travel insured international covid

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The 5 Best COVID-19 Travel Insurance Options

Travelex Insurance Services »

Allianz Travel Insurance »

World Nomads Travel Insurance »

Generali Global Assistance »

IMG Travel Insurance »

Why Trust Us

U.S. News evaluates ratings, data and scores of more than 50 travel insurance companies from comparison websites like TravelInsurance.com, Squaremouth and InsureMyTrip, plus renowned credit rating agency AM Best, in addition to reviews and recommendations from top travel industry sources and consumers to determine the Best COVID Travel Insurance Options.

Table of Contents

• Travelex Insurance Services
• Allianz Travel Insurance
• World Nomads Travel Insurance

Even though COVID-19 is no longer considered a global emergency, concerns around illness-related costs remain for many travelers. If you're looking for travel insurance that covers COVID – as well as other potential disruptions like flight delays and lost luggage – these are your best options.

• Travelex Insurance Services: Best Optional Coverage Add-ons
• Allianz Travel Insurance: Best for Multitrip and Annual Plans
• World Nomads Travel Insurance: Best for Active Travelers
• Generali Global Assistance: Best for Comprehensive Travel Insurance
• IMG Travel Insurance: Best for Travel Medical Insurance

Plans include coverage for COVID-19

Optional CFAR coverage is available with Travel Select plan

Some coverages require an upgrade, including rental car collision, accidental death and dismemberment, and more

Not all add-ons are available with every plan

SEE FULL REVIEW »

Allianz offers some travel insurance plans that come with an epidemic coverage endorsement

Single-trip, multitrip and annual plans available

COVID-19 benefits don't apply to every plan

Low coverage limits with some plans (e.g., only $10,000 in emergency medical coverage with OneTrip Basic plan)

24-hour travel assistance services included

More than 200 sports and activities covered in every plan

Low trip cancellation benefits ($2,500 maximum) with Standard plan

No CFAR option is offered

Free 10-day trial period

Some coverage limits may be insufficient

Rental car damage coverage only included in top-tier Premium plan

Offers travel medical insurance, international travel health insurance and general travel insurance plans

Some plans include robust coverage for testing and quarantine due to COVID-19

Not all plans from IMG offer coverage for COVID-19

Cancel for any reason coverage not available with every plan

Frequently Asked Questions

When comparing COVID-19 travel insurance options, you'll want to make sure you fully understand the coverages included in each plan. For example, you should know the policy inclusions and limits for COVID-related claims, including coverage for testing, treatments, trip cancellation or COVID-related interruptions that can occur. Meanwhile, you should understand how your coverage will work if you contract some other illness while away from home.

Also ensure your travel insurance coverage will kick in for other mishaps that occur, and that limits are sufficient for your needs. If you're planning a trip to a remote area in a country like Costa Rica or Peru , you'll want to have emergency evacuation and transportation coverage with generous limits that can pay for emergency transportation to a hospital if you need treatment.

You can also invest in a travel insurance policy that offers cancel for any reason coverage. This type of travel insurance plan lets you cancel and get a percentage of your prepaid travel expenses back for any reason, even if you just decide you're better off staying home.

It depends on your private health insurance provider and/or travel insurance policy. As of May 11, 2023, private health insurers are no longer required to cover the cost of COVID-19 testing. Out-of-pocket costs for COVID-19 test kits at local drugstores and on Amazon are relatively affordable, however.

As you search for plans that will provide sufficient coverage for your next trip, you'll find travel insurance that covers COVID-19 quarantine both inside and outside the United States. However, you'll typically need to have your condition certified by a physician in order for this coverage to apply. Also make sure your travel insurance plan includes coverage for travel claims related to COVID-19 in the first place.

Many travel insurance plans do cover trip cancellation as a result of COVID-19, although the terms vary widely. You typically need to be certified by a physician in order to prove your condition. Disinclination to travel because of COVID-19 – such as fear of exposure to illness – will generally not be covered. This means you will actually have to test positive for coronavirus for benefits to apply; simply not wanting to travel is not a sufficient reason to make a claim.

If you want more flexibility in your COVID-19 travel insurance, ensuring you have a cancel for any reason policy may be your best bet, but be sure to check with your chosen travel insurance provider to assess your options.

Why Trust U.S. News Travel

Holly Johnson is an award-winning writer who has been covering travel insurance and travel for more than a decade. She has researched the best travel insurance options for her own trips to more than 50 countries around the world and has experience navigating the claims and reimbursement process. Over the years, Johnson has successfully filed several travel insurance claims for trip delays and trip cancellations. Johnson also works alongside her travel agent partner, Greg, who has been licensed to sell travel insurance in 50 states.

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How to Find Travel Insurance That Offers COVID Coverage

Elina Geller is a former NerdWallet travel writer specializing in airline and hotel loyalty programs and travel insurance. In 2019, Elina founded TheMissMiles, a travel rewards coaching business. Her work has been featured by AwardWallet. She is a certified public accountant with degrees from the London School of Economics and Fordham University.

Megan Lee joined the travel rewards team at NerdWallet with over 12 years of SEO, writing and content development experience, primarily in international education and nonprofit work. She has been published in U.S. News & World Report, USA Today and elsewhere, and has spoken at conferences like that of NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Megan has built and directed remote content teams and editorial strategies for websites like GoAbroad and Go Overseas. When not traveling, Megan adventures around her Midwest home base where she likes to attend theme parties, ride her bike and cook Asian food.

Jeanette Margle leads the home loans content team at NerdWallet, where she has worked since 2019. Previously, she led NerdWallet's travel rewards content team and spent three years editing for Upgraded Points while self-employed as an editor and writing coach.

Jeanette earned bachelor's degrees in journalism and Plan II Honors from the University of Texas at Austin and has a Master of Education from the University of Houston. A lifelong Texan, Jeanette grew up in a small town in the Hill Country and lives in the Houston area with her husband and daughters.

Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money .

Table of Contents

Does travel insurance cover COVID?

What is not covered, finding travel insurers covering covid-19, the best covid travel insurance, covid travel insurance, recapped.

Traveling now carries with it more uncertainty than ever before. If you plan on traveling anytime soon, one thing you can do to protect yourself is get a trip insurance policy that includes coronavirus coverage. Previously, many insurers excluded COVID-related claims due to the virus’ status as a foreseen event/pandemic.

But now, some insurers are changing their tune. Here’s what you need to know about how to find travel insurance providers that offer coronavirus-related coverage, as well as what is and isn’t covered.

Coronavirus coverage falls into several categories:

Trip cancellation: You need to cancel a trip prior to departure because you, a covered travel companion or possibly someone you need to care for contracted COVID-19.

Trip delay: Your trip is delayed due to changing COVID-related guidelines.

Travel medical coverage : You (or a covered travel companion) become ill with COVID-19 while traveling abroad and incur health care expenses or require an evacuation.

Of providers that are offering COVID policies, most are covering these expenses.

» Learn more: The majority of Americans plan to travel this year, according to recent NerdWallet study

Countries with Level 4 travel advisories: Some insurers disclose that if a Level 4 Do Not Travel advisory is issued by the U.S. Department of State for a specific country, you will not receive coronavirus-related coverage. With cases surging in various countries unexpectedly, the list of Level 4 countries is constantly changing. Before booking a trip and purchasing a policy, make sure to check that the country does not have a Level 4 advisory.

Fear of getting sick while traveling: Canceling a trip because you’re afraid you’ll get sick does not qualify for coverage under your travel insurance policy. Travel insurance providers have a list of standard reasons that qualify for cancellation, including: car accident, jury duty, terrorist act, military duty and other extenuating circumstances. If you want ultimate flexibility to cancel a trip (no matter the reason), you’ll want to look into the cancel for any reason, or CFAR, supplemental upgrade , which is offered on some travel insurance plans. When you purchase CFAR, you can get up to 75% of your nonrefundable deposit back as long as you cancel at least two days in advance. Not all plans offer CFAR as an option, so research before you purchase if you're interested in this add-on.

COVID-related events not directly related to you: If you planned on going to a conference or a family reunion that was canceled due to COVID-associated concerns, your travel insurer will not reimburse your nonrefundable flight or hotel accommodations.

» Learn more: The best travel insurance companies right now

Generally, the policies underwritten by U.S.-based travel insurance providers vary by state, trip information, traveler’s ages and other various details. Travel insurance comparison site Squaremouth (a NerdWallet partner) is one of the very few comparison sites that allows you to filter by policies that offer coronavirus coverage.

To find a policy that specifically covers coronavirus-related losses, input your departure and return dates, your main destination and select “Search for Policies Now.”

In our example, we input the following details: A $3,000 paid-in-full trip to Greece leaving on Oct. 9 and returning on Oct. 18 by a 40-year old U.S. citizen who is a resident of California. The policy will include trip cancellation coverage.

When incorporating the “Coronavirus Pandemic” filter, the results reveal that 57 out of 100 policies include this coverage. You can select additional filters, such as cancel for any reason, if you’re looking for that optional upgrade.

The results can be sorted by price, top sellers, top reviews and insurance providers, offering plenty of ways to easily search for the specific policy you’re looking for.

Each of the top three policies (which is just a sampling of the nearly 60 options) includes coronavirus cancellation and medical coverage, and displays the associated limits. Trip cancellation coverage is $3,000, representing the value of the trip. The price of the policy is clearly stated and ranges from 4.8% to 6.1% of the total trip cost. This range represents very typical travel insurance costs .

» Learn more: Is travel insurance worth it?

A recent NerdWallet analysis determined providers Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection , IMG and John Hancock Insurance Agency , Inc., among others.

Read the full results of best COVID-19 travel insurance .

Once you narrow your search, you’ll want to review the full policy details to ensure you’re familiar with what exactly is covered and not covered.

If you have specific questions — especially as they relate to the constantly changing travel advisories or whether coronavirus is considered as a foreseen event (which some providers will not cover) — you’ll want to reach out to the insurer. The last thing you want is to purchase travel insurance and later find out it will not cover you in your intended destination.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2023 , including those best for:

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee:   Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards:  Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card  

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

on Chase's website

1x-10x Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.

60,000 Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

1x-5x 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.

60,000 Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

1x-2x Earn 2X points on Southwest® purchases. Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare. Earn 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services, and select streaming. Earn 1X points on all other purchases.

85,000 Earn 85,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.