Multi-trip travel insurance is a travel policy that covers multiple trips during a specified time. It provides coverage for a year from the effective date of your policy.
The benefits of these plans vary. There are medical-only plans that cover medical emergencies, but not trip cancellation. The more comprehensive or all-inclusive plans offer trip cancellation protection and baggage insurance on top of their medical coverage. Some travel insurers offer both.
The best multi-trip travel plans include these important benefits:
- Emergency medical: Covers emergency medical-related expenses during your trip such as doctor’s visits, X-rays, hospitalization and medication. May also include medical repatriation, non-medical emergency evacuation and medical follow-up in Canada.
- Trip cancellation: Reimburses up to the insured amount for prepaid, non-refundable and non-transferable expenses if you need to cancel your trip before you leave home due to a covered reason, such as a medical emergency or death.
- Trip interruption: Provides coverage for expenses if you need to cut your trip short and return home due to death, illness or injury, family emergencies or other reasons listed in the policy.
- Baggage insurance: If your bags get stolen or damaged, baggage insurance can help you recoup the costs. Baggage delay insurance will provide funds to tide you over for clothing and toiletries if your luggage is temporarily lost.
- Travel accident insurance: In the event that you’re killed or catastrophically injured due to an accident in flight, at an airport or in transit, this coverage will pay out to your family or estate.
Multi-trip plans have a per-trip duration limitation for trips outside Canada. For example, Manulife offers coverage for an unlimited number of trips each lasting up to four, 10, 18, 30 or 60 days.
Generally, the maximum trip length for each trip taken during the 364-day period ranges from 30 to 60 days. However, there are exceptions: Blue Cross offers multi-trip insurance for four, eight, 17, 31, 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 days per year.
