Travel insurance, without the fine-print headache.

Your provincial plan stops at the border

Here is the fact that surprises almost everyone: your provincial health coverage pays only a small fixed amount for medical care outside Canada. A hospital stay abroad can cost thousands per day. Travel insurance is the bridge between what your province pays and what the bill actually says.

Snowbirds: the annual ritual

If you spend winters somewhere warmer, travel medical insurance is non-negotiable. The key details for snowbirds are the stability clause on pre-existing conditions and the maximum trip length your policy allows. Buy before you leave, understand the stability period, and carry proof of coverage. Every year, Canadians learn these lessons the expensive way. You do not have to be one of them.

Visitors to Canada

Parents and grandparents visiting for extended stays need visitors-to-Canada insurance. For super visa applicants, it is a requirement: minimum $100,000 in coverage for at least one year from a Canadian insurer. Even without a visa requirement, months in Canada without coverage is a risk no family should take.

Pre-existing conditions: read this part twice

Most travel policies cover pre-existing conditions only if they have been stable for a defined period before departure. Stable usually means no new or worsening symptoms, no new diagnoses, and no changes in medication or treatment. If anything changed recently, say so when you apply. An undisclosed change is the most common reason claims get denied.

Families: keep it simple

For family vacations, the priorities are straightforward: enough medical coverage for everyone, trip cancellation if you prepaid significant costs, and coverage for the activities you will actually do. Buy it when you book, not the night before, because cancellation coverage only protects costs incurred after purchase.

What to compare

Look past the price and compare the things that decide claims: the medical coverage limit, the stability period for pre-existing conditions, what counts as a covered reason for cancellation, and the exclusions. The cheapest policy is only a bargain if it pays when you need it.

Common questions