Tin Leg vs Berkshire Hathaway: Which Travel Insurance Is Better?
Tin Leg and Berkshire Hathaway sell to the same traveler and answer the same question differently: Tin Leg puts its money into a plan at every medical level from $20,000 to $500,000, so you buy exactly the limit you need, Berkshire Hathaway into the highest travel delay limits on the comparison ($1,400 to $2,500) with fixed-amount, fast-paid claims. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Berkshire Hathaway ExactCare Value | $15,000 | $150,000 | No | 15 days | No |
| Berkshire Hathaway ExactCare | $50,000 | $500,000 | No | 15 days | No |
| Berkshire Hathaway ExactCare Extra | $75,000 | $750,000 | No | 15 days | No |
| Berkshire Hathaway LuxuryCare | $150,000 | $1,000,000 | Upgrade, 50% back, trips up to $10,000 per traveler | 15 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 Tin Leg review and the Berkshire Hathaway 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. Berkshire Hathaway LuxuryCare carries $150,000 and $1,000,000. |
| Flight delays and missed connections | Berkshire Hathaway | Travel delay limits of $1,400 to $2,500 on ExactCare and up, paid as fixed amounts. Tin Leg Luxury carries $2,000. |
| Cancel for any reason | Tin Leg | 75 percent on Luxury, Adventure, Silver and Gold, added within 14 or 15 days. Berkshire Hathaway: 50 percent, LuxuryCare only, trips up to $10,000 per traveler. |
| A cheap plan with the waiver | Berkshire Hathaway ExactCare Value or Tin Leg Basic | ExactCare Value: $15,000 of medical, $150,000 of evacuation, waiver within 15 days. Tin Leg Basic: $50,000 and $200,000, waiver within 14 or 15 days. Tin Leg Economy has no waiver. |
| A trip outside the US on a budget | Tin Leg Luxury | $100,000 of primary medical and $250,000 of evacuation. Berkshire Hathaway ExactCare Extra carries $75,000 and $750,000. |
| 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. Tin Leg’s best plan, Gold, carries $500,000 primary of medical and $500,000 of evacuation; Berkshire Hathaway’s best plan, LuxuryCare, carries $150,000 of medical and $1,000,000 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. 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. Berkshire Hathaway: Cancel for any reason is on LuxuryCare only, refunds 50 percent, is limited to trips of $10,000 per traveler, and must be added within 15 days of the first payment.
Pre-existing conditions. 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. Berkshire Hathaway: The pre-existing condition waiver applies when you buy within 15 days of the first trip payment and insure the full trip cost.
Children. Tin Leg: No free-kids benefit. Berkshire Hathaway: No free-kids benefit.
Free look. Tin Leg: 10 to 15 days depending on the plan for a full refund if you have not departed or filed a claim. Berkshire Hathaway: 15 days after purchase for a full refund if you have not departed or filed a claim.
See Tin Leg and Berkshire Hathaway 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 Tin Leg and Berkshire Hathaway 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
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. Berkshire Hathaway’s strengths are the highest travel delay limits on the comparison ($1,400 to $2,500) with fixed-amount, fast-paid claims, LuxuryCare’s $150,000 of medical and $1,000,000 of evacuation, strong evacuation limits even on the mid-range plans; its weak spot is thin medical on ExactCare Value and ExactCare ($15,000 and $50,000) for a trip abroad, and a 50 percent cancel for any reason on one plan only. 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 Berkshire Hathaway?
On medical and cancel for any reason, yes: Silver and Gold carry $250,000 and $500,000 against $150,000 on LuxuryCare, and Tin Leg refunds 75 percent on four plans against 50 percent on one. Berkshire Hathaway wins on travel delay (fixed $1,400 to $2,500, paid fast) and gives the waiver on every plan, including the cheapest, within 15 days.
Which is better for a cruise, Tin Leg or Berkshire Hathaway?
Tin Leg Silver ($250,000 of medical, $1,000,000 of evacuation) or Gold ($500,000 primary, $500,000). Berkshire Hathaway LuxuryCare’s $150,000 sits under the $250,000 cruise floor.
Are Tin Leg and Berkshire Hathaway the same company?
No. Tin Leg is Squaremouth’s house brand, and its underwriter changes by plan: Berkshire Hathaway Specialty on some plans, Starr or Spinnaker on others. Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection is a separate company with its own plans, underwritten by Berkshire Hathaway Specialty.
Related: Tin Leg review · Berkshire Hathaway review · cruise travel insurance guide · Does travel insurance cover flight delays? · 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 Tin Leg and Berkshire Hathaway, 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 and Berkshire Hathaway 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.