Nationwide is one of the largest insurance providers. As such, it's no surprise that its travel insurance is very comprehensive, offering single trip plans, cruise insurance and annual multi-trip policies.
Business Insider compared Nationwide travel insurance to the best travel insurance companies and found it to be a standout option with widely accessible preexisting condition coverage and reasonable premiums, especially for older travelers. However, travelers should be wary of its short maximum trip length, maxing out at 31 days.
Nationwide Travel Insurance Pros and Cons
Nationwide Travel Insurance Pros
- Three cruise-specific plans to choose from
- Flat premiums for annual multi-trip plans
- Preexisting condition waiver available with all single-trip policies
- Affordable, particularly for older travelers
Nationwide Travel Insurance Cons
- CFAR insurance not available with every plan
- Mixed customer reviews
- Relatively short maximum trip length (31 days for single-trip)
Get Quotes
A-
$206
N/A
Up to 200%
- Three cruise-specific plans to choose from
- Annual travel insurance plans available
- Strong trip cancellation coverage
- Cancel for any reason coverage available
- CFAR insurance not available with every single plan
- Medical coverage is lower than what some competitors offer
Nationwide Travel Insurance offers many of the standard benefits you might see with a travel insurance policy. This can include things like trip cancellation coverage, so you can recover pre-paid costs or trip interruption in the event your vacation is interrupted by an unexpected event. There's also baggage delay coverage and medical coverage.
- Trip cancellation coverage of up to 100% of trip costs (for cruises) or up to $30,000 (for single-trip plans)
- Cancel for any reason coverage available
Compare Nationwide Travel Insurance
$308
N/A
- Zero Complaint Guarantee
- Streamlined comparison platform
- Variety of partnered travel insurance companies
- Customer service team is difficult to reach
SquareMouth is an online marketplace that helps you choose a travel insurance policy from 32 companies that shares a comprehensive, streamlined overview page for each insurance provider.
SquareMouth Travel Insurance
874
A++
- Policy coverage includes most pre-existing health conditions
- Generous medical and evacuation amounts for peace of mind
- COVID coverage included by default on all insurance plans
- Offers a wide range of plans for various budgets and travel needs
- Some plans offer CFAR, “cancel for work reasons,” financial default, and unemployment coverage
- Limited add-on coverage options
- Baggage loss and delay coverage is low compared to competitors
Tin Leg travel insurance offers eight travel insurance plans to meet the unique needs of travelers.
Tin Leg- Tin Leg was founded in 2014 by the travel insurance industry experts at Squaremouth. Designed to meet the most common needs of travelers, these policies offer comprehensive Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption benefits, and a range of Emergency Medical and Medical Evacuation limits.
- Options to cover sports equipment
- Option to increase medical coverage
- Can cancel up to 48 hours before travel when CFAR option is purchased
- Affordable coverage for budget-conscious travelers
- Includes generous baggage delay, baggage loss, and trip delay coverage
- Optional "adventure activities" bundle available for riskier activities
- Pricier than some competitors with lower coverage ceilings
- Some competitors offer higher medical emergency coverage
Travelex travel insurance is one of the largest travel insurance providers in the U.S. providing domestic and international coverage options. It offers Essential, Advantage, Ultimate, and Travel Med Go options. Read on to learn more.
Travelex Travel Insurance- Optional CFAR insurance available with the Ultimate plan
- Travel delay insurance starting at $500 with the Advantage plan
- Emergency medical and dental coverage starting at $15,000
Nationwide Travel Insurance Overview
Nationwide is one of the leading names in insurance across various areas of coverage including life, auto, and travel insurance. Nationwide's coverage is also as comprehensive as it is varied. It tops our list of the best cruise travel insurance, also ranking among the best cheap travel insurance companies for the value it provides.
With single trip, multi trip, and cruise-specific policies along with an abundance of riders, there's a good chance Nationwide will have the coverage you're looking for.
That said, Nationwide lacks some of the niche coverage that other companies can provide. For example, Nationwide doesn't insure trips over 31-days long. Additionally, Nationwide lacks specific adventure sports coverage.
Ultimately, Nationwide is the company to beat. If you're shopping for something a little more specific, use Nationwide's quotes as your baseline as you search for something more tailored to your trip.
Nationwide Travel Insurance Plans and Coverages
Nationwide offers many of the standard benefits you might see with a travel insurance policy. This can include things like trip cancellation coverage, so you can recover pre-paid costs or trip interruption in the event your vacation is interrupted by an unexpected event. There's also baggage delay coverage and medical coverage.
The travel insurance policies offered by Nationwide are available to consumers and are divided up by the type of trip: single trip, multiple trips, or cruise coverage.
Nationwide single-trip travel insurance policies
Nationwide offers two single-trip travel insurance policies: the Essential plan and the Prime plan.
As the name suggests, Nationwide Essential travel insurance covers the basics. It offers some protection should anything happen ahead of your trip or while you're on your trip.
The Prime plan takes your coverage to the next level, with higher coverage limits and the option to add on the coveted cancel for any reason (CFAR) coverage at an extra cost.
Both plans include trip cancellation or interruption coverage in the event of terrorism in your destination city, travel assistance from Nationwide at no additional charge, and refunds with a 10-day review period (except in Washington and New York). Note that for baggage and personal effects coverage, there is a $500 combined maximum limit for valuable items (see your policy's terms and conditions for details on what's considered valuable). It also covers damaged or lost sports equipment.
Here's how the two plans stack up in terms of coverage limits. For trip delay coverage, you'll be eligible for reimbursement for delays of six hours or more.
| Essential plan | Prime plan | |
| Trip cancellation coverage | 100% of trip cost up to $10k | 100% of trip cost up to $30k |
| Trip interruption | 125% of trip cost up to $12.5k | 200% of trip cost up to $60k |
| Preexisting conditions | Must purchase policy within 10 days of initial trip deposit | Must purchase policy within 21 days of initial trip deposit |
| Cancel for any reason insurance | No offered | Up to 75% when purchased within 21 days of initial payment |
| Trip delay | Up to $150/day, $600 max | Up to $250/day, $2k max |
| Baggage and personal effects loss | Up to $600; $250 per article | Up to $2k; $250 per article |
| Baggage delay coverage | Up to $100 for delays of 12 hours or more | Up to $600 for delays of 12 hours or more |
| Medical coverage | Up to $75k for emergencies only (secondary) | Up to $150k for emergencies only (primary) |
| Emergency dental | Up to $500 | Up to $750 |
| Emergency medical evacuation | Up to $250k | Up to $1 million |
| Missed connection or itinerary change | No | Up to $500 |
| AD&D - 24 hours | No | $50,000 |
Nationwide annual and multi-trip travel insurance policies
Nationwide offers an annual multi-trip plan for travelers who are planning to take several trips within one year. Called the Nationwide Annual Travel Pro Plan, this policy offers coverage for an unlimited number of trips up to 30 days long.
While the plan can be upgraded several ways, it offers the following options in its base tier:
- Baggage and personal effects: $500 per trip; $200 per item
- Baggage delay (+12 hours): $100 per trip
- Trip delay (+12 hours): $200 per trip; $100 per day
- Emergency medical coverage: $10,000 per trip
- Emergency dental: $750 per trip
- Emergency medical evacuation: $50,000 per trip
- Repatriation of remains: $50,000 per trip
- AD&D 24 hours: $10,000 per trip
It also offers several optional upgrades. The first of these upgrades is called the Travel Plus Plan, which offers trip interruption and cancellation benefits in addition to all the coverage in the base plan. Coverage can range from $1,250 to $10,000 per policy term limit.
The second upgrade is the Pro Deluxe Plan, which adds a flat $20 to your policy premium. It offers the following benefits:
- Trip Delay: $500 per trip
- Emergency medical expenses: $20,000 per trip
- Emergency medical evacuation: $250,000 per trip
- Repatriation of remains: $250,000 per trip
- Baggage and personal effects: $1,000 per trip
- Baggage and Sporting Equipment Delay: $250 per trip
- AD&D 24 hours: $25,000 per trip
It's worth noting that none of the these additions will give you a preexisting condition waiver. The policy has a 90-day look-back period.
Nationwide cruise coverage
Nationwide offers three cruise travel insurance plans.
If you're going on a short cruise or going for the first time, the Universal Cruise Plan may be a good starting point if you want added protection and to recoup nonrefundable costs. Just make sure that you qualify based on your state, as cruise coverage isn't available in all states.
If you're going on a longer cruise and want added coverage to protect your trip, the Choice Cruise plan is an option to consider. And if you're looking for the most benefits and go on many cruises, the Luxury Cruise plan offers the most coverage options.
All three policies can be refunded with a 10-day review period, except in Washington and New York.
Here's a comparison of the coverage you'll get with Nationwide's three different cruise travel insurance policies:
| Universal | Choice | Luxury | |
| Trip cancellation | Up to 100% | Up to 100% | Up to 100% |
| Trip interruption | Up to 125% | Up to 150% | Up to 150% |
| Preexisting condition waiver | Must purchase policy within 14 days of initial trip deposit | Must purchase policy within 14 days of initial trip deposit | Must purchase policy within 14 days of initial trip deposit |
| Transportation change cost | Up to $250 | Up to $500 | Up to $1k |
| Missed connection | Up to $500 | Up to $1.5k | Up to $2.5k |
| Trip delay | Up to $500 | Up to $750 | Up to $1k |
| Itinerary changes | $100-$250 | $200-$500 | $250-$1k |
| Emergency medical | Up to $75k | Up to $100k | Up to $150k |
| Emergency dental | Up to $750 | Up to $750 | Up to $750 |
| Medical evacuation | Up to $250k | Up to $500k | Up to $1m |
| Baggage and personal effects | Up to $1.5k total | Up to $2.5k total | Up to $2.5k total |
| Baggage delay | Up to $250 | Up to $500 | Up to $1k |
| Non-medical evacuation | No | Yes, up to $25k | Yes, up to $25k |
Additional coverage options from Nationwide
Nationwide has a number of additional coverage options that can add more protection to your policy but also add to the cost as well. These include:
- Financial default coverage, in the event your travel supplier ends up in default or bankruptcy. This is available with the Essential and Prime single-trip policies.
- Preexisting condition waiver, which may offer coverage for preexisting illnesses or diseases if certain conditions are met. This is available with the Essential and Prime single-trip policies.
- Accidental death and dismemberment, which can have limits of $5,000, $10,000, $25,000 or $50,000 depending on the plan. This is available with the Essential and Prime single-trip policies.
- Accidental death for flights only, which can have limits of $100,000, $250,000, or $500,000. This is available with the Essential and Prime single-trip policies.
- Rental car collision or loss coverage, in the event something happens to your rental car, you can add on this coverage for up to $25,000 or $35,000 depending on the plan.This is available with the Essential and Prime single-trip policies (except in Texas or New York).
- Cancel for any reason (CFAR), which must be added to a policy and is available through the single-trip Prime Plan, the Choice Cruise Plan, and the Luxury Cruise Plan. It covers 75% of your total trip cost.
Nationwide Travel Insurance Cost
The premium you pay will depend on various factors, including the age of the travelers, destination, and total trip costs. The average cost of travel insurance is 4% to 8% of your travel costs.
After inputting some personal information, such as your age and state of residence, along with your trip details, like travel dates, destination, and trip costs, you'll get an instant quote for Nationwide Insurance plans available for your trip. And from there, it's easy to compare each option based on your coverage needs and budget.
Now let's look at a few examples to estimate Nationwide coverage costs.
A 23-year-old from Illinois taking a week-long, $3,000 budget trip to Italy would have the following
travel insurance quotes:
- Essential: $89.55
- Prime: $129.19
Premiums for Nationwide Insurance plans are between 3% and 4.3% of the trip's cost, well within the average cost of travel insurance.
Nationwide insurance provides the following quotes for a 30-year-old traveler from California heading to Japan for two weeks on a $4,000 trip:
- Essential: $113.01
- Prime: $160.47
Once again, premiums for Nationwide plans are between 2.8% and 4% of the trip's cost, within and below the expected range of travel insurance costs.
A Texas family consisting of two 40-year-old parents with a 10-year-old and 4-year-old on a two-week trip to Australia for $20,000:
- Essential: $571.62
- Prime: $801.94
Nationwide plans cost between 2.8% and 4% of the trip's cost, below and within the average cost of travel insurance.
A 65-year-old couple looking to escape New Jersey for Mexico for two weeks with a trip cost of $6,000 would have the following quotes:
- Essential: $248.56
- Prime: $352.44
Premiums for Nationwide plans are between 4.1% and 5.9%, which is well the average cost for travel insurance. While its certainly more expensive than coverage for younger travelers, it's on the lower end of what travel insurance companies tend to quote for older travelers.
Nationwide Annual Travel Insurance Cost
Quotes from Nationwide's annual travel insurance plan is a flat $69. Adding trip cancellation to this base plan will increase your premium, ranging from $155 to $729. Once again, these prices don't change based on age.
You can also select a Pro Deluxe upgrade, which will cost an additional flat $20.
How to Purchase and Manage Your Nationwide Travel Insurance Policy
To purchase a Nationwide travel insurance policy, you first need to obtain a quote from Nationwide's website. You should be prepared to provide the following:
- Destination
- Departure date
- Return date
- Age
- State of Residence
- Total trip cost
- Initial trip payment date
When you select a plan, be sure to also take a moment and scroll through the optional add-ons, such as rental car coverage.
Note: Nationwide policies have a 10-day look period in which you can cancel your policy and receive a full refund.
How to File a Claim with Nationwide Travel Insurance
If you purchased travel insurance through Nationwide and need to file a claim, you can contact a Nationwide representative. You have seven days from the start of the issue that caused loss to notify Nationwide of your claim.
Claims through Nationwide are handled by Co-ordinated Benefit Plans, LLC. You can use its claims portal or call a representative, based on your type of policy.
Single trip policy phone number: 888-490-7606
Annual plan policy phone number: 866-281-1017
Cruise policy phone number: 866-281-0334
Rather reach out via email? You can contact Nationwide via NWTravClaims@cbpinsure.com.
If you need to send documents via mail, the mailing address is:
Co-ordinated Benefit Plans, LLC
On Behalf of Nationwide Mutual Insurance
Company and Affiliated Companies
P.O. Box 26222 Tampa, FL 33623
Nationwide refrains from promising a specific response time frame. However, customers have reported waiting several weeks before hearing any updates.
Nationwide Travel Insurance Customer Reviews and Claims Experience
Since Nationwide offers such a wide breadth of insurance types, it's difficult to separate its travel-specific customer reviews from reviews on its other products.
It received an average of 1.16 stars out of five across over 340 reviews on its BBB page, though most customers are writing about experiences with Nationwide's auto and health insurance. Similarly, it received 1.4 stars on Trustpilot, but reviews pertain to its entire suite of services including banking, home insurance, and pet insurance. That said, the reviews that pertain to its travel insurance on these sites report a long, drawn-out claims process with unresponsive agents.
On SquareMouth, a travel insurance-specific aggregator, Nationwide has an average of 4.03 stars. Reviewers reported unresponsive a claims team and long wait times. Additionally, while insurance companies often engage directly with customer reviews on SquareMouth, Nationwide doesn't respond to customer reviews.
It's worth mentioning that reviews on SquareMouth are generally inflated. The worst-reviewed provider is Azimuth Risk Solutions, with an average score of 3.92 while the highest provider is GeoBlue, with a 4.64. With this context, we actually see that Nationwide is on the lower end of rated providers.
For a wider perspective on Nationwide's services, let's look at third-party ratings.
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners' complaint index rates insurance companies based on how many complaints they receive against its share of the market. A 1.00 means that a company has an expected number of complaints based on its size. A lower score indicates fewer complaints than expected and a higher number indicates more complaints than expected. Nationwide scored 1.62, indicating that it has more complaints than expected.
Nationwide has an A+ (Superior) Financial Strength Rating from AM Best, meaning it's likely to uphold its financial obligations, like claims.
Nationwide Travel Insurance Alternatives
Learn more about how Nationwide Travel Insurance compares against the competition.
Nationwide Travel Insurance vs. Allianz Travel Insurance
Much like Nationwide, Allianz Travel Insurance insurance offers many different types of insurance coverage. While the company may be most well known for auto insurance, it offers travel insurance as well and has eight options. Allianz Travel Insurance, a major player in the travel insurance space, has 10 options listed.
Allianz Travel Insurance may offer higher coverage limits for the policies offered and have a streamlined process for filing a claim online. Where Nationwide wins out is the fact that you can add cancel for any reason (CFAR) for an added cost, whereas CFAR coverage isn't available when purchasing an online policy via Allianz Travel Insurance.
Read our Allianz travel insurance review.
Nationwide Travel Insurance vs. John Hancock Travel Insurance
John Hancock Travel Insurance is similar to Nationwide in that it provides a wide range of insurance offerings and financial services. One of those offerings is travel insurance. John Hancock travel insurance offers travel insurance through Bronze, Silver, and Gold policies.
When comparing policies, the budget option may be slightly more affordable with Nationwide. However, mid-tier and higher coverage options may be more affordable with John Hancock travel insurance. It depends on your policy, trip details, and age. One good thing is that you can add cancel for any reason (CFAR) coverage under all John Hancock travel insurance plan options.
Read our John Hancock Travel Insurance review.
Why You Should Trust Us: How We Reviewed Nationwide Travel Insurance
To evaluate Nationwide travel insurance, Business Insider reviewed the following factors.
Coverage amounts: We consider the policies available, what they cover, and how much coverage they offer. We like to see a variety of options available, with a great deal of flexibility to cover as many needs and customers as possible.
Inclusions/Exclusions: We consider common inclusions and exclusions, and how much customers have to pay for certain benefits. For example, many companies offer preexisting condition waivers, but reserve this benefit for more expensive plans. Nationwide includes preexisting condition coverage with all its policies, given you purchase your policy within the time-specific period, which ranges from 10 to 21 days, depending on the policy.
Cost: We obtain quotes for a variety of travelers, including single travelers, families, couples, and older travelers. We see how the quotes compare to the standard costs of travel insurance, which is between 4% and 8% of your total trip cost. We also pay attention to any savings opportunities travelers can take advantage of, like discounts for children.
Customer service: We consider how a company treats its customers by looking at online customer reviews on sites like Trustpilot, SquareMouth, and the Better Business Bureau. We also look at ratings from third-party organizations like the NAIC and AM Best. We look at any customer service features a company offers, like 24/7 helplines.
Unique features: We look to see if a company has any unique features or benefits. For example, Nationwide's suite of cruise insurance isn't a very common option.
Read more about Business Insider's travel insurance ratings methodology.
Nationwide Travel Insurance FAQs
Does Nationwide travel insurance cover preexisting conditions?
Nationwide single trip plans cover preexisting conditions as long as you purchase within 10 to 21 days, depending on the policy. Nationwide's annual travel insurance doesn't cover preexisting conditions.
How long does Nationwide travel insurance take to process claims?
Nationwide travel insurance says that claims take up to 15 days to process, but reviews have mentioned longer waiting times.
How comprehensive is Nationwide travel insurance coverage?
Nationwide's travel insurance offers very comprehensive coverage, including trip cancellation, interruption, medical emergencies, and baggage loss.
Can I purchase Nationwide travel insurance for last-minute travel?
Yes, you can purchase Nationwide travel insurance up to a day before your departure. It doesn't offer plans for trips already in progress.
Does Nationwide travel insurance offer COVID-related coverage?
Nationwide covers COVID-19 like any other illness, covering trip cancellations with proof of a positive test and covering emergency medical expenses.
Partner offer: Find the best travel insurance policy for your needs and avoid costly surprises. Learn more about travel insurance here.
