The cheapest travel insurance plan on a comparison site is often cheap because it caps medical coverage at a level that wouldn't come close to covering a serious hospitalisation abroad, where treatment costs in many countries can run into tens of thousands in a currency far stronger than what the policy was priced in. This comparator puts price alongside medical coverage, trip cancellation coverage, baggage coverage and the policy excess side by side, specifically so a low price doesn't look artificially attractive next to a plan that actually protects you if something goes wrong.
Medical coverage limit is the ceiling on what the insurer will pay for treatment and evacuation, and for international trips — especially to countries with expensive private healthcare — this is the single most important figure on the whole policy, since a shortfall here comes directly out of your own pocket in a genuine emergency. Trip cancellation coverage reimburses non-refundable costs if you have to cancel or cut a trip short for a covered reason, which matters most on trips with large non-refundable deposits. Baggage coverage reimburses lost, stolen or damaged luggage and its contents, generally the smallest of the four but still meaningful if you're travelling with valuable equipment. The excess, or deductible, is the amount you pay out of pocket before the insurer pays anything on a claim — a higher excess usually comes with a lower price, which is a trade-off worth being deliberate about rather than overlooking.
This tool adds a simple coverage-per-cost score: total meaningful coverage minus the excess, divided by the price, giving a rough sense of how much protection you're getting for each unit of currency spent. A higher score means more coverage for the money, but it's a starting comparison point, not the final word — a plan with a slightly lower score but a materially higher medical coverage ceiling may still be the better choice if you're travelling somewhere healthcare is genuinely expensive.
Coverage numbers only tell part of the story. Two plans with identical headline medical coverage can differ hugely in what they actually exclude — pre-existing conditions, adventure sports, pregnancy-related care, or claims arising during a period of government travel advisories against your destination are common exclusions worth reading the policy wording for directly, since this comparator only captures the numbers you enter, not the fine print behind them.
Once you've settled on a plan, keep the confirmation and policy number alongside the rest of your paperwork — the Travel Document Checklist Generator includes insurance as a standard item across most trip types.
One final thought: consider an annual multi-trip policy instead of a single-trip plan if you travel internationally more than two or three times a year, since the maths frequently favours an annual plan once you add up what several single-trip policies would have cost individually across the year.
It depends heavily on your destination's healthcare costs — travel to countries with expensive private healthcare systems generally calls for a substantially higher medical coverage limit than travel to a country with lower treatment costs. Check typical treatment and evacuation costs for your specific destination as a benchmark.
Not necessarily — a higher excess usually lowers the premium, which can be a reasonable trade-off if you're financially able to cover a moderate out-of-pocket amount and mainly want protection against a genuinely large medical bill.
No, it only compares the numeric coverage figures you enter. Always read the actual policy wording for exclusions, since two plans with identical coverage numbers can differ significantly in what they will and won't pay out for.
Yes, use the 'Add another plan' button as many times as needed — the comparison table adds a new column for each plan.