The cover people buy in a hurry and read only after something goes wrong.
Travel insurance is cheap, easy to buy badly, and the product with the highest rate of refused claims. Almost every refusal comes down to the same thing: a health question answered loosely.
Talk to us before you go What it coversEmergency medical, cancellation, baggage and visitors to Canada
Anyone leaving the province, and family visiting from abroad
Where, how long, who is travelling, and any health conditions
Do I need travel insurance if I have provincial health coverage?
Yes. Your BC health coverage pays very little outside the province and almost nothing outside Canada. A hospital stay in the United States can run into six figures, and provincial plans reimburse only a small fraction of it. Emergency medical travel insurance is what covers the gap, and it is inexpensive relative to what it protects.
A hospital stay in the United States can run into six figures, and your provincial plan pays a small fraction of it. If a health question was answered loosely, the claim can be refused entirely and the bill is yours.
The same applies inside Canada. Another province covers the doctor, not the air ambulance home.
Four different products, often sold as one.
Emergency medical
Hospital, doctors, ambulance and repatriation while you are away. The part that actually matters financially.
Trip cancellation and interruption
Non-refundable costs if you cannot go, or have to come home early. Must usually be bought soon after you book.
Baggage and travel delay
Lost luggage, missed connections and the costs of being stuck. Modest amounts, useful in the moment.
Visitors to Canada
For parents and relatives visiting you. They have no provincial coverage at all, which surprises most families.
Annual multi-trip
If you travel more than twice a year, usually cheaper than buying each time.
Snowbird and long-stay
Extended trips need specific arrangement, and the stability rules matter more the longer you are away.
Why travel claims get refused.
This is the most useful thing on this page. Three causes account for most refusals, and all three are avoidable before you leave.
Pre-existing conditions
Policies require your health to have been stable for a set period before departure. A medication change or a new test can break that, even if you feel fine.
The medical questions
Answered quickly at a website checkout, then reviewed properly at claim time. Answer them slowly and completely.
Buying too late
Cancellation cover usually has to be bought close to booking. Buying it a week before departure can leave the reason you cancel uncovered.
A situation we see.
A blood pressure medication is adjusted three weeks before a trip. The traveller feels perfectly well and forgets to mention it. A cardiac event abroad is then assessed against a stability period that was broken by the dosage change.
Your credit card probably has some cover. Check it before you rely on it.
It is real, and it is usually narrower than people assume.
Credit card travel cover commonly has an age cut-off, a trip-length limit of a few weeks, and stricter pre-existing condition rules than a standalone policy. Plenty of travellers discover this at the hospital rather than at the bank.
Bring us the card’s certificate of insurance and we will read it. If it is enough for your trip, we will tell you so and sell you nothing. If it is not, you will know exactly where the gap is.
What travellers ask us.
Does BC health coverage work outside the province?
Barely. It pays a small fraction of out-of-province costs and almost nothing outside Canada, and it does not pay for an air ambulance home. That gap is what travel insurance is for.
What is a stability period?
The length of time your medical conditions must have been unchanged before you leave, commonly 90 or 180 days, depending on the policy. A change in medication or dosage can restart the clock, even if you feel perfectly well.
Can I get travel insurance with a pre-existing condition?
Usually yes. It may cost more, or the condition may be excluded, or you may need a medical questionnaire. What matters is declaring it accurately rather than hoping it will not come up.
My parents are visiting from overseas. Do they need cover?
Yes, and it is important. Visitors have no provincial health coverage in Canada, so a fall or a heart problem is billed directly to them or to you.
When should I buy trip cancellation cover?
As close as possible to when you book and pay a deposit. Buying later can leave the very reason you end up cancelling outside the cover.
Is my credit card travel insurance enough?
Sometimes, for short trips at younger ages. Check the age limit, the maximum trip length and the pre-existing condition wording. Bring us the certificate and we will read it with you.
Ask before you book, not after.
Tell us where you are going, for how long, who is travelling and any health conditions. Five minutes now beats a refused claim later.