Travel insurance is a unique product meant to protect you while travelling. Also known as travel health insurance, it can be bought for foreign and domestic travel. Basic travel insurance plans cover financial losses caused by medical emergencies during your trip. However, comprehensive travel insurance policies offer better coverage for flight delays, lost passports, trip cancellations, personal liability, and more.
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* Price shown is for a 15 day trip to UK with a 1 lakh dollar coverage for an adult of age 25 years
Table of Content
A travel insurance policy is a versatile plan that offers financial compensation for various emergencies the policyholder faces on a trip. It is a very effective way to secure any trip, given that you compare travel insurance online before buying the best one for your upcoming trip.
Usually, people only think about buying travel insurance in India when they need to visit a country which requires them to buy international travel insurance online. However, more Indian travellers are insuring their trips compared to pre-pandemic times.
Buying an online travel insurance policy is very convenient, and the coverage can be customised for different kinds of trips. There are additional coverages, add-ons and insurance periods depending on if it’s a business trip, a family trip or an educational trip. Benefits include compensation for the theft of your passport, medical evaluation, delay in checked-in baggage, missed connections, etc. There are different types of travel insurance coverages offered by various insurers in India.
Categories | Specification |
Travel Insurance Cost | Rs. 50/day* starting price |
Entry Age | 3 months to 70 years or as specified |
Countries Covered | 200+ countries and islands by different international travel insurance companies in India |
Duration of Travel Insurance | 1 day - 1 Year |
Medical Benefits | Medical Expenses, Accidental Death and Disability, Dental Cover, Evacuation and Repatriation |
Optional | Pre-existing Diseases, Adventure Sports, Dental, Home Burglary, Nervous/Mental Disorder |
Covers Family | If purchased a Family Travel Insurance |
Claim Procedure | Can claim both online and offline |
24x7 Worldwide Assistance | Emergency Helpline, Mobile Applications, EAM, etc. provided by insurers |
COVID-19 Insurance Coverage | Yes, Provided by most travel insurance companies in India |
Time Required to Buy | Instant if you buy travel insurance online |
Claim Settlement Period | Varies with insurer |
Buying a travel insurance policy online has several benefits in this digital era. Take a look at some of the reasons you should buy travel insurance online:
Cashless Treatment Facility
If your trip has travel insurance coverage, being admitted to a network hospital can help you avail of cashless medical services across the globe.
Fulfils Mandatory Requirement
Several countries around the world have made it mandatory to possess valid travel insurance to apply for a visa for that country. So if you want to visit any such country, you can quickly lookup plans online and obtain a visa after buying one of the best travel insurance plans available in India.
Easier to Compare Plans Online
When you buy travel insurance online, you can easily compare travel insurance plans offered by different insurers in one place, all under your budget.
No need for Insurance Agents
You no longer need to rely on an insurance agent to buy travel insurance. You can find the best travel insurance online within your budget on your own after you compare travel insurance online on Policybazaar.
Minimal Documentation
When you buy travel insurance online, you don't need to fill out several forms or submit multiple documents. All you need to do is fill up your details on the online form to buy best travel insurance policy for your upcoming trip.
Contactless Buying
In this era of the COVID-19 pandemic where social distancing is the norm, you can buy travel insurance online without coming in contact with any person.
Instant Policy Purchase
You save a lot of time if you buy travel insurance online, as the policy is issued almost instantly. You also don't need to visit the insurer's office or an agent. With so many policies for travel insurance in India, you can compare their key features and buy them within a few minutes!
Before you go on a holiday, understand what you must prepare for. Other than packing, booking flight tickets etc., know what travel insurance is and how it will protect you. Here are some of the best travel insurance coverage benefits to look for in an overseas travel insurance plan:
A perfect travel insurance plan will help you with many emergencies while travelling, such as:
Since the havoc caused by COVID-19, most insurers will help you with any of the following emergencies:
With airlines misplacing baggage so often, it's only fitting that there is a safeguard you can turn to. Many travellers’ insurance policy also offers the benefits of flight travel insurance like the following:
What is worse than falling sick while travelling? Especially during a holiday when you have a budget to stick to, getting injured or suddenly falling sick is seriously disappointing. Thankfully, your travel insurance coverage has your back in case of different medical emergencies:
Nowadays, you can easily personalise your plan thanks to travel insurance options available in India. These are done by purchasing ‘extra benefits’, optional or add-on covers at some extra premium.
If you need specific protection not commonly offered by different types of travel insurance plans, then these optionals will go a long way to protect you:
Please note that the travel insurance premium will vary from insurer to insurer and the kind of coverage you go for. There are many options for travel insurance price comparison before you pick the best travel insurance from India.
Different types of travel insurance plans have been designed to meet the needs of different travellers. People of all ages, including adults, students, families and senior citizens can buy international travel insurance online or offline. Let us take you through the different types of overseas insurance policies available in India:
This type of travel health insurance covers individuals and families travelling overseas. It provides a wide range of coverage, including medical expenses, dental expenses, flight delays, trip cancellation, loss of passport, personal liability, loss or delay of check-in baggage, and more.
It is a mandatory overseas travel medical insurance plan covering people going to one or more Schengen countries. As many European countries are part of the Schengen Zone, people commonly buy travel insurance for Europe from India before applying for a Schengen visa. It protects insured travellers from many emergencies that may lead to financial losses.
Some of the most common coverage provided under this plan includes coverage for medical expenses, loss of passport, delay in check-in baggage arrival, loss of check-in baggage, personal liability, personal accident cover, and accidental death & dismemberment (common carrier). This is the best travel insurance option for people visiting Schengen zone in Europe.
As the name shows, family insurance covers the policyholder, their spouse, and dependent children. All insured members of a family can avail of covers including medical expenses, loss of passport, personal liability, loss or delay of check-in baggage, and more. For families going on vacation, it is the best travel insurance online. However, not all travel insurance companies in India offer similar benefits so travel insurance comparison is very important.
Tailor-made for older adults, this is the best travel insurance for senior travellers who wish to go abroad without fearing health or other financial emergencies. Since most travel insurance companies in India only cover travellers up to the age of 60 - 65 years, providing this kind of travel insurance for seniors becomes crucial.
Benefits of a senior citizen travel insurance plan include coverage of medical expenses, dental expenses, repatriation of mortal remains, loss or delay of check-in baggage, passport loss, medical evacuation, etc., just like other plans available under travel insurance in India. However, travel insurance quote for seniors can be considerably higher than regular plans, especially if they have a PED.
This is a student-friendly insurance plan that has been customised for Indians travelling abroad for education. It comes with an extended validity of up to 2 years. Apart from the basic coverage of an overseas travel insurance plan, it also provides the students with benefits like sponsor protection, study interruption, medical evacuation, bail bond, etc. It also covers two-way compassionate visits for the insured and the family member, a benefit not offered by basic travel insurance India.
This type of insurance plan has been designed especially for businesspersons travelling for work purposes. It usually has a validity of up to 1 year that allows the insured to go on several journeys without needing to buy international travel insurance every time before their trip. Travel insurance coverage for this plan include flight delay, medical expenses, loss of baggage, missed connecting flights, etc.
It is usually opted by people organising tour groups, industrial training, official tours, or pilgrimage tours. Many travel insurance companies offer such policies to people travelling within India as well as abroad. It usually provides personal accident and baggage cover. However, the exact extent of coverage depends on the insurer.
This plan offers financial help in case of a medical emergency while you’re abroad. Travel insurance coverage for medical travel insurance includes hospitalisation expenses, day-care expenses, dental expenses, medical evacuation expenses, and the cost of repatriation of mortal remains amongst others.
Covering multiple trips in a year, this type of insurance plan is meant for people who go overseas often in a year. The plan also saves significant time and money. It offers the same level of benefits on every trip without the need to buy travel insurance online before each journey.
This type of insurance plan protects the insured traveller only for a single journey. Its validity begins with the start of the journey and ends on returning home. Single trip travel insurance coverage consists of medical covers as well as non-medical covers such as delay or loss of check-in baggage, personal liability, etc.
For people travelling within India, domestic online travel insurance policy offer coverage against several medical and non-medical emergencies. Domestic travel insurance in India financially protects people as well as families across Indian states. It provides coverage including medical expenses, loss of baggage, and personal accidents.
Understanding your options is important before you understand how to get travel insurance for your upcoming trip. Being clear about what does travel insurance cover for different types of trips and travellers will save you a lot of confusion later!
This comes into the picture when you lose your baggage during your journey due to theft or any other mishap. The losses incurred will surely cause big trouble or even ruin your trip. To save such heartache, you can always rely on baggage insurance.
Travel insurance coverage under this plan protects you from any flight-related emergencies while travelling. This includes adversity caused during the flight or due to the fault of the airline or their staff. Often, it is covered under trip cancellation insurance when the flight has to be cancelled due to an emergency.
It also provides comprehensive coverage of both travel health insurance and baggage insurance, such as medical cover, accidental death & dismemberment cover, delay or loss of check-in baggage, flight cancellation, flight hijack, and missed connection flight. However, the coverage for this insurance is usually limited to the flight or journey duration of the carrier.
There is no shortage of the best travel insurance plans in India for international trips. These are offered by the top Indian travel insurance companies with varying benefits for people to choose from. If planning a trip abroad, take a look at some of the best overseas travel insurance available in India:
Travel Insurance Companies | Eligibility Criteria | Key Features |
Aditya Birla Travel Insurance | NA | Medical expenses cover, Passport loss, Automatic policy extension |
Bajaj Allianz Travel Insurance | 06 months to 70 years | Cashless hospitalisation, Overseas COVID-19 coverage, Loss of baggage/passport |
Bharti AXA Travel Insurance | 03 months to 85 years | Medical coverage, Emergency financial assistance, Baggage insurance |
Care Travel Insurance | 01 days and above | Emergency hospitalisation, Upgradation to business class, Adventure sports cover |
Chola MS Travel Insurance | 03 months to 80 years | Overseas medical expenses, Compassionate visit, Loss of international driving licence |
Digit Travel Insurance | 03 months to 99 years | Emergency medical treatment, Flight delays, Adventure sports cover |
Future Generali Travel Insurance | 06 months to 80 years | Medical expenses cover, Personal accident, Baggage delay/ loss |
IFFCO Tokio Travel Insurance | NA | Overseas medical expenses, Trip cancellation, Hospital daily allowance |
National Travel Insurance | NA | Medical expenses cover, Personal liability, Passport loss |
New India Travel Insurance | 06 months to 70 years | Medical coverage, Delay of check-in baggage, Personal accident |
Oriental Travel Insurance | 06 months to 70 years | Overseas medical expenses, Passport loss, Personal liability |
Reliance Travel Insurance | 06 months to 70 years | Cashless hospitalisation, Trip delay, Home burglary insurance |
Royal Sundaram Travel Insurance | 91 days and above | Medical expenses, Political risk & catastrophe evacuation, Missed connections |
SBI Travel Insurance | 06 months to 70 years | Emergency medical treatment, Trip delays |
Shriram Travel Insurance | 90 days to 65 years | Medical expenses cover, Loss of passport, Hijack distress allowance |
Star Travel Insurance | 06 months to 70 years | Emergency medical expenses, Personal liability, Flight delays and cancellation |
Tata AIG Travel Insurance | 06 months to 70 years | Medical coverage, Bounced flight/hotel bookings, Automatic trip extension |
United India Travel Insurance | 5 years to 80 years | Medical expenses, Trip cancellation, Hospital daily allowance |
Universal Sompo Travel Insurance | 01 day to 70 years | Emergency medical expenses, Personal accident, Baggage loss |
Purchasing travel insurance for the first time can be confusing and complicated. However, you can easily know everything about it through this section. From when to buy travel insurance to how, we will guide you all the way.
Ideally, you should buy international travel insurance as soon as you have booked your flight and hotel. Most travel guides and insurance companies recommend that you buy travel insurance within 15 days of buying your flight tickets and other non-refundable costs. This comes in handy in many ways:
Finally, about your travel insurance purchase, only you can decide where to buy travel insurance from. This can be easily done online or by visiting a physical store. Wherever you choose to buy travel insurance in India, don’t forget to compare travel insurance plans on Policybazaar.com.
If you’re going on an international trip for the first time, then chances are you’re confused by so many types of travel insurance for your much-awaited trip! Before you buy travel insurance online, make sure you give it a lot of thought and weigh your options:
Travel Frequency
If you are a frequent traveller, you are better off with a multi-trip insurance policy that will be cheaper and save you the hassle of buying it again. Otherwise, you should go for a single-trip insurance plan which covers you for the entire duration of your journey.
Travel Destination
Whether it is an international trip or a domestic trip, whether going to the US or Japan; different trip locations will cost you differently. Also, many countries have a mandatory travel health insurance requirement before they issue a visa so your sum insured and other requirements will vary significantly.
Trip Duration
Your travel insurance policy will be calculated and issued according to the length of your stay. In most cases, people buy an online travel insurance policy with a duration slightly exceeding their total trip duration so that any sudden changes can be accommodated without costing you an extra premium.
Number of Travelers
You can buy an individual travel insurance policy if you're going alone, or make it into a family travel plan if your loved ones are going too. The insurer should be informed about the total number of travellers accordingly.
Claim Procedure
When you buy travel insurance online, read about the insurer, their claim-settlement ratio as well as any claim limits they have set with various benefits. Each travel insurance policy has a certain limit up to which they will pay for your claims.
Any Indian citizen can buy international travel insurance online, irrespective of the type of policy being purchased. Additional eligibility requirements for different types of online overseas travel insurance are given below:
Plan | Eligibility |
International Travel Insurance | Must be aged between 0.6 and 70 years |
Schengen Travel Insurance | Can be bought only for Schengen Countries, Minimum 30,000 EUR coverage required |
Family Travel Insurance | Available for 4 people including the insured, spouse and 2 dependents, Adults must be aged between 18 and 60 years, Children must be below 21 years |
Senior Citizen Travel Insurance | Available for seniors aged 61 to 90+ years |
Student Travel Insurance | Must be enrolled in an educational institute abroad, Must be aged between 16 and 35 years |
Corporate Travel Insurance | Must be aged between 18 and 70 years |
Multi-Trip Travel Insurance | Eligible for multiple trips over a year Adults aged between 18 and 70 years, Children aged 3 months and above, Can be renewed |
Single-Trip Travel Insurance | Eligible only for one trip, Adults aged between 18 and 70 years, Children aged 3 months and above |
*Please note that the age bracket varies with insurers. You should check the eligibility with the insurance provider before reviewing or buying any travel insurance online.
Travelling after months of planning and savings is one of the best feelings. As more people take up travelling again, one thing they easily dismiss is insuring their trip. Travel insurance not only serves as a backup during financial difficulties, but it also offers you 24X7 global support if you need it.
Sadly, there are many misconceptions about travel insurance that discourages people from buying them. We have covered a few of these travel insurance-related myths along with the actual facts!
Your overseas travel insurance is not just to cover your health emergencies; it also takes care of other emergencies that will cost you considerably abroad! This includes losing your passport, missing your flight for a valid reason, getting mugged, accidentally damaging someone’s property and more.
What’s more, even if you’re fit and fine, getting into an accident or a serious injury while travelling isn’t something you can control. In such cases, you’re better off with a travel insurance policy.
Frequent travellers can indeed get an annual trip insurance plan for themselves and get many benefits from it, but it works the same way for other travellers too.
While frequent travellers save a lot of time and money on their annual trip insurance plans, those going for a single trip travel insurance can benefit a lot from their plans as they are not as expensive. These offer great benefits at a nominal cost.
Even if you are on a short trip abroad, you shouldn't wait to return home in case something goes wrong. This includes getting into an accident, losing your wallet, missing bags, stolen passports etc.
Most insurers need you to inform them about an incident within 24-48 hours. You also need to report these incidents to the police or other local authorities so that you can file a claim back home.
What's more, many insurers won't entertain any claims after a certain period, mostly 30 days after you have returned to India.
This is a baseless claim! Just because there’s a general age bracket for eligibility, senior travellers can’t be denied travel insurance plans! While standard plans are available for people aged anywhere between 6 months to 60 years, you will find many plans specially made for senior travellers. You can easily find these international travel insurance online. In fact, there are enough senior citizen travel insurance plans in India for anyone beyond that age and some insurers don’t even have an upper age limit!
No matter how short or long your trip is, do you really want to risk it? That is the unpredictability of life- horrible weather, emergency hospitalisation or unfortunately losing your stuff are a few things that can happen to anyone at any time. In fact, on a shorter trip you’d be too stressed to deal with any medical emergencies alone, so why not let travel medical insurance take care of it? If you’re still not convinced, then you can easily find cheap travel insurance online that fit your budget just perfectly!
While you can’t visit many European countries without proper Schengen travel insurance, other countries don’t make it mandatory. This doesn’t mean that you’re going to be fine without insurance; risks are always present no matter the country. It’s strongly advised that you get travel medical insurance every time you go abroad!
Usually, claims are not accepted because they’re either a part of the exclusions or because there’s been incorrect information provided. Most travel insurance companies in India have a general set of exclusions stating all the scenarios where your claim won’t be covered.
For example, travel insurance companies reject claims related to pre-existing conditions unless you’ve bought a policy that covers them.
With so many travel insurance plans in India, it is easy to get confused about the best travel insurance to opt for. Travel insurance Comparison becomes the best way to assess multiple plans and see which insurer is offering the best benefits.
As these plans vary with your requirements, what may work for someone may not be enough for you. In some cases, opting for a specific travel insurance plan may be useless and even exceed your budget.
For example, if you’re planning a trip to Europe with your mother then chances are her overseas insurance policy will cost a lot more than yours. You can easily buy affordable travel insurance for yourself after selection, and use the rest of your budget to buy a costlier senior citizen travel insurance.
Your travel insurance plan should cover your needs and not exceed your budget. For example, your travel insurance quotes will depend on many factors:
Many travel insurance companies in India allow you to filter out the coverage benefits for things you don't need, which will cost you less than regular rates. All these factors make it difficult to understand a plan’s benefits and may rush you into purchasing a travel insurance plan that is not best for your needs.
Buying travel insurance online after comparing is extremely useful for travellers. Here are some of its key advantages:
Therefore, you can see how the cost of your premium can be significantly reduced just by comparing different plans first.
To make an informed choice, you need to consider the following things while you buy travel insurance online
Purpose of the Journey
the maximum coverage. For instance, if you are traveling for studies, you should buy student travel insurance online
Sum Insured Amount
a sum insured amount that will adequately cover your travel needs.
Claim Settlement Ratio of the Insurer
with a higher claim settlement ratio has settled more claims and thus, should be preferred when buying travel insurance online.
The Credibility of the Insurance Provider
that enjoys goodwill in the market can be considered reliable and will mostly settle the claims on time.
Ignoring exclusions or situations that are not covered under a travel insurance plan is one of the biggest reasons for claim rejection. Keeping these travel insurance exclusions in mind before buying any plan will save you from misunderstandings and financial regrets later.
It will also let you decide if you’re okay with the travel insurance quote for a plan you’re going for. Most travel insurance companies in India don’t cover claims due to the following reasons:
Every traveller should opt for a policy that offers maximum coverage for the least possible premium. For this, they need to get travel insurance quotes first. To find out the premium payable for a travel insurance plan, you can use a travel insurance premium calculator.
A premium calculator is an online tool that estimates the premium cost for a particular insurance plan. These are a few parameters that affect travel insurance premiums:
Make sure to use this calculator before you buy the best travel insurance online.
Foreign travel insurance can be convenient if you face an emergency during your trip. Use the tips below to lower your international travel insurance cost:
Buying the best travel insurance is not your only responsibility as a traveller. You should also know the procedure to file a timely travel insurance claim. Follow the steps to register a travel insurance claim if required:
Be it a planned or an emergency, you should always be protected by a proper travel insurance plan in another country. Depending on the type of travel insurance, it can be extended from 1-2 weeks or more. However, some facts remain:
However, if your insurer doesn't include this benefit, know the required documents and extension policy before buying a plan. If your travel policy expires while you're stuck abroad, you won't be protected there.
Due to the pandemic, COVID-19 travel insurance (also called COVID travel insurance) has become very popular as they provide COVID-19 coverage and other travel insurance benefits. You can buy travel insurance with COVID-19 coverage that involves minimal paperwork.
Right from your flight to the entire stay abroad and the return journey, you can ensure a safe and hassle-free trip if you buy the best international travel insurance before leaving.
Here are some simplified terms to understand travel insurance wordings better: