If you're taking a trip through a travel agency, university, or other company, USI Affinity Travel Insurance is a travel insurance company worth considering.
Pros and Cons
USI Affinity Travel Insurance Pros
- Strong coverage for medical expenses while traveling
- Vendor offers "cancel for any reason" upgrade
- Specialty coverage (for things like hurricanes and other weather events) available
USI Affinity Travel Insurance Cons
- Pricing high compared to competitors
- Claims may take longer during certain seasons
- Baggage delay benefits take 12 hours to kick in after claim is submitted
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- Strong coverage for medical expenses while traveling
- Vendor offers "cancel for any reason" upgrade
- Specialty coverage (for things like hurricanes and other weather events) available
- Pricing high compared to competitors
- Claims may take longer during certain seasons
- Baggage delay benefits take 12 hours to kick in after claim is submitted
Compare USI Travel Insurance
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- 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
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- 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, loss and trip delay coverage
- Optional "adventure sports" 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 a basic, select, and America option. 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
USI Affinity Travel Insurance Overview
USI Affinity' is a leading name in risk management and insurance, usually offering their services to other businesses, like law firms and hospitals. Though not necessarily its specialty, USI Affinity also offers comprehensive travel insurance for a wide range of needs, including several medical-only travel insurance plans, annual travel insurance, and road trip policies.
Additionally, USI Affinity's travel cancellation plans are some of the most flexible we've encountered. Its policies cover trips up to a year long and have functionally no age limit (the age limit is set at 119-years-old).
While USI Affinity has one of the highest age caps we've seen for travel insurance, it's not only expensive relative to the best travel insurance companies for seniors, but generally expensive for all age groups. Additionally, USI Affinity lacks adventure sports medical coverage, making this policy less attractive for younger travelers.
Plans Available from USI Affinity
USI Affinity has three plans: Basic, Plus, and Elite. Basic offers lighter protection, with trip cancellation for trips that cost under $15,000 per person.
| Basic | Plus | Elite | |
| Trip Cancellation | 100% up to $15K | 100% up to $125K | 100% up to $150K |
| Optional CFAR | N/A | 75% trip cost when purchased within 21 days of initial trip deposit | 75% trip cost when purchased within 21 days of initial trip deposit |
| Trip Interruption | 100% up to $15K | 125% up to $156,250 | 150% up to $225K |
| Trip Delay | $500 ($100 per day, min. 12 hrs) | $1,000 ($200 per day, min. 12 hrs) | $2,000 ($250 per day, min. 12 hrs) |
| Missed Connection | $500 | $1,000 | $1,500 |
| Travel delay | N/A | $150 | $150 |
| Baggage and Personal Effects | $500 ($250 per item) | $1K ($250 per item) | $2,500 ($500 per item) |
| Baggage Delay | $100 | $300 | $500 |
| Accidental Death and Dismemberment | $50K | $100K | $150K |
| Medical Evacuation | $100K | $500K | $1M |
| Accidenta and Sickness Medical Expenses | $50K | $100K | $150K |
| Pre-Existing Conditions | N/A with 60-day look back period | Available when purchased within 21 days of initial trip deposit | Available when purchased within 21 days of initial trip deposit |
| Rental Car Damage | N/A | $25K | $35K |
| Sports Equipment Rental | N/A | $750 | $1,500 |
USI Affinity also offers a multi-trip option called Voyager Annual Travel Insurance that provides primary travel medical insurance coverage for people taking multiple trips less than 30 days long throughout the year. This plan offers two tiers of coverage: Silver and Gold. Gold has higher coverage limits and some additional coverage, such as political and natural disaster evacuation that Silver lacks.
You can find the full plan breakdown here.
| Silver | Gold | |
| Emergency Medical (primary) | $50K | $250K |
| Emergency Dental | $750 | $750 |
| AD&D - 24 Hour | $50K | $50K |
| AD&D - Air Only | $100K | $100K |
| Emergency Medical Evacuation | $100K | $250K |
| Repatriation of Remains | $100K | $150K |
| Political and Natural Disaster Evacuation | N/A | $100K |
| Airline Ticket Change Fee | N/A | $200 |
| Single Occupancy Supplement | N/A | Included |
| Trip Interruption | N/A | $5,000 |
| Trip Cancellation | N/A | N/A |
| Baggage Delay (12 hour min.) | $100 per day, $300 max | $100 per day, $750 max |
| Baggage/Personal Effects | $1,000 (per item: $250) | $2,500 (per item: $250) |
| 24/7 Emergency Assistance Services | Included | Included |
USI Affinity Additional Coverage Plans
Aside from the trip cancellation and annual travel insurance plans, USI Affinity offers several medical-only travel insurance plans that can last for up to 12 months. It also offers a road trip plan, that offers car-specific protections and other coverage you may need on a road trip.
WorldMed: Medical expense and evacuation insurance for people traveling outside their home country for five to 365 days.
InterMedical: Medical expense and evacuation insurance for people traveling outside the U.S. or their home country for five to 365 days.
VisitUSA-HealthCare: Travel medical insurance for visitors to the U.S. who need health insurance.
StudyUSA-HealthCare: Travel medical insurance for international students who are studying in the U.S.
Road Trip Insure: Road trip-specific protections like vehicle breakdown and disablement, vehicle return, and rental car damage.
USI Affinity 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 USI Affinity 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 estimateUSI Affinity 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:
- Travel Insurance Select Basic: $126.60
- Travel Insurance Select Plus: $158.70
- Travel Insurance Select Elite: $229.50
Premiums for USI Affinity plans are between 3.1% and 5.2% of the trip's cost, well within the average cost of travel insurance.
USI Affinity provides the following quotes for a 30-year-old traveler from California heading to Japan for two weeks on a $4,000 trip:
- Travel Insurance Select Basic: $168.80
- Travel Insurance Select Plus: $211.60
- Travel Insurance Select Elite: $306.00
Once again, premiums for USI Affinity plans are between 4.2% and 7.65% 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:
- Travel Insurance Select Basic: $847
- Travel Insurance Select Plus: $1,204
- Travel Insurance Select Elite: $1,570
Quotes for this trip cost between 4.2% and 7.85%, 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:
- Travel Insurance Select Basic: $520.20
- Travel Insurance Select Plus: $571.20
- Travel Insurance Select Elite: $828.60
Premiums for USI Affinity plans for older-age travelers are between 8.7% and 13.8%, which is well within the average cost for travel insurance. While it's certainly more expensive than coverage for younger travelers, it's on the lower end of what travel insurance companies often quote for older travelers.
How to Purchase and Manage a USI Affinity Policy
To purchase a policy from USI Affinity, you'll need to obtain a quote from its website. You'll need to be prepared to provide the following details about your trip:
- State of residence
- Destination country
- Departure/Return dates
- Initial deposit date and final payment date
- Traveler(s) date of birth
- Trip cost (per person)
- Organization you're traveling with (if applicable)
Once you add this information, you'll be taken to the quotes page, where you will be able to add optional CFAR coverage to Plus and Elite policies. While you'll only be able to purchase insurance for trips under 90 days online, you can call customer service at 1-800-937-1387 if you want coverage for longer trips, up to one year.
How to File a Claim with USI Affinity Travel Insurance
USI Affinity makes it easy to file a claim through its website. On the website, it states, "To file a claim on your travel insurance plan, please download and print the appropriate claim form below, and submit it to the address indicated on the form" along with the following forms:
- Accidental dismemberment claim form
- Baggage claim form
- Medical claim form
- Rental collision claim form
- Trip cancellation | trip interruption | travel delay | missed connection claim form
You can also call USI Affinity at 1-855-874-0255 or email explorer@travelinsure.com.
You'll want to file claims as soon as possible, specifically if you're filing for trip cancellation or interruption, to avoid non-covered charges due to late reporting.
USI Affinity Customer Service and Claims Experience
The majority of USI Affinity reviews live on its SquareMouth page, receiving an average of 4.01 stars out of five. While recent customer reviews were very complimentary of both the buying and claims process at USI Affinity, older reviews mention unprofessional and uncommunicative claims agents as well as long wait times.
The biggest concern isn't within the content of USI Affinity's reviews, but the fact that USI Affinity very rarely responds to customer reviews, while many of the best travel insurance companies will regularly respond to customers.
USI Affinity Travel Insurance Alternatives
Learn more about how USI Affinity Travel Insurance compares to the competition.
USI Affinity Travel Insurance vs Allianz Travel Insurance
Allianz Travel Insurance is a popular competitor to USI Affinity as it serves 55 million travelers everywhere. Unlike USI Affinity, Allianz Travel Insurance offers multiple plans to customize your trip's insurance plan. Allianz Travel Insurance has over 10 plans to choose from with different features. So you can choose what's best for you and your family. These plans include single trip, annual trip, and rental car insurance.
Another thing exclusive to Allianz Travel Insurance is its OneTrip Prime plan. It offers free coverage for travelers under 17 when traveling with a parent or grandparent. USI Affinity makes no such claims.
Read our Allianz Travel Insurance review.
USI Affinity Travel Insurance vs Trawick Travel Insurance
Another large competitor is Trawick International Travel Insurance. The company offers baggage protection for up to $2,000 compared to USI Affinity's $300 or $500 coverage options.
According to the company website, Trawick International Travel Insurance also offers cruise insurance plans and adventure travel insurance covering over 500 different activities. It highlights benefits such as unlimited trip cancellation coverage.
Read our Trawick Travel Insurance review.
USI Affinity vs Credit Card Travel Insurance
Credit cards can be a great alternative to USI Affinity. Make sure your credit card offers travel insurance before your trip. Also, keep in mind, credit card travel protections may not be as comprehensive as an insurance policy.
For example, you might be able to get reimbursed for a flight on a credit card, but only if you paid for the flight with the credit card. If you paid for the flight in cash or with a debit card, your credit card isn't going to reimburse you. USI Affinity will. You just need to submit a form.
Having additional travel insurance is never a bad option. Some travelers have cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve, which offers baggage delay protection. USI could add medical coverage, AD&D, hotel and flight coverage after a covered event, and more. No matter what card you have, check to see what travel benefits your card offers. You can stack travel benefits to ensure you're covered for your trip as long as you use your credit card to purchase all your expenses.
Read our guide on the best credit cards with travel insurance.
Why You Should Trust Us: How We Reviewed USI Travel Insurance
In creating this review of USI Affinity, we compared it to competitive travel insurance products, considering coverage, price points, exclusions, and more. Then we considered what credit card benefits could complement USI Affinity travel insurance's travel insurance plan.
Every travel insurance product has its pros and cons. Our aim is to shine a light to help consumers make informed decisions based on all the facts. We know how important insurance is when traveling with peace of mind.
You can read more about our travel insurance ratings methods here.
USI Travel Insurance FAQs
USI Affinity generally provides comprehensive coverage for international travel, including medical emergencies, trip cancellations, and baggage loss.
No, adventure activities are not covered under USI Affinity's trip cancellation plans.
USI Affinity offers pre-existing condition waivers for its Plus and Elite trip cancellation plans as long as you purchase your policy within 21 days of your initial trip deposit.
Customer service reviews show that claims often get handled within a month, but there's little that customers can do to speed up the process once all documents are filed.
USI Affinity is often recognized for its wide range of plan options and comprehensive coverage, catering to diverse travel needs.
