The Cheapest Travel Insurance That Is Still Worth Buying (2026), Picked by a Licensed Agent
The short answer: the cheapest travel insurance plan that still covers you properly is IMG iTravelInsured Choice for couples and for solo travelers under 65, and Travel Insured FlexiPAX for solo travelers over 65 and for families, because the kids are free. Both carry $100,000 of primary medical and $500,000 of evacuation. The plans below them on price cut the medical to $25,000 or to nothing, and that is not a cheaper version of insurance, it is a different product.
Those picks come from the 51 plans on our comparison, priced live for five real trips on the date above, and checked against the policy wording. On every trip the lowest price was a plan with little or no medical coverage, and the cheapest plan that still covers you properly cost $30 to $135 more. The price is the same here as from the insurer.
Key takeaways
- The cheapest plan worth buying is IMG iTravelInsured Choice. $100,000 of primary medical, $500,000 of evacuation, cancellation at 100 percent and the pre-existing condition waiver, for $175 on a 52-year-old’s $5,300 week and $378 on a retired couple’s $8,000 trip to Italy. It is the single most bought plan on CoverTrip.
- Cheap is not the same as cheapest. The lowest price on every one of our five trips was a plan with no medical coverage at all (IMG Travel Essential, battleface Discovery) or $25,000 of it (Trawick Pathway Essential). The gap between that and a plan with $100,000 of medical was $30 to $135.
- Kids free beats any discount. FlexiPAX and Travelex Ultimate carry one child 17 and under free with each adult, which is why a family of four paid $200 and $238 on a $10,000 cruise while every other plan with real coverage was $230 or more.
- A good plan costs about 4 to 10 percent of the trip. The retired couple paid $378 to $538 for five of our six picks on an $8,000 trip (the family plan, which only makes sense with kids, was $722). The difference between the cheapest good plan and the best one is small next to the trip cost.
- Travel insurance has no deadline. You can buy up to the day before you leave, and the base price is the same whenever you buy. Only two add-ons have a window after your first deposit: the pre-existing condition waiver (14 to 21 days on our picks) and cancel for any reason.
What a cheap travel insurance plan actually buys you (and what the cheapest ones leave out)
A travel insurance plan is four promises for one trip: it pays your medical bills if you get sick or hurt away from home, it pays to move you to a proper hospital or fly you home, it refunds the trip if you cancel for a reason on its list, and it pays extra costs when a flight is badly delayed or bags go missing. Every plan on our list keeps all four. The cheapest plans on the market keep the cancellation promise and quietly drop the first two, which are the ones that can cost more than the trip.
What the bottom of the price list looks like. For the retired couple on an $8,000 trip to Italy, the cheapest plan was IMG Travel Essential at $337, with no emergency medical benefit at all. The next was Trawick Pathway Essential at $344, with $25,000 of medical, which does not go far in a foreign hospital. The cheapest plan with $100,000 of primary medical, IMG Choice, was $378: $41 more than a plan that would pay nothing toward a hospital bill. For the 52-year-old on a $5,300 trip, battleface Discovery was $124 with no medical and IMG Choice was $175.
Why the medical limit is the line. Your health plan usually pays nothing outside the United States, and Medicare never does. A plan with no medical benefit is cancellation insurance; it refunds the trip and leaves the hospital bill to you. For a trip inside the United States, where your health insurance works, that trade can make sense. For a trip abroad or a cruise it does not. That is why “cheapest worth buying” on this page means the cheapest plan with $100,000 or more of medical that pays primary, $500,000 or more of evacuation, and cancellation at 100 percent.
What it is not. A cheap plan is not the protection a cruise line or airline sells at checkout, which is usually a credit, not insurance, and rarely includes medical. It is not the coverage on a credit card, which almost never pays a hospital bill. And it is not a discount: travel insurance rates are filed with state regulators, so the same plan costs the same everywhere, and nobody can sell it to you cheaper. The only way to pay less is to pick a different plan.
How we picked
The plans. All 51 plans from 18 companies sold on the CoverTrip comparison, which is powered by Squaremouth. If a plan is not sold there we cannot show you its price, so it is not on this list. Allianz, Travel Guard, TravelSafe and American Express fall in that group; we review them here so you can compare on your own.
The trips. Five quotes run on 26 September 2026 for Texas residents, deposit paid the same day, leaving 15 January 2027: a retired couple aged 68 and 66 on a 12-day, $8,000 trip to Italy; a couple aged 58 and 56 on 10 days in Mexico for $8,000; a 70-year-old on 12 days in the UK for $5,300; a 52-year-old on 8 days in the US for $5,300; and a family of four (44, 42, 12 and 9) on a 7-day, $10,000 Bahamas cruise. They are the five benchmark trips of our monthly Price Index, so the prices here and there always agree. Our best plans for every traveler page ranks the same plans on coverage first.
The floor, then the price. A plan had to clear three numbers to be on this list: $100,000 or more of emergency medical per person, paid primary; $500,000 or more of evacuation per person, with one exception we explain on its card; and cancellation at 100 percent of the trip cost with the pre-existing condition waiver available. Then we ranked by price for the five trips, and noted what each extra dollar buys.
The judgment. A licensed travel insurance agent since 2006 made the calls, and they are the same ones I give my own family: buy the cheapest plan that still pays the hospital, not the cheapest plan. Where two plans were close on price, the one with the bigger medical limit won.
The money. When you buy through the comparison, the insurer pays CoverTrip a commission. It does not change your price, and it does not decide what is on this page. No company pays to be listed or ranked.
Every price on this page changes to match it. These are real quotes from our comparison, run on 26 September 2026, for the same five benchmark trips as our monthly Price Index.
Showing prices for a retired couple, 68 and 66, 12 days in Italy, $8,000 trip. Prices are the total for everyone on the trip, rounded to the dollar.
The six cheapest travel insurance plans that still cover you properly
| Pick | What you get | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheapest plan worth buyingIMG iTravelInsured Choice | $100,000 medical, primary · $500,000 evacuationCancel for any reason: add-on, 75% | $378 | Details |
| Cheapest for families and solo travelers over 65Travel Insured International FlexiPAX | $100,000 medical, primary · $500,000 evacuationCancel for any reason: add-on, 75% | $516 | Details |
| Cheapest with the waiver after IMGTrawick International Pathway Plus | $100,000 medical, primary · $350,000 evacuationCancel for any reason: not offered | $423 | Details |
| Cheapest with $1,000,000 of evacuationTrawick International Pathway Premium | $200,000 medical, primary · $1,000,000 evacuationCancel for any reason: add-on, 75% | $504 | Details |
| Cheapest with $500,000 of medicalTin Leg Gold | $500,000 medical, primary · $500,000 evacuationCancel for any reason: add-on, 75% | $538 | Details |
| Cheapest family plan with big limitsTravelex Ultimate | $250,000 medical, primary · $1,000,000 evacuationCancel for any reason: add-on, 75% | $722 | Details |
Medical is per person. “Primary” means the plan pays first, before your own health insurance. Cancellation is 100 percent of the trip cost on every pick; interruption is 150 percent. Prices are the base plan without add-ons.
Eight minutes on the one thing to avoid when you buy a cheap plan, after reading hundreds of them. From the CoverTrip channel.
1. IMG iTravelInsured Choice, cheapest plan worth buying
AM Best rating A-
Pre-existing condition waiver if you buy within 20 days of your first deposit · Travel delay pays after 6 hours · Free look 10 days
The cheapest plan with real coverage on three of our five trips: both couples and the solo traveler under 65. $100,000 of primary medical, $500,000 of evacuation, cancellation at 100 percent and interruption at 150, the waiver with a 20-day window, and now a 75 percent cancel for any reason add-on. It is the single most bought plan on CoverTrip. For the retired couple it was $41 more than the cheapest plan on the market, which has no medical benefit at all.
Good for
- A tight budget and a trip abroad
- Couples, and solo travelers under 65
- Anyone who wants proper medical coverage without paying for extras they will not use
Skip it if
- You are a family, or a solo traveler over 65: FlexiPAX is cheaper for you
- You are going somewhere remote, or on a cruise: $500,000 of evacuation is the floor, and Pathway Premium has $1,000,000 for about $125 more
2. Travel Insured International FlexiPAX, cheapest for families and solo travelers over 65
AM Best rating A+
Pre-existing condition waiver if you buy within 21 days of your first deposit · Travel delay pays after 6 hours · Free look 14 days
Our best overall pick for travelers of every age, and the cheapest real plan on the two trips IMG Choice does not win: the family of four ($200, because one child 17 and under is free with each adult) and the 70-year-old traveling alone ($343). The same $100,000 of primary medical and $500,000 of evacuation, with the longest waiver window on this page, 21 days, and cancel for any reason as a 75 percent add-on with no cap.
Good for
- Two adults and up to two kids: the kids are free
- Solo travelers over 65
- Anyone who booked up to three weeks ago and needs the waiver
Skip it if
- You are a couple, or a solo traveler under 65: IMG Choice is $60 to $140 cheaper
- You want more than $100,000 of medical: Tin Leg Gold has $500,000
3. Trawick International Pathway Plus, cheapest with the waiver after IMG
AM Best rating A-
Pre-existing condition waiver if you buy within 14 days of your first deposit · Travel delay pays after 6 hours · Free look 15 days
The one plan on this list below our $500,000 evacuation floor, and it is here because for a couple it was the second cheapest plan with $100,000 of primary medical and the pre-existing condition waiver: $423 for the retired couple, $45 more than IMG Choice. You get $350,000 of evacuation, a 14-day waiver window and a 15-day free look, and no cancel for any reason. A fair buy for Europe or Mexico; not for a cruise or a remote place.
Good for
- A couple on a budget who missed IMG Choice’s 20-day window but is inside 14 days
- Europe, Mexico and other places with good hospitals close by
- Anyone who wants a long free look to read the policy
Skip it if
- A cruise, or anywhere remote: the evacuation limit is the lowest on this page
- You want cancel for any reason, or you booked more than 14 days ago
4. Trawick International Pathway Premium, cheapest with $1,000,000 of evacuation
AM Best rating A-
Pre-existing condition waiver if you buy within 21 days of your first deposit · Travel delay pays after 6 hours · Free look 10 days
What $60 to $126 more than IMG Choice buys: twice the medical ($200,000), twice the evacuation ($1,000,000) and a 21-day waiver window. For the retired couple it was the cheapest plan with $1,000,000 of evacuation, a waiver and a cancel for any reason option, and it is our best overall pick for travelers over 65. On a cruise or far from a good hospital, this is where cheap should stop.
Good for
- Travelers over 65 on a budget
- Cruises, remote places, countries with expensive hospitals
- Anyone with a condition on their record who booked up to three weeks ago
Skip it if
- A short trip to Europe or Mexico on a tight budget: IMG Choice covers it for less
- You need financial default coverage for a tour company: this plan has none
5. Tin Leg Gold, cheapest with $500,000 of medical
AM Best rating A
Pre-existing condition waiver if you buy within 14 days of your first deposit · Travel delay pays after 6 hours · Free look 14 days
Half a million dollars of primary medical, five times IMG Choice, for $87 to $194 more, with the highest customer rating on the comparison (4.5 from more than 5,600 reviews). For the couple in their fifties it was $376, less than FlexiPAX. The catch is the window: 14 days from your first deposit to add the pre-existing condition waiver, the shortest on this page.
Good for
- A trip where a hospital bill is the thing you fear
- Couples in their fifties and sixties who want big medical limits without the top price
- Anyone who can buy within 14 days of the first deposit
Skip it if
- You booked more than 14 days ago and need the pre-existing condition waiver
- You live in Massachusetts: the Massachusetts version of Gold has no emergency medical benefit, so check the plan details
6. Travelex Ultimate, cheapest family plan with big limits
AM Best rating A+
Pre-existing condition waiver if you buy within 20 days of your first deposit · Travel delay pays after 6 hours · Free look 21 days
One child 17 and under travels free with each adult, so a family of four on a $10,000 cruise paid $238 for $250,000 of primary medical and $1,000,000 of evacuation, $38 more than FlexiPAX for two and a half times the medical and twice the evacuation. The 21-day free look is the longest here. For a couple or a solo traveler it is the priciest pick on this page, so the family pricing is the whole reason it is here.
Good for
- Two adults and up to two kids, on a cruise or abroad
- Grandparents taking grandchildren
- Families who want strong medical limits, not just a cheap price
Skip it if
- You are traveling alone or as a couple: the family pricing is the whole advantage
- You need financial default coverage for a tour company with less than 14 days notice
What the picks cost, side by side
Real prices from our comparison on 26 September 2026, for Texas residents, deposit paid the same day, leaving 15 January 2027. Your price will differ with your ages, your state and your trip cost. The plan that is cheapest for one trip is often not cheapest for another, which is why the comparison prices every plan for your trip.
| Plan | Retired couple Italy, $8,000 |
Couple, 50s Mexico, $8,000 |
Retired solo UK, $5,300 |
Solo, 52 US, $5,300 |
Family of 4 Cruise, $10,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IMG iTravelInsured Choice | $378 | $289 | $347 | $175 | $305 |
| Travel Insured International FlexiPAX | $516 | $386 | $343 | $237 | $200 |
| Trawick International Pathway Plus | $423 | $320 | $396 | $223 | $293 |
| Trawick International Pathway Premium | $504 | $383 | $469 | $264 | $364 |
| Tin Leg Gold | $538 | $376 | $541 | $277 | $458 |
| Travelex Ultimate | $722 | $482 | $515 | $281 | $238 |
What the grid shows. The cheapest real plan is different for different travelers: IMG Choice for both couples and the 52-year-old, FlexiPAX for the 70-year-old and the family. The step from the cheapest real plan to $1,000,000 of evacuation (Pathway Premium) is $89 to $164; the step to $500,000 of medical (Tin Leg Gold) is $87 to $258. And on every trip, the spread between the cheapest good plan and the best one is small next to the trip cost: on the $8,000 Italy trip, $160 separates IMG Choice from Tin Leg Gold, 2 percent of the trip.
The plans below the line. IMG Travel Essential ($337 for the retired couple, $208 for the 70-year-old) has no emergency medical benefit. battleface Discovery ($124 for the 52-year-old, $131 for the family) has none either. Trawick Pathway Essential ($259 for the couple in their fifties) carries $25,000 of medical and no waiver. They are the cheapest plans on the comparison, and for a trip inside the United States with your own health insurance behind you they can do the one job you need, which is refunding the trip. For a trip abroad or a cruise, the $30 to $135 you save is the hospital bill.
The cheapest travel insurance worth buying for your situation
A couple on a budget, going abroad
IMG iTravelInsured Choice.
The cheapest plan with $100,000 of primary medical, $500,000 of evacuation and the waiver, on both of our couple trips: $378 for the retired couple in Italy and $289 for the couple in Mexico. Pathway Plus is the runner-up if you are inside its 14-day window.
A solo traveler under 65
IMG iTravelInsured Choice.
$175 for a 52-year-old on an 8-day, $5,300 trip. The cheapest plan on the market for that trip was $124 with no medical coverage; the $51 is what buys the hospital.
A solo traveler over 65
Travel Insured FlexiPAX.
$343 for the 70-year-old on a 12-day, $5,300 trip to the UK, with a 21-day waiver window. IMG Choice was $4 more with a shorter window. Medicare pays nothing abroad, so the medical limit is not optional. Our best plans for travelers over 65 page goes deeper.
A family
FlexiPAX, or Travelex Ultimate for bigger limits.
Both carry one child 17 and under free with each adult. The family of four paid $200 and $238 on a $10,000 cruise; every other plan with real coverage was $230 or more. Our best family travel insurance page has more.
A trip inside the United States
The cheapest plan with the cancellation benefit you need.
At home your health insurance works, so the medical limit matters less and cancellation is the main thing you are buying. That is the one case where a plan with low or no medical coverage can be the right cheap plan. Insure the non-refundable amount and stop there.
A cruise, or somewhere remote
Trawick Pathway Premium. Do not go cheaper.
On a ship your health insurance is not accepted and the nearest hospital is a helicopter ride away. $1,000,000 of evacuation for $504 (retired couple) or $364 (family) is the cheapest way to cover that. Our best cruise travel insurance page has the cruise line plans side by side.
A pre-existing condition
FlexiPAX or Pathway Premium, for the 21-day window.
Travel insurance covers a condition that was stable. A condition that changed in the look-back period before you bought (60 to 180 days, depending on the plan) is excluded unless you have the waiver: buy within the plan’s window after your first deposit and insure the full trip cost. 21 days on FlexiPAX and Pathway Premium, 20 on IMG Choice and Travelex Ultimate, 14 on Pathway Plus and Tin Leg Gold. How the waiver works.
Booked a while ago, or leaving soon?
Any pick. The price is the same whenever you buy.
Travel insurance has no deadline, and the base price does not go up as the trip gets closer. You can buy any of these plans up to the day before you leave. The only things with a window are the pre-existing condition waiver and cancel for any reason, and the windows on each card tell you which plans still have them open for you.
How to pay less without losing coverage
Insure the non-refundable amount, not the whole trip. The price is driven by the trip cost you insure. A refundable flight or a hotel you can cancel for free does not need to be on the policy. Insure everything you would lose, and nothing you would not.
Keep the medical, skip the extras. Rental car coverage, sports riders and cancel for any reason all add to the price. The medical and evacuation limits are the part of the plan that can save you from a bill bigger than the trip; the extras are optional. On most plans cancel for any reason adds about half again to the price.
Compare the total, not the per-person price. For a family, the plans that carry children free are often the cheapest real plans and the best ones at the same time.
Do not pay for medical you do not need at home. On a trip inside the United States your health insurance works. Buy for the cancellation benefit and let the medical limit be low.
Read the four numbers before the price. Medical (primary, $100,000 or more abroad), evacuation ($500,000 or more), cancellation (100 percent) and the waiver window. A plan that misses one of them is not cheaper insurance; it is less insurance. Every pick on this page clears all four, with one evacuation exception we flagged.
Questions people ask
What is the cheapest travel insurance that is still good?
In our September 2026 quotes, IMG iTravelInsured Choice for couples and solo travelers under 65 ($175 for a 52-year-old on a $5,300 trip, $378 for a retired couple on an $8,000 trip to Italy), and Travel Insured FlexiPAX for families and solo travelers over 65 ($200 for a family of four on a $10,000 cruise). Both carry $100,000 of primary medical and $500,000 of evacuation.
What is the cheapest travel insurance, full stop?
On our five trips, IMG Travel Essential ($208 to $347) and battleface Discovery ($124 to $131 for the solo traveler and the family), which have no emergency medical benefit, and Trawick Pathway Essential ($182 to $344) with $25,000. They refund the trip and leave the hospital bill to you. For a trip inside the United States that can be enough; for a trip abroad it is not.
How much does cheap travel insurance cost?
About 2 to 7 percent of the trip cost for the cheapest plans with real coverage: $175 on a $5,300 trip, $289 to $378 on an $8,000 trip, $200 for a family of four on a $10,000 cruise in our September 2026 quotes. Age and trip cost drive the price more than anything else. Our monthly Price Index tracks what travel insurance costs for five kinds of traveler.
Can I get travel insurance cheaper by buying direct?
No. Travel insurance rates are filed with state regulators, so the same plan costs the same from the insurer, from us, or from any other comparison site. Nobody can discount it. The only way to pay less is to pick a different plan, or insure a smaller non-refundable amount.
Is cheap travel insurance worth it?
A cheap plan with $100,000 of primary medical and $500,000 of evacuation is worth it for any trip abroad; the cheapest plans with no medical benefit are only worth it for a trip inside the United States where your health insurance works. Our two-minute quiz gives you a straight answer.
Does the price go up if I wait to buy?
No. The base price of a plan is the same whether you buy it the day you book or the day before you leave. What you can lose by waiting is the two add-ons with a window after your first deposit: the pre-existing condition waiver and cancel for any reason.
Which cheap travel insurance is best for seniors?
Travel Insured FlexiPAX for a solo traveler over 65 ($343 for a 70-year-old on a $5,300 trip) and IMG Choice for a retired couple ($378 on an $8,000 trip). If you can afford about $125 more, Trawick Pathway Premium doubles the medical and evacuation limits, which matter more after 65 because Medicare pays nothing abroad.
Is the price the same as buying from the insurer?
Yes. Travel insurance rates are filed with state regulators, so the same plan costs the same everywhere. What changes when you buy through CoverTrip is the help: our partner Squaremouth’s licensed claims adjusters take up a denied claim for you under the Zero Complaint Guarantee.
How often is this page updated?
The prices are re-run with our monthly Price Index and the picks re-checked whenever a plan changes. The date at the top is the last check.
Related: the best travel insurance plans for every traveler · the monthly Price Index · how much does travel insurance cost? · how much trip cost to insure · direct vs a comparison site
Plan facts on this page (medical and evacuation limits, waiver windows, free look periods, children-free rules) were checked against the insurers’ plan pages, the policy documents and the comparison’s plan details in September and October 2026. Prices are live quotes from the comparison on 26 September 2026, the five benchmark trips of the CoverTrip Price Index.