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Even the best holiday can be spoiled by an accident or an unexpected illness. In order to protect yourself against such events abroad, insurance companies offer a wide variety of travel insurance policies. It is important to compare the conditions exactly: Even the definition of what a trip is can be different.
Annual travel insurance offers protection for a whole year. In addition to cancellation and trip interruption, it can also cover the costs of transport home or lost luggage. With most providers, the contract is automatically extended if it is not terminated in good time. The consumer protection department of AK Oberösterreich compared offers for an individual and for a family of four: the premiums were between 167 and 292.50 euros for an individual and between 259 and 420 euros for families.
How many trips you take does not matter for the insurance. But the length of stay certainly does: It varies between 42 and 90 days for the providers. Annual insurance also offers insurance cover when family members travel alone, but the amount of coverage can be limited in this case.
Families should pay close attention to the insurance conditions, advises the AK: Whether the child is also insured often depends on their age. With some insurers, insurance cover ends at the age of 18, with others it lasts until the age of 25. The number of children traveling with you is also limited by almost all providers.
Anyone who has an existing illness that could become acute while on vacation must also be careful: some insurance companies cover this case, while others provide for exclusions or restrictions.
Credit card does not always protect
Many forgo travel insurance because their credit card offers such coverage. But caution is also required here: There may be a condition that the card must have been used in the last two or three months before the insured event.
If you didn’t pay for the trip with your credit card, you may be looking through your fingers. In addition, consumer advocates warn that cancellation protection is not included with some credit cards. If you are traveling as a family, you should also note that some insurance benefits are only available to the credit card holder.
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