How Age Impacts Travel Insurance: What Seniors Should Know

Older travelers have higher medical risks, yet fewer travel insurance options. Standard policies decrease coverage and increase costs as you age. Pre-existing conditions like diabetes can also impact coverage. However, comparing policy limits and obtaining a pre-existing condition waiver can greatly improve your travel protection.

Let’s go over how age affects travel insurance, cost, and eligibility, including how you can improve your coverage.

Why Age Matters in Travel Insurance

How age affects travel insurance

The older you are when you purchase a policy, the more expensive it will be. Seniors tend to have greater injury risks and more pre-existing conditions.

Age can significantly impact the travel insurance premium. For a travel insurance policy with an average cost of $90, seniors might have to pay $150.

Finding the best travel insurance for seniors can be difficult, because you want an affordable policy that maintains good coverage.

Insurance companies assess risk based on many factors

Here are the main factors that influence the risk assessment of travel insurance companies:

• Age bracket
• Pre-existing health conditions
• Destination

Age thresholds for premium increases

Travel insurance typically goes up in cost based on whether you’ve reached certain thresholds. The older your generation, the more expensive the travel insurance policy. The common age brackets and their average travel insurance costs are:

• Gen X: 1965 - 1980; $120+
• Baby Boomers: 1946 - 1964; $150+
• Silent Generation: 1945 or earlier; $160+

Impact of life expectancy and health risk on travel insurance

Your expected life expectancy and existing health risks can greatly impact coverage options. If you have a lot of health risks, such as serious health problems, insurance companies may deny coverage. It becomes harder to find suitable travel insurance, but not impossible.

Typical Coverage Differences for Senior Travelers

Medical coverage limits

The medical coverage limit is the maximum amount of medical bills your travel insurance will cover for eligible claims. Coverage limits matter more for senior travelers since the risk of expensive medical claims is greater.

Exclusions based on age or pre-existing conditions

Travel insurance policies will list exclusions based on age and pre-existing health conditions. Standard policies will exclude medical bills that arise from pre-existing conditions that worsen while abroad.

Evacuation and repatriation coverage

Medevac and repatriation insurance is crucial for seniors. It is often sold as an upgraded or separate policy for senior travelers.

Travel evacuation insurance can cover:

• Emergency medical services
• Airlifts and air ambulances
• Ground transport

Trip cancellation due to age-related health risks

If you need to cancel your trip, you might lose your flight expenses, event costs, and other prepaid, nonrefundable expenses. Traveling as a senior can be more unpredictable due to life circumstances or abrupt health issues.

Trip cancellation insurance is a great way to protect your financial investment in a trip. That way you can use the funds on medical expenses, essentials, or a future trip instead.

You may need CFAR insurance so you can Cancel For Any Reason.

Common Restrictions and Exclusions

Pre-existing condition clauses

The definition of a pre-existing condition for travel insurance is usually a medical condition diagnosed before the purchase of the trip. Typically, travel insurance companies impose a look-back period between 30 and 180 days. When filing a claim, the insurance company will look back at recent changes to your health to see if the claim is related to a pre-existing medical condition.

Common pre-existing conditions include:

• Heart disease
• Asthma
• Diabetes

By purchasing a plan with a look-back period, you give the insurer your consent for them to access your medical records. All travelers should know that buying travel insurance usually requires giving consent.

Coverage caps for certain age brackets

Your age bracket may cap your coverage limit at a certain amount. Travel medical insurance can cover up to $1 million in emergency claims for those below 65. Travelers older than 65 may be capped at $100,000 or even less.

Emergency evacuation insurance is also typically capped for older travelers. You may only receive medevac insurance up to $25,000 or $100,000.

Destinations that may not be covered due to risk

Many destinations around the world are excluded from travel insurance due to being too high risk. Check if your trip route impacts insurance coverage.

Activities not covered

High-risk activities are excluded from standard travel insurance. Seniors should know what activities are usually not covered, such as:

• Hiking over 3000 meters
• Scuba diving
• Skydiving

If you do want an extreme sport or risky activity to be insured, consider an adventure sports add-on.

Travel Insurance Premiums for Seniors

How and why premiums increase with age

Health insurance policies are usually more expensive for individuals with greater health risks. Insurance companies decide your premium by assessing various risk factors. A prominent risk factor is your age, because health naturally declines with age. Travelers who are older are also more vulnerable to injuries and accidents, increasing the chance of medical claims.

Typical price comparison by age bracket

Let’s compare estimated travel insurance premiums by age bracket:

Below 65: $120 or lower 65+: $150 70-75: $170 75-80: $190-$220 80 and older: $200+ 100: Travel insurance companies usually do not insure travelers over the age of 100.

Of course, your total trip cost can also impact the price of travel insurance. Expensive trips will cost more to insure.

Tips for managing or reducing premium costs

Here are useful tips for reducing travel insurance cost for seniors.

Compare different insurers

Travel insurance premiums can vary quite a bit depending on which company you choose. Use our best travel insurance ranked to quickly compare the top features of different travel insurance companies.

Only cover what you need

Some travel insurance policies include extra coverage that you don’t need. For example, if you aren’t bringing valuable luggage, you don’t necessarily need baggage insurance.

Special Coverage Add-Ons for Seniors

How to get a pre-existing condition waiver

Obtaining a pre-existing condition waiver allows you to receive travel medical coverage for your upcoming trip.

Extended medical coverage or high-risk rider

Older travelers might want to upgrade their travel insurance medical insurance by choosing a higher coverage limit. This raises the insurance premium, but the extra coverage may be worth it. A small premium increase could save you hundreds of thousands of dollars in case of an emergency, preventing your retirement savings from taking a devastating hit.

A high risk rider can also help you mitigate risks accordingly, but this is only if you are planning on partaking in high risk activities, such as:

• Extreme sports
• Hiking or mountaineering
• Adventurous activities

Concierge and travel assistance services tailored to senior needs

Many good travel insurance companies offer global assistance hotlines that can help seniors who run into issues during their trip. Travel assistance services often include:

• Translation services
• Finding legal help
• ID theft protection

What Seniors Should Look for in a Policy

Comprehensive medical coverage with high limits

Medical coverage is one of the most important parts of travel insurance for travelers 65 and above. A normal policy could cover $50,000 or less on eligible medical claims. Choosing a more comprehensive coverage could raise the maximum limit to $100,000 or $1,000,000, providing better financial protection.

Easy claims process and 24/7 emergency assistance

Filing insurance claims can be a time-consuming and frustrating process. It’s best to choose a travel insurance company known for a simple and fast claims process, saving you a lot of stress in case of an emergency and providing prompt financial assistance.

A travel insurer with an emergency hotline or global assistance can also be incredibly useful. After you call them and describe your situation, they can help you figure out what the best next steps are. This is particularly useful if you’re traveling abroad to a place you’re unfamiliar with or they use a foreign language.

Clear terms around medication, mobility aids, and chronic illnesses

Ask about whether your medications, accommodations, or chronic illness will affect your insurance coverage. Knowing the influence can help you better choose a suitable policy, or at least not be caught off guard in the future.

Usually, travel insurance companies only cover a minimal amount (e.g. ~$2,500) if there is an unexpected recurrence of a pre-existing condition.

Multi-trip vs. single-trip policies for frequent travelers

Traveling the world sparks joy and excitement for many retirees. Let’s go over what is the difference between multi- and single-trip insurance for seniors.

Multi-trip insurance: Covers multiple trips over a year. Annual travel insurance will cost more.

Single-trip insurance: Covers only one trip: from when you leave home to when you return (you can usually visit multiple destinations). Trip duration is limited.

Recommended Travel Insurance Providers for Seniors

Overview of providers that specialize in senior or retiree travel insurance

Faye: With a 4.9 star rating out of 5, Faye helps you find comprehensive trip protection in under 60 seconds. Their 24/7 customer service from real humans is great for older travelers who want to ensure they’re getting optimal insurance coverage.

TravelInsurance.com: TravelInsurance.com lets you easily compare leading insurers for senior travel insurance. They are a member company of The US Travel Insurance Association and offer instant confirmation of coverage.

Generali Global Assistance: Generali Global Assistance is great for retirees who want a global, 24-hour Emergency Assistance line to protect them during their trip. There is even a free look period so you can cancel your plan for a full refund.

AARP, Allianz, and Travel Guard are also popular travel insurance providers you can check out.

Factors to compare beyond price

The senior travel insurance premium isn’t the only thing to compare. Make sure to consider the following when seeking travel insurance:

• Customer service
• Claim approval rate
• Customer reviews

Travel Tips for Older Travelers

Medical check-up before traveling

Before traveling, it’s a good idea to get a medical exam. Some medical conditions can unfortunately make travel much riskier or even unadvisable–only your physician can give medical advice.

Knowing your medical condition can help you procure suitable travel insurance. Note that being diagnosed or treated for issues could also impact your insurance coverage due to the pre-existing condition clause. In general, it’s better to be safe and take care of your health.

Bring a list of prescriptions and doctor’s notes

In case of an emergency, emergency workers need to know what the injured or sick patient is taking. Doctors' notes, a list of medications, and other details can help ensure you get the necessary care in case of an emergency.

Understand local medical care access and emergency protocols

Foreign locations may have different, more complex medical care. It’s best to research your destination in advance or ask the local embassy so you’re certain how to obtain local medical care or emergency assistance. An injury in a remote area, for example, may require an expensive airlift to a distant facility for emergency medical care.

Carry contact info for insurer and embassy

Always carry your travel insurance information with you during your trip. Write down the insurer’s email, phone number, your insurance ID, and other key information.

Telling the local embassy you’re traveling there and signing up for security alerts can be helpful, especially if you’re traveling to a higher risk destination.

Conclusion

Travel insurance is crucial for protecting older travelers, who face greater medical risks. Even though the travel insurance cost rises with age, securing the right policy can help you prevent a financial headache as you enjoy retirement.

Check out our travel insurance rankings to quickly see the top features of the best travel insurance for seniors and retirees.