Where to Buy Travel Insurance in 2025
Purchasing travel insurance is easier now than ever before. With hundreds of travel insurance policies and providers at your fingertips, travelers can find, compare, and purchase insurance coverage in minutes. But with so many options available, knowing how and where to buy travel insurance can get overwhelming.
Below, we’ll discuss some popular places where today’s travelers are finding trip insurance, as well as some travel tips to keep in mind as you browse different options for your next trip.
Where to Buy Travel Insurance in 2025
A comprehensive travel insurance policy is a smart way to protect yourself from financial loss when things don’t go as planned. Based on recent claims data, travel insurance policies reimbursed travelers like you roughly $2,200 on average, which oftentimes is about the total trip cost.
While it can be tempting to purchase the first policy you see, finding the right policy at the best price may involve patience. Below, we’ve listed some of the best places to buy travel insurance coverage for U.S. residents.
Direct From Travel Insurance Providers
Many reputable travel insurance companies offer adequate trip protection. Like buying an airline ticket or hotel stay, you can purchase travel insurance for your upcoming trip by visiting the company’s website, calling its customer service department, or even using its app.
The best travel insurance providers will make finding the right travel insurance plan for your trip easy. However, booking directly through a provider makes it difficult to easily compare plans from competitors and shop around for a better price.
Recommended For: Travelers with a preferred provider and those who have had a great experience with a travel insurance company.
When Purchasing Flights, Cruises or Hotels
Many airlines, hotels, and other travel suppliers now offer travel protection as an add-on when booking. This method provides a convenient and streamlined way to protect prepaid, non-refundable trip costs.
These policies are usually offered through partnerships with third-party travel insurance companies and can vary widely regarding premiums, benefits, and covered reasons. For some, the plans offered by travel suppliers may fit their budgets and travel needs. However, travelers may find better coverage with lower premiums by shopping around.
Recommended For: Travelers prioritizing convenience over coverage and wanting a simple travel insurance solution.
From Travel Insurance Comparison Sites
Here on Squaremouth, you can instantly compare travel insurance policies from multiple providers, including single-trip, multi-trip, and annual plans. To get a quote, travelers can simply enter basic details about their upcoming trip, such as their destination, state of residence, age, and the type of insurance coverage they’re looking for.
Many comparison sites encourage past customers to leave travel insurance reviews and share their experiences, helping future travelers find a trusted, reputable policy. Comparison sites can also filter and sort policies, making finding a travel insurance plan that fits your needs and budget easy.
Recommended For: Travelers who want to find the best travel insurance policy at the lowest price and don’t have the time or patience to compare policies independently.
Through Your Travel Credit Cards
In addition to attractive sign-on bonuses and benefits, many high-end travel credit cards offer trip cancellation insurance, emergency medical travel insurance, and other travel protection to cardholders at an annual fee. Generally, this protection can reimburse cardholders for canceled trips, missed connections, and lost luggage. More luxury cards may also offer emergency evacuation coverage and assistance services.
While these plans come included in the card’s benefits package, the coverage limits and benefits may not be adequate for your trip. In addition, credit card travel insurance plans often come with strict exclusions that affect what’s covered, making filing a successful claim more difficult.
Recommended For: Travelers with travel credit cards offering trip protection to meet their trip needs.
Through A Travel Agent
Travel agents work closely with airlines, hotels, tour operators, and other vendors to curate unique travel plans for their clients. Many modern agents recommend travel insurance policies and may offer the option to add one to a trip.
If you plan to have an agent handle the travel insurance process, we recommend specifying your major travel concerns. This will help your agent determine how much medical coverage, travel delay protection, and other types of trip protection to include in your coverage.
Recommended For: Travelers working with an agent they trust who has connections, partnerships, or years of experience with travel insurance providers.
Travel Insurance Buying Tips
Purchasing travel insurance is a significant first step in financially protecting yourself on a trip. However, being overseas with the wrong policy could lead to stressful situations if you need to file a claim.
Below are a few travel tips to remember as you search for a travel insurance plan.
Know What Type of Travel Insurance Coverage You Need
Before searching, consider your upcoming itinerary and which benefits are essential to you. This exercise will help you better evaluate policies and focus on the plans that meet your specific criteria.
For example, cruise users may search for cruise-specific policies with high Medical Evacuation coverage. At the same time, those nervous about Trip Interruption may purchase a policy with generous Trip Cancellation coverage.
Higher Cost Doesn’t Mean Better Coverage
A common misconception about travel insurance is that a higher premium means better coverage. But that’s not always the case. We often urge our users to buy travel insurance with the cheapest premium that provides the proper coverage.
In some situations, providers could offer identical coverage but differ widely in prices. Don’t let this get to your head. If a policy meets your trip’s criteria and the provider has positive reviews within the travel community, getting cheaper coverage is a great way to get travel protection and save money.
Consider Travel Medical Insurance
According to a recent Squaremouth survey, roughly 60% of travel insurance customers purchased a policy to cover unexpected medical expenses while traveling. This is especially true for international travel since most primary healthcare plans don’t provide coverage overseas.
Medical travel insurance plans can be purchased as part of a comprehensive travel insurance policy or a medical-only plan. Both include coverage in the event of medical emergencies and may cover the cost of medical care and emergency evacuations while traveling.
Start Your Search Early
Almost more important than knowing where to buy travel insurance is knowing when to purchase travel insurance. Timing is everything when searching for a policy for your upcoming trip, and the earlier you begin your search, the better.
Not only does securing your policy early give you more coverage and peace of mind, but it also opens the doors to time-sensitive travel insurance benefits. Buying a policy within 14 days of your first trip deposit—whether it be a plane ticket, hotel reservation, or other trip-related booking—could make you eligible for benefits like CFAR, a waiver for pre-existing medical conditions, and additional trip cancellation coverage, which could be beneficial for your trip.