Review: American Express Travel Insurance
By
Ronny Lavie
*** Update, July 2017 *** American Express no longer sells insurance in the UK.
All current policyholders will remain covered until the end of their policies.
Check out our list of the best travel insurance companies here.
***
Summary
American Express Prestige Travel Insurance has been awarded 5 Stars by Defaqto, an independent reviewer of financial products. Fairer Finance, meanwhile, ranked American Express 4th out of the 36 travel insurance providers they reviewed for customer happiness, trust, complaints, and transparency.
You can get a quote at the American Express travel insurance website.
Overview of travel insurance cover provided by the American Express
American Express is a well-known and well-established credit card provider. However, many people don’t realise they also offer other financial products, such as pet insurance and travel insurance. You don’t have to have an Amex card to take out their travel insurance, though some of their credit cards do offer some benefits relating to travel insurance (see the terms of your card to find out what kind of cover it offers).
American Express offer three types of cover – Single Trip, Annual Multi-Cover and Gap Year/Backpacker.
Single trip cover is offered to those up to the age of 79 for trips within Europe, and up to 69 for worldwide travel. The length of the trip is limited to 93 days. You can choose to reduce your excess, or increase it for discounted premiums, and the cancellation cover is up to £3,000 per person.
Gap year/Backpacker insurance is offered up to the age of 49 for trips ranging from 3 to 24 months for European travel and 3 to 12 months for worldwide travel, except North America, Canada and the Caribbean, which are limited to 3 to 9 months. This cover includes up to £10m medical emergency and Repatriation cover, up to £2,500 for baggage cover and up to £5,000 for cancellation, as well as other optional extras.
American Express’ Annual travel insurance has 3 levels of cover:
Essential – including up to £10m medical expenses, £3,000 for cancellation, £1,500 for baggage, £2m personal liability, cover for up to 31 days per trip and 93 days all together in the year.
Select – including up to £10m medical expenses, £5,000 for cancellation, £2,500 for baggage, £2m personal liability, cover for up to 45 days per trip and 185 days all together in the year.
Premium – including up to £15m medical expenses, £12,500 for cancellation, £2,500 for baggage, £2m personal liability, cover for up to 120 days per trip and 240 days all together in the year.
Cruise insurance is included as standard in their policies, and they offer optional extras such as Winter Sports, Adventure Sports, Stranded Traveller Assistance and Wedding insurance.
Right for you? Get a quote online.
What about pre-existing medical conditions?
American Express travel insurance does offer cover for existing medical conditions.
Those seeking a quote are asked to complete an online medical declaration, which lists a number of potentially-problematic conditions. American Express will then decide whether they are able to provide cover for your conditions, and whether it warrants additional premiums. If your situation is complex or you would like to discuss your options with an adviser, it is recommended to call them directly, rather than get a quote online.
How much does travel insurance cost with the Amex?
The cost of travel insurance with American Express will depend on a number of factors, such as the type of cover you require, the duration of your trip, any pre-existing medical conditions, and so on. However, to give you an indication of costs, we got a few example quotes:
ANNUAL MULTI-TRIP, WORLDWIDE (INCLUDING NORTH AMERICA) – A COUPLE IN THEIR 50S
Annual Select:
Policy cost = £168.29 (including 20% online discount)
Medical cover = £10,000,000
Cancellation = £5,000
Excess = £50
Annual Prestige (90 days):
Policy cost = £563.67 (including 20% online discount)
Medical cover = £15,000,000
Cancellation = £12,500
Excess = £50
Annual Prestige (120 days):
Policy cost = £704.59 (including 20% online discount)
Medical cover = £15,000,000
Cancellation = £12,500
Excess = £50
SINGLE TRIP TO SPAIN, 2 WEEKS – ONE 34YR OLD WOMAN TRAVELLING SOLO
Policy cost = £27.75 (including 20% online discount)
Medical cover = £10,000,000
Cancellation = £3,000
Excess = £50
All customers buying their policies online will enjoy a 20% discount.
Get a quote tailored to your needs here.
What do American Express’s customers say?
American Express Travel Insurance reviews seemed to be a mixed bag. Customers on reviewcentre.com gave Amex travel insurance 2.1 out of 5 stars, with only 26% saying they would recommend the service. The first 10 reviews gave the service 1 star, warning others to stay away. On the flip-side, the 11th review is a glowing 5-star review, saying the customer’s claim was settled quickly and efficiently.
Over on money.co.uk it’s a different story. Amex travel insurance received 4.1 out of five stars and is marked as ‘Excellent’, with customers praising the free extras, price and claim process.
What do the expert reviews say?
Amex travel insurance reviews from the experts also vary. Which? gave Amex travel insurance 60%, made up of 65% for customer satisfaction, 66% for their annual policy and 43% for their single trip policy. The overall score puts them at number 33 out of 34 providers reviewed, however, for their customer satisfaction score only, they are number 16 out of 34.
Defaqto, an independent researcher of financial products, has awarded American Express’ Prestige policy five stars for both European and worldwide cover, making it “an excellent product with a comprehensive range of features and benefits”. Their Select cover received 4 stars, for both Europe and Worldwide, making it “a product with a good level of features and benefits”. Finally, the Essential policy cover received two stars, making it “a product offering a limited range of features and benefits”.
