AIG travel insurance review 2023
“Verified by an expert” means that this article has been thoroughly reviewed and evaluated for accuracy.
“Verified by an expert” means that this article has been thoroughly reviewed and evaluated for accuracy.
BLUEPRINT
Updated 9:01 a.m. UTC Nov. 13, 2023
Editorial Note: Blueprint may earn a commission from affiliate partner links featured here on our site. This commission does not influence our editors' opinions or evaluations. Please view our full advertiser disclosure policy.
AIG
Pros
- Generous emergency evacuation coverage of $1 million.
- Includes travel inconvenience benefits.
- Optional add-ons for adventure travel, pets and destination weddings.
Cons
- Medical coverage is lower than top competitors.
- Baggage delay benefits require a 12-hour waiting period.
AIG travel insurance overview
AIG Travel Guard specializes in travel assistance for leisure and business travelers. It has a network of service centers in Asia, Europe and the Americas to provide 24/7 emergency travel assistance.
AIG travel insurance plans
AIG Travel Guard offers three travel insurance plans, including a last-minute plan for impromptu travelers and an annual plan for those often on the go.
Here are a few key benefits included with AIG travel insurance plans.
- Trip cancellation: If you need to cancel your trip for a reason listed in your policy, trip cancellation insurance reimburses you for any prepaid, nonrefundable trip expenses, such as flights, hotels and tours.
- Trip delay: Trip delay insurance covers you for extra costs if your travels hit a snag like a canceled connecting flight. This coverage can reimburse you for extra expenses you weren’t anticipating, like a meal and an overnight hotel stay as you wait for a new flight. It can also reimburse you for prepaid expenses for plans you’ll miss by arriving late.
- Travel interruption: If there’s an emergency back home and you need to cut your trip short, this coverage can pay for a last-minute flight back. It can also reimburse you for lost prepaid, nonrefundable expenses for the plans you’ll miss by leaving early.
- Travel medical insurance: If you become sick or injured on your trip, travel medical insurance can pay for your emergency medical expenses. This can include doctor and hospital bills, labwork, X-rays and medication.
- Emergency medical evacuation: If your injury or illness calls for medevac support, emergency medical evacuation insurance will cover the cost of transporting you to the nearest adequate medical facility.
- Pre-existing medical condition exclusion waiver: If you buy your travel insurance within 15 days of your first trip payment, your plan will not exclude coverage of pre-existing medical conditions.
- Baggage insurance: This coverage will reimburse you for the depreciated value of your bags and belongings if they are lost, stolen or damaged, up to the limits in your policy. If your bags are delayed for a certain length of time, you will have coverage to buy a few necessities while you wait for your bags to arrive.
- Travel assistance services: An emergency global assistance team is available around the clock if you need medical or travel help.
AIG Travel Guard Essential plan
The Essential plan is AIG Travel Guard’s most budget-friendly single-trip travel insurance plan.
If your trip is canceled or interrupted because of the illness, injury or death of you, a traveling companion, a family member or business partner, this plan will reimburse 100% of your prepaid, nonrefundable trip expenses, up to $100,000 per person.
It also includes up to $15,000 in travel medical insurance and $150,000 in emergency medical evacuation coverage, up to $750 in baggage coverage and $200 in baggage delay and the option to purchase car rental insurance.
AIG Travel Guard Preferred plan
The Preferred Plan is AIG Travel Guard’s most popular single-trip travel insurance plan.
In addition to covering everything the Essential plan covers, this plan increases the baggage coverage to $1,000, the baggage delay to $300, the travel medical expense coverage to $50,000 and the emergency evacuation coverage to $500,000.
This plan also includes up to $2,500 per person in Trip Saver coverage designed to reimburse you for meals, hotels and additional transportation if you need to begin your trip sooner than initially scheduled due to an unforeseen circumstance such as inclement weather or common carrier changes.
Unlike the Essential plan, the Preferred plan allows travelers to purchase “cancel for any reason” (CFAR) coverage. You can also customize the Preferred plan with enhancements for pets, inconveniences, adventure sports, baggage, wedding guest coverage and a security bundle covering security evacuation and trip cancellation or interruption for political unrest.
AIG Travel Guard Deluxe Plan
The AIG Travel Guard Deluxe Plan offers the most coverage and baggage benefits. Like the Preferred Plan, it covers 100% for trip cancellation and 150% for trip interruption. The Deluxe Plan increases coverage with up to $100,000 for medical expenses, $1,000,000 for emergency evacuation, $100,000 in coverage for a flight accident, $2,500 in lost baggage coverage and $500 in baggage delay.
Instead of being an optional add-on as it is in the Preferred Plan, Security evacuation is automatically included in the Deluxe plan. This plan also includes up to $100,000 for accidental death or dismemberment when traveling on a flight.
AIG Travel Guard Pack N’ Go Plan Essential Plan
Designed for last-minute travelers, the AIG Travel Guard Pack N’ Go Plan provides immediate coverage for unplanned trips. The plan does not include trip cancellation coverage but does include trip interruption and delay for up to $1,000. It also includes $1,000 in baggage coverage, $25,000 in travel medical expenses and up to $500,000 in emergency evacuation.
AIG Travel Guard Annual Travel Plan
The Travel Guard Annual Plan is annual travel insurance coverage for multiple trips throughout the year. The plan includes trip interruption, trip delay, missed connection and medical coverage on all trips taken during a 12-month period of time, instead of covering each trip individually. The travel medical expense pays for up to $50,000 in medical expenses while the emergency evacuation covers up to $500,000 in evacuation expenses.
What isn’t covered by AIG travel insurance
Like every travel insurance plan, AIG travel insurance has exclusions. It is always a good idea to check the fine print before purchasing a plan. Some exclusions to AIG Travel Guard plans include:
- Airline tickets purchased using frequent flyer airline miles or points are not covered.
- Medical treatments from injuries sustained from alcohol or substance abuse.
- Loss or damage caused by detention, confiscation or destruction by customs.
- Injury sustained by participating in professional athletic events, motor sport or motor racing.
- Baggage loss or damage of eyeglasses or contact lenses.
- War or an act of war.
- Participating in a riot or civil disorder.
AIG travel insurance rates
The average cost of travel insurance is 5% to 6% of your total trip cost. This can vary based on the age of the traveler, destination, cost of trip, type of plan and any add-on coverage selected. Here are examples of prices for the AIG Travel Guard Deluxe plan.
AIG Travel Guard considers COVID-19 a foreseen event so certain coronavirus-related losses may not be covered. If you contract COVID-19 prior to your departure, however, you could be covered for trip cancellation. Likewise, if you contract COVID-19 while traveling and get a confirmed diagnosis from a doctor, you could be covered for medical expense, trip interruption, trip delay and emergency medical evacuation benefits.
If coverage for COVID is important to you, compare the best COVID travel insurance plans.
Yes, the AIG Travel Guard Preferred and Deluxe travel insurance plans offer the option to purchase “cancel for any reason” (CFAR) coverage. The extra coverage allows you to cancel your trip for any reason not otherwise covered by the plan and be reimbursed up to 50% of your prepaid, nonrefundable trip expenses. For this upgrade, you need to purchase CFAR coverage within 15 days of your initial trip deposit and cancel your trip at least 48 hours prior to scheduled departure.
Yes, several AIG Travel Gaurd’s travel insurance plans offer a pre-existing medical condition exclusion waiver. The waiver allows for the coverage of some medical issues despite pre-existing conditions.
To qualify for AIG’s pre-existing medical condtion exclusion waiver, you need to buy travel insurance the same day you make your first trip deposit (or shortly thereafter), insure the full value of all prepaid, nonrefundable trip payments and deposits and be medically able to travel at the time you purchase the travel insurance.
Blueprint is an independent publisher and comparison service, not an investment advisor. The information provided is for educational purposes only and we encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding specific financial decisions. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
Blueprint has an advertiser disclosure policy. The opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Blueprint editorial staff alone. Blueprint adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. The information is accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information.
