In case you’ve been trying to find journey insurance coverage these days, there’s a great likelihood you’ve seen the identical firms pop up time and again.
However as we speak I’d prefer to introduce you to a model new participant: battleface, an organization specializing in journey and high-risk journey insurance coverage. Their workforce has tons of expertise servicing the likes of NGOs and journalists headed into battle zones, and now they’ve prolonged this service to any adventurer who likes to journey exterior the field.
After being a loyal buyer of World Nomads for over 10 years, I’m serious about making battleface my go-to journey insurance coverage. This battleface overview will inform you why.
Who Is battleface?
battleface was based by a passionate group of individuals with intensive emergency claims administration, in addition to tons of expertise in medical and journey help.
These people initially began out by offering protection for Struggle & Terrorism with no vacation spot exclusions for journalists, NGO employees, skilled explorers, divers, and different journey vacationers.
This expertise led to the folks behind battleface noticing a spot available in the market for specialty insurance coverage merchandise. Now they’ve created merchandise for all sorts of vacationers, whether or not you’re a digital nomad or an excessive sports activities fanatic.
![battleface review](https://travelfreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/travel-insurance-770x513.jpg)
Because of battleface’s aggressive pricing and glorious providers and advantages, their plans grew to become in style for normal locations as properly.
Plus, by means of their Journey Help providers (Tangiers Worldwide), battleface has brokers on-the-ground to assist handle your claims in individual. That is particularly useful if you happen to’re in a extra advanced (or harmful) nation.
What Is Journey Insurance coverage?
Journey insurance coverage could also be complicated for first-time customers, or for anybody who’s seeking to change suppliers. My purpose is to interrupt all of it down for you just a little higher.
Within the easiest phrases, journey insurance coverage protects you in opposition to accidents, emergencies or monetary losses (like stolen items) which will occur whilst you’re on the highway.
In order for you good journey insurance coverage, be certain it contains the next:
- Journey cancellations, interruptions, and modifications
- Stolen, misplaced, delayed or broken baggage and property
- Medical remedies and bills
Simply because you might have medical health insurance in your individual nation doesn’t imply it applies to journey abroad. For instance, if you find yourself in a automobile accident whereas touring round Asia, journey insurance coverage will assist get you house with out having to pay tens of hundreds of {dollars}.
Journey insurance coverage additionally helps shield you in opposition to travel-specific losses, like flight cancelations and stolen know-how. No person needs to pay to switch their stolen laptop computer or digital camera tools!
Having journey insurance coverage is one thing I (and most different seasoned vacationers) urge folks to do. Simply examine my expertise with how journey insurance coverage saved my ass in Singapore, and also you’ll perceive why.
Is Journey Insurance coverage Value It?
Is journey insurance coverage price it? Easy reply: sure. In case you can’t afford journey insurance coverage, you’ll be able to’t afford to journey.
It doesn’t matter how younger you’re, or how wholesome you’re — it’s best to at all times count on the surprising. And certain, whereas having to spend $2,000 to switch your stolen laptop computer gained’t wreck your life, paying tens of hundreds in emergency medical payments will.
Even when your journey insurance coverage prices a few tons of of {dollars}, you’ll be able to journey with peace of thoughts figuring out that you just’re in protected arms if one thing ought to go fallacious.
Who Is battleface For?
battleface covers many several types of vacationers, together with:
- Journey Seekers and Explorers. It doesn’t matter if you happen to’re a surfer or a skydiver or a rock climber (or something in between), battleface has emergency medical and evacuation, and even Search & Rescue.
- Digital Nomads, Freelancers, and Enterprise Vacationers. You’ll be lined for misplaced, delayed, or stolen baggage and belongings. It’s also possible to go for Enterprise Upgrades.
- College students and Different Vacationers. Even if you happen to’re not an adventure-seeker, battleface’s aggressive costs and packages nonetheless work for many vacationers.
- Expats. This doesn’t fall beneath the journey insurance coverage class, however if you happen to’re dwelling overseas, battleface has insurance coverage for expats that covers well being and medical, life, auto, property, and extra.
All journey plans embody 24/7 emergency journey and medical help providers and on-the-ground brokers.
Who Isn’t battleface For?
battleface continues to be rising, so there are just a few limitations. Plus, exclusions might depend upon your house nation or state. Be sure to learn up on all of the documentation earlier than you commit!
In case you’re in one of many classes under, chances are you’ll not qualify:
- Seniors Over 80 Years Outdated. It’s important to be between 18-80 years previous to qualify for insurance coverage. Travelex will be the higher possibility for you on this case.
- Folks With Pre-Present Circumstances. battleface doesn’t cowl bills related to pre-existing situations until you might have already notified them of your situations and you’ve got been accepted earlier than you start touring. Once more, Travelex could also be a greater possibility for folks with pre-existing situations.
- Folks From Sure International locations. As a result of battleface is a start-up, chances are you’ll not but qualify for battleface journey insurance coverage if you happen to’re a resident of a sure nation. For instance, on the time of scripting this, battleface doesn’t serve Canadians.
What’s Included in battleface Journey Insurance coverage?
Your battleface journey insurance coverage plan will embody 24/7 emergency journey and medical help providers, and a few advantages are non-obligatory.
Let’s take a look at the whole lot battleface has to supply.
Hospitalization and Medical Bills
In case you want hospitalization or outpatient care, battleface will cowl you. This implies the whole lot from taking good care of damaged bones to easily getting a prescription for a out of the blue very sore throat.
Medical bills abroad might be extraordinarily pricey, so this is likely one of the most vital inclusions for journey insurance coverage.
Emergency Medical Evacuation
Whether or not you could be rushed to an area hospital to deal with a life-threatening situation or evacuated again to your house nation, battleface will cowl you.
Emergency Reunion
If you could be hospitalized abroad, battleface will cowl the price of journey and lodging for one individual to be with you and to accompany you house. battleface additionally makes all of the preparations in order that your beloved doesn’t have any additional stress.
That is notably helpful if you happen to’re a solo traveler!
Native Burial or Cremation/Repatriation of Mortal Stays
Within the unlikely occasion that you just die abroad (unlikely being the vital phrase right here), battleface takes care of your burial/cremation domestically, or they’ll make preparations in your stays to be returned house.
Disaster Response
battleface’s non-obligatory and complete Disaster Response protection is likely one of the issues that makes this supplier so distinctive. Their product contains help for:
- Victims of violent crimes
- Wrongful detention
- Mysterious disappearance or kidnapping
- Blackmail, extortion, and political threats
- Hijacking
- Acts of terrorism
I do know these doable situations are terrifying, however if you happen to’re touring to a high-risk nation, protection is extremely vital. And with terrorism assaults on the rise in even international locations like France and Spain, Disaster Response offers a further security internet.
It’s also possible to get extra protection for emergency political evacuation prices, bills associated to having an unbiased interpreter, prices of relocation journey and lodging, and bills associated to non permanent safety guards so that you’re escorted to security.
In case you’re touring round a rustic and a civil battle breaks out, or an act of terrorism happens, you might be assured you’re in good arms.
Enterprise Extension Protection
In case you’re a enterprise traveler, your coverage has the choice to incorporate unintentional loss, theft, or injury to what you are promoting tools and/or money. It additionally contains worker alternative if an sickness or damage retains you from finishing the journey.
Journey Cancellation and Interruption
Some issues occur earlier than your journey even begins. If it’s important to cancel your journey plans as a result of there’s a hurricane making landfall or as a result of a member of the family will get sick, battleface will cowl the prices. In case you’re already touring and the identical state of affairs occurs, they’ll aid you to get house.
Baggage Loss or Delay
Caught in your vacation spot with out clear underwear? Your insurance coverage will cowl the prices of buying what you want.
battleface Journey Insurance coverage Plans
While you’re getting a quote for battleface journey insurance coverage, you’ll be supplied two plans to select from:
- Journey Medical Insurance coverage – For the usual traveler with medical protection for accidents, accidents, and emergency evacuation and transportation.
- Journey Journey Insurance coverage – Covers sports activities actions, emergency medical therapy, evacuation, and accidents, in addition to journey to off-grid locations with protection for tools and search and rescue.
Whereas each plans cowl the necessities, Journey Journey Insurance coverage affords some extra advantages and better protection limits:
![battleface review single trip options](https://travelfreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/single-trip-options-800x483.png)
There’s additionally a multi-trip possibility, which means protection for journey for a interval not exceeding 30 days. Every journey will need to have an outlined departure date and return date.
![battleface review multi trip benefits](https://travelfreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/multi-trip-benefits-800x581.png)
A lot of the advantages are the identical, though there are some key variations for journey cancellation and journey interruption.
There are numerous non-obligatory protection choices and will increase for single-trip plans as properly:
![Additional battleface single trip options](https://travelfreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/single-trip-options-800x483.png)
Clearly, the add-ons will value you just a little additional. I’ll speak just a little about that subsequent.
battleface’s Journey Medical Insurance coverage
The usual Journey Medical Insurance coverage plan has some glorious protection, together with as much as $500,000 for medical bills and emergency evacuation. That is mainly your customary journey insurance coverage plan.
If it’s important to cancel your journey, you’ll be lined as much as 100% of your journey value. This plan doesn’t cowl journey delay or interruption. For multi-plan vacationers, you’ll stand up to $1,500 per journey for cancellations.
The Journey Medical Insurance coverage plan comes with as much as $2,500 in misplaced, theft or broken baggage safety, and you’ll obtain a most of $1,250 per merchandise. In case you’re touring with costly tools or gear, remember that the per article restrict won’t cowl the complete value of your misplaced items.
battleface’s Journey Journey Insurance coverage
The Journey Journey Insurance coverage plan will cowl lower than the usual plan, and contains $100,000 for medical bills and emergency evacuation (as a substitute of $500,000).
If in case you have multi-plan insurance coverage, you’ll stand up to $1,500 per journey for cancellations. For journey delays, you’ll get $500 per day (as much as $2,000), and as much as $1,500 per journey for journey interruption.
In contrast to the earlier plan, if you happen to’re injured attributable to journey actions, you’ll be lined. That features actions like snowboarding, snowboarding, diving, mountaineering (as much as 15,000 toes), white or black water rafting, snowmobiling, biking, crusing, and extra.
If it’s important to cancel your journey, you’ll be lined as much as 100% of your journey value. Journey delay and interruption are lined for this plan, with as much as 100% of the journey value for the interruption, and as much as $500 per day for journey delay.
This plan additionally comes with as much as $2,500 in misplaced, theft or broken baggage safety, and you’ll obtain a most of $1,250 per merchandise.
battleface’s Add Ons
If in case you have single journey insurance coverage, you too can customise your plan so as to add issues like Enterprise Upgrades and Disaster Response (which covers all of the scary issues we listed earlier than, together with kidnappings and acts of terrorism).
Impressively, this doesn’t add an excessive amount of to your whole invoice. For instance, so as to add Disaster Response to a week-long journey to China is barely a further $50, which features a most restrict of $150,000. For a most restrict of $250,000, you’ll pay about $60 for Disaster Response.
What’s Not Coated by battleface Journey Insurance coverage?
Even a high-risk journey insurance coverage firm like battleface can’t cowl the whole lot — there are limitations and exclusions.
World Availability
As a result of battleface is a startup, their greatest pitfall for the time being is world availability.
battleface is at present accessible for retail (particular person) gross sales in 52 international locations, however they’re including new international locations quickly. The US is included, however Canada will not be.
Pre-Present Medical Circumstances
Like most suppliers, battleface doesn’t cowl bills associated to a pre-existing medical situation, however affords a waiver if insurance policies are bought inside 15 days of journey deposit.
Harmful Actions
Though battleface’s Journey Journey Insurance coverage contains journey sports activities, some actions are simply too harmful to be included.
That features air journey on privately-owned plane, bull driving, operating of the payments, free diving, free climbing, scuba diving past 50 meters, and mountaineering over 6,000 meters.
International locations That Have Sanctions Restrictions
Though battleface covers vacationers to remoted areas or international locations of conflicts, attributable to sanctions restrictions imposed by the U.Ok., E.U., Canada, U.N., and the U.S., full protection in sure international locations might not be included.
Professionals and Cons of battleface Journey Insurance coverage
Professionals
- Journey Journey Protection: Commonplace insurance coverage insurance policies don’t present protection for actions, tools, and locations wanted by journey vacationers. battleface covers practically the whole lot!
- Disaster Response: Their Disaster Response add-on product will not be offered by some other U.S. firm and contains protection for the whole lot from kidnapping to acts of terrorism.
- Commonplace Insurance coverage Protection. Though battleface is a good possibility for journey journey and high-risk journey, additionally they have customary insurance coverage to cowl your “much less adventurous” journeys (and costs are aggressive).
- “A” Rated Underwriters: battleface solely makes use of A-rated underwriters to make sure the standard of the product they’re providing. For U.S. prospects, battleface makes use of Spinnaker, and out of doors the U.S. they use Lloyds.
- On-the-Floor Brokers: Irrespective of the place you’re, your claims are managed on-the-ground. That is implausible for advanced international locations. There’s additionally help accessible 24/7, and the customer support is great.
- Reasonably priced, With Add-On Choices: battleface affords inexpensive plans with inexpensive add-on choices to be sure to’re properly lined, together with Enterprise Upgrades and Disaster Response.
Cons
- Not Out there In every single place. As a result of they’re a start-up, protection will not be accessible in all places. At the moment, they’re accessible for retail gross sales in 52 international locations.
- They’re Not the Most cost-effective. Though battleface is inexpensive for anybody who participates in journey journey, if you happen to’re a traveler simply searching for a low-key expertise, this might not be the best choice for you.
battleface vs. World Nomads vs. SafetyWing
At this level, you might have a great understanding of what battleface does and doesn’t present. And if you happen to’ve been following TravelFreak for a while, you doubtless know that World Nomads and SafetyWing are two journey insurance coverage firms I really like and use probably the most.
At the moment, World Nomads is the best choice for journey journey and SafetyWing is the best choice for digital nomads. So how does battleface stack up?
battleface vs. World Nomads
I’ve been singing World Nomads’ praises for an extended, very long time — particularly in relation to being a go-to supplier for journey journey. So let’s evaluate an journey journey.
Let’s say you’re an American desirous to do a week-long browsing journey to South Africa just a few months from now. You’ll want battleface’s Journey Journey Plan and World Nomads’ Explorer Plan.
battleface | World Nomads | |
---|---|---|
Price | $128.20 | $112.13 |
Emergency Medical | $100,000 | $100,000 |
Emergency Evacuation | As much as $100,000 | $500,000 |
Journey Cancellation | As much as 100% of whole value | $10,000 |
Journey Interruption | As much as 100% of whole value | $10,000 |
Baggage and Private Belongings | $2,500 per journey (as much as $1,250 per merchandise) | $1,500 per journey (as much as $500 per merchandise) |
World Nomads clearly has some higher protection on this case; nevertheless, battleface’s Journey Cancellation and Journey Interruption advantages are significantly better.
battleface’s Baggage and Private Belongings advantages are additionally considerably greater which is a large plus in my guide, on condition that I journey with costly tools like telephones, cameras and laptops.
In case you fear in regards to the potential dangers in an unstable space of the nation, the Disaster Response possibility from battleface is much superior.
battleface additionally has on-the-ground brokers to help along with your claims, which takes loads of the stress out of the complete course of if you happen to want assist.
battleface vs. SafetyWing
The important thing benefit of SafetyWing for digital nomads is the truth that you don’t should specify the length of your journey upfront — you’ll be able to journey open-ended for so long as you need, and SafetyWing will insure you. You should purchase insurance coverage for chunks of time, like 4 weeks at a time.
battleface doesn’t have this feature. You need to have outlined begin and finish dates in your journey, even if you happen to’re doing multi-trips.
In case you’re a digital nomad headed to Bali for 4 weeks of labor, right here’s how the battleface Journey Medical Insurance coverage Plan stacks up in opposition to the SafetyWing Journey Insurance coverage plan (SafetyWing at present has one easy plan in place).
battleface | SafetyWing | |
---|---|---|
Price | $65.21 | $10.56 |
Emergency Medical | $100,000 | $100,000 |
Emergency Evacuation | As much as $100,000 | As much as $100,000 |
Journey Cancellation | As much as 100% of whole value | N/A |
Journey Interruption | N/A | As much as $5,000 |
Baggage and Private Belongings | $2,500 per journey ($1,250 per merchandise) | As much as $3,000 per journey (most $500 per merchandise) |
Whereas SafetyWing is the cheaper possibility, and though it does have some nice advantages, it’s worthwhile to level out that Baggage and Private Belongings for SafetyWing doesn’t embody electronics like your smartphone or your laptop computer. And people issues are fairly vital whenever you’re a digital nomad, don’t you assume?
In order for you extra info on SafetyWing, try my full overview.
The way to File an Insurance coverage Declare with battleface
battleface’s course of for submitting a declare completely will depend on your house nation, declare and the product.
Because the house nation dictates the claims course of, battleface got here up with a customized however one-size suits all answer that makes the method easy and easy.
If you could file a declare whereas touring, simply contact them! They really ask that you just join with battleface as quickly as doable by way of electronic mail or the cell app to allow them to help you on the bottom and prepare for pre-payment of the bills.
Every plan contains 24/7 Emergency Journey and Medical Help providers, so that they’re at all times accessible.
Within the occasion of an emergency & for help, contact battleface instantly:
Telephone: +1 (571) 441-0775
E-mail: [email protected]
In any other case, customary claims are processed by means of Broadspire by way of a soon-to-launch on-line portal.
Telephone: +1 (866) 357-1225
E-mail: [email protected]
Accomplished declare varieties might be submitted at this hyperlink or to the next mailing tackle:
P.O. Field 459084
Dawn, FL 33345
Plus on-the-ground brokers with native know-how present an distinctive customer support expertise, they usually preserve wait time for claims low.
When Ought to I Buy Journey Insurance coverage?
Buying a plan earlier than your journey is a good suggestion. This ensures that you’ve journey cancellation protection in case one thing surprising pops up.
You possibly can usually buy a journey insurance coverage coverage days, weeks, or months earlier than your journey. It actually will depend on your supplier.
![Hiking in the Corcora Valley, Colombia](https://travelfreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/corcora-valley-770x513.jpg)
Some journey insurance coverage firms will even allow you to lengthen your insurance coverage whilst you’re on the highway. Having an excessive amount of enjoyable in Bali? The most effective journey insurance coverage firms will aid you keep it up along with your protection. battleface, for instance, will allow you to buy a brand new coverage to maintain touring.
With battleface, you’ll be able to’t buy journey insurance coverage greater than 90 days upfront of your journey. That’s fairly customary of most insurance coverage firms, nevertheless.
battleface Evaluation: Remaining Ideas
I completely love battleface’s complete journey insurance coverage, and particularly their Disaster Response add-on. I’ll actually be utilizing it if I occur to go to unstable international locations sooner or later, and coping with claims on-the-ground is a large asset.
With regards to journey journey in secure international locations, battleface is a beast and is a implausible various to Phrase Nomads.
As a digital nomad who travels adventurously with a number of images tools and different gear, battleface wins out by way of protection for misplaced or stolen objects and baggage.
So if you wish to really feel protected and safe whereas touring overseas, I undoubtedly suggest battleface. However backside line: get journey insurance coverage!