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Friday, September 22nd
Allianz Travel is a huge name in the insurance industry. Last year alone, this company assisted more than 55 million people with protecting themselves and their belongings while roaming the globe.
Single-trip, multi-trip, and car rental insurance available here
There are ten different types of travel insurance coverage offered by Allianz, all designated according to whether you're covering a single trip (OneTrip), multiple trips within a year (AllTrips), or just rental car insurance. On the main quote page, you simply choose which of the three plan types fits your travels, enter your destination, travel dates, age of traveler, state of residence, and total trip cost, and you'll be shown all of the policies that match.
Not as much for the money
We used a sample traveler profile of two 35-year-olds going to Mexico for a week, about six months in the future, and with a total cost of $3,000. We were given the choice among all three of Allianz' OneTrip plans, ranging in price from $130 to $286 for both people. We weren't really impressed by the coverage: even at the highest level (Premier), the available medical coverage had a maximum of just $50,000 (while many rivals go up to $100,000 or even $1 million on their top-tier policies).
Some options are missing or hard to spot
It also wasn't until we were on the final payment page that we could click to see the full Plan and Pricing Details. We never found an option with Allianz that would cover Cancel For Any Reason. And, it was only in the very lengthy plan details that we spotted that our policy automatically included a pre-existing medical conditions waiver, as long as our policy was purchased within 14 days of the first payment (and several other eligibility criteria were met).
Some nice perks
However, there are some benefits with Allianz travel insurance plans that didn't necessarily apply to our case study travelers but could be a reason for you to choose their coverage. For example, OneTrip Prime adds no-cost coverage for children 17 and under when traveling with a parent or grandparent. The AllTrips Executive plan covers your business equipment in the event of loss, theft, or airline delay: you can be reimbursed for equipment rental, replacement, and/or repair - and this policy will cover your personal travel/vacations as well.
"A+" from the BBB - despite 1,100+ complaints
You'll find the BBB's listing for Allianz Travel under their Global Assistance division: an "A+" and accreditation. There were over 1100 complaints filed with the BBB in the most recent three-year period, but an "A+" means that they were all responded to and handled professionally.
Mixed results on handling claims
Considering what travelers have said in other places, Allianz gets its fair share of complaints about slow claims processing. On the other hand, we found plenty of people praising how fast they were reimbursed for covered losses - from hotel and restaurant costs when return flights got canceled and rescheduled for another day to airfare and more, often getting payments to the customer within two weeks.
Good enough
All of this adds up to Allianz receiving the same rating that we gave them in our last review. This travel insurance provider is reliable, and they've added one more coverage type since our previous evaluation. We're not concerned that travelers will have big problems here, but there are other services that provide a wider range of options than Allianz.
With daily news stories of delayed and canceled flights, lost baggage, and travelers stranded overseas in the middle of a natural disaster, it's easy to see why travel insurance is so important. Like most types of insurance, travel insurance is bought in the hopes that you'll never need it. But, for most travelers, it's worth the price for the protection it provides.
Have you ever thought that this coverage was just an unnecessary, added expense? That's fairly common: most people assume that they've got protection through their credit card company, their regular health insurance, even their homeowners' policy. In some situations, that may be accurate - but unless you know the details of those types of coverage, you're more likely to be left paying out-of-pocket expenses you thought were taken care of... but aren't included.
And, even if you do have that kind of protection, travel insurance policies can amplify your benefits. For example, if you choose a plan that offers $500,000 in primary medical coverage, you might not need to touch your regular health insurance: your bills will be reimbursed up to that amount, no matter what your everyday health plan includes. Car rental insurance can go above and beyond what's paid for by your credit card company or even your own vehicle's coverage - and that can be critical if you're driving in another country and have an accident.
What type of travel insurance do you need? Naturally, that depends on your trip, your travel party, and your budget. A single-trip policy will be more affordable than multi-trip coverage - but if you're traveling internationally more than once in a year, the annual policy becomes much more economical. Do you need to be able to cancel for any reason? Is it important to you to have a waiver of the pre-existing conditions exclusion? Are there any children under 18 in your party that might be included at no extra charge, depending on the insurer you select? These are all factors that will influence your decision when picking a travel insurance plan.
Confused yet? You do have a lot of options. Here are some criteria to help you sort through them and ultimately wind up with the travel insurance coverage you need:
To help you get the protection you need on your next adventure, TopConsumerReviews.com has evaluated and ranked today's most popular sources of travel insurance. We're confident that this information will make it easy to protect yourself and what you've spent on your trip - and to have backup if something goes off track on your journey. Bon voyage!
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