Allianz Global Assistance Travel Insurance Review 2024

Allianz Global Assistance has been providing travel insurance to Canadians for over 30 years. As part of Allianz Partners, one of the world’s largest insurance and assistance companies, Allianz Global Assistance has operations centres in 44 countries around the world with a network of over 900,000 medical providers. In 2019, the company handled 725,000 medical cases and arranged 17,200 repatriations.

The company’s travel insurance is underwritten by CUMIS General Insurance Company, a member of The Co-operators Group of Companies. Allianz Global Assistance is a registered business name of AZGA Service Canada Inc. and AZGA Insurance Agency Canada Ltd.

Here are the key types of travel insurance coverage offered in Allianz Global Assistance travel insurance plans:

• Emergency medical insurance: If you get ill or are injured on your trip, travel medical insurance can pay for emergency medical expenses, up to the coverage limits in your plan. These expenses can include doctor and hospital bills, medication and lab work, as well as medical evacuations, repatriation and arranging for a bedside companion if you are hospitalized.
• Trip cancellation insurance: If you cancel a trip for a reason listed in your travel policy, such as you or your travelling companion becoming ill, weather conditions cause a massive delay or you lose your job, trip cancellation insurance can reimburse you for prepaid, non-refundable costs.
• Travel interruption or delay insurance: Trip interruption insurance can pay for a last-minute flight home in an emergency and money that you lose if you have to return home earlier than expected, such as non-refundable activities and hotel stays. It can also cover hotel stays and meals if your trip is delayed. If your flight is delayed, your insurance can cover the cost of incidentals, such as meals or accommodations, after a specified period of time, usually six, 10 or 12 hours.
• Baggage insurance: Baggage travel insurance can compensate you up to your policy limits if your luggage is lost or stolen. It will reimburse the depreciated value of your suitcases and what you packed. If your checked bags are delayed, it can reimburse you for the cost of the necessities you’ll have to buy to tide you over.
• Travel accident insurance. This coverage offers compensation in the event of accidental death or catastrophic injury from an accident during your trip. Flight Accident Insurance covers injury while you’re on a commercial plane, during a connection or in an airport. Travel Accident Insurance covers death or dismemberment, including the loss of limbs or eyesight, while on your trip.

There are three plans offered by Allianz Global Assistance for Canadian residents travelling outside of Canada:

Medical + Cancellation Plan: This option provides a package of all available benefits offered by Allianz Global Assistance, including emergency medical, trip cancellation, interruption and delay, lost, stolen or delayed baggage, flight and travel accident coverage, and more.

Coverage for emergency medical treatment includes:

• Hospital accommodation in a semi-private or private room
• Service of a physician, surgeon, anaesthetist or registered nurse
• Private duty nursing, up to $10,000
• Paramedical services from a chiropractor, osteopath, chiropodist, podiatrist, acupuncturist or physiotherapist, up to $600 per profession
• Lab tests and X-rays
• Air, land or sea ambulance
• Rental of crutches or a hospital-type bed and the cost of splints, trusses, braces or other prosthetic devices
• Emergency outpatient services
• Drugs or medication for your medical emergency, up to a 30-day supply
• Emergency dental treatment due to a blow to the face, up to $4,000
• Emergency dental treatment due to pain, up to $500

Medical coverage also covers the cost to transport up to two bedside companions if you are hospitalized, the cost to return home if medically necessary (this includes a travelling companion or family member), as well as baggage return and pet return. If your return home is delayed due to a medical emergency, this benefit covers meals and accommodations.

Medical Plan: If you’re only worried about medical emergencies while travelling, this benefit offers all of the medical coverage listed above.

Cancellation Plan: This coverage option reimburses you for insured non-refundable travel expenses (such as hotels or prepaid excursions) if you have to cancel, interrupt, or delay your trip due to a covered reason. This benefit also provides baggage insurance, flight accident coverage and accidental death and dismemberment coverage.

We’ve highlighted the key benefits for each coverage option available for the single trip plan when travelling outside of Canada to help you identify which is the best fit for you.

The price of an Allianz Global Assistance travel insurance plan depends on factors such as the cost of your trip, your age and the amount of coverage you choose.

Here are some examples of the cost for Allianz Global Travel Assistance single trip plans for healthy travellers based in Ontario.

CAA Travel

Emergency medical: $5 million
Cancel For Any Reason: Yes, 50% to 75%
Baggage insurance (maximum): $1,500

Related: CAA Travel Insurance Review

TuGo Travel Insurance

Emergency medical: $10 million
Cancel For Any Reason: Yes, 50%
Baggage insurance (maximum): $500

Related: TuGo Travel Insurance Review

Manulife Financial

Emergency medical: $10 million
Cancel For Any Reason: No
Baggage insurance (maximum): $1,000

Related: Manulife Financial CoverMe Review

Allianz Global Assistance does not offer any optional add-ons, upgrades or endorsements.

No.

Yes. You can buy multi-trip annual insurance if you travel more than once a year for multiple individual trips. Allianz Global Assistance offers an Annual Medical Plan for 10 days or 30 days. These day limits can be extended for any single trip during the year.

This policy does not include trip cancellation and interruption coverage.

Here’s how the prices between single trip and multi-trip insurance compare for the Medical Plan.

Allianz Global Assistance travel assistance is available 24/7, 365 days of the year. Depending on the coverage provided by your insurance policy, emergency services may include:

• Referral to a nearby medical provider
• Arrangement for direct billing to medical providers, if possible
• Monitoring the status of your medical case
• Communicating with you, your family, physician, travel supplier and/or consulate
• Coordinating emergency medical transportation to the nearest appropriate medical facility
• Escorting and transporting home stranded dependent children and/or extended family members or friends while you are in hospital
• Repatriation to your home province for continuing care once your emergency is stable
• Return of your remains should you die while on a trip
• Emergency cash transfers between you and your friend, family member, business or credit card company
• Emergency message services from or for you
• Help replacing lost or stolen airline tickets
• Facilitating contact with a local attorney or consular office if you are arrested or detained, or require legal help

If a medical emergency happens while you are on your trip, you or someone acting on your behalf must notify Allianz Global Assistance within 24 hours of admission to a hospital and before any surgery is performed. If you do not contact Allianz Global Assistance, you will be responsible for paying 20% of the claim. Also, some services, such as private duty nursing or the purchase of medical appliances, require advance approval by Allianz Global Assistance.

Allianz Global Assistance also provides non-emergency trip services, such as:

• Passport and visa information
• Health hazards advisory
• Inoculation requirements
• Weather information
• Currency exchange information
• Consulate and embassy locations

Allianz Global Assistance offers the free TripWise app to help you navigate emergency situations while you are away from home. The app provides access to:

• Flight status: Track any flight within three days for delays or changes
• Hospital search: Use the GPS locator to find an accredited, local hospital at your destination
• Prescription and first aid terms: Use the medical dictionary with internationally-recognized names of common prescription medication, or translate popular first-aid terms in over 15 languages
• Country information: Get real-time travel alerts and security information for over 195 destinations

No.

No.

Allianz Global Assistance will not pay medical expenses related to any medical condition that is not stable for a set period of time, either 90 or 180 days (depending on your age), before your coverage takes effect.

A medical condition is considered stable when all of the following are true (with some exceptions):

• There has been no new treatment
• There has been no change in treatment or change in treatment frequency or type
• There have been no signs or symptoms or new diagnosis
• There have been no test results showing deterioration
• You have not been hospitalized
• There has been no referral to a specialist and you are not awaiting surgery or the results of investigations performed by any medical doctor

In addition, Allianz Global Assistance has a number of age- and condition-specific exclusions, including:

For policyholders aged 59 and younger, benefits are not payable due to:

• Any medical condition that was not stable during the 90 days before your departure date
• Any heart condition if you have used nitroglycerine during the 90 days before your departure date
• Any lung or respiratory condition if you have a prescription for or used home oxygen or prednisone in the 90 days before your departure date
• Any cancer if you have received treatment in the 90 days before your departure date (with some exceptions)
• An unrepaired aneurysm of 4 cm or greater diagnosed before your departure date

For policyholders aged 60 and older and you were not required to complete a medical questionnaire, benefits are not payable due to:

• Any medical condition that was not stable during the 180 days before your departure date
• Any heart condition if you have used nitroglycerine during the 180 days before your departure date
• Any lung or respiratory condition if you have a prescription for or used home oxygen or prednisone in the 180 days before your departure date
• Any cancer if you have received treatment in the 180 days before your departure date (with some exceptions)
• An unrepaired aneurysm of 4 cm or greater diagnosed before your departure date

For policyholders aged 60 and older and you were required to complete a medical questionnaire, benefits are not payable due to:

• Any medical condition that was not stable during the 90 or 180 days before your departure date
• Any medical condition for which you received treatment at any time before your departure date

There are a number of scenarios not covered by travel insurance and it’s critical to know what not to do before you make a claim. The following are exclusions to all coverages provided by Allianz Global Assistance travel insurance:

• Your mental or emotional disorder for which there has been new treatment or a change in treatment in the 90 days before departure
• Your suicide, attempted suicide or self-inflicted injury
• Loss incurred during an illegal act
• Intoxication from or chronic use of alcohol or prohibited drugs or other intoxicants
• Non-compliance with prescribed treatment included misuse of medication
• Injuries due to training for, competing in or participating in motorized speed contests, stunt activities, high-risk activities, mountain climbing or rock climbing
• Travelling against the advice of a physician
• Any sickness or injury where there is an active travel advisory and the sickness or injury is due to the reason for the warning
• Any act of war, kidnapping, terrorism, riot, strike or civil commotion, unlawful visit or nuclear occurrence

To be eligible for insurance with Allianz Global Assistance, the following must apply:

• You are a Canadian resident who is at least 15 days old but no more than 84 years old.
• You are not travelling for more than 60 days.
• You have completed the medical questionnaire and qualified for coverage if you are between ages 60 and 69 and are travelling for more than 30 days, or
• You have completed the medical questionnaire and qualified for coverage if you are between ages 70 and 84 and are travelling for any length of time.
• You are insured for benefits under a Canadian government health insurance plan during the entire policy period.

You can file a claim 24/7 by accessing the online Claims Portal where you can create an account, upload and access all documents, identify any documents you may have missed and check the status of your claim. Claims can be submitted online for non-medical benefits including trip cancellation and interruption, flight delay and lost or delayed baggage, as well as out-of-pocket medical expenses.

In the case of a medical emergency, once you contact Allianz Global Assistance (before seeking treatment) and your case file is opened, you have the option to continue completing your claim through the online Claims Portal.

In addition to your claim form, you may be asked to provide:

• Receipts from commercial organizations for all medical costs incurred and itemized accounts for all medical services
• Any payments made by any other insurance plans
• Supporting medical documentation
• Unused travel documents or tickets
• A police report or incident number for claims due to theft

Claims must be reported within 30 days of the occurrence and proof of claim must be submitted within 90 days of the occurrence.