Free Travel Insurance Comparison Checklist (Fillable PDF, Word, Excel)

What is on the page

Trip cancellation and interruption

Cancellation refunds prepaid, non-refundable costs if you cannot go for a covered reason (illness, death in the family, job loss, severe weather, jury duty; the list is in the policy). Interruption pays unused portions and the cost of getting home if the trip is cut short; 150% means it also covers extra transport.

Cancel for any reason (CFAR)

An add-on that refunds 50 to 75% of the trip cost if you cancel for a reason not on the list, usually at least 48 hours before departure. Must be bought within 14 to 21 days of the first deposit and typically adds 40 to 50% to the premium.

Emergency medical and evacuation

Medical pays hospital and doctor bills abroad; evacuation pays to move you to adequate care or home, which can run to six figures from a remote place or a cruise ship. Health plans almost never cover evacuation.

Pre-existing condition waiver

Policies exclude conditions treated or changed in the 60 to 180 days before purchase, for anyone in the party and often for family members at home. The waiver removes the exclusion if you buy within the window after your first deposit and insure the full cost.

Baggage and delay

Baggage: lost or stolen, with a per-item cap (cameras, jewelry, electronics often limited). Baggage delay: essentials after a set number of hours. Travel delay: meals and lodging after 6 to 12 hours, with a daily and total limit.

Primary vs secondary

Primary pays first; secondary pays what your other insurance (health plan, card) does not, after you file with them. Primary is simpler when you are abroad and the hospital wants payment.

Exclusions

The list of what is never covered: known events (a named storm once it is named), pandemics on some policies, adventure sports, intoxication, mental health on many policies, travel against advisories. Read it before buying, not after.

Premium as % of trip cost

Comprehensive policies typically cost 4 to 8% of the insured trip cost, more for older travelers and with CFAR. Below 3% usually means thin medical cover; above 10% means age-banded pricing or CFAR.

Do you need travel insurance at all?

For a domestic trip with refundable bookings and a health plan that covers you nationwide, usually not: the risks are small and your card may cover delays and baggage. For travel abroad, the calculus changes because most US health plans pay little or nothing outside the country (Medicare pays nothing), hospitals abroad expect payment up front, and an air ambulance home costs $50,000 to $250,000. Medical and evacuation cover for an international trip is cheap relative to that exposure, often under $100 per person for a two-week trip, and is the part worth buying even when the cancellation cover is not. Cancellation cover earns its premium when the non-refundable total is large, the trip is far ahead, or someone's health (yours or a parent's at home) makes cancellation plausible. Cruises add missed-port and ship-medical risks that make comprehensive cover the norm.

How to compare policies

1. Fill the needs sheet: total the non-refundable costs, check your credit card's guide to benefits and your health plan's out-of-country terms, and tick the risks that apply. The shopping list at the bottom is what to look for.
2. Get three quotes: a comparison site (which shows many insurers on identical inputs), one insurer directly, and the add-on offered at checkout by the airline or cruise line, for contrast.
3. Fill the comparison sheet from each policy's certificate or summary, not the sales page. Write amounts and hours, not "yes".
4. Check the deadline column: the pre-existing waiver and CFAR must be bought within days of your first deposit which is why the comparison happens the week you book, not the week you leave.
5. Buy, save the policy PDF and the assistance number on your phone, and give the claim record a home in your travel folder.

What credit cards cover, and what they do not

Premium travel cards (annual fees roughly $95 to $695) commonly include trip cancellation and interruption up to a few thousand dollars per trip, trip delay after 6 or 12 hours, baggage delay and loss, and primary or secondary rental car collision cover, all conditional on paying for the trip with the card. What they almost never include is meaningful emergency medical or evacuation cover, and their cancellation limits may be below the cost of a long international trip. So the typical gap a card leaves is exactly the expensive part: medical and evacuation abroad, plus cancellation above the card's cap. A medical-only or "travel medical" policy fills that gap cheaply for cardholders. Check the benefits guide for the specific card; benefits changed on many cards in 2024 and 2025.

Making a claim that gets paid

• Call the assistance line as soon as something happens; some policies require notice within 24 to 72 hours, and the line will tell you what to keep.
• Get it in writing: airline delay or cancellation confirmation, the baggage irregularity report before leaving the airport, a police report for theft within 24 hours, itemized medical bills and a diagnosis.
• Keep every receipt, and photograph them that day. Claims are paid on receipts, not estimates.
• Note each call (date, name, reference, what was agreed); disputes are won on this record.
• File within the policy's window, usually 90 days, with the documents listed on the claim record. Claim your card or airline first if the policy is secondary; the insurer will want their response.

Editing the Word and Excel versions

Rename the comparison rows to match a specific policy type (medical-only, annual multi-trip) in Word or Excel. The Excel version calculates premium as a percentage of trip cost, totals the non-refundable costs and the claim expenses. Pair with the travel emergency contact sheet (policy and assistance numbers belong on it) and the trip expense tracker; the same comparison approach for other policies is in the car and health insurance worksheets.

Questions

How much does travel insurance cost?

Comprehensive policies run about 4 to 8% of the insured trip cost for travelers under 60, more for older travelers and with cancel-for-any-reason added. Medical and evacuation-only policies for international trips are much cheaper, often $1 to $4 per person per day.

When should I buy travel insurance?

Within 14 to 21 days of your first trip payment if you want the pre-existing condition waiver or CFAR; those windows are strict. Otherwise any time before departure, though cancellation cover bought after a storm is named or an event is known will exclude it.

Does my credit card already cover me?

Many premium cards cover trip cancellation, delay, baggage and rental cars when the trip is charged to the card, up to stated limits. Almost none cover emergency medical or evacuation abroad in any meaningful amount. Check the card's guide to benefits and fill the needs sheet.

Does Medicare cover me abroad?

Original Medicare does not pay for care outside the US except in rare border cases. Some Medigap plans (C, D, F, G, M, N) cover 80% of emergency care abroad after a $250 deductible, with a $50,000 lifetime cap, and nothing for evacuation. A travel medical policy is the usual answer for retirees traveling abroad.

What does cancel for any reason actually refund?

Typically 50 to 75% of the insured, non-refundable trip cost, provided you cancel at least 48 hours before departure, bought the option within the window after your first deposit and insured the full trip cost. It adds roughly 40 to 50% to the premium and isn't available in every state.