Byron Mühlberg
Guide
Jan 4, 2024
Advertiser disclosure
Canada is a massive country known for its natural splendour, including the Rocky Mountains, the Northern Lights, and Niagara Falls, as well as its energetic cities like Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Although travelling to Canada can be an accessible holiday destination for many people, out-the-pocket healthcare costs in the country tend to be expensive, so it's a very good idea to arrive there with travel insurance under your belt.
Luckily, online global insurances (known as 'insurtechs') specialize in cost-savvy travel insurance to Canada and other countries worldwide. Our list below explores the four services we believe provide the best deals for young travellers, adventurers, everyday holidaymakers looking for comprehensive but affordable coverage, and longer-term expats.
Canada Insurance Profile
Here are a few of the many factors influencing the scope and cost of travel insurances for Canada:
| 👥 Number of visitors | Around 32 million /year |
|---|---|
| ✅ Travel highlight | Exquisite outdoors |
| 💸 Healthcare cost | 23rd globally (above average) |
| 🩺 Healthcare quality | Very good |
| ⚠ Main travel risks | - Extreme cold |
| 🛡 Safety | Very safe |
| 🚑 Travel insurance required? | No |
| 🏆 Best provider | VisitorsCoverage |
Best Travel Insurances for Canada
- 01. Should I get travel insurance for Canada? scroll down
- 02. Best medical coverage: VisitorsCoverage scroll down
- 03. Best trip insurance: Insured Nomads scroll down
- 04. Best mix for youth and digitial nomads: SafetyWing scroll down
- 05. FAQ about travel insurance to Canada scroll down
Heading to Canada soon? Don't forget to check the following list before you travel:
- 💳 Eager to dodge high FX fees? See our picks for the best travel cards in 2024.
- 🛂 Need a visa? Let iVisa take care of it for you.
- ✈ Looking for flights? Compare on Skyscanner!
- 💬 Want to learn the local language? Babbel and italki are two excellent apps to think about.
- 💻 Want a VPN? ExpressVPN is the market leader for anonymous and secure browsing.
Do I Need Travel Insurance for Canada?
No, there's currently no legal requirement to take out travel insurance for travel to or through Canada.
However, regardless of whether or not it's legally required, it's always a good idea to take our health insurance before you travel — whether to Canada or anywhere else. For what's usually an affordable cost, taking out travel insurance will mitigate most or all of the risk of financial damage if you run into any unexpected troubles during your trip abroad. Take a look at the top five reasons to get travel insurance to learn more.
With that said, here are the top three travel insurances for Canada:
VisitorsCoverage: Best Medical Coverage
Among the internet's best-known insurance platforms,VisitorsCoverageis a pioneering Silicon Valley insurtech company that offers comprehensive medical coverage for travellers going abroad to Canada. It lets you choose between various plans tailored to meet the specific needs of your trip to Canada, including coverage for medical emergencies, trip cancellations, and travel disruptions. With its easy online purchase process and 24/7 live chat support, VisitorsCoverage is a reliable and convenient option if you want good value and peace of mind while travelling abroad.
VisitorsCoverage offers a large variety of policies and depending on your needs and preferences, you'll need to compare and explore their full catalogue of plans for yourself. However, we've chosen a few highlights for their travel insurance for Canada:
- Policy names: Varies
- Medical coverage: Very good. Includes coverage for doctor and hospital visits, pre-existing conditions, repatriation, mental health-related conditions, and many others.
- Trip coverage: Excellent - but only available for US residents.
- Customer support: FAQ, live chat and phone support
- Pricing range: USD 25 to USD 150 /traveller /month
- Insurance underwriter: Lloyd's, Petersen, and others
- Best for: Value for money and overall medical coverage
Go to VisitorsCoverage 🡪
Insured Nomads: Best Trip Coverage
Insured Nomads is another very good travel insurance option, especially if you're adventurous or frequently on the go and are looking for solid trip insurance with some coverage for medical incidents too. With Insured Nomads, you can choose the level of protection that best suits your needs and enjoy a wide range of benefits, including 24/7 assistance, coverage for risky activities and adventure sports, and the ability to add or remove coverage as needed. In addition, Insured Nomads has a reputation for providing fast and efficient claims service, making it an excellent choice if you want peace of mind while exploring the world.
8.1
Monito Score
Insured Nomads offers three travel insurance policies depending on your needs and preferences. We go through them below:
- Policy names: World Explorer, World Explorer Multi, World Explorer Guardian
- Medical coverage: Good. Includes coverage for doctor and hospital visits, pre-existing conditions, repatriation, and many others.
- Trip coverage: Good. Includes coverage for trip cancellation and interruption, lost or stolen luggage (with limits), adventure and sports activities, and many others.
- Customer support: FAQ, live chat, phone support
- Pricing range: USD 80 to USD 420 /traveller /month
- Insurance underwriter: David Shield Insurance Company Ltd.
- Best for: Adventure seekers wanting comprehensive trip insurance
Go to Insured Nomads 🡪
SafetyWing: Best Combination For Youth
SafetyWing is a good insurance option for younger travellers or digital nomads because it offers flexible but comprehensive coverage at a famously affordable price. With SafetyWing, you can enjoy peace of mind knowing you're covered for unexpected medical expenses, trip cancellations, lost or stolen luggage, and more. In addition, SafetyWing's user-friendly website lets you manage your policy, file a claim, and access 24/7 assistance from anywhere in the world, and, unlike VisitorsCoverage, you can even purchase a policy retroactively (e.g. during a holiday)!
SafetyWing offers two travel insurance policies depending on your needs and preferences, which we've highlighted below:
- Policy names: Nomad Insurance, Remote Health
- Medical coverage: Decent. Includes coverage for doctor and hospital visits, repatriation, and many others.
- Trip coverage: Decent. Includes attractive coverage for lost or stolen belongings, adventure and sports activities, transport cancellation, and many others.
- Customer support: FAQ, live chat, phone support
- Pricing range: USD 45 to USD 160 /traveller /month
- Insurance underwriter: Tokyo Marine HCC
- Best for: Digital nomads, youth, long-term travellers
Go to SafetyWing 🡪
How Do They Compare?
Interested to see how VisitorsCoverage, SafetyWing, and Insured Nomads compare as travel insurances to Canada? Take a look at the side-by-side chart below:
No. of Plans | 50+ | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
Coverage |
|
|
|
Major Exclusions |
|
|
|
Limits | $50,000 - $5,000,000 | $250,000 | $2,000,000 |
Deductibles | $0 - $25,000 | $250 | $0 - $500 |
Pricing | $25 - $150 /month | $45 - $160 /month | $80 - $200 /month |
Customer Service |
|
|
|
Reputation | Excellent | Decent | Very good |
Ease of Use | Easy | Decent | Easy |
| Get your quote | Get your quote | Get your quote |
Data correct as of 4/1/2024
FAQ About Travel Insurance to Canada
💊 What does travel insurance cover?
Travel insurance typically covers trip cancellation, trip interruption, lost or stolen luggage, travel delay, and emergency evacuation. Some travel insurance packages also cover medical-related incidents too. However, remember that the exact coverage depends on the insurance policy.
📋 Do I need travel insurance to travel to Canada?
No, you'll not be required to take out travel insurance for Canada. However, we strongly encourage you to do so anyway, because the cost of healthcare in Canada can be high, and taking out travel insurance will mitigate some or all of the risk of covering those costs yourself if you need medical attention during your stay.
🩺 Is medical travel insurance worth it?
Yes, medical travel insurance is almost always worth it, and we recommend taking out travel insurance whenever visiting a foreign country. Taking out travel insurance will mitigate some or all of the risk of covering those costs yourself in case you need medical attention during your stay. In general, we recommend VisitorsCoverage to travellers worldwide because it offers excellent value for money and well-rounded travel and medical benefits in its large catalogue of plans.
🚑 Does health insurance cover travel expenses?
Health insurance doesn't cover normal holiday expenses, such as coverage for missed flights and hotels, but in case you run into medical trouble while abroad, it may cover some or all of your doctor or hospital expenses while overseas. However, not all health insurance providers and plans offer coverage to customers while abroad, and that's why it's generally best to take out travel insurance whenever you travel.
🌴 Is health and travel insurance the same?
Although there's overlap, health and travel insurance are not exactly the same. Health insurance covers some or all of the cost of medical expenses (e.g. emergency treatment, doctor's visits, etc.) while travel insurance covers non-medical costs that are commonly associated with travelling (e.g. coverage for missed flights, stolen or lost personal belongings, etc.).
💸 How much does travel insurance cost?
The cost of travel insurance depends on several factors, such as the length of the trip, the destination, the age of the traveller, and the level of coverage desired. On average, travel insurance can cost anywhere between 3% and 10% of the total cost of the trip.
📑 What's the difference between single-trip and annual insurance?
A single-trip travel insurance policy covers a specific trip, while an annual one covers multiple trips taken within a one-year period. An annual policy may be more cost-effective for frequent travellers.
📅 Can I buy insurance after I've started my trip?
Yes, you can sometimes purchase travel insurance after starting your trip, but it is best to buy it before the trip begins to ensure maximum coverage. If you do need to buy insurance after you've started your trip, we recommend VisitorsCoverage, which offers a wide catalogue of online trip and medical insurance policies, most of which can be booked with immediate effect. Check out our guide to buying travel insurance late to learn more.
📆 Can I buy insurance for a trip I've already booked?
Yes, you can most certainly purchase travel insurance for a trip that has already been booked, although we recommend purchasing insurance as soon as possible aftwerwards to ensure all coverage is in place before your journey begins. Check out our guide to buying travel insurance late to learn more.
See Our Other Travel Insurance Guides
Looking for Travel Insurance to Another Country?
See our recommendations for travel insurance to other countries worldwide:
United Arab Emirates | Fiji | US Virgin Islands |
India | Qatar | Belarus |
Jamaica | Chile | Guatemala |
Turkey | Hong Kong | Serbia |
Germany | Kenya | Bulgaria |
Mexico | Denmark | Tanzania |
Philippines | Czechia | Gibraltar |
United Kingdom | Netherlands | Azerbaijan |
Canada | Morocco | Albania |
South Korea | Austria | Panama |
Argentina | Sweden | Kuwait |
Thailand | Indonesia | Iraq |
Belize | Bhutan | Bahrain |
Spain | Pakistan | Uganda |
Turks and Caicos | Poland | Nigeria |
Australia | Bangladesh | Zimbabwe |
Singapore | Cayman Islands | Nicaragua |
Israel | Mauritius | Zambia |
Brazil | Seychelles | Vanuatu |
Russia | Barbados | Turkmenistan |
South Africa | Cape Verde | Trinidad and Tobago |
China | Tunisia | Sudan |
Colombia | Oman | Somalia |
Ireland | Malta | Syria |
Vietnam | Cambodia | Sierra Leone |
Nepal | Belgium | Rwanda |
Egypt | Romania | Papua New Guinea |
Iceland | Georgia | Mozambique |
Jordan | Saudi Arabia | Montenegro |
Bahamas | Iran | Mongolia |
Portugal | Taiwan | Malawi |
New Zealand | Namibia | Luxembourg |
Puerto Rico | Lebanon | Lithuania |
Dominican Republic | Cyprus | Latvia |
Maldives | Myanmar | Laos |
Malaysia | Finland | Haiti |
Switzerland | Hungary | Gambia |
Sri Lanka | Venezuela | Ethiopia |
Croatia | Bermuda | Estonia |
Ecuador | Ghana | Botswana |
Peru | Uruguay | Afghanistan |
Japan | Italy | Greece |
France | Costa Rica |
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