?: All coverages start on departure date. However, the Trip Cancellation benefit of this kind of policy is effective as of 12:01AM of the day following the purchase date. All other benefits coverage start on or after departure.

When does the Coverage expire or end?: Coverage ends after returning to your country of residence on return date. However, if you purchase a plan with benefits for certain period of travel, your policy will expire on the last day of that travel period.

When can I cancel the Coverage?: Cancellation/Interruption Plans: Cancellations are permissible within 10 days of the date of purchase, but in no instance will cancellation be accepted within 10 days prior to the departure date.
Travel Medical Plans: Cancellations are permissible until the day before the departure date.

When can I request a refund?: Trip Cancellation/Interruption Plans: Premium for the full term of coverage will be refunded only when a written request for policy cancellation sent to contact@usa-assist.com is received by USA-ASSIST within the 10 days free-look back period after Purchase Date. However, in no instance refund of premium for cancellation request will be accepted within 10 days period prior to the Departure Date.
Travel Medical Plans: Premium for the full term of coverage will be refunded only when a written request for policy cancellation sent to contact@usa-assist.com is received by USA-ASSIST prior to the Departure Date. After the Policy is Effective on Departure Date, premium is considered fully earned and non refundable.

Where can I get a copy of Receipt/Certificate or virtual ID Card?: All the necessary documents will be sent to you by e-mail, to the e-mail address you state in the on-line purchase form. Notwithstanding that, You will always be able to download, resend to yourself or print the documents within our website. To download a copy of your documentation, please visit Customer Service / My Travel Documentation.

How do I get international assistance?: Please visit Customer Service / Find Provider, you will find instructions to follow and telephone numbers where to call for assistance.

What do I do in case of an emergency?: Please visit Customer Service / In Case of Emergency, you will have to input your data and the requested information. You will have instructions to follow and telephone numbers where to call for an emergency.

Can I make a claim during the trip?: Yes. Every claim form is available in our web-site. Please visit Customer Service / Claims, you will find instructions to follow, telephone numbers to assist you and claims forms to download, depending the kind of policy you bought.

Can I wait until I return to file a claim?: You can wait until your return to your residence Country to file a claim, but it is important to submit your claim within 30 days after the date of service. Please remember to keep the original invoices of any expenses you incurred in, as they will be requested together with the claim’s form. Please visit Customer Service / Claims to file a claim.

What can I file a claim for?: You can file a claim for non-refundable expenses incurred by you and your traveling companions under your Certificate of coverage due to Accident or Sickness, Trip Cancellation, Delay or Interruption, Loss of Baggage and Personal Effects. Please read your Summary of Benefits for a full list of benefits.

Who is the Administrator for claims and emergencies?: For Travel Medical and Round Trip Plans: USA-ASSIST has an agreement with Seven Corners Inc. of Indiana, USA.
For Global Trip Plans: USA-ASSIST has an agreement with Global Excel Management, Inc. of Quebec, Canada.

What is a preexisting condition?: Cancellation/Interruption Plans: "Pre-existing Condition" means any Injury, Sickness or condition (including any condition from which death ensues) of You, or Your Traveling Companion, You or Your Traveling Companion's Family Member or Your Business Partner which within the (180) day period prior to the Effective Date of Your Protection Plan: a) manifested itself, became acute or exhibited symptoms which would have caused one to seek diagnosis, care or treatment; b) required taking prescribed drugs or medicine, unless the condition for which the prescribed drug or medicine is taken remains controlled without any change in the required prescription; or c) required medical treatment or treatment was recommended by a Legally Qualified Physician.
Note, Pre-existing Condition limitation is automatically waived for Medical Evacuation / Repatriation.
Travel Medical Plans: "Pre-existing Condition" means any Injury or Illness which meets the following criteria:
(a) condition(s) that would have caused a person to seek medical advice, diagnosis, care or treatment during the 36 months prior to the Effective Date of coverage under this Policy;
(b) condition(s) for which manifestation, medical advice, diagnosis, care or treatment was recommended, received, or noticed during the 36 months prior to the Effective Date of coverage under this Policy;
For Insured Persons traveling outside the United States and Canada, the period is 12 months instead of 36 months.
If the Insured Person is a United States citizen, this exclusion is waived for the first US $2500 in eligible medical expenses incurred outside the United States and Canada (for persons age 65 and over, the amount is US $1500).

When preexisting conditions is not covered?: Cancellation/Interruption Plans: As Pre-Existing Conditions definition states, they are not covered if, within the (180) day period prior to the Effective Date of Your Protection Plan, an Injury, Sickness or condition (including any condition from which death ensues): a) manifested itself, became acute or exhibited symptoms which would have caused one to seek diagnosis, care or treatment; b) required taking prescribed drugs or medicine, unless the condition for which the prescribed drug or medicine is taken remains controlled without any change in the required prescription; or c) required medical treatment or treatment was recommended by a Legally Qualified Physician.
Travel Medical Plans: When traveling within the United States and Canada they will not be covered only if manifestation, medical advice, diagnosis, care or treatment of that condition was recommended, received, or noticed during the 36 months prior to the Effective Date of coverage. For any other destination, the excluding period is 12 months instead of 36 months.
If the Insured Person is a United States citizen, this exclusion is waived for the first US $2500 in eligible medical expenses incurred outside the United States and Canada (for persons age 65 and over, the amount is US $1500).