Travelex vs Travel Guard: What's a Better Option for your Trip?
Written by Antonio Cala.
Table of Contents
Selecting the right travel insurance is essential for safeguarding your journey against unexpected events. Travelex and Travel Guard are two prominent providers, each offering distinct advantages tailored to various travel needs.
This article presents a comprehensive comparison of their insurance policies, focusing on coverage options, pricing, and customer service. Whether you’re planning a family vacation or a solo adventure, understanding the differences between Travelex and Travel Guard will help you make an informed decision, ensuring you have the best protection for your travels.
If you would like to know more about insurance options for adventure travel, make sure to check out our Complete Guide to Adventure Travel Insurance.
Travelex vs Travel Guard
Travelex
Travelex is an excellent choice for American residents planning high-ticket adventure trips, like adventure cruises or other excursions costing over $5-10k, especially if they require no more than $50k in medical coverage.
Travel Guard
Travel Guard offers a very similar policy to the one offered by Travelex, also focusing on high end travelers offering policies with very high trip protection value, ideal for those high-ticket vacations like adventure cruises, African safaris or other adventure trips that cost over $5-10k.
It covers a few more nationalities apart from Americans and the medical coverage is higher than Travelex.
Travelex in Detail
Nationalities: All nationalities are covered, as long as they are US residents.
Pre-existing conditions: Yes.
Seniors Over 65: Senior travel insurance package is offered to seniors over 65.
Trip Duration: Travel Select and Travel Basic plans cover trips up to 364 days. Travel America plan covers trips up to 14 days.
Groups: Individual and family plans available.
Destinations covered: Covers worldwide, except Ukraine, Syria, Iran, North Korea, Libya, Belarus, and Russian Federation.
Reasons To Buy
The price is competitive.
Pre–existing conditions accepted.
Covers worldwide, except Ukraine, Syria, Iran, North Korea, Libya, Belarus, and Russian Federation.
Reasons To Avoid
Only available to US residents.
They receive mixed reviews online.
Emergency Accident & Sickness Medical Expense: Up to $50,000. It comes with a dental coverage sublimit of $500
Emergency Evacuation: Up to $500,000. It comes with an escort coverage limit of $25,000.
Trip Cancellation: 100% of insured trip cost. It comes with a limit of $50,000.
Trip Interruption: 150% of insured trip cost. It comes with a limit of $75,000.
Trip Delay: Up to $2,000. The policy comes with a daily sublimit of $200 and a minimum delay of 5 hours
Baggage & Personal Effects: Up to $1,000. Items sublimits apply.
Additional Medical Coverage. Increase your medical expenses coverage by $50,000 and up your medical evacuation coverage by $500,000.
Adventure Sports. Get protection for participating in professional athletic events, ziplining, skydiving, mountain climbing, and traveling on any air-supported devices.
Cancel for Any Reason. Protect yourself against the unexpected – whatever it maybe – and cancel your trip for any reason up to 48 hours before your scheduled departure date.
The Travelex Select Plan is a great option for American residents going on high-ticket expedition-type trips, like adventure cruises, safaris or polar expeditions.
It covers 100% of your trip in case of cancellation (up to $50,000) and a decent medical coverage of $50,000.
Travel Guard in Detail
Nationalities: Only residents of the United States, Canada, Hong Kong, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Norway, Sweden, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand and UAE can purchase a Travel Guard insurance policy.
Pre-existing conditions: Yes.
Seniors Over 65: Travelers aged 65-75 are covered.
Trip Duration: All plans cover trips up to 364 days.
Groups: One children aged 17 and under is included with an adult policy at no extra cost.
Reasons To Buy
Highest medical expenses and trip cancellation/interruption coverage combined under the same policy.
Pre-Existing Medical Condition Exclusion Waiver Available (must be purchased within 15 days of the Initial Trip Payment).
Reasons To Avoid
Not all nationalities are covered.
Must be less than 75 years old.
Travel Medical Expense/Dental Expense: Up to $100,000/$500. Travel Medical Expense pays for medical expenses incurred due to a Sickness or Injury that happens while on a Trip. A $500 sub-limit applies for dental expenses.
Emergency Evacuation and Repatriation of Remains: Up to $1,000,000. Covers evacuation expenses as directed by a Physician to the nearest adequate medical facility or home in the event of death or if medically required.
Trip Cancellation: Up to 100% Insured Trip Cost. Reimburses nonrefundable, Unused payments or deposits if you must cancel your Trip due to an illness, Injury, or death of you, a Family Member, Traveling Companion or Business Partner, or for other covered reasons. Maximum of $150,000.
Trip Interruption: Up to 150% Insured Trip Cost: Reimburses nonrefundable, Unused payments or deposits if you must interrupt your Trip due to an illness, Injury, or death of you, a Family Member, Traveling Companion or Business Partner, or for other covered reasons. Maximum of $225,000
Trip Interruption – Return Transportation Only: Up to $1,000. Reimburses the additional Transportation expenses incurred by you to reach the Return Destination if your Trip is interrupted by one of the Unforeseen events shown in the Policy Trip Interruption section.
Trip Delay: Up to $1,000. Reimburses up to $200 per day for Reasonable Additional Expenses until travel becomes possible if your Trip is delayed for more than 5 hours due to covered reasons.
Baggage Coverage: Up to $2,500. Reimburses you if your luggage is lost, damaged, or stolen while on your Trip. Coverage is primary.
Trip Saver: Up to $5,000. Reimburses up to $5,000 for meals, Hotels and additional Transportation if the Insured must begin their Trip sooner than the originally scheduled Departure Date due to Inclement Weather or Common Carrier changes.
Baggage Delay: Up to $500. Reimburses you for the purchase of necessary personal effects if your bags are delayed for more than 12 hours.
Missed Connection: Up to $1,000. Reimburses you if Inclement Weather or Common Carrier causes cancellation or a delay to your point of departure of regularly scheduled airline flights for three or more hours. Does not apply if you do not leave adequate time between connecting flights.
Security Evacuation: Up to $100,000. Coverage for security evacuation, Flight Guard® and Trip Cancellation or Trip Interruption due to a riot or civil disorder.
Cancel for Any Reason Bundle. Reimburses up to the Maximum Limit shown on the Schedule of Benefits if you cancel your Trip for any reason, not otherwise covered under the Policy, up to 48 hours prior to your scheduled departure.
Adventure Sports Bundle. Removes the exclusions for adventure and extreme activities from all benefits on the Policy.
Pet Bundle. Daily benefit for boarding, and a medical expense coverage for illness or Injury of dog or cat while traveling. Includes coverage for Trip Cancellation or Trip Interruption if your Pet is in critical condition or dies within seven days prior to the Departure Date.
Wedding Bundle. Trip Cancellation due to wedding cancellation. Coverage does not apply if you are the bride or groom in the wedding.
The Travel Guard Deluxe plan is a great choice for travelers going on high end organized trips or expeditions.
It offers one of the highest trip cancellation coverage (up to $150,000), a very competitive medical coverage up to $100,000 and emergency evacuation up to $1,000,000.
Travel Guard is not the cheapest, doesn’t get the best online reviews but on paper their policies offer more than those from Travelex.
Comparing Coverage Details
Company |
Plan |
Medical Expenses |
Emmergency Evacuation |
Trip Cancellation |
Trip Delays |
Equipment Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Select |
$50,000 |
$500,000 |
$50,000 |
150% |
$1,000 |
 |
Deluxe |
$100,000 |
$1,000,000 |
100% |
150% |
$2,500 |
Pricing
Travel Guard is more expensive than Travelex, but they offer bigger coverage with their policies.
Just to give you an idea, a policy for a week-long trip to Peru for a 40 year old male from Florida will cost approximately $167 (Basic) and $243 (Select) with Travelex, and $265 (Preferred) and $355 (Deluxe) with Travel Guard.
What's Covered & Who's Eligible
Company |
Nationalities Covered |
Preexisting Conditions |
Coverage for Seniors Over 65 |
Destinations Covered |
Adventure Activities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Only US residents |
Yes |
No age limit |
Most countries covered |
Most of them |
|
|
Only 14 |
Yes |
Yes, up to 75 |
Some not covered |
Some not covered |
User Reviews and Testimonials
Insurance companies normally get a lot of bad reviews from angry customers due to complex policy wording, bad customer service or the difficulty of making a claim.
Travelex receives a good mix of positive and negative reviews online. However, Travel Guards gets mostly negative reviews from angry travelers, so if you decide to go with Travel Guard make sure you read your policy completely.
Travelex Online Reviews
Travel Guard Online Reviews
Conclusion
You will only have to decide between the two if you live in the United States, as Travelex is only offered to American residents.
If you are looking for a more affordable policy, that offers trip protection for high-ticket trips with decent medical coverage (up to $50k) the Travelex-Select is definitely the best option of the two. It gets good reviews and the policies are affordable.
If you don’t live in the US, or want to get a higher medical coverage with your policy (up to $100k) and still receive the trip cancellation coverage for your high-end vacation, Travel Guard – Deluxe is the best choice. Just be aware that Travel Guard doesn’t get the best reviews online.
Other Travel Insurance Reviews
If you would like to read more about other insurance companies for adventure travelers, you can check out our other reviews below:
- Allianz
- Dive Assure
- Divers Network Alert
- Global Rescue
- Faye
- Medjet
- Ripcord
- SafetyWing
- Travel Guard
- Travelex
- World Nomads
If you would like to read more about insurance options for other type of adventure trips, you can check out our other reviews below:
- Skiing & Snowboarding
- Hiking Trips
- Mountaineering & High Altitude Trekking
- Mountain Biking, Bike-touring & Bike-packing
- Rock Climbing, Ice Climbing & Bouldering
- Kayaking, White Water Rafting & Paddle Boarding
- Fishing & Spearfishing
- Diving Liveaboards & Freediving
- Sailing, Kite Surfing & Surfing
- Adventure Cruises
- Adventure Motorcycling
Other Reviews Online
If you want to read other articles to understand the differences between Travelex and Travel Guard, here are some articles I found interesting.
Travelex Travel Insurance Review 2024 – by Forbes
The Complete Guide to AIG Travel Guard Insurance – by nerdwallet.com
About the Author
Antonio was born and raised in Southern Spain, and quit his job in 2013 to travel the world full-time with his wife Amanda for 10 years straight. Their passion for adventure took them to visit 150+ countries.
They cycled 25,000km + from California to Patagonia, sailed over 10,000NM around the Caribbean & Sea of Cortez, rode their motorbikes 30,000 kms+ across West Africa (Spain to South Africa) and visited Antarctica, among many other adventure expeditions. Today, they’re still traveling, currently around the USA with an RV.
Traveling to so many places, remote destinations and by different means taught them a lot about travel insurance, which policies to hold depending on the area and the type of adventure they were doing. Antonio now publishes regular content to help other travelers choose the best travel insurance for adventure trips.
Together, they also run the travel community Summit, the RV site Hitched Up, the boutique accommodation blog Unique Places and the popular newsletter Adventure Fix, where they share their knowledge about the places they’ve visited and the ones still remaining on their list.
Antonio Cala
Co-Founder of Adventure Fix