Travel Insurance Tips for Frequent Flyers
More than a third of
Americans aged 18 to 64 enjoy two to three vacations per year, but some embark on more than 10 — meaning they’re traveling practically
every month of the year! If you fall into either category, you likely consider
yourself a frequent flyer. That means you’re probably all too familiar with the
flight delays, unexpected interruptions, and other unforeseen events that can
impact a trip.
Chances are, you’re
also well acquainted with the benefits of travel insurance for frequent flyers,
whether it’s travel insurance for business travelers, adventurous families, or
solo travelers of all ages. However, everyone could use a refresher on comprehensive
travel insurance coverage every once in a while, even bonafide travel
aficionados. Here’s a quick guide of travel insurance tips for frequent flyers.
Understanding
the Basics of Travel Insurance for Frequent Flyers
Before we dive into
travel insurance tips, let’s start with the basics: What is covered under
comprehensive travel insurance? Comprehensive travel insurance includes
coverage for trip cancellations, delays, and interruptions, as well as benefits
for medical emergencies and baggage delay or loss. Travel insurance coverage
for frequent flyers, in particular, typically contains benefits like:
● Trip cancellation insurance,
which reimburses any prepaid, non-refundable travel expenses — such as hotel
and airline fees — if a frequent flyer must cancel their trip for a covered
reason like illness or injury.
● Travel delay insurance, which reimburses any
prepaid, non-refundable travel expenses and eligible costs like meals and
transportation expenses in the event of a covered delay, such as an unavoidable
travel carrier delay.
● Trip interruption insurance,
which reimburses travelers for unused, prepaid, and non-refundable costs plus
eligible additional transportation costs in the event a trip is unexpectedly
cut short due to a covered reason.
● Airline ticket change
fee coverage, which reimburses
frequent flyers for out-of-pocket expenses involved in changing the dates of an
airline ticket due to a covered reason (coverage will not reimburse frequent
flyer points).
● Lost luggage insurance, which reimburses
frequent flyers for baggage and personal belongings, such as passport
documents, that are lost or stolen during travel (or delayed or damaged in
transit) up to the noted policy amount.
● Emergency medical
insurance, which covers the costs of immediate medical care — such as hospital fees — as well as the costs
associated with an emergency medical evacuation to the nearest hospital or treatment center.
Key
Benefits of Travel Insurance for Frequent Flyers
Frequent flyers face
unique risks, the primary being the financial investments involved in planning
multiple trips, many of which are prepaid and non-refundable. Comprehensive
travel insurance provides financial protection and peace of mind that unexpected
events — like illness, injury, or severe weather — will be a manageable setback, not a total loss. So, how does travel
insurance benefit frequent travelers?
For frequent travelers,
travel insurance safeguards money spent out-of-pocket, supplies reimbursement
for trip cancellations and interruptions, and secures access to emergency
medical services. It also saves travelers from unexpected expenses that can occur
while vacationing or away for business, such as when baggage is suddenly lost
before a long trip or when a flight is rescheduled without warning.
While occasional
travelers benefit from single-trip insurance, frequent flyers are better served by multi-trip travel insurance. Also referred to as annual travel insurance, multi-trip insurance
applies to an unlimited number of trips per year with benefit limits that
retain their total value until a claim has been filed against them. Frequent
travelers save time, money, and hassle, knowing they’re covered for all
upcoming trips.
Choosing
the Right Travel Insurance Plan for Frequent Flyers
Now that we’ve covered the benefits of travel
insurance for avid travelers, let’s address another common question: What
should frequent flyers look for in travel insurance? While there’s no such
thing as frequent flyer insurance, multi-trip
travel insurance is best suited for individuals who travel three or more
times per year. It’s wise to look for policies that cover a maximum trip length
of up to 90 days per trip.
Similarly, assessing factors like additional perks when selecting a multi-trip insurance policy is wise.
Frequent flyers benefit from additional perks like 24/7 customer service, especially when traveling internationally. There’s also value in perks
like Aegis’s Stress Less Benefits, which coordinates solutions for unexpected events like flight
disruptions and rearranging hotels and pays for it on the spot.
Lastly, it’s vital to understand the coverage limits and exclusions before
investing in a policy. While multi-trip policies are often more cost-effective
for frequent flyers, your chosen policy must provide coverage for your planned
destinations and activities. For instance, accidents and injuries caused by
extreme sports are often not covered under standard insurance and will require
separate adventure travel insurance.
5
Travel Insurance Tips to Make the Most of Your Coverage
Maximizing travel
insurance coverage requires frequent flyers to understand how to use it
effectively. Enter the role of travel insurance tips. To make the most of a
travel insurance policy, follow these tips:
-
Learn how to file travel insurance claims with your chosen provider before embarking on
your trip, including what documentation will be needed for reimbursement.
- Stay informed about coverage updates,
limits, and renewals, particularly if
you’ve already filed a claim against a multi-trip policy, to ensure
continuous protection.
- Be mindful of your policy terms and
conditions, such as
exclusions for high-risk adventure sports like scuba diving or skydiving,
to remain protected while traveling.
- Always keep a copy of emergency contact
numbers for your insurance provider, such as how to access a 24/7 customer service
line, to remain safe in an emergency.
- Keep your frequency flyer points separate
from your overall travel costs,
as most policies consider them loyalty rewards and will not reimburse them
if your trip is canceled.
Special
Considerations for Different Types of Travelers
One of the most
important travel insurance tips is to invest in a policy that meets your needs.
Remember that not every annual travel insurance policy is designed the same, so
bear in mind these considerations:
Travel
Insurance for Seniors
Frequent flyers that
belong to the Baby Boomer Generation or Generation X require comprehensive
emergency medical travel insurance, particularly insurance that covers pre-existing medical conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular illnesses. Trip
cancellation insurance is also a must for this age group.
Family
Travel Insurance
Frequent flyers who
travel with young children should seek comprehensive family travel insurance that covers travelers of all ages, from the youngest to the oldest. It’s
also wise to invest in a flexible policy, such as one with Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) coverage, to protect prepaid expenses from
cancellations of all types.
Travel
Insurance for Single Travelers
Young adventurers must
select a travel insurance policy that includes adventure sports coverage to
ensure they’ll be compensated in the event of an extreme sports accident.
Travel insurance for business travelers, on the other hand, should focus on
at-the-moment support for last-minute travel delays and interruptions.
Aegis
for Multi-Trip Travel Insurance Coverage
So, is multi-trip
travel insurance worth it for frequent flyers? Absolutely.
Multi-trip travel
insurance coverage is the best travel insurance tip to save time, money, and
stress for individuals taking three or more trips per year. Frequent flyers can
find the most value in the Aegis Go Ready Annual Multi-Trip Travel Insurance Preferred
Plan, which covers an unlimited number of trips within a yearly period.
Discover how the Go Ready Annual Multi-Trip Preferred Plan protects frequent flyers today.