What information do I need to buy travel insurance?

Perhaps you are just in the planning stages of your trip, perhaps you have already put money down or purchased your flights. Either way, you’ll want to do a little research before purchasing travel insurance.

The best way to purchase a travel insurance plan that meets your needs is by spending a little time with a comparison tool. By starting with a travel insurance plan comparison, the options you select during the comparison effort will be pre-loaded into the policy purchase screen (saving you time re-typing).

By starting with a travel insurance plan comparison, the options you select during the comparison effort will be pre-loaded into the policy purchase screen (saving you time re-typing).

Information needed to compare travel insurance plans

You’ll need to know the following things in order to compare travel insurance plans:

1. Your departure and return dates (you have to insure the entire trip)
2. Your first trip payment date (if you haven’t made a payment yet, use yesterday as your date for estimation purposes)
3. Your trip cost (if you don’t have this, estimate it, but remember that you’ll need the actual numbers later)
4. Your primary destination (this is the location where you will be spending the most time)
5. Your country and state of residence (country only for non U.S. citizens)
6. The current age of each traveler (not the age the travelers will be when the trip is taken)

Using the comparison engine, you can review a number of travel plans and choose one that suits your travel needs.

Information needed to purchase travel insurance

Once you’ve selected your plan, you can purchase it with a credit card online. In addition to the above information (which will be filled in for you if you click Buy from your comparison), and just like any other online purchase, you’ll also need the following:

1. Full name of each traveler plus their date of birth
2. Your address and phone numbers
3. Your beneficiary information for AD&D or flight accident benefits (if these fields are left blank, next of kin will be assumed)
4. Your payment information (credit card number, expiration date, etc.)

Once you purchase your travel insurance plan, you’ll receive an e-mail confirmation with additional information. If you chose a plan with a review period, use that time to carefully review the policy so you understand what is covered and what is not.

Related topics

• Understanding the free look period
• 9 coverages that might surprise you
• What to take with you