Travel Insurance Comparison Chart: Find the Best Plan in Minutes
A travel insurance comparison chart is the fastest way to cut through the noise when you’re booking a trip. Providers stack cancellation, medical, and baggage benefits into dense policy documents, and it’s easy to overpay for coverage you’ll never use or to skip a benefit you actually need. This guide lays out what the major plans actually cost, what they cover, and how to read the fine print so you can pick a policy in under ten minutes.
Below you’ll find a head-to-head comparison of five heavily-reviewed U.S. providers — Allianz, World Nomads, Trawick International, Seven Corners, and Faye — across the factors that matter most. I’ve included real price ranges for a traveler in their 40s heading to Europe for 10 days, because “affordable” means nothing without a dollar figure attached.
How to Read a Travel Insurance Comparison Chart
Most comparison charts break down the same five numbers: the trip-cancellation maximum, the emergency-medical limit, the medical-evacuation limit, the baggage-loss coverage, and the price. Those numbers look similar across carriers until you read the conditions behind them.
The biggest gap is usually in what counts as a “covered reason” for cancellation. A cheap policy might only refund you for illness, injury, or a death in the family. A pricier one adds “cancel for work reasons,” weather, or a “cancel for any reason” (CFAR) upgrade that refunds 50–75% of your prepaid, non-refundable costs no matter why you back out. CFAR almost always costs extra and must be bought within 14–21 days of your first trip deposit — that window matters more than the premium.
The second thing to check is how medical coverage is structured. Look for policies that pay “primary” rather than “secondary.” Primary coverage pays out before your own health insurance, which means fewer forms and faster claims if you get sick abroad.
Travel Insurance Comparison Chart: Five Plans Side by Side
Here’s a working travel insurance comparison chart for a 45-year-old traveler on a 10-day trip to Europe with roughly $5,000 in prepaid, non-refundable expenses. Prices shift with age, destination, and trip cost, but these ranges are a reliable starting point for 2025.
| Factor | Allianz OneTrip Prime | World Nomads Explorer | Trawick International | Seven Corners RoundTrip | Faye |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trip cancellation | Up to $100,000 | Up to $10,000 | Up to $50,000 | Up to $50,000 | Up to $4,500 |
| Emergency medical | $50,000 | $100,000 | $50,000–$150,000 | $100,000–$500,000 | $250,000 |
| Medical evacuation | $500,000 | $500,000 | $500,000 | $500,000 | $500,000 |
| Baggage & personal effects | $1,000 | $2,500 | $1,000–$2,500 | $500–$1,000 | $2,000 |
| Typical price (10-day Europe) | $95–$140 | $130–$180 | $60–$120 | $80–$130 | $110–$160 |
| CFAR available? | Yes (add-on) | No | Yes (add-on) | Yes (add-on) | Yes (built into some tiers) |
A few notes that charts rarely flag. World Nomads caps cancellation at a relatively modest $10,000 by default, which is fine for a week in Portugal but thin for a $15,000 African safari. Trawick International is the value play — its base “Safe Travels” plans routinely undercut competitors while still carrying $150,000 in medical on higher tiers. Faye is the strongest for medical coverage per dollar but charges more for older travelers, so it’s better under 50 than over. Seven Corners gives you the most medical headroom if you want $500,000 in medical plus evacuation without jumping to a specialty plan.
What a Good Policy Actually Costs
Travel insurance typically runs 4–10% of your total non-refundable trip cost. On a $5,000 trip, budget between $200 and $500 for a comprehensive policy; on a $1,200 domestic weekend, expect $50–$120. The two biggest price levers are age and trip cost — not where you’re going.
Travelers over 70 should expect premiums to jump sharply, sometimes doubling, because medical risk rises. If that’s your situation, comparing specifically for travel insurance for seniors over 70 is worth the extra five minutes, since age-rating rules differ a lot between carriers. Families should also check whether kids are covered free: several providers include children under 18 at no extra cost when traveling with a covered adult.
Medical Limits Matter More Than You Think
U.S. health insurance — including Medicare — offers little to no coverage outside the country, and it rarely covers medical evacuation, which can run $50,000 to $150,000 for a hospital transfer back home. That one gap is why a bare-bones trip-cancellation-only policy can be a false economy.
If you’re going anywhere with expensive private healthcare — the U.S., Canada for non-residents, cruise ships, remote islands — lean toward $100,000 in emergency medical or more. For an in-depth look at overseas care, our best travel insurance for international travel guide breaks down primary-vs-secondary coverage and how to handle preauthorization calls from a hospital abroad.
One underrated benefit to keep an eye on: emergency dental. A cracked molar in Bangkok can cost $400–$1,200 out of pocket, and many plans include $250–$500 in dental coverage at no extra charge.
Cancellation and Trip Interruption: Where the Money Goes
Trip cancellation reimburses you if you can’t go; trip interruption reimburses the unused portion plus extra costs if you have to come home early. Together they’re the most-claimed benefits, and the fine print is where plans differ most.
Common covered reasons include injury or illness to you, a traveling companion, or a close family member; a named hurricane or natural disaster hitting your destination; or jury duty, being called into military service, or a documented job layoff. What’s usually not covered by default is anything foreseeable — a sick parent’s pre-existing condition, a wedding that might get called off, a work deadline you saw coming. For that, you need CFAR or a pre-existing-condition waiver.
For a deeper dive on when cancellation actually pays out, see our trip cancellation insurance cost explainer, which prices CFAR upgrades across the same carriers.
Pre-Existing Conditions and CFAR
Two add-ons punch above their weight, and almost every comparison chart skips them:
- Pre-existing condition waiver. Most plans exclude anything you were treated for in the 60–180 days before purchase. Buy the waiver (usually bundled automatically if you buy within 14–21 days of your first deposit) and those conditions get covered. This is the single most valuable upgrade for anyone with a managed condition.
- Cancel for any reason (CFAR). Adds 40–60% to your premium and refunds 50–75% of non-refundable costs. You must buy it within a short window and insure 100% of your trip cost. It’s peace of mind for uncertain plans — a job in flux, a family situation, a destination with volatile weather.
If you carry an existing diagnosis, start with our travel insurance for existing medical conditions guide — the waiver rules genuinely decide which provider you should pick, not the headline premium.
Multi-Trip vs. Single-Trip: Don’t Overpay
If you take two or more trips a year, an annual plan usually wins. Annual multi-trip policies cover everything within a 12-month window — often with a per-trip length cap of 30–90 days — and frequently cost less than two separate single-trip policies. Our annual multi-trip travel insurance guide runs the math on when the break-even point hits.
The exception is trips with heavy non-refundable prepayment, like a $30,000 safari or a chartered cruise. Those often exceed an annual plan’s per-trip limits, so a single-trip comprehensive policy protects you better.
To verify current pricing and coverage details, NerdWallet maintains an independent travel insurance comparison with updated rate estimates, and Lonely Planet’s guide to choosing travel insurance is a solid plain-English primer on what the jargon means. Both are good cross-checks against whatever a comparison site’s sales funnel shows you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a travel insurance comparison chart?
It’s a side-by-side table that lines up multiple policies against the same factors — cancellation limits, medical maximums, evacuation coverage, baggage limits, and price — so you can weigh options without flipping through dozens of policy documents.
How much does travel insurance cost on average?
Expect 4–10% of your total non-refundable trip cost. A $5,000 international trip generally lands between $200 and $500 for comprehensive coverage, while a $1,200 domestic weekend runs $50–$120.
Which provider has the highest medical coverage?
Seven Corners and Faye stand out: Seven Corners offers up to $500,000 in emergency medical on its top tier, and Faye includes $250,000 as standard, which is meaningfully higher than Allianz’s $50,000 default.
Is “cancel for any reason” worth the extra cost?
For travelers with genuinely uncertain plans — a volatile job, an ill family member, a destination with unpredictable weather — yes. It typically costs 40–60% more and refunds 50–75% of prepaid costs, but it’s the only coverage that pays out regardless of why you cancel.
Do annual plans work out cheaper than single trips?
Usually, if you travel twice a year or more. Annual multi-trip policies often cost less than two separate single-trip plans, as long as each trip stays under the per-trip duration cap (commonly 30–90 days).
The Bottom Line
A travel insurance comparison chart gets you 80% of the way to a decision in one glance: look at cancellation and medical limits first, price second. Trawick International is the smart budget pick, Seven Corners the best for high medical coverage, and Faye the strongest overall medical value for travelers under 50.
Before you buy, confirm three things: whether the policy covers pre-existing conditions, whether you can add CFAR inside the purchase window, and whether medical coverage pays primary. Nail those, and you can book with confidence instead of crossing your fingers.
Still weighing options? Browse our other insurance guides for cruises and seniors to match a plan to your exact trip.
