Travel insurance is a contract that covers unexpected expenses that arise before or during a trip abroad: medical care, medical repatriation, cancellation, lost luggage. It complements the guarantees of Social Security, mutual insurance, or credit cards, which are often insufficient outside of Europe.
Segmented guarantees: what basic plans do not cover
Entry-level plans often have an attractive price, but they rarely cover all the risks a traveler faces.
A recent barometer shows that it is almost impossible to find a basic plan that combines cancellation and medical expenses. Trip interruption is only included as standard by a minority of insurers. The trend is towards segmentation: each guarantee becomes a separate paid option to check.
A contract advertised at a low price often covers only one aspect, such as medical expenses, without including cancellation or liability abroad. To consult reviews on travel insurance according to Yann Savidan, keep this reality in mind: comparing basic plans only makes sense if they cover the same aspects.
Before choosing, list the guarantees you actually need for your destination and type of stay, then check if they are included or optional.
Travel insurance and credit cards: why refusals are increasing
Many travelers rely on the insurance included with their Visa or Mastercard. Disputes related to travel insurance have significantly increased in recent years, and refusals to cover claims account for the majority of complaints.
The main cause: the trip was not paid for with the relevant card, or the conditions for activating the contract were not met. A premium card may offer a reasonable medical expense limit, but coverage falls away if the flight ticket or hotel was paid for by another means.
Concrete limitations of credit cards
- The coverage duration rarely exceeds 90 days, which excludes long stays and working holiday visas
- Repatriation limits are sometimes insufficient for remote destinations like Canada or Australia
- Cancellation is only covered for a limited number of reasons (serious illness, death of a loved one), much more restricted than what is offered by Chapka, Heymondo, or ACS
Checking the general conditions of your card remains an essential step. If you find gaps in the coverage, dedicated travel insurance fills them with higher limits and broader cancellation reasons.
Medical expenses abroad: the reason for the contract
Medical emergencies dominate the claims reported by travelers. For business trips, 2025 data confirms that medical emergencies are the leading cause of claims, ahead of cancellations and baggage issues. The costs of medical evacuation have also increased over the past two years.
Outside of Europe, the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is useless. In the United States or Canada, a hospitalization, even a short one, easily reaches tens of thousands of dollars. A medically assisted repatriation from Southeast Asia can cost as much as the trip itself.
What medical expense limit to aim for
For a stay in Europe, a moderate limit may suffice due to agreements between health systems. For North America, aim for the highest limit your budget allows. Specialized insurers like Chapka, Heymondo, or GObyAVA offer plans with limits tailored to destinations where care is most expensive.
The destination significantly affects the premium: the same contract can cost considerably more for a stay in Canada than for a trip to Asia, due to the local cost of care.
Criteria for choosing to compare travel insurance
Rather than aligning ten insurers in a table, focus your comparison on the points that truly make a difference in the event of a claim.
- The waiting period and the subscription deadline: some contracts require you to subscribe within hours of booking the trip for the cancellation guarantee to be valid
- Exclusions related to sports activities: high-altitude hiking, diving, or winter sports are not always covered without a specific option
- The quality of telephone assistance: an assistance team reachable in French, available in your destination’s time zone, makes all the difference in case of hospitalization abroad
- The deductible applied to medical expenses or luggage: a high deductible reduces the premium but can make reimbursement trivial for a small claim
A cheap contract with a high deductible and numerous exclusions offers less protection than a slightly more expensive plan without a deductible on medical expenses. Read the general conditions, not just the commercial sheet.
The travel insurance market in 2026 is pushing for personalization. Comparing guarantees item by item remains more reliable than relying on an overall ranking, because an ideal contract for a two-week stay in Japan may not necessarily suit a twelve-month working holiday in Canada.