Guide to Travel Insurance in New York
Travel insurance when flying to New York can be helpful if there are flight delays or your baggage gets stolen.
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Written byKim Porter
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Co-authored the book “Future Millionaires’ Guidebook”
13 years writing personal finance content
A former chief copy editor at Bankrate and past managing editor at Macmillan, Kim specializes in writing easy-to-understand, actionable personal finance content.
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Edited bySara Getman
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Sara Getman is an Associate Editor at Insurify and has been with the company since 2022. Prior to joining Insurify, Sara completed her undergraduate degree in English Literature at Simmons University in Boston. At Simmons, she was the Editor-in-Chief for Sidelines Magazine (a literary and art publication), and wrote creative non-fiction.
Outside of work, Sara is an avid reader, and loves rock climbing, yoga, and crocheting.
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Table of contents
Table of contents
A trip to New York can be unforgettable, but unexpected events like flight delays, lost luggage, or sudden illness can quickly derail your plans and your budget. Travel insurance can help protect you financially if you experience one of these disruptions.
With New York’s diverse regions and unpredictable weather, the right coverage can offer peace of mind from the moment you book to the day you return home.
Here’s how to get the best travel insurance for your trip to New York.
Quick Facts
For a one-week trip to New York, travel insurance averages $281 for a couple and $274 for a family of four.
Regulations in New York can make it difficult to get cancel for any reason (CFAR) insurance.
Trip cancellation and baggage loss or delay insurance are two types of coverage you may need when traveling to New York.
What travel insurance covers in New York
Travel insurance helps protect you against financial losses from unforeseen events that can disrupt your trip, such as sudden illness or emergencies.
These policies typically cover you against the following types of losses:[1]
Trip cancellation: This type of coverage reimburses non-refundable expenses if you have to cancel due to a covered emergency, such as an illness, severe snowstorms in New York’s upstate regions, flooding near rivers or lakes, hurricanes affecting coastal areas, or transit strikes that occasionally disrupt New York travel.
Baggage and personal effects loss or delay: This coverage reimburses you for damaged, lost, or stolen baggage and other personal items. It may come in handy in busy New York transit centers such as John F. Kennedy International Airport, which has the second-highest rate of mishandled luggage in the country.
Travel medical insurance: Travel medical insurance pays for the costs of emergency medical and dental care on your trip. This can be crucial for visitors in more rural areas where major hospitals may be far away, as well as for people whose regular health insurance offers limited out-of-state coverage.
Emergency medical evacuation: This type of coverage pays for the costs of transporting you either to a properly equipped healthcare facility or back home. It may be especially valuable if you’re in more remote mountain areas in New York or small towns with limited medical services.
Protect Your Trip with Travel Insurance
Find a plan to fit your trip and travel style
What travel insurance won’t cover in New York
Travel insurance policies typically contain exclusions, or events your policy won’t cover. Common exclusions are:
Pre‑existing conditions without a waiver
High‑risk activities, such as skydiving or zip-lining
Adventure sports
Pandemics
Political unrest
Predicted storms and natural disasters
Medical tourism or routine medical care
Stolen baggage that was unattended
Pregnancy or childbirth
How much does travel insurance for New York cost?
Travel insurance typically costs between 4% and 8% of the total trip cost. For example, a policy for a $6,000 vacation would cost between $240 and $480. Factors like the length of the trip, your destination, and your age all affect the cost of travel insurance.[2]
See the table below for travel insurance estimates for two sample families traveling to New York for one week.
Family A is a 35-year-old couple spending $5,500 on their trip, while Family B has two adults and two kids with total expenses of $8,000.
Plan Provider | Family A | Family B |
|---|---|---|
| AIG Travel Guard | $380 | $307 |
| Allianz Global Assistance | $354 | $250 |
| Travelex | $196 | $254 |
| Battleface | $195 | $284 |
| Average | $281 | $274 |
How to buy travel insurance for New York
You can buy travel insurance for New York online via insurers, brokers, or comparison sites. Your bank or credit card issuer may also offer coverage. Here are some tips for buying travel insurance for a trip to the Empire State.
Decide which coverages matter most based on when and where you’re visiting. Winter trips upstate may call for trip cancellation coverage in case snowstorms delay travel, while summer trips to New York City might focus on event cancellations or lost baggage. New York recently began allowing cancel for any reason insurance, but it can be more difficult to find.[3]
You can typically review policies on a travel insurance company’s website or an online comparison site. Be sure to look at coverage options, limits, exclusions, benefits, and customer reviews.
Provide trip details and adjust your plan for things like rental car coverage or higher medical limits if you’ll be far from major hospitals.
You can usually purchase your travel insurance online. Once you buy a policy, double-check that the coverage details, dates, and personal information are all correct. Contact the insurer immediately if anything needs correcting. Be sure you understand the process of filing a claim.
It’s a good idea to save a digital copy of your policy on a mobile device you plan to carry with you. Having an offline copy can help, too, for when cell service is spotty in rural areas. You should also keep the insurance company’s emergency assistance number in your phone in case you need help while traveling.
Find a Travel Plan That Works for You
Customize your coverage and find affordable trip insurance
Tips for traveling in New York
If it’s your first time visiting New York, a little prep goes a long way. Here are some tips to keep in mind:
New York is big. Public transit works well in New York City, but you may need rental car insurance if you’re driving to other regions in the state.
Pack for the season. Winters can be very cold upstate and may bring severe snowstorms. Alternatively, you may encounter heat waves and humidity during the summer in New York City.
Book accommodations early. From June to August is peak tourist season around the state, though adventure sports are popular upstate during the winter. Meals and hotels cost more during busy seasons.
Wear comfortable shoes. Whether you’re navigating city blocks or mountain trails, you’ll be on your feet a lot. Invest in comfortable shoes, even if they may not be the most stylish.
How to file a travel insurance claim
If you need to file a travel insurance claim, follow these steps:
1. Review your policy
Check if the policy covers the cause of your loss, and note any deadlines for filing.
2. Contact the insurer right away
Many companies require prompt notice, especially for medical emergencies or trip cancellations.
3. Gather documentation
Save any documents that can support your claim, such as receipts, medical files, police reports, or airline statements.
4. Submit the claim
Your insurance company should give you a claim form and provide information about the documents you’ll need. Submit everything before the deadline.
5. Track the claim
In New York, travel insurance companies must generally pay electronic claims within 30 days or paper claims within 45 days. If the company unfairly delays or denies your claim, you can report it to the New York State Department of Financial Services.
6. Get paid
If the insurer approves your claim, it’ll send you a payment.
Travel insurance in New York FAQs
If you still have questions about travel insurance in New York, check out the additional information below.
Is it worth getting travel insurance to travel to New York?
It depends. Buying travel insurance for a New York trip can be worthwhile, especially if the trip involves non-refundable costs, multiple reservations, or travel during seasons when New York is prone to disruptions like snowstorms, hurricanes, or flooding. But if you’ve traveled to New York before, know the ropes, and don’t expect any major disruptions, you likely don’t need it.
How many days before your trip should you buy travel insurance?
It’s best to buy travel insurance within 14 days of booking the trip. Travel insurance companies usually use this as the cutoff point for qualifying for existing medical condition benefits.
Does travel insurance cover delays due to weather?
Bad weather causes 75% of all flight delays.[4] If your travel insurance policy has trip cancellation, interruption, and delay coverage, then it likely covers delays due to weather. You’ll need to check your specific policy for details.
Does travel insurance in New York cover healthcare services?
Yes, travel insurance policies in New York may cover emergency medical and dental services and emergency evacuations, but they typically exclude routine care.
Sources
- DISB. "Taking a Trip? Information About Travel Insurance You Should Know Before You Hit the Road."
- U.S. Travel Insurance Association. "FAQs."
- Department of Financial Services. "Insurance Circular Letter No. 4 (2020): Cancel For Any Reason Travel Benefits."
- Federal Avation Administration. "FAQ: Weather Delay."
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Kim Porter
Kim Porter is a writer and editor who's been creating personal finance content since 2010. Before transitioning to full-time freelance writing in 2018, Kim was the chief copy editor at Bankrate, a managing editor at Macmillan, and co-author of the personal finance book "Future Millionaires' Guidebook." Her work has appeared in AARP's print magazine and on sites such as U.S. News & World Report, Fortune, NextAdvisor, Credit Karma, and more. Kim loves to bake and exercise in her free time, and she plans to run a half marathon on each continent.
Kim has been a contributor at Insurify since October 2022.
Sara Getman is an Associate Editor at Insurify and has been with the company since 2022. Prior to joining Insurify, Sara completed her undergraduate degree in English Literature at Simmons University in Boston. At Simmons, she was the Editor-in-Chief for Sidelines Magazine (a literary and art publication), and wrote creative non-fiction.
Outside of work, Sara is an avid reader, and loves rock climbing, yoga, and crocheting.
