New travel insurance policies cater to COVID-19

Seven Corners launches specialty plans to protect travelers during the coronavirus pandemic.

Global travel insurer Seven Corners added four policies to its lineup last week — all of which were developed in response to COVID-19 and the uptick in road trips.

ARMOR is the name of its road trip policy, which protects travelers planning a road trip in the US, Canada or Mexico once drivers are 100 miles from home.

The three other policies are travel medical insurance plans. Liaison Travel Plus, Liaison Student Plus and Wander Frequent Traveler cover a set amount of medical expenses incurred due to COVID-19 and any variation of SARS-CoV-2.

All policies were designed to ease travelers’ anxiety during the pandemic and clearly cover the coronavirus, according to Seven Corners president Jeremy Murchland.

“We conducted a sentiment survey in April, and unsurprisingly, it showed fear of contracting COVID-19 is the biggest fear people have about travel. 92% of our respondents had one or more COVID-19 worries, with the biggest being fear of contracting and spreading the virus,” Murchland told Finder.

“If the worst happens and [travelers] contract the virus on the trip, they at least know they have coverage for medical treatment and emergency medical evacuation,” Murchland said,

How these policies differ from other options on the market

Compared to other travel medical insurance plans, Liaison Travel Plus, Liaison Student Plus and Wander Frequent Traveler offer the broadest coverage on the market.

“Most plans exclude pandemics. If they do cover them, they tie the coverage to warnings issued by the CDC, with complicated verbiage around the type and warning and timing for your trip,” Murchland told Finder.

“Our plans are deliberately simplistic with a specific COVID-19 treatment benefit that covers medical expenses for COVID, and the benefit is not tied to warnings or dates of travel,” Murchland said.

Like most travel medical insurance plans, Seven Corners’ policies cover emergency medical evacuations and repatriation. The insurer will also pay for your transport to a better healthcare facility, if needed.

The difference between each plan comes down to its length and the value of its emergency medical evacuation benefit.

Why road trip protection is useful

The road trip policy, ARMOR, offers 24/7 travel assistance as well as emergency and non-emergency repatriation so travelers can get home safely. This means you can cancel your trip and recoup your money if you’re sick and don’t want to travel.

The policy stands out for covering emergency medical reunions, as well as the return of passengers, cars, pets and remains.

“Our ARMOR plan addresses difficult situations that can arise with a road trip that many people haven’t thought of,” Murchland explained.

“If you’re on an RV trip with your family, and you get hurt so badly you can’t drive the RV, how will you get [the RV] home if no one else traveling with you can drive it? And how will you, your family, and your pets get home?” he said.

The Seven Corners policy also applies to motorcycle and car travel.

Photo: Getty Images and Seven Corners