The difference between travel assistance and travel insurance

What is the difference between travel assistance and travel insurance?

While these terms are sometimes used interchangeably, they are actually very different types of coverage.

Travel assistance provides support services in case of an emergency while traveling.
Travel insurance provides monetary compensation for losses that occur while traveling.

Both types of coverage can be purchased for single trips or multiple trips throughout the year. Travel assistance plans are relatively affordable, and unlike travel insurance, you pay a set rate that isn’t based on the cost of your trip.

While individual plans may vary, the following outlines what each type of coverage provides.

Travel assistance provides:

Travel insurance provides reimbursement for:

Lost or delayed baggage tracking
Access to a medical help line
Emergency medical evacuation and repatriation
Emergency travel arrangements
Replacing lost or forgotten prescriptions
Legal, medical, dental and pharmaceutical referrals
Emergency cash advances and credit card replacement
Multi-lingual translation

Lost or stolen baggage and the costs related to delayed baggage
Unexpected costs due to missed connections and travel delays
Pre-paid travel costs if the trip is canceled or interrupted for a covered reason
Flight accidents, loss of life or limb
Costs related to replacing lost or stolen passports or visas
Costs related to emergency evacuations or repatriation
Costs due to medical or dental emergencies
Costs due to a damaged or stolen rental car

Plus multi-lingual world-wide travel assistance services when a traveler needs to find local medical care, arrange for emergency transportation, track lost baggage, and more.

The key difference is that travel assistance is an assistance services plan and travel insurance is more like a typical insurance plan that provides protection for monetary losses that can occur while traveling.

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How to compare and buy travel insurance

The easiest way to compare plans is to use a comparison website.

It works the same as Expedia when you buy plane tickets. You enter a few trip details and get prices from all companies at the same time. Then, you can narrow down your choices and make the right selection