Travel Guard Travel Insurance Review

By Damian Tysdal, licensed travel insurance agent since 2006 · Updated 12 September 2026

★★★★★3.5 out of 5

Simple three-plan lineup and one child free per adult. Deluxe carries real medical coverage; Preferred, the plan most people buy, carries $50,000, and the cancel-for-any-reason upgrade refunds only about half.

Good for

Families: one child 17 and under is free per paying adult
Deluxe for a cruise or a trip abroad ($150,000 medical, $1,000,000 evacuation)
Anyone who wants a big, established assistance operation behind them

Not for

Anyone buying Preferred or Essential for a trip outside the US ($50,000 and $15,000 medical)
Anyone who wants a full cancel-for-any-reason refund (Travel Guard pays about 50 percent, most pay 75)
Anyone who wants to see it priced next to other plans

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At a glance

Plan	Emergency medical	Evacuation	Cancel for any reason	Kids free
Essential	$15,000	$150,000	No	One per adult
Preferred	$50,000	$500,000	Upgrade, about 50% back	One per adult
Deluxe	$150,000	$1,000,000	Upgrade, about 50% back	One per adult

Deluxe is the plan. Preferred is where most people land on price, and its medical limit is the thing to check before you leave the country.

Top reasons to buy

One child 17 and under is included free with each paying adult on Essential, Preferred and Deluxe.
Deluxe is a strong plan: $150,000 of emergency medical and $1,000,000 of evacuation.
Cancellation on every plan covers 100 percent of the trip cost up to $150,000, more than most competitors cap at.
Backed by AIG. Claims and assistance are handled by a large, established operation.

Drawbacks

Preferred, the mid-tier plan most people buy, has $50,000 of emergency medical. Essential has $15,000. For a cruise or a trip abroad I look for $100,000 at minimum.
Cancel for any reason refunds typically 50 percent of the trip cost. Most competitors refund 75 percent.
Travel Guard sells direct only, so you cannot see it side by side with other plans. You have to price it separately.

Bottom line

Travel Guard is a solid company with an easy lineup. Deluxe is the plan worth looking at, especially for a family, because the kids are free. Preferred and Essential are thin on medical for the money, and the 50 percent cancel-for-any-reason refund is the weakest in the market. Price your trip and see what the same premium buys elsewhere before you decide.

Full Travel Guard Travel Insurance Review

Summary: Travel Guard, the travel insurance arm of AIG, sells three single-trip plans with a clean good-better-best structure. Deluxe is a real plan for a real trip. Preferred and Essential are where most people land on price, and both are light on emergency medical compared with plans that cost about the same. The cancel-for-any-reason upgrade refunds about half your trip cost, where most of the market refunds three quarters. The free-kids benefit is the strongest reason to pick Travel Guard.

Where I would look instead:

Who Travel Guard is

Travel Guard has sold travel insurance since 1985 and is part of AIG. The plans are underwritten by National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh or Zurich American, depending on the policy. Financial strength is not a question here, and the 24-hour assistance operation is one of the larger ones in the business.

The three plans

Essential
Cancellation up to $150,000, interruption 100 percent, emergency medical $15,000, evacuation $150,000, baggage $750, travel delay $500. No cancel-for-any-reason option. The medical limit is too low for anything but a short domestic trip.

Preferred
The plan most people buy. Cancellation up to $150,000, interruption 150 percent up to $225,000, emergency medical $50,000, evacuation $500,000, baggage $1,000, travel delay $800. Cancel for any reason available as an upgrade.

Deluxe
Cancellation up to $150,000, interruption 150 percent, emergency medical $150,000, evacuation $1,000,000, baggage $2,500, travel delay $1,000. Cancel for any reason available. This is the Travel Guard plan I would actually buy for a cruise or a trip abroad.

Pack N’ Go
Post-departure coverage only: medical $50,000, evacuation $500,000, no trip cancellation. For last-minute trips with nothing prepaid.

The medical question

Emergency medical is where Travel Guard’s cheaper plans fall short. Preferred’s $50,000 sounds like a lot until you price a hospital stay abroad or a medevac from a cruise ship. Plans that cost about the same as Preferred carry $100,000 to $250,000. If you are staying inside the US and your health insurance travels with you, this matters less. If you are leaving the country, it is the first number to check.

Cancel for any reason

Travel Guard’s cancel-for-any-reason upgrade is available on Preferred and Deluxe. It reimburses typically 50 percent of your trip cost, it has to be bought within 15 days of your first trip payment, and you have to cancel more than two days before departure. The 50 percent is the number to notice. Most competitors’ cancel-for-any-reason upgrades pay 75 percent. If that upgrade is the reason you are buying, Travel Guard is not the place to buy it.

Kids travel free

On all three plans, one child 17 and under is included at no charge for each paying adult, provided the child is related to and traveling with that adult. For two adults and two kids, that is two free policies. Combined with Deluxe’s medical limit, this makes Travel Guard a fair pick for a family going abroad, and a good one for a family staying home.

Pre-existing conditions and the free look

The pre-existing condition waiver applies if you buy within 15 days of your first trip payment and insure the full trip cost. You have 15 days after purchase to cancel the policy for a full refund, as long as you have not left and have not filed a claim.

How much does Travel Guard cost?

Travel Guard prices in the normal range, roughly 4 to 10 percent of the trip cost depending on age and how much you insure. It is not expensive. The question is what the same premium buys from a company you can compare side by side. The only way to answer that for your trip is to price it.

Travel Guard FAQs

Is Travel Guard the same as AIG?

Yes. Travel Guard is the travel insurance brand of AIG, and its plans are underwritten by AIG’s National Union Fire Insurance Company or by Zurich American, depending on the policy.

Does Travel Guard offer cancel for any reason?

Yes, as a paid upgrade on the Preferred and Deluxe plans. It reimburses typically 50 percent of the trip cost, must be bought within 15 days of the first trip payment, and requires you to cancel more than two days before departure.

Which Travel Guard plan is best?

Deluxe, if you are leaving the country or cruising, because of the $150,000 medical and $1,000,000 evacuation limits. Preferred is fine for a domestic trip. Essential’s $15,000 medical limit is too low for most trips.

Are children free on Travel Guard plans?

One child 17 and under is included free with each paying adult on Essential, Preferred and Deluxe, as long as the child is related to and traveling with that adult.

Summary

Travel Guard is a reputable company with one genuinely strong plan (Deluxe) and one genuinely strong benefit (free kids). The rest of the lineup is thin on medical for the money, and the 50 percent cancel-for-any-reason refund is the weakest around. Price your trip, compare, and buy Travel Guard only if Deluxe comes out ahead.

Before you buy

The pre-existing condition waiver applies only if you buy within 15 days of your first trip payment and insure the full trip cost.
Cancel for any reason has to be added within 15 days of the first payment, refunds about 50 percent, and requires you to cancel more than two days before departure.
The free-kids benefit is one child per paying adult, and the child must be related to and traveling with that adult.
You have 15 days after purchase to cancel the policy for a full refund if you have not departed or filed a claim.