AXA Assistance USA Overview

For those who have purchased travel insurance in the past, AXA Assistance USA may already be a familiar name. The French multinational insurance giant provides third-party international assistance services for many recognizable brands, including MetLife, Medical Mutual, and more. What you may not have known is that AXA Assistance USA also offers travel insurance options direct to consumers as well.

Should you get AXA Assistance USA before your next trip? In this article, we’ll break down everything you need to know about AXA travel insurance, and if it may be the best product for your vacation.

What is AXA Assistance USA

AXA was founded in 1816 as a mutual insurance company in Paris, France. For the first 160 years, the company provided insurance products for covered policies. Starting in 1978, the company started making strategic acquisitions which would see them expand into banking, financial products, health insurance and securities.

The company adopted the name AXA in 1982, not because it is an acronym, but rather because it is easily pronounced in any language. Today, the company operates in every inhabited continent in the world, and was rated one of the most powerful companies in the world based on global corporate control over financial stability.

The travel-focused side opened business in 1959, when Pedro Louis Poch started GESA, an insurance company focused on protecting travelers away from home. The company is credited as the first to offer medical repatriation to travelers, in the event they become seriously sick or injured when away from home.

In 1998, AXA purchased GESA, which transformed the country from a multi-service company into a travel-focused company. The group was renamed AXA Assistance, and works to assist travelers far from home. Today, AXA Assistance is focused on two different lines of service: providing insurance services for covered travelers, and assistance as part of other travel insurance products.

AXA Assistance USA Travel Insurance Options

AXA Assistance USA offers three comprehensive travel insurance policies for travelers, with varying levels of coverage based on their needs. Each plan covers many of the common concerns of international travelers, including trip cancellation protection, trip delay and baggage delay protection.

• AXA Assistance USA Silver: Silver is the entry-level product that offers basic coverage for small international trips. Travelers who select this plan can expect coverage for accidents and sickness, emergency medical evacuation, and baggage delay or loss.
• AXA Assistance USA Gold: Designed for those taking an expensive vacation which may include tours or cruises, the Gold plan offers a higher level of protection with increased maximums for trip interruption, trip delay and emergency medical evacuation. This plan also includes one optional buy-up: a $35,000 collision damage waiver for rental cars.
• AXA Assistance USA Platinum: The highest level of coverage available, the Platinum plan is designed for those planning a high-cost luxury tour, including sports and skiing vacations. In addition to offering the highest benefit maximums, the Platinum options also includes coverage for lost skier days, lost golf rounds, or sports equipment rental if the traveler’s equipment is delayed getting to their destination.

What’s Covered Under a Typical AXA Assistance USA Plan

Like other travel insurance options, AXA Assistance USA Plans offer coverage for the most common issues travelers face. This includes trip cancellation, trip delay, trip interruption, and emergency medical evacuation.

• Trip Cancellation: Even with the best-made plans, the unexpected can derail a trip in the blink of an eye. If a traveler or member of their immediate family gets sick, injured, or an accident happens on the way to the airport, trip cancellation can help covered families recover some of their non-refundable costs. Across all plans, the maximum allowed benefit is 100 percent of the covered trip cost.
• Trip Interruption: Tragedies can happen at any time -- even on vacation. If you are forced to return home because of a natural disaster at home, or the death of a loved one, trip interruption benefits can help you recover the costs of catching an emergency flight home. Benefits range from 100 percent of the insured trip cost with the Silver plan, to 150 percent of the insured trip cost with the Gold and Platinum plans.
• Trip Delay: If your flights are delayed and force you into an overnight stay, trip delay benefits can ensure the costs don’t have to come out of your pocket. With a daily and trip maximum, this benefit gives you an extra budget when the unexpected happens. Trip delay benefits range from $100 per day and a $500 maximum with the Silver plan, to $300 per day and $1,250 maximum with the Platinum plan.
• Emergency Medical Evacuation: If you get seriously sick or injured abroad and need to take an air ambulance home, do you know how you would pay the bill of $10,000 or more? Emergency medical evacuation benefits can help you not only book travel, but take care of the expenses as well. Benefit maximums range from $100,000 on the Silver plan, to $1 million on the Platinum plan.
• Sports Benefits: Every skier or golfer knows there are only so many days in the calendar to play. If your trip gets delayed, you could miss a day or two on the slopes, or that hard-to-book tee time. Available only with the Platinum plan, travelers can recover $25 per lost ski day, $500 for lost golf rounds, or $1,000 on sports equipment rental.

Are There Additional Coverage Options?

For those who choose the Gold or Platinum plan, there are two optional benefits available to add-on. Travelers on both plans can add on a collision damage waiver for rental cars, while those on the Platinum plan can add a Cancel for Any Reason benefit.

• Collision Damage Waiver: If you are driving in a country outside of North America, your auto insurance may not apply if you get in an accident. For a nominal fee, travelers can elect to purchase a collision damage waiver from AXA Assistance USA, which would cover accident damage to the vehicle. Those on the Gold plan can add a waiver with a maximum benefit of $35,000, while those on the Platinum plan can buy a $50,000 waiver.
• Cancel for Any Reason: Only available on the Platinum plan, Cancel for Any Reason allows travelers to change their mind about taking their trips at any time, for literally any reason. In turn, travelers can recover up to 75 percent of their non-refundable insured trip cost. This option must be purchased within 14 days of making the initial trip deposit.

How to Buy AXA Assistance USA Travel Insurance

AXA Assistance USA Travel Insurance plans are available on the large travel insurance marketplaces, including Squaremouth.com and InsureMyTrip.com. You can also purchase AXA Assistance USA plans directly from the company at their website, www.axatravelinsurance.com.

To get a quote, you will be asked for some limited information about your trip, including:

• Your state of residency
• Departure and return dates
• Date of first trip deposit
• Total anticipated trip cost
• Number of travelers and their ages

With this information, AXA Assistance USA will give you a quote for all three of their products. If you decide to purchase a plan, you will be asked to provide some personally identifiable information, including:

• Your name
• Address, city, state and ZIP Code
• Phone number and e-mail
• Birth date

You will also need to pay for your insurance policy using a major credit card. AXA Assistance USA accepts American Express, Discover, Mastercard and Visa.

How Will I Get my Travel Insurance Documents from AXA Assistance USA?

Like other travel insurance companies, your insurance documents will arrive electronically via e-mail. The information specific to your plan, including your explanation of benefits, should arrive once the insurance plan is confirmed by the company.

AXA Assistance USA Online Security

Information sent on the AXA Assistance USA website is protected by a SHA-256 SSL certificate. The security certificate is issued by GoDaddy Secure Certificate Authority.

AXA Assistance USA Reviews and Ratings

Although AXA is a multinational insurance provider, their AXA Assistance USA travel insurance plans are not underwritten by their parent company. Instead, products are provided by Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and affiliated companies, based in Columbus, Ohio. Insurance rating provider AM Best gives the company a financial strength rating of A+ (Superior), with a long-term issuer credit rating of aa- (Superior) and a stable outlook.

AXA Assistance USA is accredited by the Better Business Bureau, and holds an A+ rating with the nonprofit consumer advocacy group. The BBB has handled three complaints against AXA Assistance USA in the 12 months ending in February 2021, and a total of five complaints between 2016 and 2021.

At the travel insurance marketplaces, AXA Assistance USA holds a 4.5 rating out of five stars at InsureMyTrip.com, with 96 percent of travelers recommending their plans. Squaremouth.com users give the insurance plans a rating of 4.42 stars out of five, with only 37 negative reviews out of over 26,000 policies sold. The majority of complaints focused around the claims process, including the processing time and communications.

Pros and Cons of AXA Assistance USA

Pros:

• Three levels of coverage, offering a plan for every type of trip and budget
• Cancel for Any Reason add-on available with the Platinum plan
• Special coverage for sports vacations, including skiing and golf

Cons:

• Limited coverage options and maximums for low-budget travelers
• Add-on coverage limited to Gold and Platinum plans
• Cancel for Any Reason is an expensive add-on compared to other plans

Final Thoughts on AXA Assistance USA

For travelers planning an expensive trip to see the world, ski the greatest slopes, or play that once-in-a-lifetime round at an exclusive golf course, AXA Assistance USA offers plans that are tailor-made for their adventures. At their highest plans, AXA Assistance USA features increased benefit maximums and coverage options not found anywhere else, including non-medical emergency evacuation. For those who need extra benefits in the worst case scenario, you would be hard pressed to find better benefits than those found from this travel insurance provider.