AXA Assistance USA 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 9:07 a.m. UTC Nov. 13, 2023
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AXA Assistance USA
Pros
- Excellent lost baggage coverage of $3,000 per person.
- Best-in-class 75% “cancel for any reason” upgrade available.
- Covers lost ski and golf days due to bad weather.
Cons
- 12-hour wait before travel or baggage delay coverage applies.
- No “interruption for any reason” coverage.
- Missed connection coverage applies only to cruises and tours.
AXA travel insurance plans
AXA Assistance USA offers travelers three comprehensive plans: Silver, Gold and Platinum. Each plan includes coverage for trip cancellation, interruption, emergency medical expense, emergency evacuation and baggage delay. Here’s a sample of the coverage you can expect from each policy.
Silver
AXA’s budget-friendly Silver plan includes the following benefits.
- Trip interruption insurance: 100% of your trip cost.
- Missed connections: $500.
- Travel medical insurance: $25,000 per person.
- Emergency medical evacuation: $100,000 per person.
- Accidental death and dismemberment: $10,000 per person.
- Baggage and personal effects: $150 per article, up to $750.
Gold
The Gold plan covers everything the Silver plan covers but increases the coverage limits.
- Trip interruption insurance: 150% of your trip cost.
- Travel medical insurance: $100,000 per person.
- Emergency medical evacuation: $500,000.
Unlike the Silver plan, the Gold plan also includes coverage for non-medical emergency evacuation and the option to purchase a collision damage waiver for rental cars.
Platinum
The Platinum plan offers the highest level of single-trip coverage of AXA’s three plans. This plan gets 4.5 stars in our rating of the best travel insurance.
A benefit of AXA’s Platinum plan is that it covers sports equipment. If the airline loses your golf clubs or skis, the Platinum plan pays $25 per day for lost ski days, $500 for lost golf rounds and $1,000 for sports rental.
AXA’s Platinum plan also increases the optional collision damage waiver from $35,000 to $50,000.
And this is the only AXA travel insurance plan that gives you the option to upgrade to “cancel for any reason” (CFAR) coverage. This coverage reimburses up to 75% of your prepaid and nonrefundable trip expenses, as long as you cancel your trip at least 48 hours prior to departure.
Compare AXA travel insurance plans
Additional coverage options
“Cancel-for-any-reason” (CFAR) coverage
Platinum plan policyholders have the option to purchase upgraded “cancel-for-any-reason” (CFAR) coverage, which allows you to cancel for any reason, not just those listed in your policy. CFAR coverage must be purchased within 14 days of paying the initial trip deposit. It covers up to 75% of your prepaid nonrefundable trip expenses provided you cancel your trip at least 48 hours prior to departure.
Collision damage waiver
Gold and Premium plans come with the option to purchase a collision damage waiver to cover rental car damage, collision or loss anywhere in the world. The Gold plan includes up to $35,000 in coverage while the Platinum plan offers up to $50,000.
What isn't covered by AXA travel insurance?
Like all travel insurance companies, AXA Assistance USA does not cover every incident that occurs while traveling. It’s a good idea to read your policy closely to learn what is and what is not covered.
Here are some examples of exclusions to AXA Assistance USA’s Platinum plan:
- Event cancellations.
- Travel to Afghanistan, Belarus, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Crimea/Sevastopol, Eritrea, Guinea, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Mali, Niger, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela and Yemen.
- War risks, civil commotion or terrorism.
- Dental treatment (except as a result of accidental injury).
- Suicide or attempted suicide.
AXA Assistance travel insurance rates
The price of AXA travel insurance will vary based on factors such as the plan you choose, your age, the length of the trip and your destination. In general, the average cost of travel insurance is 5% to 6% of your total trip cost.
Here are some sample quotes to give you an idea of how much you might pay for AXA’s Platinum plan.
Methodology
Our insurance experts reviewed 42 aspects of 53 policies to find the best travel insurance plans. We used data provided by Squaremouth, a travel insurance comparison provider. For companies offering more than one travel insurance plan, we shared information about the highest-scoring plan (or two, in case of a tie).
Some companies may offer plans with additional benefits or lower prices than the plans which scored the highest, so make sure to get travel insurance quotes to see your full range of options.
The factors we scored out of a possible 100 points include the following.
Cost: 30 points. We scored the average cost for each travel insurance policy for a variety of trips and traveler profiles:
- Couple, age 30 for an 8-day trip to Mexico costing $3,000.
- Couple, age 30 for an 8-day trip to Mexico costing $3,000, with CFAR coverage upgrade.
- Couple, age 40, for a 17-day trip to Italy costing $6,000.
- Couple, age 40, for a 17-day trip to Italy costing $6,000, with CFAR coverage upgrade.
- Family of four, for a 17-day trip to Italy costing $15,000.
- Family of four, for a 17-day trip to Italy costing $15,000, with CFAR coverage upgrade.
- Couple, age 65, for a 17-day trip to Italy costing $6,000.
- Couple, age 65, for a 17-day trip to Italy costing $6,000, with CFAR coverage upgrade.
- Couple, age 70, for an 8-day trip to Mexico trip costing $3,000.
- Couple, age 70, for an 8-day trip to Mexico trip costing $3,000, with CFAR coverage upgrade.
Medical expenses: 15 points. We scored travel medical insurance by the coverage amount available. Travel insurance policies with travel medical expense benefits of $250,000 or more per person were given the highest score of 15 points.
Medical evacuation: 15 points. We scored each plan’s emergency medical evacuation coverage by coverage amount. Travel insurance policies with medical evacuation expense benefits of $500,000 or more per person were given the highest score of 15 points.
“Cancel for any reason” upgrade: 5 points. We gave travel insurance plans with the option of a “cancel for any reason” upgrade 5 points.
Trip interruption travel insurance: 5 points. We gave 5 points to travel insurance plans that offer trip interruption reimbursement of 150% or more.
Travel delay required waiting time: 5 points. We gave 5 points to travel insurance policies with travel delay benefits that kick in at 6 hours or less.
Baggage delay required waiting time: 5 points. We gave 5 points to travel insurance policies with baggage delay benefits that kick in at 12 hours or less.
Pre-existing medical condition exclusion waiver: 5 points. We gave policies that cover pre-existing medical conditions if purchased within a required timeline 5 points.
Non-medical evacuation: 5 points. If a policy provides coverage for non-medical evacuation, such as for political or security reasons, we gave it 5 points.
Cancel for work reasons: 5 points. If a plan allows you to cancel your trip for work reasons, such as your boss requiring you to stay and work, we gave it 5 points.
Employment layoff: 5 points. Travel insurance policies that allow you to cancel your trip because of layoff at a company where you have worked for one continuous year were scored 5 points. If a plan requires that you had the job for more than a year to qualify, no points were given.
Yes, AXA travel insurance is a good option. Its Platinum plan scores 4.5 stars in our rating of the best travel insurance.
Yes, AXA travel insurance offers “cancel for any reason” (CFAR) coverage as an optional upgrade to the Platinum plan. This coverage can reimburse you for up to 75% of your prepaid and nonrefundable trip expenses if you cancel your trip for any reason, as long as you cancel at least 48 hours before your scheduled departure.
CFAR coverage is only available as an optional benefit on the Platinum plan and must be purchased within 14 days of your first trip deposit.
Yes, AXA travel insurance covers both domestic and international travel.
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.
