When is travel assistance insurance useful?

Travel assistance insurance provides peace of mind on holiday. But to travel protected, you do not always have to take out an additional policy.

Insurance via your health insurance company or credit card may already be sufficient. Whether additional insurance is appropriate depends strongly on your destination and travel plans. What you should take into account.

Mutuality

The health insurance with your health insurance company usually also includes travel assistance insurance. Geographical coverage is defined and limited to Europe and possibly North Africa. The policy covers a large part of the medical costs, such as hospitalization costs and outpatient costs, which manifest themselves at that destination. Additional transport and accommodation costs and rep atriation may also be included.

Depending on the health insurance fund, a franchise applies. You can also read in your policy’s general terms and conditions whether or not a maximum intervention applies. If you have been admitted to the hospital, it is important that you contact the Mutas emergency center as soon as possible.

When do you need additional travel insurance?

Is your travel destination outside the geographical coverage of your health insurance company, or are you looking for extra protection? Then, an additional worldwide travel assistance insurance is recommended. This policy usually has a higher ceiling for the reimbursement of medical costs. It often offers expansion options, including cancellation and/or luggage insurance, breakdown assistance, car repatriation, or even compensation for extra days of stay after a natural disaster.

For a defined period or full year

You take out travel insurance for the period of your trip or – interesting for those who often travel abroad – for the whole year. The cost depends, among other things, on your travel destination, the travel time, the number of family members, and the selected options.

For short-term travel assistance insurance, you pay a few tens. The price of an all-in annual contract may run up to hundreds. Compare the price and service of the different travel insurance policies.

Credit card protection

In addition, your credit card may also contain travel assistance and travel insurance. This applies in particular to the more exclusive and more expensive ‘gold’, ‘premium’ or ‘platinum’ credit cards. Check the terms and conditions of your credit card before departure.

Some credit cards only offer cancellation insurance, others also include travel assistance or flight delay insurance. Through this comparator, you can check which insurance the different credit cards offer.