American Express Travel Insurance Review

Summary Of Our American Express Travel Insurance Review

American Express is a well-recognized name brand, and their AMEX Assurance Company is a trusted provider of travel insurance plans, all of which include coverage for foreign and domestic terrorism, hurricanes, financial default, mandatory evacuations, and more.

AMEX travel insurance plans come with pre-trip planning assistance to help with embassy information, weather forecasts for the insured’s destination, foreign exchange rates, visa and passport requirements as well as vaccination recommendations.

American Express offers four package plans with no age limits, but their website can be confusing to use partly because American Express Travel Insurance is not available to residents of all U.S. states but also because their plans come with trip length limits.

Highlights of Our American Express Travel Insurance Review

• All AMEX travel insurance plans include coverage for pre-existing medical conditions (with short look-back periods) if the plan is purchased within 14 days of the initial trip deposit.
• All plans include coverage for trip cancellation due to foreign and domestic terrorism (with some conditions).
• All plans include trip cancellation for financial default with a short 7-day wait period.
• None of the AMEX plans offer ‘cancel for any reason’ or missed connection coverage.
• All plans have trip length limits of 31 or 60 days, depending on the plan.
• All plans include trip cancellation and trip interruption, so these are all travel insurance package plans (i.e., not a travel medical plan).

American Express is a long-established company providing several plans that fit the needs of most types of travelers. While you may be more familiar with American Express credit cards, their travel insurance is what we’re here to break down for you today.

They are grouped in the common “good, better best” style with Silver, Gold, and Platinum. They also have a Basic plan that has very limited trip cancellation benefits, medical, and other coverage. Each of these plans provides the basic travel insurance that most travelers are seeking, and the coverage and benefits increase with each level.

What does American Express Travel Insurance cover?

Like all travel insurance plans, AMEX covers the basics, including:

• Trip cancellation & trip interruption insurance
• Emergency medical expenses
• Medical evacuation expenses
• Lost, stolen, or damaged baggage
• Travel delays
• Delayed baggage
• 24/7 worldwide assistance

As you’ll soon discover, though, the degree of coverage you get through American Express travel insurance plans is sorely lacking. We’ll break down specific coverages (and amounts covered) towards the end of our review. First, let’s talk about the main gripe we have with AMEX as it pertains to travel insurance: cancel for any reason coverage.

American Express Travel Insurance & Cancel For Any Reason Insurance

One major area that Amex lacks is Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) coverage. While there are many covered reasons for trip cancellation under standard plans, certain things won’t be covered – and that’s why you want CFAR coverage.

Most major companies offer CFAR as an upgrade to at least some of their plans. This coverage extends your cancellation coverage. Instead of just coverage for the covered reasons for cancellation, it covers everything.

Travelers like the peace of mind this coverage provides. It gives you a lot of flexibility in canceling your trip and still getting most of your money back.

How much is American Express Travel Insurance (Compared To Other Plans)?

Amex tends to be similar in price to comparable plans, but with less coverage and options. This is why we typically tend to steer our readers towards other options. Why pay the same amount of money for less coverage? Here is an example of the difference in price and coverage. This detailed, theoretical trip will help you gain an understanding of how American Express travel insurance stacks up to the competition.

Trip information: Two-week trip with a trip cost of $4,000, one traveler aged 46.

American Express Gold- $273

Most coverage is similar, but this plan only has emergency medical coverage up to $25,000. This is a low amount, and for trips like cruises and travel abroad, I recommend a minimum of $100,000.

This plan also has no option for Cancel For Any Reason coverage. This is an upgrade that many travelers like to have for their trip. Most companies offer CFAR upgrades on at least one plan, but Amex has no coverage for this.

Travel Insured Worldwide Trip Protector– $228

Similar coverage, but the medical limit here is $100,000. This is an adequate amount of travel medical coverage for most trips. This plan also has the option to upgrade with Cancel For Any Reason.

Trawick Safe Travels Voyager– $241

Similar coverage, but the medical limit here is even higher at $250,000. This is more than adequate travel medical coverage for most trips. This plan also has the option to upgrade with Cancel For Any Reason.

All of the plans are a little more than 5% of the trip cost, which falls within the usual travel insurance range of 4-10%.

What Are The Different American Express Travel Insurance Plans?

There are travel insurance four plans we want to highlight from American Express. As we mentioned at the outlook of this review, the plans lack the coverage you need for the price you pay. Once you start comparing travel insurance plans, you’ll see that AMEX coverage falls short. Nevertheless, let’s break down what coverage you get in each of the four plans, starting with the most affordable: the Basic plan.

Basic

This is an economy plan from Amex. It has coverage for trip cancellation and interruption, plus a basic level of post-departure coverage like emergency medical, baggage, and delays. All of these coverage amounts are low. For example, the medical coverage is $5,000, and the cancellation coverage is limited to $1,000. This is a good plan for someone who wants coverage but is on a budget.

Silver

The coverage here is similar to a typical travel insurance plan. Cancellation covers the entire trip cost instead of being limited to $1,000. Emergency medical is low at $25,000.

Gold

Similar coverage to Silver, but baggage is $1,000 instead of $500.

Platinum

This is the most comprehensive travel insurance policy offered by American Express. Here, the coverage for medical emergencies finally reaches $100,000, but similar plans are $100 less (based on example above). Higher baggage and travel delay coverage, but overall not a good plan for the money. Still no option for CFAR coverage.

Optional Coverage Available in American Express Plans

Another area we feel American Express could improve their travel insurance plans is in the optional coverage available. we do want to highlight that you can upgrade to cancel for business reasons in the Gold and Platinum plan levels. Beyond that, though, there is very little you can upgrade on these plans.

Final Thoughts On Our American Express Travel Insurance Review

That concludes our review of American Express travel insurance. While the basic plan may appeal to some travelers due to the low cost, we believe there are far more superior options you can get for the same price. The biggest issue with AMEX travel insurance is the coverage you get for the price. You get more bang for your buck with alternatives – such as Seven Corners travel insurance or Travel Guard Insurance. With that said, you may find value in one of these different policies.

Due to these coverage limits we’ve mentioned throughout today’s discussion, we encourage you to keep looking and identify a better choice. This will allow you to enjoy peace of mind as you prepare for your trip and head out on your travels. You won’t have to stress about losing your expenses in the trip if you need to cancel, and you can trust that medical insurance coverage will be better. If you’re looking for recommendations, check out our breakdown of the cheapest travel insurance plans of the year. Or, if you’re willing to spend more for better coverage, take a look at our article discussing the top rated travel insurance companies. At Cover Trip, we’re here to help you get the right coverage through detailed reviews and guides. Explore our site for more information so you can enjoy your trip to the fullest!