TripInsuranceZone

What TripInsuranceZone is

TripInsuranceZone is a comparison site run by a licensed agency, not an insurer. Its about page states: "TripInsuranceZone is an online Division of AJM Global Travel Corporation. TripInsuranceZone compares travel insurance products from most major insurance providers in the United States." The terms page names the site's owner as AJM Global Inc. and says, "The Company is a licensed agency and sell travel insurance by contractual agreements with insurance companies. We are licensed in states as required by each underwriter that we are appointed by. Our company is headquartered in New York." The about page describes the buying process as research, quote, compare and purchase through "our unique proprietary engine."

The site's navigation lists the insurance providers it works with, among them AXA Assistance USA, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Berkshire Hathaway, GoReady by Aegis, HTH Worldwide, IMG, INF, Seven Corners, STARR, Tin Leg, Travel Guard, Travelex, TravelSafe and Trawick International. A news page from 2016 says GeoBlue "has partnered with TripInsuranceZone.com to bring their suite of products to the online travel insurance store." TripInsuranceZone sells none of these plans under its own name; the provider named on the plan issues it.

Provider pages and their underwriters

Several provider pages name the underwriter behind the brand. The Tin Leg page says Tin Leg "was founded in 2014 by the travel insurance industry experts at Squaremouth," that its policies "offer comprehensive Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption benefits, and a range of Emergency Medical and Medical Evacuation limits," and that "Tin Leg's products are underwritten by Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Company, Starr Indemnity & Liability Company, and Spinnaker Insurance Company." The page does not match an underwriter to each Tin Leg plan.

The GoReady by Aegis page states that "Insurance coverages underwritten by Zurich American Insurance Company, a New York domiciled company," with "NAIC # 16535." It describes what it calls Stress Less Benefits: a traveler can "call, Skype or email us when you encounter an insurable event while traveling, and we will coordinate and pay for your medical visit, flight change, hotel overnight, evacuation, or other service as covered by your policy," which the page says lets policyholders "often avoid going through a claims reimbursement process." The terms page adds that Aegis screens applicants against the Office of Foreign Assets Control list and will not offer cover to anyone named on it.

The AXA Assistance USA plans

The AXA Assistance USA page on the site's classic subdomain gives the most plan detail. It says "AXA Assistance USA offers 3 plans" and that "Plans are underwritten by American Modern Home Insurance Company." The Silver plan "provides protection for your basic travel needs for a trip cost up to $10,000," with trip cancellation and interruption, baggage, travel delay, medical, an optional rental car collision benefit, an "Optional Pre-Existing Conditions Waiver" and a cancel-for-work-reason option. The Gold plan offers the Silver benefits "for trip costs up to $20,000," adding cover for an airline change fee "up to $100," childcare and pet boarding costs when a return trip is delayed, and inclement weather that stops planned golf or ski activities. The Platinum plan covers "trip costs up to $30,000," with a "Pre-Existing Conditions Waiver included when the policy is purchased within 14 days of your Initial Trip Payment Date," cover for business or sports equipment, and event ticket cancellation. These are trip-cost ceilings, not premiums. The page lists AXA's own customer service and claims filing numbers, and the terms page says that on cancellation of an AXA Assistance USA policy it "will refund any unearned premium to you within 10 days of the cancellation request or according to the terms of your policy."

What the benefits guide explains

A general benefits page walks through medical expense and emergency evacuation, missed connection, trip delay, baggage delay or loss, and trip cancellation or interruption. It notes that "most plans include 24-hour, worldwide, collect-call access for emergency travel arrangements," and on pre-existing conditions that the exclusion "will often be waived when the plan is purchased shortly after Trip's Initial Deposit Date." It describes Cancel or Interruption for Any Reason as an upgrade under which trip payments "are covered for up to 75% of your Total Trip Cost," available "at additional expense with some plans" and to be bought "shortly after initial deposit on the trip." The page labels itself a general overview and says each plan "has specific conditions set."

How buying and pricing work

The homepage search asks for a state of residence, travel dates, a destination and each traveler's age, and promises to "Compare Travel Insurance Plans From All Major Providers." The terms page says "The travel insurance premiums that you see on our website are provided to us by the insurance companies that we work with. These prices are not marked-up by TripInsuranceZone.com and are regulated by each state," and that the company is paid a commission that is a percentage of the premium. For some providers, "Quoted price for plan includes both insurance premium and fee for travel assistance services." The homepage promises "All plans include Money Back Guarantee during the review period," and the about page frames a "Best Price and Money Back Guarantee." On refunds, the terms page says the policy "is determined by our travel insurance partners," with refunds less an administrative fee "within a short window that can range from 3 to 15 calendar days from the time you purchase your policy," provided the departure date has not passed and no claim is filed. For a trip cost of $100,000 or more, the about page asks the shopper to phone for a "Personalized Quote."

A travel-partner program pays licensed partners "up to 25% commission for each sale," which is what the site pays referrers, not a charge to travelers.

Who it suits

TripInsuranceZone suits a US traveler who wants one licensed agency comparing named providers side by side, and who values seeing, on the provider pages, which company underwrites a brand such as Tin Leg, GoReady or AXA. The AXA page's Silver, Gold and Platinum trip-cost bands, and the Platinum pre-existing waiver window, give a buyer something concrete before quoting. Premiums, medical maximums and deductibles for a given plan still come from the quote, a trip costing $100,000 or more goes to a phone line, and every provider named here sells insurance rather than an assistance membership.