Does travel insurance cover theft?

By Damian Tysdal, licensed travel insurance agent since 2006 · Updated 13 September 2026

In shortYes, with low limits. Theft of your belongings is covered under the baggage benefit on every plan in our library, up to the baggage limit ($500 to $2,500 on the plans we compare), a per-item cap of $100 to $500, and a separate cap of $250 to $1,000 for jewelry, cameras and electronics as a group, paid at depreciated value and only with a police report. Phones and laptops are excluded outright on Tin Leg, John Hancock, Seven Corners, Generali and Nationwide. Cash, cards, documents, medications, glasses and things left in an unattended car are excluded everywhere. A stolen passport gets a replacement fee and can be a reason to cancel.

On this page

What the plans say
The three caps
Phones and laptops
What is excluded everywhere
Stolen passport
What the claim needs
Questions people also ask

What the plans say

Yes, with limits that are lower than most people expect. Theft of your belongings on the trip is covered under the baggage and personal effects benefit on every plan in our library, up to the plan’s baggage limit ($500 to $2,500 on the plans we compare), with a per-item cap of $100 to $500 and a separate, smaller cap for valuables as a group. The plan pays the actual cash value of what was taken, meaning the purchase price less depreciation, and it pays only if you took reasonable care of the things and reported the theft to the police.

Plan	Baggage limit	Per item	Valuables cap	Phones and laptops
Seven Corners Trip Protection Choice	$2,500	$250		Excluded outright
Berkshire Hathaway LuxuryCare	$2,500	$500 first item, $250 each after	$500 for jewelry, watches, furs and electronics together	Inside the $500 cap
Generali Premium	$2,000			Excluded outright
Travelex Ultimate	$2,000	$500		Excluded from baggage; a $2,000 electronics upgrade covers them
Nationwide Trip Protector Preferred, AXA Platinum	See certificate	$500	$1,000 for furs, computers and cameras together	Computers excluded; phones not named
Travel Insured Worldwide Trip Protector Plus	See certificate	$250	$500 for jewelry, watches, cameras and electronics together	Inside the $500 cap
WorldTrips Atlas Journey Premier	See certificate	$500		Phones paid at the value of a refurbished replacement
IMG iTravelInsured Travel LX	See certificate	$250		See certificate
Tin Leg Gold, John Hancock Gold	$500 on Gold	$100 on Tin Leg Gold, $250 on John Hancock Gold	$250 and $2,500 respectively for jewelry, watches, furs and precious metals	Excluded outright
GoReady Choice	$500			Excluded from baggage; an electronics upgrade covers them

Baggage limits marked see certificate vary by plan tier; the certificate in Policy Details on the comparison shows the figure for the plan you are looking at.

The three caps

The baggage limit is the most the plan pays for everything stolen on the trip. The per-item cap is the most it pays for any one thing: $100 on Tin Leg Gold, $250 on Seven Corners, Travel Insured and IMG, $500 on Nationwide, AXA, WorldTrips and Travelex. A $1,200 camera stolen on a Seven Corners plan pays $250.

The valuables cap is the one people miss. Jewelry, watches, furs, precious metals, cameras and electronics are lumped together and capped at $500 on Travel Insured and Berkshire Hathaway, $1,000 on Nationwide and AXA, $250 on Tin Leg Gold. Everything on that list, stolen together, pays the cap and no more.

Phones and laptops

This is where the answer turns. Tin Leg Gold, John Hancock Gold, Seven Corners Trip Protection Choice, Generali Premium and Nationwide’s plans exclude telephones, smartphones and computer hardware from the baggage benefit in so many words. Travel Insured and Berkshire Hathaway include them, inside the valuables cap. WorldTrips pays a stolen phone at the value of a refurbished replacement. Travelex and GoReady exclude them from baggage but sell an electronics and professional equipment upgrade, $2,000 on Travelex Ultimate, that covers a laptop, phone or camera for loss, theft or damage.

For most travelers the better route is the one you already have: homeowners and renters policies commonly cover belongings away from home, subject to a deductible, and phone carriers and credit cards sell their own device cover. Check those before you count on the travel plan.

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What is excluded everywhere

Money, credit cards, tickets, passports and other documents. Prescribed medications. Eyeglasses, sunglasses, contact lenses, hearing aids, dentures and other dental devices. Keys. Animals. Vehicles, bicycles except when checked as baggage, and boats. Professional and business equipment. Items left in an unlocked or unattended vehicle. Anything you cannot show you owned: several plans ask for receipts above a threshold, and all of them ask for proof of ownership and value.

Stolen passport

A stolen passport gets three separate kinds of help. The plan pays the replacement fee, $100 on Travel Insured, $200 on Seven Corners, $300 on Nationwide. A documented theft of your passport or visa before the trip is a covered reason to cancel on Tin Leg, John Hancock, Seven Corners (within 14 days of departure), IMG and WorldTrips (if it cannot be reissued in time). And a theft on the trip that leaves you stranded is a covered travel delay on most plans. The assistance line will point you to the nearest consulate; the what to do if you lose your passport article covers the rest.

What the claim needs

The police report, from the place it happened. A list of what was taken with the purchase date and price of each item, and receipts, card statements or photos that back it up. If the theft was from checked baggage or a hotel, the airline’s or hotel’s report too. Notify the insurer as soon as you can; most plans ask for notice within 20 to 30 days and the paperwork within 90. The claims guide walks through the filing.

Questions people also ask

My phone was stolen from my bag in a cafe. Will the plan pay for it?

On Tin Leg, John Hancock, Seven Corners, Generali and Nationwide, no: phones and computers are excluded from the baggage benefit. On Travel Insured and Berkshire Hathaway it falls inside a $500 cap shared with your other valuables. On Travelex and GoReady it needs the electronics upgrade. WorldTrips pays the value of a refurbished phone. Your homeowners or renters policy, or the phone carrier’s own insurance, is usually the better claim.

Do I need a police report?

Yes, for a theft claim on every plan, and Nationwide asks for it within 24 hours. Get it in the country where the theft happened, even if it is a slip of paper from a tourist police desk; a report filed at home a week later carries less weight and is refused by some insurers.

Is cash covered?

No. Money, credit cards, tickets, passports and documents are excluded from the baggage benefit on every plan. Lost or stolen passports have a separate small replacement benefit, and stolen documents that keep you from traveling can be a covered reason to cancel or a covered delay.

What does the plan pay, the price I paid or the price to replace it?

The lower of the two on most plans: actual cash value, which is the purchase price less depreciation, or the cost of repair or replacement. Berkshire Hathaway will not pay for any item over $150 without the original receipt. Photograph receipts before you travel.

Sources: the 54 plan documents in the CoverTrip policy library, September 2026.