Hey, I'm going on a trip at the end of April and the group I'm going with requires travel insurance. I dont have a lot of money to spare, so I want to go with a pretty bare-bones plan (I understand the risks associated with that so I dont need advice on the plan). My question is, what is the best travel insurance provider that will cost me as little money as possible but also wont be a bigger-than-normal pain to deal with in the event of a claim?

Check your credit card. Some already include some form of travel insurance.

^^^ This. if you booked the trip on your CC you may already be covered.
Also, if you're in a group plan through work (like Blue Cross) you may have coverage too. Check and see.
If you only need emergency medical, I've used Travel Guard in the past and found their pricing good. I made one claim, and it was pretty fuss-free.

If you have a company health plan it too might have coverage

I can help you book through Allianz. They're very reasonably priced. I can put a quote together for you if you like?

Try your bank. Most offer cheap, basic travel insurance. One bit of advice I can offer is to buy a plan that will cover emergency medical care up front. Some credit card plans will cover you but require you to pay and be reimbursed — which could be very expensive if you require any sort of emergency medical care overseas.

Yes to this! Before I had insurance through work I purchased from the bank for next to nothing.

Bank was easy, and had great coverage. I used BMO, but I'm pretty sure any bank will do it.
Happy travels.

Ama sells it for like 25$

i usetravel guardian.

We have RBC insurance in the past. Had to make a claim and it was east

I would first check to see that you aren't covered ie. Work benefits, credit card etc. Travel insurance fees increase as you get older as the risk is higher. Ask at your bank or any travel agency or online with these guys. I have a "pre-existing" condition so it is difficult to get travel insurance from the aforementioned providers. This company hooked me up and I was amazed how cheap it was. Worth getting a few quotes. If you are young it should be pretty cheap and it is definitely money well spent. https://www.securiglobe.com/en/
SECURIGLOBE.COM
Travel Insurance | SecuriGlobe

Not always best to look at your health as it is bare bones. I would say don’t be cheap on your health. You only get one life.

Yup - 2 weeks in a US hospital with pneumonia approx $100,000 and that was 20yrs ago!

Ama is pretty good

Check your bank slot cheaper

READ THE CONTRACT! I found thzt they promise in one part of the contract and nullify that same thing further along. Unless you go to the states, most places have better health care for cheaper anyway. That's

Think about why there is so much medical tourism for just a sec.

Donalda my tour company requires me to have the insurance, otherwise I wouldnt bother lol

Canuck Voyage Travel Medical Insurance by Ingle International has been great for me.

Sherry have you had to claim?

No. However as a senior with stable pre-existing medical conditions I am ineligible for the credit card, bank,blue cross & AMA offered coverage. As long as you do your due diligence on policy exclusions claims should not be an issue.

Sherry similar but I'm still able to be covered by AMA so far.

Costco is cheap too.

world nomads has been good to me. I’ve also used Alberta Blue Cross in the past. Luckily I’ve never had to make a claim so cannot comment on that.

AMA is not too bad

If you have a travel credit card they usually cover you. Also if you have benefits at work check to see if they have travel coverage too.

I buy travel insurance through CIBC and highly recommend. I broke my leg in Cabo San Lucas on a jet ski and they were fabulous. Even covered the cost of the damaged jet ski.

world nomads is a great provider. We used them for our trip 2 years ago and visited 23 countries. I think our total was only $145 each person. Unless you plan on doing cliff diving they pretty much cover everything.

Check with your credit card company as most credit card companies include travel insurance I know Royal Bank credit cards do and it’s free

Bev
My visa covers the first 2 weeks then BCAA kicks in which is $175 ish per year wit a 30 day trip max. Plus the visa 2 weeks.

Yes they only cover you for 14 days

I’ve gotten insurance through Costco before through manulife when I’ve needed it.

Saw a young lady in the way back from Mexico who missed one of the high curbs, broker her leg. She spent 3 nights in hospital and had like 5 or 6 pins sticking out of her leg. They had only stabilized the leg and she requires surgery back here.

Check with your bank' for one week comprehansive insurance its under $50

Primelinkinsurance.ca has competitive rates and no problems with claims ($0 deductible), you can quote and purchase online.

tugo insurance. You can do it online yourself.

I have used Mediquote several times for Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance - I have an annual Travel Emergency Medical Plan through Alberta Blue Cross so don't need to buy that, but Mediquote does offer medical insurance as well. Mediquote is an insurance broker that specializes in Travel Insurance. They will look at the various plans they have available and recommend the one they think is best for you. On two recent quotes, their quote was approx 1/2 of that of the other three companies I requested quotes from. I have not made any claims but understand they will advocate for you if there is an issue with the insurance provider. www.mediquote.ca
MEDIQUOTE.CA
Medi-Quote Insurance Brokers We don't sell you travel insurance, we help you buy it!

Check with your credit card company. I booked and paid with my Visa and it covered everything for 2 weeks. Cancellation, trip disruptions, medical.

If you have benefits through work sometimes you have coverage through your plan

Darren A my benefits dont kick in until June

I can get you a quote through manulife if you like, for comparison.
My friends had a claim with them and they were great to deal with.

manulife is not economical--but then again--are any insurance companies

I found ATB to be very competitive.

Allianze Travel Insurance is just AWESOME.

If you have benefits through work it might have travel insurance already

Have heard from 3 groups of friends that Costco provides manulife travel insurance and is the easiest to deal with. $154 for a year though they, like all the others, do this in 30 day chunks. I WILL be using them next time!!!!!

I bought a year from RBC for under $50 when I got laid off last spring

RBC is great.

https://www.worldnomads.ca/travel-insurance/
WORLDNOMADS.CA
Travel Insurance simple and flexible

AMA but if you have benefits through work or a major credit card you probably already have coverage

As someone who used to adjudicate travel medical claims, it is not worth the risk of going across the border without coverage.
Like people said above, you can find relatively cheap plans starting at $25 depending on length of trip etc., through banks, or insurance companies. Talk to Co-operators. Company benefits or credit cards may have coverage as well.
For example a typical ER starts around $500, just to walk through the door, then tests, medications, etc. if it’s something serious, your looking at thousands of dollars.

If you have a credit card, most of them will cover travel insurance for you. You don't need to get anything else

Are you looking for travel medical insurance or cancellation, trip interruption and that kind of coverage?
Make sure you’re only buying what the tour operator requires. We booked a trip through World Expeditions once, and they required travel medical, which I have through work, but we had to buy a policy that covered a bunch of other things, including lost baggage.
I found www.tugo.com was the least expensive and I could choose just what was needed. The trip went well, and we didn’t make any claims.
Happy travels!
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Travel Insurance Canada & Travellers' Insurance Claims - tugo