Winter travel offers a lot to those looking for a wide variety of activities to do. Whether it’s snowshoeing through breathtaking winter wonderlands or basking in the sun at your beachy southern destination – the thrill never ends.
It’s also the season to visit family and friends! And with so much to do this winter, it’s important to protect yourself from unexpected emergencies.
In this blog post, we’ll go over why it’s recommended to have winter travel insurance, the types of coverage you’ll want to consider, and why coverage provided by credit card programs may not be enough.
Why it’s Important to Have Emergency Medical Insurance for Winter Travel
Some of the best travel advice anyone can give you is to anticipate the unexpected.
Medical emergencies can happen to anyone, and when one does happen, it can be extremely costly outside of Canada. This is because your provincial health insurance plan may only cover a portion of your total health care costs.
If you’re considering buying emergency medical insurance coverage like TripMate® Travel Insurance, make sure it can provide the following coverage:
- Hospitalization and treatment for medical emergencies
- Ambulance services (ground, air or sea)
- Emergency air transportation
- Dental services
- Remote evacuation
- Fracture treatment
- Essential medical appliances, like crutches
- Prescription drugs
Can Winter Travel Insurance Cover Trip Cancellations, Interruptions, or Baggage Delays?
Travelling during the winter season means you’ll likely face unpredictable weather, packed airports and cancelled or delayed flights. If any of these frustrations concern you, when searching for travel insurance, make sure that it can provide coverage beyond medical emergencies.
For example, through Allstate’s TripMate® Travel Insurance, if you need to cancel your trip before your scheduled departure, or your trip is interrupted while you’re already on vacation, Trip Cancellation & Trip Interruption Insurance can provide coverage for non-refundable, unused, prepaid travel arrangements that can’t be recovered from another source.
Customers will also have complimentary access to MyFlytTM. Each time your flight’s delayed 2 or more hours, you’ll instantly receive your choice of an airport lounge pass or cash payout.
Baggage Insurance can also make travel less frustrating by covering lost, damaged, destroyed, or stolen baggage and personal effects worldwide.
Should I Consider Comprehensive Insurance for Travel?
When shopping for travel insurance, you might see an option for “comprehensive travel insurance” but what is it?
Comprehensive coverage typically provides you with a combination of coverage options (in this case coverage for medical and non-medical emergencies).
For example, TripMate’s All Inclusive Holiday Package includes Emergency Medical Insurance, Trip Cancellation & Trip Interruption, Accidental Death & Dismemberment and Baggage Insurance, and is available to Canadians 59 years old and younger.
Isn’t My Credit Card’s Travel Insurance Enough?
The short answer is no.
Here’s 3 ways credit card coverage can’t compete with travel insurance.
While travel credit cards offer great perks, the travel insurance plans often have limited coverage. Some policies may offer around 25 days of coverage, while others cover 10 days or less. Coverage can often have an age limit too – such as for those under 65 years of age.
On top of that, coverage through credit card programs tends to only cover the cardholder, meaning your loved ones may not be protected.
The limit doesn’t end there. If you’re an avid adventurer, you’ll be disappointed to hear that some of the sports and activities you love aren’t covered by your credit card.
We hope this helped you understand the importance of travel medical insurance, the types of coverage to consider and why insurance programs through credit card companies may not be enough.
Safe travels!
Disclaimer: This information and the websites referenced are provided for your convenience only and should not be construed as providing legal or insurance advice. Allstate does not control or guarantee the accuracy of any content on any third-party site. Allstate is not responsible for the privacy practices of any third-party site.
The language on this website may not be the same as the actual policy wording which will prevail in all instances and is available upon request. Certain exclusions, limitations and conditions may apply. ® Trademark owned by Allstate Insurance Company used under licence by Allstate Insurance Company of Canada. ©2023 Allstate Insurance Company of Canada. Allstate Insurance Company of Canada is not the provider for this insurance. Insurance is administered by North American Air Travel Insurance Agents Ltd. doing business as TuGo®, a licensed insurance broker in all provinces and territories. The issuer of the contract is Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services Inc. and Industrial Alliance Pacific General Insurance Corporation. TuGo® and TripMate® are registered trademarks owned by North American Air Travel Insurance Agents Ltd. doing business as TuGo®.