What is Faye?

Faye is a travel insurtech company that launched in 2022. The company sells and performs claims administration for whole-trip travel insurance policies underwritten by United States Fire Insurance Company. Coverage is customizable and available for emergency medical coverage, trip delay coverage, and other options. Travelers can get a quote, purchase coverage, and file a claim digitally online and via the company’s mobile app.

Faye Travel Insurance Products

Travelers can opt for Faye’s base whole-trip coverage plan and on more coverage for a more customized plan. Faye’s Base Plan includes the following coverage types:

• COVID-19. Coverage for emergency medical expenses and trip interruption expenses if you get COVID and have to change your travel plans.
• Pre-existing medical conditions. Pre-existing conditions are covered for travelers who are medically able to travel when they purchase the plan and when they do so within 14 days of their initial trip deposit.
• Missed connections. If you experience a delay of three hours or more and it causes you to miss a connection, you may be reimbursed for up to a set amount.
• Emergency medical expenses: If you experience sudden illness or injury in-trip, including COVID-19, you can be covered for up to $250K (for international trips) on prescription drugs, hospitalization and physician costs.
• Lost or damaged belongings. Faye provides coverage for damaged baggage, lost or damaged sporting and professional equipment, and lost passports or credit cards. Insured travelers can also get reimbursed if bags get delayed, with coverage caps linked to the length of the delay and receipt availability.
• Trip delay, interruption, and cancelation. Travelers get coverage for up to 100% of the non-refundable trip costs, up to the policy limit, for cancelations. Faye can also reimburse for expenses due to delays and interruptions.
• Reimbursement for travel inconveniences. Travelers receive $200 per covered trip inconvenience, such as canceled or delayed flights, with a $600 cap.
• Medical and non-medical evacuation. Faye customers receive coverage for non-medical evacuations and emergency medical evacuation expenses.

Available add-on coverage includes:

• Cancel for any reason. Add-on coverage is available in case you have to cancel for any reason (up to 75% of non-refundable trip costs).
• Pet care. Customers can get reimbursed for additional veterinary expenses and kenneling if they arrive home later than expected.
• Vacation rental damage protection. If your vacation rental or its contents are accidentally damaged during your stay, you can be reimbursed for a certain amount of repair/replacement costs.
• Adventure and extreme sports. Some travel insurance doesn’t cover extreme activities, but Faye offers add-on coverage for medical expenses related to injuries due to covered adventures or extreme sports.
• Rental car care: Customers are covered in the event of accidental damage to your rental car like collision, vandalism, natural disaster or theft related to your rental car.

Key Features of Faye

Faye offers a totally digital travel insurance experience from quote to claim. Customers can opt for the company’s Base Plan and build onto it with optional add-on coverage. Policies are underwritten by United States Fire Insurance Company, which has an A (Excellent) rating from AM Best.

• Customizable coverage. Faye lets travelers choose its Base Plan, which includes general, comprehensive health-, trip-, and property-related coverage. Plans are further customizable with add-on coverage, including rental car care, adventure and extreme sports protection, vacation damage protection, pet care, and “cancel for any reason” coverage.
• Digital claims process. Customers can file a claim through the company’s mobile app, which is available for iOS and Android users. Unlike some insurtech platforms that do not handle claims in-house, travelers do not have to work with a third-party provider.
• 24/7 customer service. Faye customers can contact the company’s customer support team 24 hours a day and seven days a week - including on holidays. Reps are available via telephone, email, Whatsapp and chat through the Faye mobile app.
• Flexible refunds. Travel insurance can be canceled with a full refund up to 14 days after purchase, as long as your trip hasn’t started, you haven’t incurred a loss, and you haven’t filed a claim.

Faye Pros and Cons

Faye offers a streamlined approach to getting customized whole-trip travel insurance online. That said, there are some things to consider before committing to coverage.

Pros

• Offers an online tool that lets travelers see a detailed quote before committing to coverage
• Policies are buildable, so travelers can choose the holistic base coverage they need without paying for unnecessary insurance and then add-on coverage extras that may or may not relate to the trip (like rental car care and vacation rental damage protection)
• The online claims process can be completed via the company’s mobile app
• Reimbursements can be made via the company’s mobile app feature, Faye Wallet, a secure digital debit card that you can add to your phone’s digital wallet
• Customers can take advantage of 24/7 customer support, including making changes to trip dates and coverage or even asking for suggestions on tours and where to dine
• Faye’s app provides real-time flight alerts after customers plug in their info - including delays, cancellations and gate changes

Cons

• Unavailable to residents of the United States Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and Puerto Rico
• Customers cannot extend trip coverage if they decide to extend their travel
• Coverage is only available for up to 180 days, or about six months
• Coverage is not available for destinations in Afghanistan, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Russia, Syria, and Ukraine

Who is Faye Best For?

In general, Faye is best for US residents planning a vacation in the United States or internationally, including cruises.

Faye may be best for:

• Customers who want to customize a plan that matches their travel needs
• Customers who prefer to manage their insurance coverage digitally
• Customers who plan to travel for fewer than 160 days
• Customers who are on a fixed travel budget
• Customers who enjoy around the clock, proactive support

How to get a Faye travel insurance policy

If you’re planning a trip, navigate to Faye’s website and click on the “Check pricing” button. Then, add rip details, including where you’re going, the dates of your trip, and how many people are traveling with you. Then, add contact information and birthdates for each member of your party. Faye’s quote builder will create a policy that you can then modify based on coverage preferences.

Because Faye offers its Base Plan plus optional add-ons, your base price will be displayed at the top of the quote page. This includes health coverage, trip coverage, and protection for other items like lost or damaged baggage. Increase or decrease the estimated trip cost (maximum reimbursement amount) to see how it impacts the cost of coverage. Likewise, scroll down to available add-ons to see how they impact the overall cost of the policy. Click on “Add” or “Remove” to customize coverage.

Once you have built a plan that meets your needs, click on the “Get covered” button at the bottom of the screen. At this point, you’ll be asked to enter your credit card information to process the payment through Stripe.

Faye vs. Travel Guard

Travel Guard is travel insurance offered by AIG Travel and American International Group, Inc., meaning it has a more established online presence than Faye. In contrast to Faye, coverage is available to residents of all US states and the District of Columbia. Both platforms allow customers to get quotes online, and Travel Guard also publishes general details about its Essential, Preferred, and Deluxe plans. Travel Guard offers 24-hour concierge assistance, whereas Faye offers 24/7 customer support for its policy-holders specifically.

Methodology

When looking at insurance carriers, we want to know that our customers are working with the best. This is why we search for carriers that have high AM Best ratings or marketplaces that work with carriers that have those ratings. We review the key features of the provider and look at how costs are derived. The quote process is essential to a good customer experience, which is why we go through the process to test the efficiency of the system.