Travelex vs Tin Leg: Which Travel Insurance Is Better?
Travelex and Tin Leg sell to the same traveler and answer the same question differently: Travelex puts its money into Ultimate’s $250,000 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travelex Essential | $25,000 | $200,000 | No | None | No |
| Travelex Advantage | $50,000 | $250,000 | No | None | No |
| Travelex Ultimate | $250,000 ($50,000 in New Hampshire) | $1,000,000 | Upgrade, 75% back, up to $7,500 | 21 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 Travelex 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. Travelex Ultimate carries $250,000 and $1,000,000. |
| A trip with children | Travelex Ultimate | One free child per adult. Tin Leg has no free-kids benefit. |
| A cheap plan with full cancellation | Tin Leg Economy or Basic | $20,000 or $50,000 of medical and 100 percent of the trip cost for a listed reason. Travelex Essential and Advantage cap cancellation at $10,000 and $12,500. |
| A trip outside the US on a budget | Tin Leg Luxury | $100,000 of primary medical and $250,000 of evacuation. Travelex Advantage carries $50,000 and $250,000 with no waiver. |
| Cancel for any reason | Tin Leg | 75 percent with no dollar cap on four plans, added within 14 or 15 days. Travelex refunds 75 percent capped at $7,500, on Ultimate only. |
| Price | Both, on the comparison | Enter the trip once and both come back priced side by side. |
The numbers that decide it
Medical and evacuation. Travelex’s best plan, Ultimate, carries $250,000 ($50,000 in New Hampshire) 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. Travelex: Cancel for any reason is on Ultimate only, refunds up to 75 percent capped at $7,500, must be bought within 21 days of the first payment and at least 31 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. Travelex: The pre-existing condition waiver is on Ultimate only, when you buy within 21 days of the first trip payment and insure the total trip cost; Essential and Advantage have no waiver. 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. Travelex: One child 17 and under is free per insured adult on Ultimate, as long as the child’s trip cost is no more than the adult’s. Tin Leg: No free-kids benefit.
Free look. Travelex: 21 days after purchase (30 in some states) 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 Travelex and Tin Leg priced side by side for your trip
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
Both Travelex and Tin Leg are on the CoverTrip comparison, priced next to each other and 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 enter the trip once, find the plan from each company that carries the limits you need, and take the cheaper one. Same price on the comparison as buying direct.
What the plans say
Travelex’s strengths are Ultimate’s $250,000 of medical and $1,000,000 of evacuation, one free child per adult on Ultimate, the longest free look on the comparison, 21 days; its weak spot is Essential and Advantage: a $10,000 cancellation cap, no waiver and no cancel for any reason, so budget plans in the strict sense. 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 Travelex?
For most buyers, yes: a plan at every price with full cancellation on each, $500,000 of primary medical on Gold against $250,000 on Travelex Ultimate, and cancel for any reason on four plans with no dollar cap. Travelex Ultimate is the better family plan (one free child per adult) and has the longest free look on the comparison, 21 days.
Which is better for a cruise, Travelex or Tin Leg?
Tin Leg Silver ($250,000 of medical, $1,000,000 of evacuation) or Gold ($500,000 primary, $500,000). Travelex Ultimate matches Silver’s numbers and adds a free child per adult, so a family cruise leans Travelex.
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. Travelex’s plans are underwritten by Zurich American.
Related: Travelex 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 Travelex 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 Travelex and Tin Leg priced side by side for your trip
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.Related
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.