1. What is iati travel insurance?
Iati travel insurance is a company that was established in 1885. Ever since, the company has adapted its insurance business into the company we know today. They take great pride in providing excellent service and the bond they create with their clients.
2. Things to consider when purchasing a plan
I’m sure if you search for travel insurance, you’ll run into several options. All travel insurance aren’t created equal. Therefore, before you purchase the a travel insurance policy, there are several factors you have to take into consideration.
Not all insurance plans are created equal, it is important to purchase a policy that best fits your need. For example, if you are planning on engaging in adventure sports or high altitude mountaineering, it’s crucial to choose a plan that covers those specific activities.
In order to determine if a travel insurance company offers comprehensive insurance plans, make sure it includes the following:
– A minimum of $50,000 of medical coverage.
– Coverage in almost all countries.
– Costumer service 24h / day. –
– Costumer service in your language.
– Possibility of adding trip cancellation.
– Coverage for electronic devices.
– Repatriation or early return.
3. Why choose iati travel insurance?
As mentioned before, the company has a vast history which dates back to the 1800’s. They have an experienced team ready to help you at all times. In addition to having a long and successful history, iati travel insurance also offers comprehensive coverage and a variety of plans to suit all types of travelers.
You must consider if your policy pays the medical bill directly or later reimburses any costs that you may pay. It is better to have the insurance company pay the bill directly and avoid having to wait for the company to reimburse your money. With iati travel insurance, you don’t have to worry about that, they’ll take care of the bill directly with the health center.
4. Different insurance plans offered by iati
Iati travel insurance offers 3, sometimes 4, different insurance plans, depending on your country of residence. They offer IATI Basic, IATI Standard, IATI Backpacker and IATI Star. I’ve arranged the plans from most affordable to most expensive. The most expensive plan offer the most comprehensive coverage, obviously.
Below, you can see a chart of the different plans and how the compare to each other. As mentioned before, not all 4 plans are available in every scenario. The chart below is an example of a trip from the United States to Europe as a U.S resident.
| IATI BASIC | IATI BACKPACKER | IATI STAR | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical assistance abroad (COVID-19 Included) | 50.000€ | 500.000€ | 1.000.000€ (extended up to 4.800.000€) |
| Dental expenses | 100€ | 350€ | 500€ |
| Personal injury in motor vehicle accidents | Included | Included | Included |
| Convalescence in a hotel (COVID-19 included) | 588€ | 840€ | 1.400€ |
| Repatriation | 100% coverage | 100% coverage | 100% coverage |
| Theft and damage of luggage | 500€ | 1.500€ | 2.500€ |
| Delayed delivery of checked baggage | 90€ | 300€ | 300€ |
| Adventure sports | not covered | Included | Included |
| Defence for criminal liability abroad | 3.000€ | not covered | 3.000€ |
After taking a look at this chart, you probably have a better idea of what plan may best suit your needs. Later in the post you’ll see an example of the difference rates for iati travel insurance plans.
Below, you can see an example of how much travel insurance cost for a 2-week trip from the United State to Europe. If you are a bit indecisive, you can select and compare up to 3 insurance plans and choose the plan that best suits your trip.
2-week trip with IATI Standard costs: €50,63
2- week trip with IATI Basic costs: €40,68
2-week trip with IATI Backpacker costs: €71,44
2-week trip with IATI Star costs: €89,92
As you can see, iati travel insurance offers a wide range of prices fitted for all budgets.
5. What I like most about iati travel insurance
There are several reasons why I like iati travel insurance plans besides having comprehensive coverage and covering COVID-19. Below, I’ll list a few characteristics about iati that I like:
No Money Up Front
If you need to make a claim for any reason and need medical assistance, rest assure that you will not have to pay a single penny out of pocket. Iati travel insurance will take care of all medical cost, from the first dime, to the last one. As mentioned prior, its very important to purchase an insurance policy that doesn’t require payment upfront.
24hr Costumer Service
24hr customer service is another very important aspect to consider when purchasing travel insurance. Iati travel insurance has a team of experts ready to take care of you anytime, anywhere. The representatives at iati will help you in your language.
Iati Travel Insurance App
Iati offers all its clients and exclusive app where you can make claims, calls and review your policy. This comes in handy when traveling and you do not have data service. You will be able to make calls through wifi if you do not have cellphone service.
6. What coverage does IATI star plan offer?
As you may have noticed, IATI Star is the most comprehensive insurance plan offered by the company. It is also iati’s newest plan. Below, you can find more information about the plan and its coverage:
Medical Coverage
– Medical assistance abroad: (€1.000.000) Extendable up to €4.800.000. Iati covers medical and hospital expenses as a result of illness or injury in an accident. (COVID-19 included)
– Dental expenses: (€500) iati travel insurance covers dental expenses as a result of and acute problem (infections, pain, trauma or after an accident).
Convalescence
– Convalescence: iati travel insurance covers the costs of hotel stays (up to €100/day for 14 days), if the doctor deems you unable to return home.
– Repatriation: IATI Star plan offers 100% coverage for repatriation or transport of other injured persons or remains, early return due to hospitalization, serious accidents, natural disasters or border closure. Consult their website for more intricate details about what is covered.
Baggage Coverage & Delays
– Baggage coverage: (€2.500) Iati covers the cost of stolen bags using violence or force. A police report is required for this coverage to apply. The plan also covers €120 if your bags are delayed and need essential items or medication. Consult their website for more intricate details.
– Delays during your journey: (€300) in coverage for delayed checked luggage and delayed departure. €350 for missed connections. €150 change of airline service after ticket purchase and missed transport due to accident. Consult their website for more intricate details.
Adventure Sports
– Adventure sports: Included. In the graphic below, you can see which adventure sports are covered in the IATI Star plan. You can also add additional coverage for extra activities.
Emergency Assistance & Legal Coverage
– Emergency assistance: If you need to contact your family as a result of a claim but you are unable to, Iati travel insurance will send it for you. If you need emergency cash assistance, iati will loan you €3.000 and you will have 30 days to pay them back.
– Legal coverage: (€60.000) in personal civil liability, €3.000 in defense for criminal liability abroad, damage claims, claims in purchase and service contract abroad.
– Accidents: (€18.000) in compensation in the event of partial or total disability. €4.000 in the event of
death.
Optional Add-Ons for your iati travel insurance plan
– Optional coverage: You can add cruise coverage to your IATI star plan. You can also add €5.000 in cancellation coverage.
As you can see, IATI Star plan offers extensive coverage for anyone who needs comprehensive travel insurance.
7. How to purchase IATI travel insurance with a 5% discount
If you’ve never purchased travel insurance before and need help doing so, don’t worry, I will guide step by step on how to purchase IATI travel insurance. Click on this link and follow the steps below to purchase your plan.
1. Once you are on IATI’s homepage, begin entering your trip information and country of residence. On the last tab, you can select which type of insurance you want to purchase (travel insurance, cancellation insurance, student insurance, etc). Once you’ve entered all the information required, click on “get quote”.
2. You will be taken to a page where you can view all the plans available for your trip. IATI travel insurance offers up to 4 plans. In this section, you can select up to 3 plans and compare their coverage. You will notice that a 5% discount is automatically applied. Once you’ve found the plan that best fits your trip, click on “contract”.
Once you do so, a window will pop up displaying different add ons you can purchase with your plan. Depending on the plan you’ve selected, you may see more or less options. Select as many optional add ons as you need and click “continue”.
3. Fill in your personal information and tick the 3 boxes at the bottom of the page. Then click “continue”.
4. After you’ve completed step three, you will be taken to a page displaying a brief summary of your plan o the left side and a the available payment methods on the right. Select your preferred payment method and click “pay”.
5. You will be directed to a payment portal where you can insert your card information. Once you’ve done so, click “pay”. After you’ve completed all the steps above, you will receive an email with all your policy information. You can later download the IATI app and create an account where you can view your policy and coverage.
8. Can I purchase iati travel insurance if I’m already traveling?
Yes! I didn’t find specific information about this topic on their website. Therefore, I chatted with a representative online and this is a summary of what they said:
“As you are already traveling, we have 2 insurances that you could take out: IATI STAR and IATI BACKPACKER. If you click on each link, you will have the coverage summary and a PDF with the detailed coverage of each product. You can see prices and purchase the policy if you wish from here. You have to take into account that it takes 72 hours for the coverage to be activated after purchase, so you would have to purchase the plan 3 days before your current insurance ends to be covered all the time.
In the country of residence you have to indicate the country where you would like to be repatriated if necessary and in the origin and destination of the trip, indicate the country where you are. In this way you will also be covered in all the countries of Europe or the world, depending on the case”. – Julieta from iati
It is possible to purchase iati travel insurance while being on a trip already; however, the standard and basic plans, which are the most affordable plans, are not available. You can only purchase the premium plans.
Now that you have purchased iati travel insurance, it’s time to continue planning your trip. If you need help doing so, feel free to read my post on how to plan a trip.
I hope this post has helped you understand why it is necessary to travel with travel insurance. Traveling with insurance doesn’t add a lot of expenses to your budget, if you’re unlucky, it can actually save you a lot. If you have any questions or concerns, I encourage you to leave a comment or email me. Until next time, travelers!
One Response
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