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You are here: Home > Tips and Advice > Choosing > Travel assistance vs. travel insurance

What is the difference between travel assistance and travel insurance?

While these terms are sometimes used interchangeably, they are actually very different types of coverage.

  • Travel assistance provides support services in case of an emergency while traveling.
  • Travel insurance provides monetary compensation for losses that occur while traveling.

Both types of coverage can be purchased for single trips or multiple trips throughout the year. Travel assistance plans are relatively affordable, and unlike travel insurance, you pay a set rate that isn’t based on the cost of your trip.

While individual plans may vary, the following outlines what each type of coverage provides.

Travel assistance provides:

Travel insurance provides reimbursement for:

  • Lost or delayed baggage tracking
  • Access to a medical help line
  • Emergency medical evacuation and repatriation
  • Emergency travel arrangements
  • Replacing lost or forgotten prescriptions
  • Legal, medical, dental and pharmaceutical referrals
  • Emergency cash advances and credit card replacement
  • Multi-lingual translation
  • Lost or stolen baggage and the costs related to delayed baggage
  • Unexpected costs due to missed connections and travel delays
  • Pre-paid travel costs if the trip is canceled or interrupted for a covered reason
  • Flight accidents, loss of life or limb
  • Costs related to replacing lost or stolen passports or visas
  • Costs related to emergency evacuations or repatriation
  • Costs due to medical or dental emergencies
  • Costs due to a damaged or stolen rental car

Plus multi-lingual world-wide travel assistance services when a traveler needs to find local medical care, arrange for emergency transportation, track lost baggage, and more.

The key difference is that travel assistance is an assistance services plan and travel insurance is more like a typical insurance plan that provides protection for monetary losses that can occur while traveling.

Related topics

  • What travel insurance covers
  • What travel insurance does not cover
  • When travel insurance is not necessary

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About this website

Damian Tysdal Profile PhotoMy name is Damian, and I started this website in 2006 to help travelers understand travel insurance.

The site features company reviews, guides, articles, and many blog posts to help you better understand travel insurance and pick the right plan for your trip (assuming you actually need travel insurance).

I am also a licensed travel insurance agent, and you can get a quote and purchase through this site as well.

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