Travel Insurance Services

A broker with several branded plans, not a single underwriter

Travel Insurance Services is not a single underwriting company. Its own about page says plainly, "As a broker, we're uniquely positioned to advocate for the needs of our customers as we rely on longstanding and valued partnerships with many of the most reputable carriers in the industry." That page also gives the operating name as "USI Travel Insurance Services (TIS)," describes it as "a division of USI Affinity and a member company of USI Holdings Corporation," and states "USI Travel Insurance Services is located in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania." The plans themselves carry named underwriters, and they differ by plan. The Travel Insurance Select site says it shows "plans developed by USI Insurance Services, LLC which include travel insurance coverages underwritten by United States Fire Insurance Company," with "non-insurance Travel Assistance Services provided by On Call International and Blue Ribbon Bags." The Trip Care Complete site states "These plans are underwritten by Starr Indemnity & Liability Company, a Texas domiciled corporation." WorldMed is a third party's product sold here: its page says "WorldMed Insurance is offered by WorldTrips" and that WorldTrips products "are underwritten through binding authority with TMHCC (CI) Insurance SPC Ltd." The Select site also prints the broker's "CA license #OG11911."

The same broker sells several plans under their own names rather than one house product: Travel Insurance Select, Trip Care Complete, WorldMed Insurance, InterMedical Insurance, Visit USA-HealthCare, Study USA-HealthCare, Voyager Annual Insurance, Worldwide Group Protector and SafeTrip all appear across its sites. Its own history has a wrinkle worth flagging rather than smoothing over: the about page states, "Since 1973, USI Travel Insurance Services (TIS) has offered customized travel insurance programs," while a companion site belonging to the same business carries the title "Travel Insurance Services - Experts since 1974." The two pages do not agree on the founding year. The parent company is larger than the travel division alone: the about page adds that USI overall runs on "over 10,000 employees, 200 offices and close to $2 billion in annual revenue," and cites an "11th Annual Insurance Journal Top 100 Independent Property/Casualty Agencies Report, August 3rd 2015" as recognition of that scale.

What the named plans cover

Travel Insurance Select is sold in three tiers, and its own benefits chart gives exact figures for each. Trip cancellation pays "Trip Cancellation Benefit Amount 100% Trip Cost 100% Trip Cost 100% Trip Cost Maximum Benefit $15,000 $125,000 $150,000" across Basic, Plus and Elite in that order. Trip interruption follows the same pattern at richer percentages: "Trip Interruption Benefit Amount 100% Trip Cost 125% Trip Cost 150% Trip Cost Maximum Benefit $15,000 $156,250 $225,000." Medical benefits scale the same way, listed as "Accident and Sickness Medical Expense Maximum Benefit $50,000 $100,000 $150,000" and "Medical Evacuation and Repatriation of Remains Maximum Benefit $100,000 $500,000 $1,000,000." Trip delay pays on a per-day basis too: "Trip Delay Maximum Benefit $500 $1,000 $2,000 Max Per Day $100 $200 $250 Minimum Hours 12 hrs 12 hrs 12 hrs."

Trip Care Complete, sold on a separate site, is built the same way, offering "a choice of three Options to meet your needs and budget: Elite, Plus, and Basic," each of which "includes Trip Cancellation, Trip Interruption, Trip Delay, Medical Expense, Emergency Evacuation, and Baggage Loss/Delay coverage." Its trip delay trigger is shorter than Travel Insurance Select's twelve hours: the product page states a claim is payable "If your trip is delayed 6 or more hours due to covered reasons." Massachusetts residents see one benefit swapped out: "Residents of MA: This benefit will be replaced with Accident and Sickness Hospital Indemnity Coverage."

WorldMed Insurance is a standalone medical plan rather than a trip-cancellation product, described as "Flexible medical insurance for persons up to age 64 traveling or living abroad," valid "for up to 364 days" per its own coverage page. It comes in three tiers by medical maximum, "Plan A: $500,000 Plan B: $1,000,000 Plan C: $2,000,000," with a choice of deductible, "Deductible $0, $250, $500, $1,000, or $2,500," plus an emergency-room copay of "$250 (Waived if admitted to hospital)" on top of it. The same page gives "Minimum Stay 5 days 5 days Maximum Stay 364 days 364 days" and confirms it includes "Accident & sickness coverage, emergency medical evacuation, terrorist events, and lost/stolen passport & checked baggage coverage is included."

Who can buy and how purchase timing works

Two of the tiered plans reward buying early. On Travel Insurance Select, "Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) and Interruption For Any Reason (IFAR)" is an "optional upgrade on the Elite plan only," and the "Pre-Existing Medical Condition Exclusion Waiver" is "available on Plus and Elite plan levels (terms apply)." The page spells out the deadline: coverage bought "if your plan payment is received more than 21 days after the date your initial trip payment/deposit is received" for the trip loses the pre-existing waiver on Plus and Elite, and loses Elite's right to add CFAR or IFAR at all. It adds a state carve-out too: "CFAR/IFAR not available to residents of NY. IFAR not available to residents of WA." Trip Care Complete runs a parallel structure, with a "Pre-Existing Medical Condition Exclusion Waiver (included on Basic, Plus and Elite)" and a separate "Cancel for Any Reason (optional upgrade)," and tells buyers to "Enroll as soon as you have booked your trip for maximum benefits."

WorldMed Insurance states its own age ceiling outright, "up to age 64," and lets a buyer choose coverage length between the stated five-day minimum and 364-day maximum. Group buyers get a separate path: the custom group plans page lists groups it will write a policy for, including "Tour Groups," "Business/Corporate Groups," church and missionary groups, and school bands and choirs, reached through a listed group email address rather than the online quote tool the individual plans use.

Claims, assistance and what stays open

Claims do not go to the broker. The Travel Insurance Select FAQ says "The claims administrator for this plan is Co-Ordinated Benefit Plans (CBP)" and sends claimants to that company's self-service site. For help on the road, the same FAQ says "If you need medical assistance while traveling, please contact On Call International," and the travelinsure.com homepage describes Select as carrying "24/7 travel assistance service." On Trip Care Complete, the FAQ notes that "Security and Natural Disaster Evacuation services and benefits are provided by Europ Assistance and are not underwritten by Starr Indemnity & Liability Company," so part of that plan is a service rather than insurance. The Select disclosure adds that its coverages "are subject to terms, limitations and exclusions including an exclusion for pre-existing medical conditions," which is why the waiver timing above matters.

Two points stay open. The about page says 1973 and a companion site header says 1974, and nothing reconciles them. Trip Care Complete's pages name its Elite, Plus and Basic tiers without dollar maximums.

Who it suits and who it does not

A buyer who wants a tiered plan with the dollar ceilings spelled out gets that from Travel Insurance Select and, for medical-only cover abroad, from WorldMed's three-plan structure. Someone assembling coverage for a group, a mission trip or a school program has a named path through the custom group plans page rather than the individual quote flow. It suits a buyer comfortable working through a broker rather than an insurer directly, since the about page describes the business as a broker working with several carriers.

It suits a reader who wants to know which carrier stands behind each plan, since the plan sites name United States Fire Insurance Company for Select and Starr Indemnity & Liability Company for Trip Care Complete, but that reader has to keep track of which plan sits with which carrier and which assistance company. It is a weaker fit for anyone who wants Trip Care Complete's tier maximums laid out the way Travel Insurance Select's are. On Select, the FAQ ties the pre-existing waiver and the CFAR and IFAR upgrade to the 21-day window after the first trip payment, so a buyer who books late loses those options on that plan.