AXA Assistance USA Travel Insurance Review 2024

Tourists, vacationers, cruisers and other travelers can buy one of three comprehensive plans from AXA Assistance USA that cover all sorts of travel-related problems such as trip cancellations, missed flights, lost luggage, injuries and illness. Travelers in need of assistance worldwide can tap into AXA’s extensive international network of assistance services.

AXA Assistance USA’s Platinum plan (above) is its highest-rated plan according to Forbes Advisor’s ratings of the best travel insurance.

AXA Assistance USA’s Silver plan: The Silver plan includes $25,000 for medical emergency coverage and $100,000 for emergency medical evacuation. You’ll also get $200 for baggage delay and $750 for baggage and personal effects coverage.

AXA Assistance USA’s Gold plan: This plan includes $100,000 for medical emergency coverage and up to $500,000 for emergency medical evacuation. It also includes $50,000 for non-medical emergency coverage. You’ll get $300 for baggage delay and $1,500 for baggage and personal effects coverage.

If you need extra coverage for a rental car, you may be able to add a collision damage waiver (CDW), depending on your AXA Assistance USA plan. Gold policyholders can add a $35,000 CDW and Platinum policyholders can add a $50,000 CDW.

Travelers with Platinum plans who want even more flexibility can add “cancel for any reason” (CFAR) coverage within 14 days of your initial trip deposit. CFAR coverage will reimburse 75% of your prepaid trip costs if you want to cancel—no matter the reason—even if it’s to stay home and watch HBO.

Because policy limits and benefits vary among AXA Assistance USA’s travel insurance plans, so does pricing. Rates generally vary by your age and trip cost. Here are cost examples for AXA’s Platinum plan.

Travelers and trip	Cost per trip for the Platinum plan
Two travelers age 30, $3,000 trip cost, traveling to Mexico for 8 days	$184
Two travelers age 40, $6,000 trip cost, traveling to Italy for 17 days	$264
Family with two parents age 40 and two children, $15,000 trip cost, traveling to Italy for 17 days	$624
Family with two parents age 40 and two children, $15,000 trip cost, traveling to France for 17 days	$624
Family with two parents age 40 and two children, $15,000 trip cost, traveling to U.K. for 17 days	$624
Two travelers age 65, $6,000 trip cost, traveling to the Italy for 17 days	$550
Two travelers age 70, $3,000 trip cost, traveling to the Mexico for 8 days	$422

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AXA Assistance USA’s plans include access to their 24/7 travel assistance hotline. The assistance team has multilingual specialists who can help you with problems like reporting lost baggage and coordinating emergency medical treatment.

All travel insurance plans have exclusions. It’s a good idea to read your policy closely and familiarize yourself with what your plan does not cover. Here are some examples of exclusions to emergency medical coverage for AXA Assistance USA’s Platinum plan:

• Dental treatment (except as a result of accidental injury)
• Pregnancy and childbirth (except for complications of pregnancy)
• Mental or emotional disorders, unless hospitalized
• Injuries due to activities such as contact sports, skydiving, hang gliding, parachuting, horse racing, auto or motorcycle racing, rock climbing and bungee jumping
• Piloting or learning to pilot an aircraft
• Suicide or attempted suicide
• Cosmetic surgery, except for reconstructive surgery due to an accident
• Sexually transmitted disease
• Participation in a riot or civil disorder

You can download AXA Assistance USA claim forms online and find customer service contact information.

Forbes Advisor scored 39 policies to find the best travel insurance. When companies had more than one travel insurance policy we used the highest-scoring plan. Ratings are based on the following metrics.

Cost (25% of score): We analyzed the average cost for each travel insurance policy for trips to popular destinations:

• Couple, age 30 for a Mexico trip costing $3,000.
• Couple, age 40, for an Italy trip costing $6,000.
• Family of four for an Italy trip costing $15,000.
• Family of four for a France trip costing $15,000.
• Family of four for a U.K. trip costing $15,000.
• Couple, age 65, for an Italy trip costing $6,000.
• Couple, age 70, for a Mexico trip costing $3,000.

Missed connection coverage (10% of score): Travel insurance policies were awarded more points if they include missed connection benefits of $1,000 per person or more.

Medical expenses (10% of score): Travel insurance policies with travel medical expense benefits of $250,000 and up per person were given the highest points.

Medical evacuation (10% of score): Travel insurance policies with medical evacuation expense benefits of $500,000 and up per person were given the highest points.

“Cancel for any reason” upgrade (10%): Travel insurance policies received points if “cancel for any reason” upgrades are offered. More points were awarded for “cancel for any reason” upgrades with reimbursement levels of 75%.

Baggage delay required waiting time (5%): Policies with baggage delay benefits kicking in at 12 hours or less were given points.

Cancel for work reasons: (5%): Travel insurance plans that allow cancellations for work reasons were awarded points.

Hurricane and weather (5%): Policies received points if the required waiting period for hurricane and weather coverage was 12 hours or less.

“Interruption for any reason” upgrade (5%): Policies were awarded points if they offered an “interruption for any reason” upgrade.

Pre-existing medical condition exclusion waiver (5%): Points were given to policies that cover pre-existing medical conditions (if purchased within a required timeframe after the first trip deposit).

Travel delay required waiting time (5%): Policies with travel delay benefits kicking in after six hours or less were given points.

Trip interruption travel insurance (5%): Points were given if trip interruption reimbursement is 150% or higher.