Manulife Financial CoverMe Travel Insurance Review 2024

Manulife Financial Corporation is a multinational financial services company offering financial advice, insurance and wealth management services.

Headquartered in Toronto with offices in Canada, Asia and Europe, as well as in the U.S. under the name John Hancock, Manulife started selling insurance in 1887. Today the company offers a bevy of insurance products, including health, life, mortgage protection and travel insurance.

Manulife Travel Insurance is underwritten by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company (Manulife) and First North American Insurance Company (FNAIC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Manulife.

Here are the key types of travel insurance coverage offered in Manulife 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.
• 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 causing a massive delay or you losing 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 by cutting a trip short, such as non-refundable activities and hotel stays. If your flight is delayed, your insurance can cover the cost of incidentals, such as meals or accommodations, after a specified period of time, like 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 bags are delayed, it can reimburse you for the cost of the necessities you’ll have to buy to tide you over. It also extends to your personal belongings, if lost, damaged or stolen.
• 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.

Manulife Financial Travel Insurance offers four plans:

All Inclusive: This is the most comprehensive plan offered by Manulife Financial that includes coverage for unforeseen medical emergencies, trip cancellation and interruption, travel accident, and baggage loss, damage and delay.

According to Manulife Financial, emergency medical treatment includes:

• Hospital accommodation up to a semi-private room
• Private duty nursing
• Rental or purchase of a hospital bed, wheelchair, brace, crutch or any other medical appliance
• Diagnostic tests
• Prescription drugs and medication
• Paramedical services, such as care from a chiropractor, osteopath, physiotherapist, chiropodist or podiatrist, up to $70 per visit for a maximum of $700 per covered injury
• Ambulance transportation
• Emergency dental due to a blow to the face (up to $3,000: $1,500 on your trip and $1,500 once you return home) or,
• Emergency dental due to pain, up to $300

Medical benefits also include coverage to bring someone to your bedside, expenses for meals, hotel accommodations and associated expenses if a medical delay prevents you from returning home, repatriation expenses, return of your remains if you die and a hospital allowance, for expenses such as parking and TV rental.

Manulife Insurance is secondary insurance, which means that coverage kicks in once any other benefit plan is exhausted.

Emergency Medical: If you’re only worried about medical emergencies while travelling, this plan offers all of the emergency medical coverage options of the all inclusive plan and includes hospital accommodations, physician fees, lab tests, private nurses and ambulance services.

Trip Cancellation/Interruption: If you have medical coverage elsewhere, such as a travel credit card, this will cover trip cancellation and trip interruption. It does not offer any baggage coverage or flight and travel accident coverage.

COVID-19 Pandemic Travel Plan: This plan provides emergency medical insurance for COVID-19 and related complications, as well as trip interruption insurance benefits if you need to quarantine. The maximum payable amount is $5 million for a medical emergency related COVID-19 if you are vaccinated and $1 million if you are not vaccinated. The $5 million in coverage can also be used in the event of a non-COVID related medical emergency.

Family coverage for up to four adults (parents and grandparents) and their unmarried dependent children or grandchildren may also be available for any of these plans. (If purchasing the COVID-19 Pandemic Plan, family coverage is available for up to two adults.)

In order to be eligible for coverage, the following must be true:

• All travellers are between 30 days old and 59 years old at the time of the application
• Adults are either a parent or grandparent of the dependent children or grandchildren
• Dependent children or grandchildren are unmarried and under age 21, a full-time student under age 26 or mentally or physically disabled

We’ve highlighted key benefits of Manulife CoverMe Travel Insurance for the single trip plan to help you identify which coverage is the best fit for you.

The price of a Manulife Financial CoverMe 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 Manulife Financial CoverMe Travel Insurance single trip plans for healthy travellers based in Ontario. Each traveller is quoted individually.

With your emergency medical coverage, you can also add an optional deductible, or the amount you will pay out of pocket before your coverage kicks in, of $500, $1,000, $5,000 or $10,000.

CAA Travel

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

Related: CAA Travel Insurance Review

TD Insurance

Emergency medical: $5 million
Cancel For Any Reason: No
Baggage insurance (maximum): $1,000

Related: TD Insurance Travel Insurance Review

Blue Cross

Emergency medical: $5 million
Cancel For Any Reason: No
Baggage insurance (maximum): $1,500

Related: Blue Cross Travel Insurance Review

Manulife Financial does not offer any insurance riders or add-ons.

Costco Executive members can save up to 5% on most Manulife insurance plan premiums.

Yes. You can buy multi-trip annual insurance if you travel more than once a year for multiple individual trips. Manulife Financial offers medical only coverage for four, 10, 18, 30 and 60 days and all inclusive coverage for four, 10, 18 or 30 days per trip. If you stay longer than the number of days you purchased, you can purchase a top-up. It’s important to note that the Multi-Trip All Inclusive plan is only available for purchase within 60 days of departure.

Here’s how the prices between single trip and multi-trip insurance for 18 days compare:

The Manulife Assistance Centre is available 24/7 and 365 days of the year and can help you when you’re faced with an emergency. Depending on the coverage provided by your insurance policy, support includes:

• Verifying and explaining coverage
• Referral to a physician, hospital or other health care provider
• Monitoring your medical emergency and keeping your family informed
• Arranging for return transportation home when medically necessary
• Arranging direct billing of covered expenses, wherever possible
• Assistance with lost, stolen or delayed baggage
• Assistance in obtaining emergency cash
• Translations and interpreter services in a medical emergency
• Help to replace lost or stolen airline tickets
• Assistance with obtaining prescription drugs
• Assistance in obtaining legal help or bail bond

For policyholders with emergency medical coverage, Manulife Financial Travel Insurance also offers StandbyMD, a medical concierge service. StandbyMD offers the following services 24/7:

• Teleconsultations with a physician who can assess your symptoms and provide treatment options
• A network of visiting physicians in 141 countries and over 4,500 cities
• In-network clinics close to the patient
• In-network ERs close to the patient

If you (or someone calling on your behalf) do not contact the Manulife Assistance Centre before receiving medical treatment, you may be limited to reimbursement of 80% of eligible medical expenses. It’s important to remember that certain services, such as MRIs, CAT scans, ultrasounds, biopsies and cardiovascular surgeries must be approved in advance of receiving treatment.

No.

No.

Manulife Financial will not pay any medical expenses related to a medical condition that is not stable for a set period of time before your coverage takes effect, either three months or six months depending on the rate category you qualify for when purchasing your policy based on your health status.

A medical condition is considered stable when all of the following are true:

• There has been no new treatment prescribed or recommended or change in existing treatment, including a stoppage in treatment.
• There has not been any change in medication, or any recommendation or starting of a new prescription drug.
• The medical condition has not become worse.
• There has not been any new, more frequent or more severe symptoms.
• There has been no hospitalization or referral to a specialist.
• There have not been any tests, investigation or treatment recommended but not yet complete, nor any outstanding test results.
• There is no planned or pending treatment.

In addition, Manulife will not cover any heart condition for which you’ve had to take nitroglycerin for angina pain in the three or six months before your effective date (the date your coverage starts), or any lung condition that required treatment with oxygen in the three or six months before your effective date.

However, Manulife Financial offers TravelEase insurance coverage for fully disclosed pre-existing medical conditions with up to $5 million in emergency benefits. Travellers interested in this coverage can call Manulife Financial for a quote.

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 only to be told you’re on the hook for all associated costs. The following are some of the most common issues not covered by travel insurance:

• A claim against an unstable pre-existing medical condition
• Self-inflicted injuries, unless medical evidence shows the injuries are related to a mental health illness
• Any claim resulting from a criminal offence or illegal act
• Any medical condition resulting from you not following prescribed treatment
• Any medical condition due to use or withdrawal from alcohol, drugs or other intoxicants, before or during your trip
• Routine pre-natal or post-natal care, or your pregnancy, delivery or complications of either nine weeks before or after your expected due date
• A child born on the trip
• Any non-emergency, experimental or elective treatment, such as cosmetic surgery, chronic care or rehabilitation
• A travel visa not issued in time due to a late application
• Failure of any travel agency, agent or broker
• Any loss suffered during an “Avoid all travel” or “Avoid all non-essential travel” advisories
• Any medical condition for which it was reasonable to believe you’d require treatment for during your trip or would produce symptoms before your trip
• Any act of terrorism or war

To be eligible for emergency medical insurance coverage, the following must apply:

• You are a resident of Canada and are covered under a government health insurance plan
• You are at least 30 days old
• You have not been advised by a physician not to travel
• You have not been diagnosed with a terminal illness or metastatic cancer
• You do not require kidney dialysis
• You have not been prescribed or used home oxygen in the last 12 months
• You have never had a bone marrow, stem cell or organ transplant, except for corneal transplant

There are additional eligibility criteria for travellers aged 60 and older based on their answers to a health questionnaire.

You can file a claim online 24/7 by visiting the Manulife online claims portal where you can start a new claim, submit your required documentation and follow the progress of your claim.

If you are making an emergency medical claim, documentation may include:

• Original itemized receipts for all bills and invoices
• Proof of payment by you and any other benefit plan (as Manulife is a secondary plan, meaning it pays out the balance not covered by any other insurance coverage)
• Medical records, including complete diagnosis by the attending physician or the hospital verifying that the treatment was medically necessary
• Proof of the accident if you are submitting a claim for emergency dental
• Proof of travel, including departure date and return date
• Your historical medical records, if required
• Police reports

For a trip cancellation and trip interruption claim, you may be asked to provide:

• A medical certificate stating why travel was not possible
• A police (or other responsible authority) report documenting the reason for the delay if your claim is due to a missed connection
• Original receipts for any travel accommodations made in advance and/or receipts for extra hotels, meals, telephone and taxi expenses

If you are making a baggage loss, damage and delay insurance claim, you will need to provide:

• Copies of reports from the authorities (police, hotel manager, tour operator, etc.) as proof of loss, damage or delay
• Proof that you owned the items and receipts for their replacement

To make submitting a claim easier, Manulife Financial also offers a TravelAid mobile app that gives policyholders immediate digital access to the Assistance Centre.

You must report a claim within 30 days of the occurrence, and you must submit proof of your claim within 90 days that a claim occurred or a service was provided. Money will be paid out within 60 days after all required documentation has been received and the claim is approved.