Generali Global Assistance Travel Insurance Review 2024

Generali Global Assistance is a travel insurance company that sells a wide range of policies that can appeal to both domestic and international travelers.

The best travel insurance policies bundle together various types of coverage that provide valuable benefits if the unexpected happens before or during your trip.

Here are key types of benefits included in Generali Global Assistance travel insurance policies:

• Trip cancellation insurance: Your trip cancellation insurance reimburses pre-paid, non-refundable costs if you cancel a trip for a reason listed in your policy.
• Travel delay insurance: If an unexpected glitch in your itinerary delays your trip, travel delay insurance reimburses extra costs, such as a hotel room for an overnight layover, up to the amount specified in your policy. It can also help you recoup pre-paid, non-refundable deposits for any parts of your trip you miss because of a delay.
• Travel interruption insurance: If an emergency back home causes you to return earlier than planned, trip interruption insurance can pay for a last-minute flight and reimburse pre-paid, non-refundable outlays for portions of the trip you miss.
• Travel medical insurance: If you get ill or are injured on your trip, travel medical insurance can pay for emergency medical expenses, up to the limits in your plan. These expenses can include doctor and hospital bills, medicine and lab work. Your U.S. health plan may provide little or no coverage outside of the country, which is why travel medical insurance is essential if going abroad. Medicare is not accepted in foreign countries.
• Emergency medical evacuation: If you need emergency transportation after being injured or getting sick during your trip, emergency medical evacuation insurance helps pay for medevac services to get you to the nearest medical center that can treat your condition. Your travel insurance company’s emergency assistance team can also arrange for the transportation.
• Baggage and personal effects: This coverage reimburses the depreciated value of your suitcases and items you packed. Baggage travel insurance compensates you up to your policy limits if your luggage is lost or stolen. If your luggage shows up late, baggage delay coverage can reimburse you for the cost of necessities you buy to tide you over. It also compensates for the depreciated value of your personal belongings if they are lost, damaged or stolen during your vacation. Some exclusions apply, so check your policy to see what’s covered.
• Covid: Covid is covered by all Generali’s travel insurance policies. If you get Covid after you buy travel insurance and have to cancel your trip, Generali Global Assistance plans reimburse you for 100% of what you lose in pre-paid and non-refundable deposits. If you contract Covid while traveling, Generali Global Assistance plans can cover associated medical costs, up to your policy limits. If a positive Covid test requires you to quarantine and delay your trip home, you can be reimbursed for additional days at a hotel. Your travel insurance coverage can also be extended and will end either on the date you get home or seven days after your scheduled return date, whichever comes first.

Here’s a comparison of the Generali Global Assistance Standard, Preferred and Premium plans. Travel assistance services are included in all plans.

Generali Global Assistance Travel Insurance Plan Comparison

Coverage	Premium	Preferred	Standard
Covid	Yes	Yes	Yes
Trip cancellation with 100% reimbursement of trip cost	Yes	Yes	Yes
Emergency medical expenses, per person	$250,000	$150,000	$50,000
Emergency medical evacuation, per person	$1 million	$500,000	$250,000
Trip interruption, % of trip cost	175%	150%	125%
Travel delay, daily per person (up to $1,000 limit per person)/wait time	$300/six hours	$200/eight hours	$150/10 hours
Lost, stolen baggage per person	$2,000	$1,500	$1,000
Baggage delay, per person/wait-time	$500/12 hours	$300/18 hours	$200/24 hours
Sporting equipment, per person total/daily limit/wait-time	$2,000/$500/12 hours	$1,500/$300/18 hours	No
Pre-existing medical condition waiver	Optional	No	No
“Cancel for any reason” coverage	Optional	No	No

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Generali Global Assistance’s Standard Travel Insurance Plan

Generali’s Standard travel insurance plan offers pre-and post-departure coverage with adequate limits. Benefits include trip cancellation, trip delay, trip interruption, and baggage and personal effects coverage. This plan also provides emergency medical assistance and evacuation.

The Standard plan includes missed connection coverage of $500 per person, for cruise and tour itineraries. This coverage helps if your flight is canceled or delayed by three hours or more due to severe weather, causing you to miss a cruise or tour departure. If this happens, you can be reimbursed for forfeited activities and for meals and lodging while you’re delayed.

You also get accidental death and dismemberment flight coverage of $50,000 per person and $100,000 per plan.

Rental car coverage of $25,000 is available as an optional add-on to the Standard plan.

Generali Global Assistance’s Preferred Travel Insurance Plan

Generali’s Preferred plan includes all the types of travel insurance in the Standard plan, but provides higher coverage amounts. It also provides additional coverage types.

The Preferred travel insurance plan can cover your sports gear if it’s delayed, lost or stolen. Note that items without receipts are reimbursed at 75% of the actual cash value (purchase price less depreciation). So be sure to save your receipts if you’re buying new gear before your trip.

With Generali’s Preferred plan, you’re also covered by trip cancellation insurance if one of your travel providers goes out of business.

The Preferred travel insurance plan provides accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) coverage:

• AD&D for flight accidents: $75,000 per person/$150,000 per plan
• AD&D for travel accidents: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per plan

You also get $750 in missed connection coverage, for cruises and tours. Rental car coverage of $25,000 is available as an optional add-on with the Preferred plan.

Generali Global Assistance’s Premium Travel Insurance Plan

Generali’s Premium travel insurance plan is designed for international travelers with tours, expensive activities or cruises planned. It’s the most robust travel insurance plan sold by Generali Global Assistance.

With the Premium travel insurance plan, you get all the benefits of the Preferred plan, but with higher coverage limits, plus some additional coverage options.

Unlike Generali’s Standard and Preferred travel insurance plans, the Premium plan offers “cancel for any reason” coverage. It’s important to note that you must buy the travel insurance policy within 24 hours of making your first trip deposit if you want the “cancel for any reason” add-on.

The Premium plan is also the only plan from Generali allowing you to get a pre-existing medical condition exclusion waiver. In order to qualify for pre-existing medical condition coverage, you must purchase your travel insurance plan before or within 24 hours of making your final trip payment.

The Premium plan includes accidental death and dismemberment coverage for flights and for your trip:

• AD&D flight accidents: $100,000 per person/$200,000 per plan
• AD&D travel accidents: $50,000 per person/$100,000 per plan

Missed connection coverage of $1,000, for tours and cruises, is included in Generali’s Premium travel insurance plan.

Generali’s travel insurance upgrades can include:

• Car rental car coverage. $25,000 for damage from collision, theft, vandalism or severe weather is available as an add-on to the Standard and Preferred plans. (It is included with the Premium plan.)
• “Cancel for any reason” coverage. Available for the Premium plan.

What you pay for travel insurance generally varies by your age and trip cost. Here are examples of prices for Generali Global Assistance’s Premium travel insurance plan.

Travelers and trip	Cost per trip for the Generali Premium policy
Two travelers age 30, $3,000 trip cost, traveling to Mexico for 8 days	$181.14
Two travelers age 40, $6,000 trip cost, traveling to Italy for 17 days	$322.90
Family with two parents age 40 and two children, $15,000 trip cost, traveling to Italy for 17 days	$691.60
Family with two parents age 40 and two children, $15,000 trip cost, traveling to France for 17 days	$691.60
Family with two parents age 40 and two children, $15,000 trip cost, traveling to the U.K. for 17 days	$691.60
Two travelers age 65, $6,000 trip cost, traveling to the Italy for 17 days	$544.04
Two travelers age 70, $3,000 trip cost, traveling to the Mexico for 8 days	$345.92

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Generali’s plans include access to the company’s 24/7 travel assistance hotline. Here are some of the services provided:

• Locating medical care
• Replacement of medications and eyeglasses
• Legal referrals
• Information on passport and ticket replacement
• Emergency cash transfers
• Language interpretation
• Emergency message relay to friends, family or doctors
• Telemedicine consultations with physicians

All travel insurance plans contain exclusions, so it’s good to review the fine print so you’re familiar with what your travel insurance policy doesn’t cover.

Here are some examples of exclusions to emergency medical coverage for Generali’s Premium plan:

• Intentionally self-inflicted injury
• Normal pregnancy or childbirth
• Mental, nervous or psychological disorders
• Elective medical procedures
• Injuries due to intoxication or drug abuse
• Routine physical examinations
• Injuries caused by participation in sports competition or events
• Injuries from mountain climbing, skydiving, hang gliding, parasailing or bungee jumping

You can file a claim on the company website, or by calling the Generali Global Assistance claim service number: (800) 541-3522. If you have questions about filing a claim, you can also email the company at: claims@generalitravelinsurance.com.

Forbes Advisor researched and analyzed 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.