It is great to travel with a group of friends, people you work with or people who share your interests. For such trips, you can readily great group travel insurance. Such a policy can save you money and make your trip even more enjoyable giving you peace of mind that you are covered for any misfortune. There are many packages from different insurers so select from, so you should definitely ask the following questions to get the best deal.

1) How many people can get a group travel insurance policy?

Usually, the group needs to consist of at least ten people. However, some insurers may have a lower limit and allow you to buy such coverage even if your group consists of eight individuals. In general, it will not be particularly easy for you to find a policy for less than eight travelers forming a group.

2) Are there any other eligibility criteria and what are they?

In most cases, group travel insurance policies are non aged banded. This means that there are no limitations to the upper or lower age to the individuals in the group. Still, some insurers may offer age banded packages. Usually, these are available to individuals younger than 74, 70 or 65, depending on the underwriter. Despite this, there are also companies that offer group policies specifically designed for travelers over 65 years of age.

None of the travelers in the group should have pre existing medical conditions. However, in many cases, existing condition exclusion from the group coverage is not automatically applied. The individual has to inform the underwriter and undergo screening so that he/she can be approved for insurance. Travelers with pre existing medical conditions may have to pay larger premiums than the standard for all people in the group.

3) Are there any requirements regarding the duration and destination of the trip?

Many companies provide only single trip group travel insurance due to the higher demand. The different companies may pose restrictions regarding the duration of the trip. Some may cover you for up to 30 days only while others provide coverage for 45 days and more.

In some cases, annual multi trip coverage may be available. Such packages are available to youth organizations, educational institutions and various clubs bases on interests. There are also administration group plans available. Flexible annual multi trip plans of different types, such as the Patriot group travel packages, can be easily found.

The destination of the trip is usually irrelevant for eligibility. Groups can select from worldwide, worldwide excluding USA and Canada and Europe travel packages.

4) What types of coverage can each individual purchase?

One of the options is for every individual to get comprehensive coverage that includes sickness medical expenses and emergency evacuation cover, group trip cancellation and cancellation trip interruption cover and baggage and missed connection baggage cover. Additional types of coverage, such as winter sports coverage, may be available as well.

Another option is for the individuals traveling in a group to share just one type of coverage. For instance, everyone can purchase group travel medical insurance cover. In this way, every individual in the group can decide on the other types of cover they want to have and on their amounts.

Generally, you have a more flexible and a more binding option to select from.

5) How much coverage can each individual purchase?

The different companies have different terms and conditions applicable to their policy, but usually all travelers in the group will have to purchase the same amount of coverage. Still, some insurers may offer greater flexibility. In general, the standard limits for individual insurance apply. For example, you may not be able to purchase more than a set amount of sickness medical expense and emergency evacuation coverage.

6) How much can each traveler save with group travel insurance?

Savings can be anywhere from 5% to 50%, but the saving will depend on a variety of factors including the amount of coverage bought and the number of people in the group. It is a good idea for you to get both an individual policy and a group policy quote from the same insurer to compare the prices.

7) How can an individual make a group travel insurance claim?

In most cases, each traveler can make a separate claim and all travelers can make a claim together. Still, some restrictions may apply.

Ask all these questions and base your choice of group travel insurance on the answers you get.

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