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Travel insurance can be expensive if you’re a Canadian senior. In this review, we compare the prices and plans for travel insurance for Canadian seniors. We also look at travel insurance offered through Canadian credit card companies.

For this review of travel insurance for seniors in Canada, we compared rates for a two week vacation to the United States for a couple, aged 72 and 74.  All prices are total for both travelers.

2022 Update: COVID has wreaked havoc on prices and plan details for travel insurance for seniors in Canada. Some plans in 2022 include COVID insurance, and some don’t. 

We’ve found that costs have gone up and down several times this year, making it almost impossible to keep these prices and plan details current. 

No matter the plan, it seems that prices have increased, sometimes substantially. We suggest comparing, at a minimum, several different plans and policies to make sure that you get the best prices and coverage.

Everyone’s needs are different, so we can’t tell you what travel insurance is right for you, or if one travel insurance company or travel insurance policy is better than another.

When doing research for this article we found that prices and policies can change almost overnight, so do your own research.

This travel insurance review just lists the results we got when searching for travel insurance for retirees / seniors at one point in time. All prices are in Canadian dollars.

RATESDOTCA (formerly Kanetix)

Kanetix.ca (now RATESDOTCA) lets you compare Canadian travel insurance online in just minutes. They give free, no obligation quotes from more than 30 insurance companies. Hugely popular, Kanetix gave over one million insurance quotes to Canadians in 2010. Check out our review of RATESDOTCA. A short medical questionnaire was required to get these quotes.

Click here to learn more on the RATESDOTCA website.

For travellers with no pre-existing medical conditions, the cheapest quotes we found at RATESDOTCA (without trip cancellation or interruption) were:

  • $183.82, Tour Med (with deductible), $5 million emergency medical coverage, $250 deductible. The price rose to $193.50 to drop the deductible to $0.
  • $198.30 GMS (with deductible), $5 million emergency medical coverage, $250 deductible. The GMS price was 218.10 with a $0 deductible.
  • 220.50 Escapade Travel insurance, $5 million emergency medical coverage, with a $0 deductible.
  • $321.08 Ingle International, $10 million emergency medical coverage, $250 deductible and no medical form if under age 79. The cost went to $352 for a $0 deductible.

While GMS, Escapade and Tour+Med may seem like unfamiliar names to Canadians, all three companies are well established in Canada.

  • Escapade Travel Insurance, part of Escapade Travel Insurance, a life and health insurance firm, based Quebec.
  • Tour+Med has been in Canada since 1996, but has just recently become a big player in online travel insurance. We’re working on a review, so stay tuned!

The cheapest all inclusive plans on RATESDOTCA, which included emergency medical coverage, trip cancellation, trip interruption and baggage coverage were:

  • $640.00 AIG TravelGuard, $2 million emergency medical coverage, and with trip interruption.
  • $640.00 AIG TravelGuard, $2 million emergency medical coverage, and with trip interruption. $684.00 AIG TravelGuard, $10 million emergency medical coverage, and with trip interruption.

When the same Canadian seniors were quoted with an existing (heart) medical condition, prices, as can be expected, increased for emergency medical coverage.

  • $321.08 Ingle International, $10 million coverage, $250 deductible, no medical form up to age 79. The price rose to $352.84 with a $0 deductible.
  • $368.48 Tour+Med, $5 million coverage and $250 deductible. For a $0 deductible, the price rose to $387.88.
  • $400.99 Escape Travel Insurance, $5 million coverage, with a $250 deductible. The price went up to $443.21 with $0 deductible.
  • $464.40 GMS, $5 million coverage and a $250 deductible. The price for $0 deductible was $510.60.

Click now to learn more on RATESDOTCA.

Tip! Check out our article with tips for getting travel insurance with a pre-existing medical condition.

CARP Canada

Coverage is available for both CARP members (membership is $19.95/year) and non-members. See our CARP insurance review.

You are required to complete a medical declaration to determine your eligibility and rate qualification, if you are over the age of 59 you are also required to complete a medical questionnaire.

Online quotes for CARP insurance without trip interruption or cancellation were (a medical questionnaire is required for both plans):

  • $186.90, Travel Choice 1 Policy, $10 million coverage, $200.
  • $233.98, Travel Choice 2 Policy, $0 million coverage, $0 deductible.

Medipac (Canadian Snowbird Association)

A long (about 15 minute) and extensive medical questionnaire was required to get these quotes. While the Medipac rates were just slightly higher than those quoted through RATESDOTCA, the amount of emergency medical coverage was only $2 million/person, and the quote process was long.

We strongly encourage you to read Medipac’s carefully worded policy and discussion of pre-existing conditions before getting insurance through them.

Medipac Travel insurance (through through the Canadian Snowbird Association) cost:

  • $272.80, no deductible, up to $2 million emergency medical coverage, no trip cancellation, interruption or baggage
  • $248.00, $99 deductible, up to $2 million emergency medical coverage, no trip cancellation, interruption or baggage

For insurance that includes trip interruption and cancellation (this cancellation insurance must be purchased within 48 hours of booking your trip):

  • $496.80, no deductible, up to $2 million emergency medical coverage
  • $472.00, $99 deductible, up to $2 million emergency medical coverage

RBC Travel Insurance

To get RBC insurance, you need to be an RBC client (or spouse, child, adopted child, or step-child of the client).

When we got our quote, we found that we got a better rate when we said we didn’t have a pre-existing medical condition. However, given that few seniors are in perfect health, this may not be an option for most.

RBC Travel Insurance won’t allow an individual over age 60 to get insurance as part of a couple or family. Instead, we had to go through the irritating and time consuming process of getting two quotes for both members of the couple.

If we got a quote without completing a medical questionnaire, prices were:

  • $480.00, unlimited emergency medical coverage, with trip interruption and baggage insurance. Our quote didn’t include trip cancellation insurance. For trip cancellation coverage, you need to call RBC directly.
  • $456.00, unlimited emergency medical coverage, no trip interruption or baggage insurance

If we got a quote after completing a five minute medical questionnaire (and indicating perfect health), quotes for a couple were:

  • $208.00, unlimited emergency medical coverage, with trip interruption and baggage insurance. Our quote didn’t include trip cancellation insurance. For trip cancellation coverage, you need to call RBC directly.
  • $188.00, unlimited emergency medical coverage, no trip interruption or baggage insurance

BMO Travel Medical Insurance

BMO had a simple, quick online insurance application. Annoyingly, they wouldn’t let us get more information for an individual over age 60 as part of a couple or family. Instead, we had to go through the irritating and time consuming process of getting two quotes for both members of the couple.

Quotes are for travellers in perfect health:

  • $296.72,  $5 million emergency medical coverage, no trip cancellation or trip interruption, and no baggage coverage.
  • $619.94, $5 million emergency medical coverage,trip cancellation, trip interruption, and baggage.

CAA Travel Insurance

We got a quote from the British Columbia CAA club. Again, irritatingly, the BCAA will not provide couples coverage for couples over 60, so we had to complete individual applications for each member of a couple. We had to complete a five minute medical questionnaire. Quotes were:
  • $362.40, $10 million emergency medical coverage, and no trip interruption or cancellation, with a stiff $500 deductible. The same quote with $0 deductible was $434.88.
  • $748.40, $10 million emergency medical coverage, with trip interruption or cancellation, and a $500 deductible. With a $0 deductible, the rate was 820.20.

TuGo Travel Insurance

We got a quote from TuGo travel insurance. The quote process was fast and easy. See our Tugo review here.

Click here to learn more from TuGo.

The quotes was:

  • $354.60, $5 million emergency medical coverage, $200 deductible.

World Nomads Travel Insurance

World Nomads travel insurance has been designed by travelers for travelers. If you leave home without travel insurance or your policy runs out, you can buy or extend while on the road.

However, World Nomads only offers travel insurance to Canadians aged 66 or under. 

For a couple both aged 65, travelling to the US for two weeks, World Nomads quoted us:

  • $302.08, Standard Plan, $5 million emergency medical coverage, $2,500 trip cancellation, and $2,500 trip interruption. Limits are per person insured.
  • $391.33, Explorer Plan, $10 million emergency medical coverage, $5,000trip cancellation, and $5,000trip interruption. Limits are per person insured.

World Nomads travel insurance has been designed by travelers for travelers. If you leave home without travel insurance or your policy runs out, you can buy or extend while on the road.

 

Travel Insurance Through Credit Cards

Credit cards often offer travel insurance as a card holder bonus. Happily, many Canadian credit card companies are now offering insurance coverage to people over the age of 64.

Credit cards that offered a travel insurance perk tended to have fairly high annual fees, though we did find one credit card with no annual fee. For all cards we looked at, you need to purchase your tickets with the credit card in order to have their travel insurance.

Tip: Credit card companies often advertise Common Carrier Accident Insurance as a perk. This insurance is not comprehensive emergency medical insurance. Common Carrier Accident Insurance only covers you if an accident occurs while you are on a common carrier (airplane, boat, train, bus, etc), and only if you purchase the tickets on the card.

Scotiabank Gold American Express Travel Insurance

The Scotiabank Gold American Express (the link is to our review of the card) card offers travel insurance for seniors, plus some other perks.

  • $99 annual fee, but the card offers some fantastic sign up bonuses
  • $1 million travel emergency medical insurance
  • For those over 65 years of age, Travel Emergency Medical Insurance for the first 10 days of each trip. You can get additional insurance if your trip is longer than 10 days.
  • Trip Interruption $2,500 per person ($10,000 maximum per trip for all Insured Persons)
  • Trip cancellation $2,500 per person ($10,000 maximum per trip for all Insured Persons)
  • Flight Delay $500 per trip
  • Lost and Delayed Luggage ($1,000 per trip)
  • Common Carrier Travel Accident Insurance of up to $500,000
  • Check out Scotiabank’s website for the Scotiabank Gold American Express card for more information, and to help you compare cards

Scotiabank Platinum American Express card

The Scotiabank Platinum American Express Card also offers travel insurance for seniors, plus some other perks. While the $399 annual fee is pretty hefty, the card does offer a slough of perks for those interested in platinum card with travel insurance benefits.

  • $399 annual fee
  • $2 million travel emergency medical insurance benefits
  • For those over 65 years of age and older, Travel Emergency Medical Insurance for the first 10 days of each trip. You can call the Insurer to get additional insurance if your trip is longer than 10 days.
  • Trip Interruption $2,500 per person ($10,000 maximum per trip for all Insured Persons)
  • Trip Cancellation $5,000 per person ($25,000 maximum per trip for all Insured Persons)
  • Flight Delay ($1,000 per trip)
  • Lost and Delayed Luggage ($1,000 per trip)
  • Common Carrier Travel Accident Insurance (up to $500,000)
  • Check out Scotiabank’s website for the American Express® Platinum Credit Card for more information, and to help you compare cards

The Bottom Line

Overall, we like to compare prices – you can learn more on RATESDOTCA.

Click here to learn more at RATESDOTDA

 

Overall, we like RATESDOTCA  to learn more when shopping for travel insurance for seniors in Canada. Their quick online system let you compare several companies quickly, and give you a good baseline for costs.

*As always, the information on this page is from one Canadian traveller to another. We have spent years abroad and have gotten to know the ins and outs of the industry however we are not travel insurance agents. If you have any travel insurance questions, please talk to a qualified travel insurance agent or broker. Finally, policies and plans can and do change all the time, without warning, so always consult your insurance policy since that is the legal document to which you are agreeing to.
*This article is only intended as general advice. Please check your own policy carefully.

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