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Yes, AXA Assistance USA is one of the world’s largest and most reputable insurance companies with over 60 years of operations. The Better Business Bureau rates AXA Insurance with a solid score of A- and cites no major complaints or ethical issues. AXA Assistance USA also boasts strong financial health. Plans are backed by Nationwide Insurance, one of America’s largest insurance providers, which has a financial health rating of A+ from AMBest. Rest assured, you are covered with AXA travel plans backed by Nationwide.
AXA may not be a familiar name to some Americans, but the AXA Group is a big name in Europe and is known for being a global leader in financial protection.
Below, we’ve put together a detailed guide on the main highlights and benefits of AXA travel insurance to help you understand what they offer.
AXA travel insurance Plans & Coverage
AXA offers three comprehensive plans with varying levels of coverage:
The base-level plan is AXA’s most affordable option and is a great fit if you’re traveling within the United States, North America, or the Caribbean. The plan covers 100% of trip costs for cancellations and interruptions and offers $100,000 for emergency medical evacuations and $25,000 for medical expenses. While the medical expense limit is on the lower side, it is a good amount for supplementing your existing U.S. health insurance for trips within the U.S. Keep in mind that for farther-flung destinations abroad or trips with a higher risk of needing medical care (hiking, covid, etc) you may want to opt for the Gold or Platinum.
If you need higher coverage limits for trips abroad or within the United States, the Gold plan is the perfect option. It’s a solid mid-tier plan with all the coverage you need — including 100% for trip cancellation, $100,000 in medical expenses, and $500,000 for emergency evacuation. These limits are typically enough for most travelers and most destinations worldwide.
Coverage includes $1 million for emergency evacuation and $250,000 for medical expenses which makes it ideal for traveling to hard-to-reach locations that may have high evacuation costs, like on an expedition to Antarctica. Apart from having higher limits overall and giving you access to optional add-ons, the platinum plan also covers a range of premium extras such as lost ski days, golf rounds, sports equipment rentals, etc.
AXA offers add-ons only when you opt for the Gold or Platinum plans.
Add-ons are an easy way to boost your coverage, customize your plan, and further protect yourself against unforeseen travel issues.
There are two main types of optional add-ons available through AXA:
Rental car damage coverage
CFAR – Cancel for any reason coverage
Rental car collision damage waiver
The Gold and Platinum plans allow you to purchase optional rental vehicle coverage. The collision damage waiver applies to collisions, loss or damage to the car, both in the United States and Abroad.
With the Gold plan, you can get a waiver covering up to $35,000, and with the Platinum plan, you can get a waiver for up to $50,000 in damages.
CFAR - Cancel for any reason
Cancel for any reason coverage is just as the name sounds. You can cancel your trip for any reason whatsoever and still be reimbursed for your trip.
This coverage is only available with the AXA Platinum plan and will increase the cost of your policy by around 50%, but it allows you to cancel your trip for any reason and receive a reimbursement for 75% of prepaid expenses.
It’s important to understand that this does not include reimbursement of any refundable costs, so you’ll need to communicate with service providers separately to get that money back.
There are two caveats with AXA’s CFAR coverage:
You must purchase it 14 days or less from the date you paid the first trip deposit.
To claim the benefit, AXA requires you to cancel at least 48 hours from the time you’re scheduled to depart.
Keep these deadlines in mind and consider adding specific dates to your calendar as a reminder to maximize policy benefits.
What is not covered by AXA Assistance USA travel insurance
AXA’s plans tend to be very comprehensive, but they don’t quite cover everything.
Exclusions vary by plan, but generally, AXA will not cover the following:
Travel to high-risk countries (see policy documents for a list)
Medical treatments when you’re traveling against medical advice
Injuries resulting from extreme sports and high-risk, such as flying an aircraft, hang gliding, skydiving, bungee jumping, contact sports and rock climbing
Standard pregnancy care or childbirth (unless there are complications)
Injuries resulting from wars, terrorism, rioting, or participating in civil unrest
STDs
Attempted self-harm or taking your own life
Since the specific exclusions depend on the plan you choose and can change at any time, we always recommend reading the policy’s fine print to understand exactly what is covered and what is excluded.
Reading the terms and understanding your coverage before you commit can save you from potential losses and will ensure you get the most out of your plan.
Cost of AXA Assistance travel insurance plans
Despite offering comprehensive plans with high coverage limits, AXA travel insurance remains quite affordable. Notably, AXA’s plans get more expensive as the limits increase, but even so, they remain competitive in price.
Below, we prepared some examples to give you a general idea of how much AXA travel insurance costs. It’s important to note that the cost of travel insurance varies greatly depending on the specific factors of your trip such as the plan you choose, number of travelers, ages of travelers, length of trip, destination, and more.
Therefore, these prices are for example purposes only as your cost will vary.
That said, below we have collected quotes with a range of trip parameters and highlighted the average cost for each plan based on the example parameters.
The example quotes below used Illinois as the state of residence:
Trip Details
Silver Plan
Gold Plan
Platinum Plan
One traveler age 30, 7 days in the Bahamas, trip cost of $2,000
$69
$87.00
$104
Family of four, 7 days in Florida, trip cost of $6,000 (two adults age 40 + two children)
$244
$314.00
$374
Two travelers age 45, 10 days in England, trip cost of $7,500
$268
$316.00
$376
One traveler age 50, 14 days in France, trip cost of $5,000
$191
$225
$268
Two travelers age 60, 15 days in China, trip cost of $10,000
$540
$638
$760
Two travelers age 75, 5 days in Canada, trip cost of $4,000
$468
$502
$600
From the table above, it’s clear to see that the price of AXA’s plans increases dramatically with age as is common with most providers. It’s also clear that for a few extra dollars, you can upgrade to the Gold plan and boost your coverage limits with a minimal price difference.
AXA has mostly favorable reviews from customers and boasts a 4.2-star rating out of 5.
This equates to a score of 84% customer satisfaction. However, it’s important to remember that disgruntled customers are more likely to leave reviews. We researched real customer feedback to see what others have to say about AXA and how they perform.
Below, we’ve included a list of client feedback with some of the most insightful positive and negative customer reviews we saw. After all, sometimes the best way to gauge if a provider is right for you is by seeing what others say.
What customers like:
Reliable claim payments
Online claim filing options
Easy to change coverage dates
Easy-to-buy policies
Friendly customer service
A customer named Terri mentioned: “I broke my wrist while in Portugal and required two surgeries while I was there. AXA reimbursed me for 100% of my claim.”
Another user named Rebecca said: “Easiest claim possible. I filled out the claim form online and within a month a check for the full amount was issued.”
That said, there were a few gripes customers had with their policies from AXA.
What customers don’t like:
Claims team can be slow to respond
Claim payments can take time
Extensive documentation requirements (depending on claim)
A customer named Joyce prefers a more personal experience: “Communication was slow and impersonal, but the claim was handled fairly.”
ZEV wanted quicker claims: “Policy purchase is fast and easy. Claims are slow and non-responsive.”
One important caveat of these negative reviews is that these points are common to almost all insurance providers. The claims investigation process is lengthy, but if you stick with it, you will be reimbursed as promised.
Is AXA travel insurance worth it?
AXA travel insurance is definitely worth the price as they offer solid, comprehensive coverage with even their budget plans. Regarding cost, they are neither the most expensive nor the cheapest, but the level of quality ranks them among the top providers in the US for travel insurance.
Their record speaks for itself. AXA Assistance USA is an established, respected provider with a long track record of serving customers for over 60 years. Customers often cite their reliability and ease of working with them. Their plans are well suited for traveling abroad or staying within the US.
Which plan is right for you?
Unless you want premium coverage, it may not be necessary to pay for a higher plan than the Silver plan. The Silver plan offers enough coverage for trips within North America and nearby destinations like Canada, Mexico, or the Bahamas. However, the medical limit on this plan may not be enough for some travelers, like those on a trip to Tanzania where higher coverage limits are recommended.
For international trips, the Gold and Platinum plans provide higher limits for medical care and evacuation, so you’re well covered if an emergency happens overseas, such as on a trip to Japan or when visiting Ireland.
The optional add-ons available with these plans may also be a deciding factor for upgrading.
If you’re interested in higher coverage limits or a wider variety of add-ons, you may want to consider plans from other providers. None of AXA’s travel insurance plans are included in our list of the most sold travel insurance plans for 2023. Therefore, you may want to have a look there if you are still not convinced.
Here are our top picks for the best alternative plans
Yes, AXA offers solid, comprehensive travel insurance plans — each one, even the most affordable tier, comes with a wide variety of standard coverages. No matter which option you select, you’ll be protected when it comes to trip cancellation, trip interruption, lost baggage, and more.
Does AXA Assistance USA include 24/7 Travel Assistance?
Yes — AXA Assistance USA has a 24/7 emergency assistance line at 855-327-1442. Operators are available around the clock to answer questions and help find the care you need.
Does AXA travel insurance come with a money-back guarantee?
AXA Assistance USA will offer your money back in certain scenarios but does not offer an unlimited money-back guarantee. AXA will offer a refund if you request cancellation in writing within 10 days of original purchase. AXA does not offer refunds for your policy once you’ve started traveling or you’ve already submitted a claim against the policy. For example, if you filed a trip interruption claim, you won’t be able to get the plan cost back.
Does AXA travel insurance cover trip cancellations?
Every AXA travel insurance plan covers trip cancellations in some capacity. The Silver, Gold, and Platinum plans all cover 100% of the non-refundable, prepaid costs when you cancel for a reason stipulated in the policy. That usually includes an illness or accidental injury that prevents you or someone else on the policy from going on the trip. For example, cancellation coverage will apply for accidental injuries, sickness, or death of a non-traveling family member who resides in the United States, Canada, or Mexico.
Keep in mind that you’ll need a doctor to attest to your inability to travel. Other covered reasons include a job transfer and home relocation of more than 250 miles, revocation of a previously approved military leave, and unforeseen natural disasters that destroy your accommodations.
Does AXA travel insurance work abroad?
AXA travel insurance covers trips to most foreign countries. When you buy a policy, make sure to note all the countries you’ll be visiting to ensure coverage.
Does AXA travel insurance cover cancel for any reason?
Only the AXA Premium plan offers “cancel-for-any-reason” coverage as an optional add-on. This feature will increase the policy cost significantly, but it can help you recoup up to 75% of your money.
Is AXA no longer doing travel insurance?
AXA still sells travel insurance in the USA. AXA stopped selling its own branded plans in the UK. However, in the USA, AXA still available and is a great company to buy travel insurance from. AXA Assistance USA has 3 different plans to choose from that offer comprehensive travel insurance fit for domestic or international trips.
Leigh Morgan is a seasoned personal finance contributor with over 15 years of experience writing on a diverse range of professional legal and financial topics. She specializes in subjects like navigating the complexities of insurance, savings, zero-based budgeting and emergency fund development.
In the last 5 years, she’s authored over 300 articles for credit unions, digital banks, and financial professionals. Morgan is also the author of “77 Tips for Preventing Elder Financial Abuse,” a book focused on helping caregivers protect the elderly from financial scams.
In addition to her writing skills, she brings real-world financial acumen thanks to her previous experience managing rental properties as part of a $34 million real estate portfolio.
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