Travel Guard vs Tin Leg: Which Travel Insurance Is Better?
Travel Guard and Tin Leg sell to the same traveler and answer the same question differently: Travel Guard puts its money into Deluxe’s $150,000 of medical and $1,000,000 of evacuation, Tin Leg into a plan at every medical level from $20,000 to $500,000, so you buy exactly the limit you need. This page puts the plans side by side from the insurers’ own plan documents, says which one wins for each kind of trip, and shows the numbers that decide it.
The plans side by side
| Plan | Emergency medical | Evacuation | Cancel for any reason | Pre-existing waiver window | Kids free |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel Guard Essential | $15,000 | $150,000 | No | 15 days | One per adult |
| Travel Guard Preferred | $50,000 | $500,000 | Upgrade, about 50% back | 15 days | One per adult |
| Travel Guard Deluxe | $150,000 | $1,000,000 | Upgrade, about 50% back | 15 days | One per adult |
| Tin Leg Economy | $20,000 | $100,000 | No | None | No |
| Tin Leg Basic | $50,000 | $200,000 | No | 14 to 15 days | No |
| Tin Leg Luxury | $100,000 primary | $250,000 | Upgrade, 75% back | 14 to 15 days | No |
| Tin Leg Silver | $250,000 | $1,000,000 | Upgrade, 75% back | 14 to 15 days | No |
| Tin Leg Gold | $500,000 primary | $500,000 | Upgrade, 75% back | 14 days | No |
Limits are per person. Read the medical column first: it is the one that separates these two companies, and it is the one that pays the bill that can pass $100,000. The Travel Guard review and the Tin Leg review go plan by plan.
Where each one wins
| The trip or the traveler | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A cruise, a remote trip, or a traveler over 65 | Tin Leg Silver or Gold | Silver: $250,000 of medical and $1,000,000 of evacuation. Gold: $500,000 primary and $500,000. Travel Guard Deluxe carries $150,000 and $1,000,000. |
| A trip outside the US on a budget | Tin Leg Luxury | $100,000 of primary medical and $250,000 of evacuation. Travel Guard Preferred carries $50,000. |
| A domestic trip with children | Travel Guard Preferred | One free child per adult. Tin Leg has no free-kids benefit. |
| Cancel for any reason | Tin Leg | 75 percent on Luxury, Adventure, Silver and Gold, added within 14 or 15 days. Travel Guard refunds about 50 percent. |
| A traveler with a pre-existing condition | Either, bought early | Travel Guard waives within 15 days on every plan; Tin Leg within 14 or 15 days on every plan but Economy. |
| Price | Tin Leg, on the comparison | Priced next to the other plans when you enter the trip once. Travel Guard sells only direct. |
The numbers that decide it
Medical and evacuation. Travel Guard’s best plan, Deluxe, carries $150,000 of medical and $1,000,000 of evacuation; Tin Leg’s best plan, Gold, carries $500,000 primary of medical and $500,000 of evacuation. For a trip outside the US the floor is $100,000 of medical and $250,000 of evacuation; for a cruise, a remote trip or a traveler over 65, $250,000 and $500,000.
Cancel for any reason. Travel Guard: Cancel for any reason is an upgrade on Preferred and Deluxe, refunds about 50 percent (most of the market pays 75), must be added within 15 days of the first payment, and requires cancelling more than two days before departure. Tin Leg: Cancel for any reason is on Luxury, Adventure, Silver and Gold, refunds 75 percent, must be added within the plan’s window (14 or 15 days from the initial deposit), and requires cancelling at least two days before departure.
Pre-existing conditions. Travel Guard: The pre-existing condition waiver applies when you buy within 15 days of the first trip payment and insure the full trip cost. Tin Leg: The pre-existing condition waiver window is 14 or 15 days from the initial deposit depending on the plan; Economy has no waiver.
Children. Travel Guard: One child 17 and under is free per paying adult on all three plans; the child must be related to and traveling with that adult. Tin Leg: No free-kids benefit.
Free look. Travel Guard: 15 days after purchase for a full refund if you have not departed or filed a claim. Tin Leg: 10 to 15 days depending on the plan for a full refund if you have not departed or filed a claim.
See Tin Leg priced next to the plans that beat Travel Guard
Enter your trip once and every top plan comes back side by side, priced for your dates. Same price as buying direct.
See plans & pricesAbout 60 seconds. Nothing to sign up for.What it costs
Travel Guard sells only direct and is not on the comparison. Tin Leg is on the CoverTrip comparison, priced next to the other plans when you enter the trip once. Travel insurance is priced by the trip cost, the ages of the travelers and the trip length, and a package plan usually costs 4 to 8 percent of the trip cost, so the way to compare these two is to enter the trip once, note the price of a plan with the limits you need, and hold Travel Guard’s direct quote against it. Same price on the comparison as buying direct.
What the plans say
Travel Guard’s strengths are Deluxe’s $150,000 of medical and $1,000,000 of evacuation, one free child per adult on every plan, a large assistance operation behind it (AIG); its weak spot is a cancel for any reason refund of about 50 percent, and thin medical on Essential and Preferred for a trip abroad. Tin Leg’s strengths are a plan at every medical level from $20,000 to $500,000, so you buy exactly the limit you need, Gold’s $500,000 of primary medical and Silver’s $1,000,000 of evacuation, cancel for any reason on four plans; its weak spot is the plan names do not track the limits (Luxury is the floor for a trip abroad, not the top), and the underwriter changes by plan. Both refund 100 percent of the insured trip cost for a listed cancellation reason, both include a 24-hour assistance line, and both are underwritten by large insurers; the difference between them is the limits and the upgrade rules above, not the paper.
Questions people also ask
Is Tin Leg better than Travel Guard?
On coverage, yes, at every price level: Tin Leg Luxury carries $100,000 of primary medical against $50,000 on Travel Guard Preferred, and Silver and Gold carry $250,000 and $500,000 against Deluxe’s $150,000. Cancel for any reason refunds 75 percent at Tin Leg against about 50. Travel Guard’s advantage is a free child per adult on every plan.
Which is better for a cruise, Travel Guard or Tin Leg?
Tin Leg Silver, with $250,000 of medical and $1,000,000 of evacuation, or Gold with $500,000 of primary medical. Travel Guard Deluxe clears the cruise floor at $150,000 and $1,000,000 but carries less medical.
Who underwrites Tin Leg?
It changes by plan: Berkshire Hathaway Specialty, Starr or Spinnaker, so the plan document for the one you buy governs. Tin Leg is Squaremouth’s house brand. Travel Guard’s plans are underwritten by AIG and Zurich companies.
Related: Travel Guard review · Tin Leg review · cruise travel insurance guide · family travel insurance guide · cheap travel insurance guide · all company reviews
Plan limits and upgrade rules on this page are from the insurers’ plan pages and policy documents for Travel Guard and Tin Leg, checked 12 September 2026, and from the CoverTrip reviews of each company. Price guidance is from the plans on the CoverTrip comparison.
See Tin Leg priced next to the plans that beat Travel Guard
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Damian TysdalDamian Tysdal is the founder of CoverTrip and a licensed travel insurance agent since 2006. He believes travel insurance should be easier to understand, and started the first travel insurance blog in 2006. About CoverTrip.