Friday, November 8, 2024

WorldTrips Travel Insurance Review 2024

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WorldTrips Travel Insurance has been a reputable travel insurance provider for more than 20 years. WorldTrips offers various plans and tiers that can suit your travel insurance needs. Read on to learn more about WorldTrips.

WorldTrips Travel Insurance


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Insider’s Rating

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4.83/5

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Perks

Trip cancellation coverage for up to 100% of the trip cost and trip interruption coverage for up to 150% of the trip cost


AM Best Financial Strength Rating

A

Pros

  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Affordable base plans that can be customized with add-ons including rental car, pet care, hunting and fishing, and vacation rental coverage
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Insurance plans available for international student travelers
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Trip delay coverage benefit that kicks in after just five hours
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Pre-existing conditions waiver can be purchased within 21 days of initial trip payment
Cons

  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an ‘X’. Lower medical, evacuation and accidental death limits
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an ‘X’. Limited, secondary baggage loss coverage although baggage protection can be upgraded at a low cost
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an ‘X’. No special coverages for pets, sports equipment, etc.


Product Details

  • Travel medical insurance (Premium, Group, Annual, and International Student options)
  • Trip cancellation insurance
  • Trip protection insurance

WorldTrips Travel Insurance Review

WorldTrips Travel Insurance is among the best travel insurance companies, with plans to cover a wide range of needs. It provides group plans, annual multi-trip plans, and multiple plans for travel and medical protection. Its plans are also well below the average cost for travel insurance, though some competitors have higher coverage limits than WorldTrips.

WorldTrips also sports a wide range of add-ons including CFAR coverage, destination wedding cancellation coverage, and adventure sports coverage. 

Coverage Options by WorldTrips

WorldTrips offers several unique products for travelers, including a dedicated plan for students pursuing study abroad programs. Within these plans, there are addition tiers of coverage that offer higher coverage limits. This section will help you understand the different plans available through WorldTrips.

Most plans include COVID-19 coverage by default. Many also allow you to customize the plan to include optional upgrades for additional protection.

Medical coverage for travelers

Atlas Travel

Flagship product Atlas Travel provides travel medical insurance for travelers of various nationalities — a valuable product for anyone seeking financial support while exploring the world. The maximum coverage available through an Atlas Travel plan goes up to $2 million.

It’s worth noting Atlas Travel does not cover US citizens and residents. However, US citizens and residents can purchase travel insurance coverage for countries outside the United States under an Atlas International plan. In addition, non-US citizens outside of the United States are also eligible for coverage within the US under the Atlas America plan. The site automatically selects it for the traveler at the time of purchase.

Atlas Premium

Atlas Premium is an upgraded version of Atlas Travel offering more flexibility on deductibles, coverage duration, and coverage maximums. This plan is ideal for several types of travelers, including parents covering an entire family, travelers planning adventurous activities carrying some risk, and people planning luxury or expensive travel.

Atlas Group

Atlas Group offers Atlas Travel benefits at a 10% discount for people traveling in groups of five or more. This policy is ideal for traveler profiles such as youth groups, missionaries, students studying abroad, larger families, and organizations planning international travel.

Atlas MultiTrip

Digital nomads and frequent international travelers can benefit from an Atlas MultiTrip plan. It provides global health coverage for any number of pre-planned or last-minute trips within 364 days, as long as each trip lasts fewer than 30 or 45 days. The duration guidelines vary depending on the coverage selected.

StudentSecure

Students studying abroad can purchase StudentSecure, an international health insurance policy for full-time students and scholars pursuing academic studies outside their home country. StudentSecure comes in four levels of coverage to meet each student’s specific needs and meets or exceeds most country or school insurance requirements.

Trip cancellation and interruption

Atlas On-The-Go

Atlas On-The-Go covers you if you only need financial reassurance for your travel plans. This trip protection insurance is for US residents traveling worldwide. In addition, it provides medical coverage for unexpected sickness, injury, lost or stolen bags, or travel cancellations. 

Atlas Journey

Atlas Journey offers trip protection coverage for US citizens and residents on domestic and international travel. You can choose from three tiers of coverage: Premier, Preferred, or Economy, with up to 150% of trip costs covered in the case of travel interruptions, as well as up to $1 million in medical evacuation expenses.

Additional Coverage Options (Riders)

Buyers can customize many WorldTrips policies to enhance the overall benefits of the insurance plan. Here are some of the available riders and purposes.

Cancel-for-any-reason (CFAR) coverage

Cancel-for-any-reason insurance coverage, often abbreviated as CFAR, is an optional upgrade for Atlas Journey Premier and Preferred. It allows you to claim a percentage of your nonrefundable travel costs if you cancel your trip for any reason.

CFAR is available as an add-on on specific WorldTrips policies and can cover either 50% or 75% of your total nonrefundable travel forfeited when you cancel. However, you’ll have to purchase CFAR coverage within a specific time limit after your first payment for travel expenses. You must cancel your trip more than 48 hours before the scheduled departure to make an eligible CFAR claim.

Adventure activities coverage

WorldTrips offers additional coverage options for adventurous travelers pursuing risky or challenging activities. This add-on increases your medical and evacuation benefits in the event of an incident.

Pet care coverage

If you’re traveling with a pet, this coverage will help cover some of the costs associated with pet travel, including medical expenses if needed.

Rental accommodations coverage

This add-on covers expenses you may incur if your accommodations are double-booked or uninhabitable.

Rental car coverage

If you rent a car during your travels, you can purchase this add-on to forego the coverage offered at the rental car desk. Note, if you hold a premium credit card with travel benefits, you may already have access to free rental car insurance meeting or exceeding any ceilings offered through WorldTrips, even with this upgrade.

School activities interruption/cancellation coverage

If a school schedule change impacts your travel plans, this add-on will reimburse you for nonrefundable travel expenses associated with the travel cancellation or interruption.

Hunting and fishing cancellation/interruption

This add-on will help defray your cost if changes to your local government restrictions or equipment delays impact your travel plans. Unfortunately, this policy does not cover big game hunting.

Destination wedding cancellation or interruption coverage

This policy add-on protects guests attending a destination wedding. If the couple cancels the wedding or the event is delayed or canceled due to other circumstances, this policy will help cover expenses incurred by the change in plans.

How Much Does WorldTrips Cost?

Travel insurance coverage varies greatly, and the amount you pay reflects the range of protection. However, since travel insurance protects your financial investment, it’s typically worth spending a few extra dollars for higher coverage maximums, especially for medical insurance and evacuation expenses.

To receive a quote with WorldTrips, you need to enter your state of residence, trip cost, duration, traveler(s) age, and date of initial trip payment.

We ran a few simulations to offer examples of how much a WorldTrips policy might cost. You’ll see that costs usually fall between 1% to 4% of the total trip cost, but can go up to 8% under certain plans and conditions.

As of April 2024, a 23-year-old from Illinois taking a week-long, $3,000 budget trip to Italy would have the following  WorldTrips travel insurance quotes:

  • Atlas Premium Insurance: $28.08
  • Atlas Journey: $86-$120

Premiums for WorldTrips plans are between .9% and 4% of the trip’s cost, well below the average cost of travel insurance.

WorldTripsprovides the following quotes for a 30-year-old traveler from California heading to Japan for two weeks on a $4,000 trip:

  • Atlas Premium Insurance: $56.85
  • Atlas Journey: $112-$157

Once again, premiums for WorldTrips plans are between 1.4% and 3.9%, below the average cost for travel insurance.

A 65-year-old couple looking to escape New Jersey for Mexico for two weeks with a trip cost of $6,000 would have the following WorldTrips quotes:

  • Atlas Premium Insurance: $253.20
  • Atlas Journey: $326-$494

Premiums for WorldTrips plans are between 4.2% and 8.2%, once again below the average cost for travel insurance. This is especially impressive as travel insurance is often more expensive for older travelers.

Annual Plan

WorldTrips offers a multi-trip plan, that can cover multiple trips over a year. This plan has two tiers, which affect how long each covered trip can last. The cost of annual travel insurance with WorldTrips for a 35-year-old is as follows:

  • 30-day trips: $193
  • 45-day trips: $236

How to File a Claim with WorldTrips

Unfortunately, the WorldTrips claim filing process leaves much to be desired. WorldTrips customers need to keep their travel insurance policy handy to know which claims process to follow. Additionally, WorldTrips lacks a mobile app, so you’ll have to manage your WorldTrips policy through its website. 

You’ll also need to have some other information on hand, such as whether or not a medical provider would bill WorldTrips directly on your behalf or if you have to pay out of pocket at the time of your service.

Atlas Travel, Atlas Premium, Atlas Group, Atlas MultiTrip, and StudentSecure travel medical insurance

If you hold a policy under one of the travel medical insurance products above, here’s the step-by-step guide you’ll reference when submitting a claim. You can submit your claim via email or regular mail using the following contact information:

Phone: (800) 605-2282 (within the US) and +1 (317) 262-2132 (outside the US).

Non-emergency calls are taken Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET.

Mail:
WorldTrips
Claims Department
PO Box 240358
Apple Valley, MN 55124
U.S.A.

You can also submit your claim electronically through your customer portal: Client Zone for most policyholders and Student Zone for students.

Atlas Journey and Atlas On-The-Go trip protection insurance

If you have an Atlas Journey or Atlas On-The-Go plan, you’ll have to complete an online form that includes supporting document for every claim. If you cannot upload your documents, you can send them to WorldTrips’s claims team at AtlasJourneyClaims@cbpinsure.com.

If you’re a student, you must submit additional documents for your claim proving you are a full-time student and any necessary education-related visas or I-20/DS2019. Having the proper records can make your claim much less frustrating.

Compare WorldTrips Travel Insurance

See how WorldTrips Travel Insurance stacks up against the competition. 

WorldTrips Travel Insurance vs. Nationwide Travel Insurance

WorldTrips compares favorably to Nationwide Travel Insurance. While Nationwide is also a reputable insurance provider with great reviews, the company offers just two standard plans customizable with unique add-ons. Nationwide does offer some of the most affordable travel insurance rates with a large and recognizable company name behind it. However, unique add-ons like sports equipment and pet coverage are not available.

Thus, travelers seeking more customized travel protection may prefer the unique plans offered through WorldTrips, especially those looking for specialized coverage for destination weddings, group travel, study abroad programs, and more. On the other hand, travelers without special coverage needs looking for cheap travel insurance may want to stick with Nationwide.

Karen S posted about her trip to Turks & Caicos on insuremytrip.com, saying, “It was easy to find a plan with the coverage that I needed. My travel companion is my 92-year-old mother so it was imperative that I have the best coverage at a reasonable cost.”

Read our Nationwide travel insurance review here.

WorldTrips Travel Insurance vs. Berkshire Hathaway Travel Insurance

WorldTrips and Berkshire Hathaway are well-known insurance companies in the travel protection industry, offering various plans to meet the needs of any traveler. If you’re planning a particular trip with multiple variables, WorldTrips has more customizable options with different types of add-ons and upgrades. However, Berkshire Hathaway offers a significantly easier claim filing process through its proprietary app, which can help you submit photos and other evidence for your claim in just a few seconds.

Both companies have customer reviews suggesting coverage provides peace of mind. But claims filing gets mixed reviews.

Read our Berkshire Hathaway travel insurance review here.

Customer Service and Support Experience From WorldTrips

Compared to other travel insurance companies, WorldTrips doesn’t have many customer reviews. However, existing customer reviews of WorldTrips are mixed.

It received an average of 4.2 stars out of five on its Trustpilot page across over 500 reviews and 4.3 stars across over 400 reviews on SquareMouth. Many of its negative reviews concern problems with its website, which is especially concerning since it doesn’t have a mobile app like many of its competitors. 

Google reviews on its headquarters in Caramel, Indiana are even worse, averaging 3 stars across 120 reviews. Customers mentioned difficulty receiving a payout for medical costs. Several customers reported filing a claim on a medical expense that occurred while traveling, which WorldTrips denied because it was a pre-existing condition. Additionally, customers reported waiting months for their claims to be answered. 

WorldTrips Travel Insurance FAQs

You can extend your WorldTrips Atlas Travel Insurance coverage for up to 364 days from the initial effective date.

WorldTrips will cover pre-existing conditions if you purchase your policy within 21 days of the initial trip deposit date.

To file a claim with World Trips, you’ll need documentation such as medical records, receipts for expenses incurred, and a completed claims form. If you’re a student, you will also need to prove your full-time enrollment and, if applicable, your education-related visa.

Whether you can purchase World Trips insurance after starting your trip depends on their policy. Some insurers may allow this, but there may be restrictions or limitations. Contact World Trips directly to inquire about purchasing insurance after your journey has begun.

Why You Should Trust Us: What Went Into Our WorldTrips Travel Insurance Review

We evaluated WorldTrips against the best travel insurance companies by comparing the options offered, customizations available, coverage ceilings, and ease of filing a claim. A licensed insurance agent reviews our articles. Our rating system is available to read in-depth here.

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