Should You Combine Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption Insurance with Travel Medical Insurance?

Travel medical insurance is an insurance product that could help cover expenses for medical emergencies while travelling. It's coverage you can apply for before you depart on your trip for yourself and family members. Coverage helps provide financial protection against eligible emergency travel medical expenses.

Travel medical insurance helps cover emergency medical costs while travelling outside your home province or country. Coverage could include:

• Physician and hospital fees
• Ambulance transportation
• Diagnostic tests
• Prescription drugs
• Medical appliances
• Emergency dental treatment
• Out-of-pocket meals and lodging
• Paramedical services
• Emergency Return Home

Having travel medical insurance can be important because your provincial health plan only provides limited coverage for medical expenses that may occur while travelling outside your home province or territory.

Trip cancellation insurance helps cover eligible travel expenses if a covered event happens that causes a cancellation of your travel plans prior to trip departure. This could be an illness, injury, death in the family, severe weather, or other unexpected events.

Coverage could reimburse you for a covered expense, which may include: 

• A portion of unused travel arrangements (which are non-refundable and non-transferable)
• A penalty fee charged for the reinstatement of unused travel points
• Upgrade expenses for the extra cost of your travel companion
• Reasonable transportation costs
• Prepaid accommodation and non-refundable pre-paid airfare

Trip interruption insurance covers eligible travel expenses if a covered event happens that causes a disruption of your travel plans after your trip departure. This could be a medical emergency, family illness, severe weather event, or disruptions from your travel provider.

Coverage could reimburse you for a covered expense, which may include:

• The cost of a one-way economy airfare
• The unused portion of your travel arrangement booked through a travel services supplier
• Additional transportation costs to rejoin your tour or group
• Lodging and meals
• Car rental
• Taxi transportation
• Essential phone calls 

Trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance are different than travel medical insurance. However, these travel insurance plans are often combined to provide medical and non-medical financial protection when travelling. Let's look at a few scenarios to gain a better understanding of how these coverages can work together.

• You get sick before your trip
  Trip cancellation insurance can help financially protect you if you are unable to go on your trip due to a covered medical emergency. In this scenario, your insurance company may reimburse you for things like flights, hotels or resorts, and cruises.
• You get ill or injured abroad
  Travel medical insurance could help cover the costs of hospital medical bills. Depending on where you are in the world and the medical care you need (approved by an administrator), your medical bills could be thousands of dollars. Additionally, it may be a good idea to have trip interruption insurance in the event you have to return home earlier than expected after a hospital stay.
• Family emergency at home
  If you have to return home unexpectedly during your trip, trip interruption insurance could help cover the non-refundable portions of your trip. 

When choosing the right coverage for your trip there are several different factors that you should keep in mind. Be sure to consider:

• Your destination

  Certain countries are known for very high medical costs. You could be out-of-pocket hundreds or thousands of dollars if you require medical care.

• The type of trip you are taking

  If your trip involves travelling between multiple different places, you'll probably want trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance given that there are more chances for plans to go awry.

• Consider the pre-paid and non-refundable costs associated with your trip

  Add up these costs to see how much you might lose if your trip was unexpectedly cancelled or interrupted.

• A history of personal or family medical conditions

  If you or a family member has a history of medical conditions, it’s especially important to travel with travel medical insurance. Pre-existing or ongoing health needs can increase the risk of unexpected medical events while abroad¹. Be sure to check the coverages limitations and exclusions, as some pre-existing conditions may exclude you from getting coverage.

• Existing or supplementary coverage through your credit card

  Some credit cards offer limited travel insurance coverage, but not all. And even if your credit card provides coverage, it may not always fully meet your needs. Be sure to speak with our Administrator to see if the travel insurance coverage you have through your credit card is sufficient for your upcoming trip.

If you are starting to plan for an upcoming trip, TD Insurance Travel Insurance offers plans that can help financially protect you, your family, and your travel companions. Compare and see what each plan includes to find the right coverage for your travels.

Before you start exploring the world, spend some time exploring your travel insurance plan options.

Explore TD Insurance Travel Insurance plans