Travel insurance comparison, without the fine-print headache

It depends on how much money you would lose if you had to cancel and how much a medical emergency could cost where you are going. For prepaid international trips, cruises and trips to places where your health plan does not pay, many travelers find it worthwhile. For cheap, refundable domestic trips it often is not.

Comprehensive plans are commonly priced as a percentage of the insured trip cost, and the percentage rises with age. Because the number moves with destination, coverage and state, use our premium estimator for a rough range and get actual quotes before deciding.

Often not, or only partly. Many U.S. plans limit or exclude care outside the country, and Original Medicare generally does not pay for care abroad except in narrow situations. Check your plan's out-of-country benefits and consider a medical plan that includes evacuation.

It is a policy rule that denies claims related to a condition you had or were treated for during a look-back period before the policy started. Some plans waive it if you buy within a set number of days of your first trip payment and meet other conditions.

Soon after you make your first trip payment. Several benefits, including pre-existing condition waivers and cancel-for-any-reason upgrades, require purchase within a limited window.

Not for events already happening or known. A policy covers unforeseen events that occur after the coverage starts, so buying after a diagnosis, storm warning or airline strike announcement will usually not cover that event.

No. Standard cancellation covers only listed reasons such as illness or a death in the family. Cancel for any reason is an optional upgrade that reimburses a portion of your costs for reasons outside that list, subject to purchase timing rules.

Read the denial letter, gather any missing documents and use the insurer's appeal process. If you still disagree, you can file a complaint with your state insurance department.