USI Affinity Travel Insurance Review 2024

Established in 1973, USI Affinity Travel Insurance Services provides three tiers of travel insurance products for individual and group travelers.

For the most part, the benefits included in its Travel Insurance Select product are in line with the rest of the travel insurance industry.

The company’s website lets customers review USI Affinity’s plans, request a free quote, and choose from three different tiers in order to get the coverage they need without paying more than they have to.

However, the lack of a mobile app and the inability to file claims online is disappointing, especially since its call center is only open for limited hours each day, and not at all on the weekends.

When it comes to financial stability, USI Affinity appears to have a solid credit rating and a stable financial outlook, giving customers the peace of mind they need for their travel insurance purchase.

USI Affinity Coverage Options

USI provides the following coverage options:

USI Affinity Travel Insurance Select Plans

The Travel Insurance Select product is divided into three levels of coverage: Basic, Plus, and Elite. More detail about each of the plans follows below.

Basic

USI’s Basic plan includes standard coverage for Trip Cancellation, Trip Interruption, Travel Delay, Medical Expense, Emergency Medical Evacuation, and Baggage Loss/Delay.

However, it lacks coverage for Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D), and the coverage amounts overall are much less than the Plus or Elite plans.

Additionally, it doesn’t include rental car coverage or even offer that as an optional upgrade. This plan may be a better choice for domestic trips or for travelers planning to visit less exotic destinations.

Plus

As the middle-tier choice, USI’s Plus plan offers higher coverage limits than the Basic plan in areas like medical and evacuation expenses while adding back in coverage for AD&D.

This plan also includes up to $25,000 in rental car coverage and doubles the coverage limit for baggage claims when compared to the Basic plan.

Make sure to read the policy carefully to see what baggage items are excluded from coverage, since USI does not cover many commonly used items, including phones or computers. Nonetheless, this plan probably provides sufficient coverage for many types of customers who are traveling domestically or internationally.

Elite

The Elite plan is the most comprehensive and features all the standard benefits in addition to Collision Damage, which covers the cost of damages to a car you rent while traveling.

In addition to all the coverage of the lower-tier plans, this option also includes Search & Rescue and a higher amount of coverage for sports equipment rental.

The Elite plan is the only one of the three that provides coverage if work impacts your travel plans. If you choose the Elite plan, you also have the option of adding the Cancel For Any Reason benefit for an additional premium cost.

The coverage also includes a higher benefit for lost, damaged, or stolen baggage and personal effects. As with the other plans, their definition of personal effects does not include many frequently carried items, including phones, sunglasses, contact lenses, and computers, which travelers are most worried about losing when traveling.

Covered Excuses	Basic	Plus	Elite
Tour Operator Cancellation	Yes	Yes	Yes
Injury/Illness/Death of Traveler	Yes	Yes	Yes
Injury/Illness/Death of Non-traveling Family Member	Yes	Yes	Yes
Injury/Illness/Death of Business Partner	Yes	Yes	Yes
Injury/Illness/Death of Host
Injury/Illness/Death of Host’s Family or Friends
Natural Disaster at Destination	Yes	Yes	Yes
Tour Operator/Airline/Cruise Line Ceases Operation
Terrorism/Evacuation at Destination	Yes	Yes	Yes
Home or Business Damaged	Yes	Yes	Yes
Jury Duty/Court Appearance	Yes	Yes	Yes
Military Deployment	Yes	Yes	Yes
Work-Related	Yes	Yes	Yes
Victim of Crime Prior to Trip	Yes	Yes	Yes
Car Accident Prior to Trip	Yes	Yes	Yes
Theft of Passport Prior to Trip
Separation/Divorce
School-Related
CFAR Coverage (Cancel for any reason)			Yes

Coverage	Basic	Plus	Elite
Trip Cancellation	100% of trip cost up to $15,000	100% of trip cost up to $100,000	100% of trip cost up to $100,000
Cancel for Any Reason	Not available	Not available	Available as an optional upgrade for up to 75% of non-refundable trip cost up to $75,000
Trip Interruption	100% of trip cost up to $15,000	125% of trip cost up to $125,000	150% of trip cost up to $150,000
Interrupt for Any Reason	Not available	Not available	Available as an optional upgrade for up to 75% of non-refundable trip cost up to $75,000
Accident and Sickness Medical Expenses	$50,000	$100,000	$150,000
Emergency Evacuation, Medically Necessary Repatriation, and Repatriation of Remains	$100,000	$500,000	$1,000,000
Non-Medical Emergency Evacuation	Not available	Not available	Not available
Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D)	Not available	$25,000	$50,000
Air Flight Only AD&D	Not available	Not available	Not available
Baggage and Personal Effects	$500	$1,000	$2,500
Baggage Delay	$100	$300	$500
Change Fee Coverage	Not available	Not available	Not available
Travel Delay	$500 ($100 per day)	$1,000 ($200 per day)	$1,500 (Up to $250 per day)
Missed Connection	$500	$1,000	$1,500
Itinerary Change	$750	Not available	$750
Reimbursement of Miles or Rewards Points	$50	$75	$75
Rental Car Damage	Not available	$25,000	$35,000

How Much Does USI Affinity Travel Insurance Cost?

Travel insurance costs can vary greatly depending on the value of the trip and the age of the traveler. Generally, the longer the trip, the more it will cost, international destinations are more expensive than domestic ones, and older travelers may pay more than younger ones, especially for plans with medical coverage.

When planning your trip, make sure to budget between 4% and 8% of the total cost of the trip for travel insurance. Input your trip details in order to get a free quote from USI Affinity travel insurance on its website.

Families need to keep in mind that, unlike some of its competitors, USI does not automatically cover dependents under the age of 18 on the same plan with a covered adult.

Since USI has three plan tiers, consider what benefits you need most and choose the plan that is most cost-effective for your needs.

If you need to cancel your plan, USI requires that you submit the request in writing by mail, fax, or email prior to the effective date of the policy. After the effective date, the premium is no longer refundable. All refunds are subject to a $25 processing fee.

USI Affinity Travel Insurance Reviews and Reputation

USI Affinity Travel Insurance Services has been an accredited business with the Better Business Bureau since 2016, with an A+ rating.

Information on the BBB site is rather slim, however, since there are no reviews posted on its profile. Furthermore, the BBB has only received one complaint about USI.

Other online reviews of the company’s policies are hard to come by since it has not been reviewed yet by Trustpilot or other reliable sources.

Customer Service Benefits

Customers may contact USI by phone Monday through Friday from 9am to 7pm EST or email the company about customer service issues.

Emails received Monday through Friday are answered within 48 hours of receipt. Emails received over weekends and holidays are replied to on the following business day.

This is a significant drawback when compared to other companies that offer 24/7 customer service or have a mobile app for quicker resolution of issues.

Unlike many other companies, USI customers are required to file claims by mail or over the phone. This makes it rather inconvenient, especially for customers who need to file claims while still traveling, given the aforementioned limited hours that USI is reachable by phone.

When it comes to non-insurance travel assistance, USI Affinity Travel Insurance offers a wide range of concierge services to help you during emergencies 24/7, as well as with the other issues that come up during travel like finding a good hotel or restaurant.

One helpful benefit that isn’t offered by similar insurance companies is identity theft assistance in case your wallet is lost or stolen. The company representatives can even help you obtain credit report records so you can ensure there are no fraudulent charges.

Keep in mind, however, that these extra services are provided by a third party  (On Call International) and are not insurance benefits underwritten by United States Fire Insurance Company.

USI Affinity Travel Insurance Financial Stability

When selecting a company to purchase travel insurance from, the financial stability of the company underwriting the policy is of critical importance. You can check on the financial strength of your travel insurer by looking up its credit rating and financial outlook.

For USI Affinity travel insurance, a little explanation about the company background is also helpful. USI Holding Corporation is the third-largest privately held insurance agency in the United States, and it has been providing insurance services since 1994.

In 2004, it acquired another company, Travel Insurance Services, a national insurance agency/brokerage that had been providing travel insurance solutions for individuals, groups, organizations, and businesses since 1973. Together, they formed USI Affinity Travel Insurance.

As discussed above, its travel insurance product is called Travel Insurance Select, which is underwritten by United States Fire Insurance Company.

United States Fire Insurance Company has positive financial strength ratings from the leading credit rating agencies including Moody’s, S&P, and A.M. Best, and all agree its financial outlook is stable. Therefore, clients purchasing travel insurance from USI Affinity can feel secure in its financial position and ability to payout claims.

USI Affinity Travel Insurance Phone Number and Contact Information

Home page: https://www.travelinsure.com/

Provider phone number: 1-800-937-1387

Headquarters Address: 1 International Plaza, Ste 400, Philadelphia, PA 19113-1535

Email: [email protected]

Year Founded: 2012

Additional Providers

There are several other travel insurance providers that deserve consideration as well which you can see in our Best Travel Insurance Companies article.

These companies didn’t make our list of top providers but we have created some more detailed reviews  that you can view below: