Chubb Travel Insurance

What Chubb Travel Insurance is

Chubb Travel Insurance is an insurer's own travel line. The US portal, which calls the business Chubb Travel Protection, states that "Insurance benefits are underwritten by ACE Property & Casualty Insurance Company or ACE American Insurance Company, located at 436 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106," and that "Coverage is being marketed by Chubb Insurance Solutions Agency, Inc." of Whitehouse Station, New Jersey. It adds that "Chubb NA is the U.S.-based operating division of the Chubb Group of Companies headed by Chubb Ltd." and that "Insurance products and services are provided by a licensed producer, and not by the parent company itself." The portal does not say which of the two ACE companies writes a given policy.

Chubb sells through intermediaries, and the portal says Chubb Travel Protection "provides comprehensive travel insurance coverages to a diversified client base across the globe." The portal tells visitors to "Contact your travel advisor or insurance broker for more information," and the chubb.com travel page says "For guidance on finding the right travel insurance solution, please contact your travel advisor or insurance broker." The portal's about page describes the cover in outline: trip cancellation or interruption, emergency medical and medical evacuation, lost baggage, delays and missed connections, and "Optional coverages include Cancel for Any Reason, Car Rental Collision, and Flight Accident," along with concierge and pre-trip services and "24-hour emergency medical, travel and security assistance."

Annual and single-trip plans for individuals

The chubb.com travel page offers two options: annual plans that "Provide coverage 24/7/365 for all travel throughout the year, anywhere in the world," and single-trip plans that cover specific dates. It says "Every trip 100 or more miles from your primary residence is covered under an annual plan," that "You're covered for 365 days with a one-time purchase," and that "Cost savings start with just 3 trips per year on annual plans." Benefits "vary by plan" and may include trip cancellation and interruption, lost baggage, "Accident and sickness medical expense coverage for expenses that go beyond the policy limit (excess coverage)," emergency medical evacuation, accidental death and dismemberment, and "Security evacuation for situations of political unrest and military action." The footnote reads: "Annual Plans are not available for travelers over 80 years old."

Chubb's annual travel insurance guide gives the tier detail. It names "three distinct plan designs: Basics, Essentials, and Choice." Medical expense limits "range from $25,000 on the Basics plan to $100,000 on the Choice plan," and evacuation limits "scale from $250,000 up to $1 million at the highest tier." Trip cancellation differs by tier: "The Chubb Choice plan provides 100% of trip costs up to a $5,000 maximum," the Annual Essentials plan "up to a $2,500 maximum," and "The Chubb Basics plan doesn't include trip cancellation benefits." A covered trip must be overnight and at least 100 miles from home, and "a covered trip can't exceed 60 days in length," with "the maximum trip length is 30 days" for New York residents. The guide says the annual premium "is based on the traveler's age and state of residence" and does not change with the cost or number of trips. Once the policy is in force, "coverage activates automatically when a traveler departs on a qualifying journey," with "no need to notify the insurer or register the itinerary prior to departure."

Pre-existing conditions

The annual guide states that "Chubb's annual policies contain a Pre-Existing Medical Condition Exclusion for conditions that manifested, worsened, or required a change in medication within the 90-day period immediately preceding the coverage effective date." It adds that for someone who "maintains continuous annual coverage by renewing immediately at the end of their term, these conditions may be covered in subsequent years." For single-trip cover the guide speaks only of the market in general, saying most such policies offer a waiver when bought within a window after the first trip deposit.

Group and employer products

Chubb also sells travel cover to organizations. Group travel insurance "is available through an eligible travel agency (for groups with a minimum of 10 travelers with the same travel itinerary)," in three options: Group Travel Basics, for domestic group trips with trip cancellation, interruption, delay, baggage and medical cover; Group Travel Deluxe, with "additional value and increased coverage limits"; and Group Travel Deluxe with Cancel For Any Reason. Business Travel Accident Insurance provides accidental death and dismemberment benefits for directors and employees traveling on company business, for "U.S. companies with a minimum of two employees who travel for business purposes," with war risk and political evacuation benefits available. Its page says benefits "can be written based on employee classification on a multiple of salary or flat dollar basis" and may include accident medical expenses, disability, coma and paralysis, and that the product "Includes worldwide travel assistance that provides emergency medical, emergency travel, and pre-trip information services." Out-of-Country Medical Insurance "Provides short-term accident and sickness coverage for employees traveling outside their home country or country of permanent assignment," can include dependents, consultants, volunteers and guests, and is aimed at multinational companies and at schools running study-abroad programs. Its page lists "Optional benefits for lost baggage, personal effects and financial instruments; trip cancellation also available." For groups, the Deluxe plan is described as "our most popular plan," and "All coverage includes worldwide travel assistance that provides concierge, emergency medical, emergency travel, and pre-trip services."

Claims and assistance

The portal lists a customer service center, with separate numbers for callers inside and outside the US, open on weekdays for coverage questions and policy changes, and an assistance center "Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year" for medical emergencies and trip help. It notes that "The services under Medical Emergencies are provided upon the specified terms and conditions of the policy and are available only when the Insured Persons are on a Trip." The policy or certificate of insurance and the claim process sit on a separate self-service site, and the portal states that "Coverage & pricing may vary by state." The chubb.com page adds 24/7 help with lost eyeglasses or medication, lost passports or visas, legal assistance and translation, and a mobile app.

Who it suits

Chubb suits a US traveler who takes several trips a year and wants an annual plan from the insurer itself, with published tier limits, a 60-day trip cap and a stated 90-day pre-existing exclusion that continuous renewal may lift. It is closed to annual buyers over 80, and individual purchase runs through a travel advisor or broker rather than a public price list. Tour operators with groups of 10 or more, employers with traveling staff, and schools sending students abroad have their own Chubb products.