The CoverTrip Travel Insurance Price Index
September 2026 edition, number 1 · By Damian Tysdal, licensed travel insurance agent since 2006 · Published 26 September 2026 · Next edition early November 2026 (the October edition)
What travel insurance costs right now, for the five kinds of traveler who actually buy it. Every month we price the same five benchmark trips across every plan on the CoverTrip comparison (51 plans from 18 companies this month), and we publish what our own buyers paid, by traveler type, from real policies sold.
Two numbers to know this month: the middle price quoted to a retired couple for a 12-day trip to Italy was $583, and the middle price retired couples actually paid for a policy in September was $340.
Five things to know this month
A retired couple paid $340 for travel insurance in September, up 14 percent on August.
Couples in their fifties paid $152, the lowest month this index has recorded, and 45 percent below August.
Ten more years of age adds about 30 percent to the price. The same $8,000 trip was quoted at $583 for a couple aged 68 and 66, and $450 for a couple aged 58 and 56.
A family of four is cheaper to insure than a retired couple. The family was quoted $423 for a $10,000 cruise; the retired couple was quoted $583 for an $8,000 trip. Several plans cover children free with a paying adult.
The cheapest plan is usually the one with no medical cover. On four of the five benchmark trips, the lowest price was a plan with zero emergency medical. The cheapest plan with $100,000 of medical cost $378 for the retired couple.
Paid figures are medians on real policies sold through CoverTrip. Quoted figures are medians across every plan on the CoverTrip comparison for the same fixed trip. Paid is usually lower than quoted because real trips are shorter and cheaper than the benchmark, and buyers pick plans below the middle of the market.
For writers and reporters
Ready-to-paste lines on what travel insurance costs, fresh each edition, credit included.Open
Each line below is written to drop straight into an article, credit included. Updated every edition; the date is in the credit, so nothing goes stale without saying so.
A retired couple (ages 68 and 66, Italy, 12 days, $8,000 trip) pays a median of $583 for travel insurance in September 2026, about 7.3 percent of the trip, across 51 plans. The cheapest plan with $100,000 of emergency medical cover is IMG iTravelInsured Choice at $378.
A couple in their fifties (ages 58 and 56, Mexico, 10 days, $8,000 trip) pays a median of $450 for travel insurance in September 2026, about 5.6 percent of the trip, across 51 plans. The cheapest plan with $100,000 of emergency medical cover is IMG iTravelInsured Choice at $289.
A retired solo traveler (age 70, United Kingdom, 12 days, $5,300 trip) pays a median of $530 for travel insurance in September 2026, about 10 percent of the trip, across 48 plans. The cheapest plan with $100,000 of emergency medical cover is Travel Insured International FlexiPAX at $343.
A solo traveler in his fifties (age 52, a trip inside the US, 8 days, $5,300 trip) pays a median of $280 for travel insurance in September 2026, about 5.3 percent of the trip, across 49 plans. The cheapest plan with $100,000 of emergency medical cover is IMG iTravelInsured Choice at $175.
A family of four (ages 44, 42, 12 and 9, Bahamas cruise, 7 days, $10,000 trip) pays a median of $423 for travel insurance in September 2026, about 4.2 percent of the trip, across 51 plans. The cheapest plan with $100,000 of emergency medical cover is Travel Insured International FlexiPAX at $200.
A quote you can use: "Most articles say travel insurance runs 4 to 10 percent of the trip. Our five benchmark trips came in between 4.2 and 10 percent this month, so that rule of thumb still holds. The part people miss is that the cheapest plan is usually the one with no medical cover." Damian Tysdal, licensed travel insurance agent since 2006 and founder of CoverTrip.
Need a number that is not here (a different age, trip cost or destination)? Email damian@covertrip.com and you will have it the same day, priced the same way. Downloads and the citation format are at the bottom of the page.
How much does travel insurance cost? About 6.8 percent of the trip
Same five trips every month, so when this number moves, prices moved. The cheapest plan with $100,000 of medical cover came in 2 to 3.5 points below the middle on every trip. First edition, so no history yet: the October edition adds the first comparison.
What buyers paid in September
Median premium on policies bought through CoverTrip from 1 to 25 September 2026, by the type of traveler on the policy. This is money paid, not a quote.
Shares are of all policies sold in the last 12 months (5,380). The other 12 percent are travelers under 40 and groups of three or more adults.
What the same five trips were quoted on 26 September 2026
Five benchmark trips, built from what our buyers look like, priced on the comparison on 26 September 2026. Texas residents, trip paid in full, first deposit the same day, leaving 15 January 2027. Prices are the base plan, no add-ons.
| Traveler | The trip | Plans | Lowest | Middle | Highest | Cheapest plan with $100,000 of medical |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retired couple | Ages 68 and 66, Italy, 12 days, $8,000 trip | 51 | $337 | $583 7.3% of trip cost | $1,387 | IMG iTravelInsured Choice $378 |
| Couple in their fifties | Ages 58 and 56, Mexico, 10 days, $8,000 trip | 51 | $259 | $450 5.6% of trip cost | $1,057 | IMG iTravelInsured Choice $289 |
| Retired solo traveler | Age 70, United Kingdom, 12 days, $5,300 trip | 48 | $208 | $530 10.0% of trip cost | $1,116 | Travel Insured International FlexiPAX $343 |
| Solo traveler, 40 to 64 | Age 52, a trip inside the US, 8 days, $5,300 trip | 49 | $124 | $280 5.3% of trip cost | $727 | IMG iTravelInsured Choice $175 |
| Family of four | Ages 44, 42, 12 and 9, Bahamas cruise, 7 days, $10,000 trip | 51 | $131 | $423 4.2% of trip cost | $1,106 | Travel Insured International FlexiPAX $200 |
“Middle” is the median: half the plans cost more, half cost less. The lowest price is usually a plan with little or no medical cover, which is why the last column matters more than the first.
How to read this month
Quoted and paid are different numbers on purpose. The quote table is the whole market for one fixed trip. The paid tiles are what real buyers chose for their own trips, which are shorter, cheaper or later than the benchmark, and buyers pick cheaper plans than the middle of the market. A retired couple was quoted a middle price of $583 for the Italy benchmark; the middle retired couple who bought in September paid $340.
Age is the price. The retired couple and the couple in their fifties insured the same $8,000. The middle quote was $583 for the older couple and $450 for the younger one, 30 percent more for ten extra years of age.
The cheapest plan is rarely the cheapest real plan. On four of the five trips the lowest price was a plan with no emergency medical at all. The cheapest plan with $100,000 of medical cost $378 for the retired couple, $200 for the family of four.
Kids change everything. The family of four paid a middle price of $423 for a $10,000 cruise, less than the retired couple paid for an $8,000 trip, because several plans insure children free with a paying adult.
What buyers have paid, month by month
Median premium paid, by traveler type, on every policy sold through CoverTrip since April 2025. Hover a point for the month.
Retired couple
September: $340 on 466 policies
Couple in their fifties
September: $152 on 202 policies
Retired solo traveler
September: $214 on 112 policies
Solo traveler, 40 to 64
September: $83 on 72 policies
Family of four
September: $240 on 52 policies
All buyers
September: $231 on 986 policies (1 to 25 Sep)
Small months are noisy: a type with 20 policies in a month moves a lot on a few expensive trips. The monthly table in the download has the policy count next to every number.
The monthly numbers
| Month | Policies | All buyers | Retired couple | Couple in their fifties | Retired solo traveler | Solo traveler, 40 to 64 | Family of four |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 25 | 59 | $157 | $186 | $169 | $58 | $135 | $170 |
| May 25 | 152 | $194 | $304 | $186 | $123 | $98 | $219 |
| Jun 25 | 189 | $217 | $349 | $217 | $135 | $111 | $228 |
| Jul 25 | 218 | $233 | $290 | $193 | $141 | $174 | $193 |
| Aug 25 | 235 | $226 | $331 | $161 | $273 | $102 | $168 |
| Sep 25 | 172 | $235 | $299 | $252 | $234 | $82 | $294 |
| Oct 25 | 133 | $219 | $321 | $234 | $107 | $66 | $219 |
| Nov 25 | 129 | $218 | $343 | $203 | $192 | $107 | $203 |
| Dec 25 | 140 | $180 | $401 | $235 | $96 | $61 | $179 |
| Jan 26 | 225 | $230 | $230 | $302 | $251 | $101 | $250 |
| Feb 26 | 230 | $262 | $407 | $265 | $214 | $126 | $246 |
| Mar 26 | 309 | $207 | $308 | $228 | $131 | $104 | $209 |
| Apr 26 | 304 | $215 | $340 | $242 | $133 | $87 | $225 |
| May 26 | 446 | $213 | $296 | $266 | $282 | $133 | $210 |
| Jun 26 | 712 | $200 | $375 | $265 | $196 | $112 | $186 |
| Jul 26 | 602 | $199 | $271 | $235 | $150 | $80 | $236 |
| Aug 26 | 1,144 | $255 | $299 | $276 | $170 | $102 | $224 |
| Sep 26 | 986 | $231 | $340 | $152 | $214 | $83 | $240 |
Median premium paid per policy, US dollars. April 2025 is a part month (the feed starts 22 April). September 2026 runs to the 25th.
How the index is made
The quoted prices
In the last week of each month we run the same five trips through the CoverTrip comparison, which prices every plan sold there (51 plans from 18 companies in September 2026). The traveler is a Texas resident, the trip is paid in full, the first deposit is the day of the quote, and the trip leaves on the 15th of the month four months out. We record every plan’s base price with no add-ons. The five trips are built from CoverTrip’s own buyers: the five traveler types below made up 88 percent of the 5,380 policies sold through the site in the 12 months to September 2026, and the ages, trip lengths and trip costs are the medians for each group.
- Retired couple. Ages 68 and 66, Italy, 12 days, $8,000 trip. 39% of buyers.
- Couple in their fifties. Ages 58 and 56, Mexico, 10 days, $8,000 trip. 19% of buyers.
- Retired solo traveler. Age 70, United Kingdom, 12 days, $5,300 trip. 13% of buyers.
- Solo traveler, 40 to 64. Age 52, a trip inside the US, 8 days, $5,300 trip. 10% of buyers.
- Family of four. Ages 44, 42, 12 and 9, Bahamas cruise, 7 days, $10,000 trip. 7.5% of buyers.
What buyers paid
Every policy bought through CoverTrip is reported back to us by Squaremouth, which runs the comparison, with the premium and the ages of the travelers on it. We sort each policy into a traveler type by the ages and count of travelers, and report the median premium for each type each month. No names, no destinations and no trip costs are in that feed, which is why the paid numbers are by traveler type only. Policies with no ages listed are left out.
What the index is not
It is not the price you will pay. Your price depends on your age, your trip cost, your dates and your state. It is a fixed yardstick, measured the same way every month, so that changes mean something. Prices for other states can be a few percent different, and a few plans are not sold in every state.
Use the numbers
The index is free to quote and free to reuse, with a link. Please cite it as:
Source: CoverTrip Travel Insurance Price Index, September 2026. covertrip.com/travel-insurance-price-indexDownload the benchmark quotes (CSV, all 51 plans for each trip) Download what buyers paid by month (CSV)
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