Best Travel Insurance Plans In India 2024
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A travel plan would be incomplete without adding that extra bit of security required to safeguard yourself from unexpected financial needs arising out of an emergency situation. In a post-Covid world, a travel insurance plan is no longer looked at as an additional expense but a necessity and rightly so.
Forbes Advisor India analyzed more than 50 travel insurance plans and chose the ones that are most pocket-friendly with maximum benefit to the policyholder.
- Featured Partner
- Best Travel Insurance Plans In 2024
- Care Insurance International Travel Insurance
- Tata AIG Travel Guard
- Universal Sompo Travel Worldwide
- Bajaj Allianz Bharat Bhraman Insurance Policy
- Reliance Travel Care Policy - Senior Citizens
- ICICI Lombard Overseas Travel Insurance
- Royal Sundaram Travel Secure-Leisure Trip
- Summary: Best Travel Insurance Plans In India 2024
- Methodology
- How To Choose The Best Travel Insurance Plan In India
- What to Look For in Your Travel Insurance Plan
- Steps To Buy A Travel Insurance Plan
Featured Partners
1
Visitors Coverage Insurance
Quick
Buy travel insurance in mere few minutes
Variety of products
Ranging from international travel insurance to trip insurance to student visa insurance
Great customer support
Customer success team of licensed travel insurance experts
Best Travel Insurance Plans In 2024
Best For Family Travel Abroad
Care Insurance International Travel Insurance
Medical Insurance Availability
Yes
Covid-19 Coverage
Yes
Cancellation Allowed
Yes
Medical Insurance Availability
Yes
Covid-19 Coverage
Yes
Cancellation Allowed
Yes
The Care Insurance International Travel Insurance plan is available for single trips and multiple trips for a wide age group from age of 1 day to no bar for the former and a maximum age of 70 years for the latter. Given its coverage for pre-existing illnesses, it’s ideal for family trips abroad. The policy has three variants, namely Platinum, Gold and Silver, which can be further divided according to the destinations one is traveling to worldwide.
- Coverage included pre-existing illnesses.
- Add-on cover to reimbursement of visa fee if visa gets rejected for no fault or negligence on the part of the insured.
- Any loss due to war isn’t covered
Best For International Multi-Trips
Tata AIG Travel Guard
Medical Insurance Availability
Yes
Covid-19 Coverage
Yes
Cancellation Allowed
Yes
Medical Insurance Availability
Yes
Covid-19 Coverage
Yes
Cancellation Allowed
Yes
The TATA AIG Travel Guard insurance policy is available as a single-trip and multi-trip policy for international travel. Robust coverage for accidental death and dismemberment, medical expenses due to sickness while traveling and medical evacuation makes this a practical plan to opt for.
Option covers or add-ons that can be taken by paying additional premium are quite attractive especially the home burglary insurance and compassionate visit by a family member insurance.
- This minimum entry age for single trip policy is 6 months to as long as lifetime and annual multi-trip policy for 19 to 70 years old.
- Emergency cash transfers and advances facility through a variety of sources including credit cards, hotels, banks, consulates and Western Union.
- No renewal benefits.
- Sum insured can be increased only at the time of renewal subject to no claim lodged or paid under the policy.
- Accidental death and dismemberment benefit is limited to 10% of the principal sum insured for insured persons aged 17 years or below.
Best For Travel To Specific International Destination
Universal Sompo Travel Worldwide
Medical Insurance Availability
Yes
Covid-19 Coverage
Yes
Cancellation Allowed
Yes
Medical Insurance Availability
Yes
Covid-19 Coverage
Yes
Cancellation Allowed
Yes
The Universal Sompo Travel Worldwide policy provides a vast number of plans to choose from for international travel cover for all kinds of travelers from individuals to students and corporate travelers. The policy is especially useful for its coverage for emergency medical expenses, repatriation of the insured person during the period of Insurance, personal accident and other travel related losses such as loss of checked baggage and loss of passport.
- Automatic policy extension of up to 7 days.
- Wide network hospitals worldwide for cashless treatment.
- The company does not cover damages to the passport if it is confiscated by customs or authorities such as police.
Best For Domestic Travel
Bajaj Allianz Bharat Bhraman Insurance Policy
Medical Insurance Availability
Yes
Covid-19 Coverage
Yes
Cancellation Allowed
Yes
Medical Insurance Availability
Yes
Covid-19 Coverage
Yes
Cancellation Allowed
Yes
The Bajaj Allianz Bharat Bhraman Insurance Policy is a holistic policy that helps cover travel via public vehicles like buses, trains and airplanes, as well as private vehicles such as cars, scooters, even a bicycle within the country. Domestic insurance policies aren’t as many in India and that makes Bharat Bhraman Insurance Policy noteworthy. This policy is affordable and can be taken for a personal or a business trip or for a holiday.
- Its personal accident cover protects against death and permanent total disability up to a good range of INR 10 lakh.
- Option covers or add-ons such as home burglary insurance and compassionate visit by a family member are quite attractive.
- Age is no bar to avail this policy and that makes it suitable for all members of the family.
- Does not include international travel.
Best For Senior Citizens
Reliance Travel Care Policy – Senior Citizens
Medical Insurance Availability
Yes
Covid-19 Coverage
Yes
Cancellation Allowed
Yes
Medical Insurance Availability
Yes
Covid-19 Coverage
Yes
Cancellation Allowed
Yes
The Reliance Travel Care Policy – Senior Citizens plan is unique in providing coverage to a wide age group of senior citizens. Unlike plans by several other insurers, basics such as cover against loss of passport, checked-in baggage, trip cancellation and personal accident are well covered for all senior citizens. One big disappointment is the coverage of pre-existing medical conditions only for citizens between the age group of 61-70.
- Cover available for a broad age range of 61-90 years.
- Cashless hospitalization during a medical emergency.
- Coverage of expenses for medical evacuation to India.
- Reimbursement of return ticket fare for a family member visiting the policyholder if they are hospitalized for more than seven days
- Life threatening conditions arising out of disclosed pre-existing diseases covered only for people up to age 70.
- Standard plan offers low coverage; for ideal coverage Gold and Platinum plans are a must
Best For Single Trip International Travel
ICICI Lombard Overseas Travel Insurance
Medical Insurance Availability
Yes
Covid-19 Coverage
Yes
Cancellation Allowed
Yes
Medical Insurance Availability
Yes
Covid-19 Coverage
Yes
Cancellation Allowed
Yes
The ICICI Lombard Overseas Travel Policy is unique for its pay-per-day facility for existing policyholders, who can be well-covered for any number of days they extend their trip. The policy’s coverage against Swine Flu and H1N1 influenza is a useful feature for unexpected medical outbreaks while on a trip. Robust coverage to include non-medical expenses such as trip delays and cancellations a plus.
- Overseas cashless hospitalization coverage
- Pre-existing diseases covered under life-threatening emergency situations
- Existing policy can be extended on a pay-per-day basis
- The policy is not applicable in certain countries including China, which is an important business destination.
- Sporting activities not covered
Best For Leisure Travel
Royal Sundaram Travel Secure-Leisure Trip
Medical Insurance Availability
Yes
Covid-19 Coverage
No
Cancellation Allowed
Yes
Medical Insurance Availability
Yes
Covid-19 Coverage
No
Cancellation Allowed
Yes
The Royal Sundaram Travel Secure-Leisure Trip Plan is a classic leisure trip policy that allows the policyholder to travel without the stress of getting stuck anywhere due to any kind of catastrophe arising from socio-political, medical, natural cause and even man-made including terrorism. This comprehensive coverage of the policy makes it interesting. The Sum Insured value between $50,000 to $1,00,000 is ideal and the premium, which differs for age groups and the country of travel, is also quite affordable.
- Covers trip cancellations or losses during a trip due to political unrest
- Available for children as young as 3 months
- Allows repatriation of mortal remains
- Permits automatic extension of policy
- Does not cover Covid-19
- Not applicable as a family floater plan; covers only one individual
- Not applicable for adults above the age of 70
Summary: Best Travel Insurance Plans In India 2024
Methodology
Forbes Advisor India analyzed more than 50 travel insurance plans are scored them on the basis of these key considerations:
Coverage for Medical Needs (20%): These include medical evacuation, covid coverage, pre-existing conditions inclusion, among others.
Cancellation (20%): This involves cancellation period, options to extend coverage, among others.
Cost of the Policy (20%): This includes the cost for buying the policy, extending as well as canceling it.
Additional Coverage (20%): This involves trip delay coverage, baggage reimbursement, theft, flight cancellation and hotel charges, among others.
Flexibility (20%): This includes emergency cash transfers, visa fee reimbursement, and the likes.
How To Choose The Best Travel Insurance Plan In India
To be able to choose the best travel insurance plan in India, you need to keep key factors in consideration. These factors will help you decide how useful your travel insurance plan will be when you’re suddenly stuck and if your travel insurance company has the provision you need to bail you or your loved ones out of tricky travel-related issues.
Flight Changes
Your travel insurance plan must be able to accommodate changes to your travel plans especially if it is related to flight cancellations. Some policies also accommodate flight rescheduling due to unexpected events and they may be worth considering.
Medical Emergencies
An ideal travel insurance policy should be able to facilitate the maximum possible medical assistance especially in the event of unexpected hospitalization. If your policy does not factor in medical aid, the expenses related to emergencies in a foreign land could be more-than-expected.
Other Emergencies
It is hard to predict an expected emergency situation such as a natural one including floods, earthquakes or volcanic eruptions, and man-made ones such as robbery, wars or curfews. Your travel insurance policy facilitating coverage for such emergencies would ensure you don’t burn a hole in your pocket for no mistake of yours during a trip.
What to Look For in Your Travel Insurance Plan
Coverage
Never assume the kind of coverage your travel insurance plan provides. Studying the policy document thoroughly to learn what kind of expenses are covered during your trip can save you time and money.
Additional Riders
Consider adding riders that can make any emergency situation easier. At the time of purchasing your policy, ask for additional riders especially if you are traveling abroad.
Claims Ratio
It is paramount to know the ratio of claims your insurance company has paid on an annual basis. This claims ratio is readily available and for any policy holder, a policy would make sense only if the possibility of being able to claim their expenses easily exists.
Steps To Buy A Travel Insurance Plan
To be able to buy a travel insurance plan, you must first scout the market for the best offerings available. This can be done via two ways: offline and online.
Purchase a travel insurance plan offline
To buy a travel insurance plan offline, you need to call the travel insurer that you trust and ask them for the options available.
In most cases, travel agencies that book your travel and plan your itinerary have tie-ups with partners who offer travel insurance at discounted rates. If you are planning a trip with a planner, don’t forget to get the best deals from them if buying the policy offline is your interest area.
Purchase a travel insurance plan online
Buying a travel insurance plan is the easiest activity today, thanks to the use of mobile phones and the superfast internet connection that Indian service providers offer.
To find the plan most suitable for your trip, visit the insurance providers of your choice by clicking on their website links. A better way of finding the best deal is to skim through aggregator websites that list partners and competitive plans offered by them.
Make sure you use the “compare plans” feature available on most aggregator websites before sealing your policy.
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