Secured with SHA-256 EncryptionUSAA Travel Insurance Review
Travel insurance gives you peace of mind that if something goes wrong on your trip, you are reimbursed for a wide variety of expenses related to issues like trip cancellation, lost baggage, and medical problems.
USAA travel insurance is one of many travel insurance providers who offer a range of plans and coverage options.
Table of Contents:
USAA Travel Insurance Company Overview
In business since 1922, USAA is a members-only company that offers a variety of products and services to active-duty military personnel, veterans, and their families. Offerings include auto, home, travel, and life insurance, investment management, and banking.
USAA travel insurance plans are administered by Travel Insured International, a leading travel insurance provider in business since 1994. In order to get the USAA member special rate, log in to your USAA account and follow the travel insurance link, which takes you to a USAA portal on the Travel Insured website.
We have evaluated USAA trip insurance on five key points: Coverage options, costs, customer reviews and reputation, customer service benefits and financial strength.
USAA Travel Insurance Coverage Options
Coverage options are the events covered by the insurance company. Most travel insurance companies offer a range of options, including plans with comprehensive or lite coverage. Add-ons can be purchased for items not usually covered under standard travel insurance policies.
USAA travel insurance offers a variety of travel insurance plans with a wide range of optional upgrades and add-ons. Each is fully customizable, and they all include extensive trip cancellation options and comprehensive benefits at reasonable prices that are comparable to many other travel insurance companies.
The different types of coverage available through USAA’s various plans include:
- Comprehensive
- Trip cancellation or interruption
- Medical
- Baggage
- Accidental death
- Group
Plans offer coverage for preexisting conditions and have no deductible for medical coverage.
USAA Travel Insurance Plans
USAA travel insurance offers a wide range of customizable plans.
USAA Worldwide Trip Protector
The most comprehensive USAA travel insurance plan, Worldwide Trip Protector, covers up to 100 percent of the cost of the trip in the event of a cancellation and reimburses you $250 for miles or rewards points lost.
It also covers trip interruption and delay, including missed connections, change fees, and itinerary changes.
Medical protection includes coverage for accident and sickness, emergency medical and non-medical emergency evacuation, and accidental death and dismemberment.
Baggage protection covers up to $1,000 for baggage and personal effects and up to $300 for a baggage delay.
USAA Worldwide Trip Protector Plus
This plan includes all the above items along with higher limits and Cancel for any Reason coverage.
USAA Worldwide Trip Protector Lite
The Worldwide Trip Protector Lite offers the same trip cancellation coverage as the Worldwide Trip Protector plan. The trip interruption or delay coverage pays less than the Worldwide Trip Protector plan, but it covers everything except itinerary changes.
It covers accident and sickness medical expenses and emergency medical evacuation and repatriation, but not accidental death and dismemberment.
Baggage protection covers up to $750 for baggage and personal effects and $200 for a baggage delay.
USAA Travel Medical Protector
The most restrictive travel insurance plan offered by USAA is the Travel Medical Protector plan, which pays up to $50,000 for medical expenses related to accident and illness; $1,000,000 for emergency medical evacuation; and $50,000 for air flight only AD&D.
Other benefits include coverage for non-medical emergency evacuation, baggage protection, and trip interruption and travel delay.
| Known Covered Excuses | Worldwide Protector Lite | Worldwide Trip Protector | Worldwide Trip Protector Plus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tour Operator Cancellation | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Injury/Illness/Death of Traveler | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Injury/Illness/Death of Non-traveling Family Member | |||
| Injury/Illness/Death of Business Partner | |||
| Injury/Illness/Death of Host | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Injury/Illness/Death of Hosts Family or Friends | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Natural Disaster at Destination | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tour Operator/Airline/Cruise Line Ceases Operation | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 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 | |
| Victim of Crime Prior to Trip | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Car Accident Prior to Trip | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Theft of Passport Prior to Trip | Yes | Yes | |
| Separation/Divorce | |||
| School Related | Yes | Yes | |
| CFAR Coverage (Cancel for any reason) | Yes |
| Coverage | Worldwide Trip Protector Lite | Worldwide Trip Protector | Worldwide Trip Protector Plus | USAA Travel Medical Protector |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trip Cancellation | Up to 100 percent of trip cost (does not apply in case of $0 trip cost) | Up to 100 percent of trip cost (does not apply in case of $0 trip cost) | 100 percent of trip cost | |
| Cancel for Any Reason | -- | -- | 75 percent of nonrefundable trip cost | |
| Trip Interruption | Up to the lesser of the trip cost paid or the limit of coverage on confirmation of benefits (does not apply in case of $0 trip cost) | Up to 150 percent trip costs for covered reason | 150 percent of trip cost | $5,000 |
| Interrupt for Any Reason | -- | -- | 75 percent of nonrefundable trip cost | |
| Accident and Sickness Medical Expenses | $10,000 | $100,000 Dental sublimit $750 | $100,000 Dental sublimit $750 | $50,000 plus optional add-on |
| Emergency Evacuation, Medically Necessary Repatriation, and Repatriation of Remains | $100,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Non-Medical Emergency Evacuation | -- | -- | $150,000 | |
| Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) | Up to limit purchased | $10,000 | $10,000 | |
| Air Flight Only AD&D (optional) | Up to limit purchased | Coverage up to limit purchased | Up to limit purchased | $50,000 |
| Baggage and Personal Effects | $750 | $1,000 | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| Baggage Delay | (24 hours) $200 | (12 hours) Up to $300 | (12 hours) $300 | (12 hours)$300 |
| Change Fee Coverage | $250 | $250 | $250 | |
| Travel Delay | (12 hours)$300 ($100 per day) | (six hours) $1,000 ($200/day) | (six hours) $1,000 ($200 per day) | (six hours) $1,000 ($200 per day) |
| Missed Connection | (12 hours) $300 | (three hours) $500 | (three hours) $500 | |
| Itinerary Change | Up to $500 | $500 | ||
| Reimbursement of Miles or Rewards Points | $250 | $250 | $250 | |
| Rental Car Damage (optional) | $35,000 | $35,000 | $50,000 |
USAA travel insurance offers a range of upgrades and services. Medical assistance services include physician referral, medical case management, and eyeglasses replacement assistance. Travel assistance services include return travel arrangements, lost passport and document assistance, translation services, and legal assistance.
How Much Does USAA Travel Insurance Cost?
Costs can vary widely across the travel insurance industry. USAA provides comprehensive benefits at reasonable prices that are in line with other travel insurance companies. Children are covered under their parents at no extra cost, which saves a large family a tidy sum of money.
In general, travel insurance costs between four and eight percent of the total cost of the trip.
How much a policy costs depends on several factors including the length of the journey, the destination, the number of travelers, and the age of the policyholder.
Longer trips naturally cost more to insure, and destinations that are hazardous may increase the cost of a travel insurance policy.
The more travelers there are to protect, the more the policy costs.
Younger travelers are less expensive to insure than older travelers, mainly due to medical risks.
USAA travel insurance plans have no age limits, and dependents are covered for free under their parents’ policy. The maximum length of coverage through USAA is 30 or 180 days, depending on the plan. No annual policies are available.
A 14-day look period allows you time to decide whether you want to keep the policy once you purchase it. If you choose to cancel, you must do so within 14 days of the policy’s effective date or your scheduled departure date, whichever comes first.
USAA refunds your full premium if no claims have been filed under the policy.
USAA Company Ratings, Reviews & Reputation
Customer reviews and reputation are important when you’re looking for a travel insurance carrier. USAA travel insurance reviews are generally favorable, and Travel Insured International enjoys a BBB rating of A+, with 29 complaints within the past 12 months all of which have been addressed.
USAA travel insurance policies are administered by Travel Insured International and underwritten by Crum & Forster.
Travel Insured International earned a rating of 6.7 out of 10 from Consumers Advocate, a score considered to be “very good.” Strong points include financial strength, coverage, and reputation.
Although Travel Insured International hasn’t been rated on Trustpilot, it enjoys an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, and the company has addressed all filed complaints.
USAA nets a BBB rating of B-. It’s important to keep in mind that travel insurance is just one of the many products and services USAA offers, including investment management and banking, so their BBB grade may not reflect their travel insurance exclusively. In fact, USAA travel insurance reviews are generally positive.
Customer Service
Customer service benefits are a strong suit with USAA travel insurance. Travel Insured International’s customer service desk is open every day, 24/7, which can be quite helpful if you’re in a faraway time zone.
Also, their website offers guides for how to handle travel emergencies, and their blog covers a wide range of travel-related topics.
USAA travel insurance reviews cite positive experiences with customer service, which is administered by Travel Insured International.
Although the provider has 24/7 assistance, the claims department hours are only 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday. However, you can call, email or submit a support ticket online any time of day, and customer assistance gets back to you when business hours resume.
Travel Insured International’s claims process is a little clunkier than most other travel insurance companies, which typically offer paperless claims filing. While the claims process for USAA travel insurance can be started online, Travel Insured International requires you to mail in original supporting documents.
Travel Insured International isn’t completely devoid of technological savvy, though. Their blog is a helpful online resource that provides travel and insurance tips and articles, and another section of the website offers a variety of comprehensive guides to follow in the event things go wrong on your trip. A strong social media presence keeps travelers informed of news and issues that may affect them.
Concierge services offered through USAA travel insurance include restaurant and event referral and reservations, ground transportation and wireless device assistance.
USAA Travel Insurance Financial Stability
The financial stability of a travel insurance company should be a major factor in deciding whether to purchase a policy. Unstable financial standing has the potential to leave you high and dry should you need to file a claim, and any ensuing legal action can be a major headache.
The financial strength of an insurance company is paramount for ensuring your policy is honored. Both USAA and Travel Insured International have strong credit-worthiness, according to trusted third-party credit rating agencies.
Thankfully, credit rating agencies exist to evaluate and grade a company’s financial stability impartially. They use a variety of methodologies to determine the company’s short-term and long-term financial health, including their probability of default.
Two of the largest and most respected credit rating agencies are Standard & Poor’s and A.M. Best. Most large travel insurance companies enjoy strong ratings from both agencies, and underwriter Crum & Forster is no exception with an “A-” from Standard & Poor’s and an “A” from A.M. Best.
USAA Travel Insurance Phone Number & Contact Information
Homepage URL: www.usaa.com
Provider phone: 800-531-8722
Headquarters Address: 9800 Fredericksburg Road, San Antonio, TX 78288
Year Founded: 1922
Best Alternatives to USAA Travel Insurance
Not satisfied with what USAA has to offer? These companies provide great travel insurance alternatives:
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:
- Allianz Travel Insurance Review
- Aon Travel Insurance Review
- Carnival Travel Insurance Review
- Chubb Travel Insurance Review
- CSA Travel Insurance Review
- Expedia Travel Insurance Review
- Hotwire Travel Insurance Review
- IMG Travel Insurance Review
- InsureMyTrip Travel Insurance Review
- JetBlue Travel Insurance Review
- John Hancock Travel Insurance Review
- Medjet Medical Transport Insurance Review
- Orbitz Travel Insurance Review
- Patriot Travel Insurance Review
- Priceline Travel Insurance Review
- Progressive Travel Insurance Review
- Red Sky Travel Insurance Review
- Ripcord Travel Insurance Review
- Travel Insured International
- Travelex Travel Insurance Review
- USAA Travel Insurance Review
- USI Affinity Travel Insurance Review
- World Nomads Travel Insurance Review