Your Newest Insurance Option: April Travel Protection

April Travel Protection, a major insurance supplier in Europe and Latin America, is entering the U.S. market with a full range of travel-insurance products. Available policies cover single trip, year-round, and cancellation/interruption, with optional add-ons for rental-car collision and cancel-for-any-reason coverage.

April’s point of focus is to relieve customers of as much stress as possible if something disrupts a trip. Coverages are primary, meaning you don’t first have to pay up front or claim from other sources, and the company maintains its own network of representatives to provide 24/7 complimentary travel-assistance services and complimentary concierge services.

How does April stack up against other options? I tested a sample two-week trip to Europe for a couple in the 40-50 age bracket with $3,500 of total cancellation coverage:

• April’s “Economy” policy cost $273, with full cancellation/interruption and $250,000 of medical coverage plus lots of ancillary benefits such as missed connection, ticket change, itinerary change, lost/damaged baggage, and flight delay coverage.
• April’s “VIP” policy, at $393, provides similar cancellation/interruption coverage, but roughly double the medical and ancillary benefits. “Any reason” cancellation brings the price up to $513.
• The lowest-cost policies offering just base cancellation, interruption, and medical benefits without primary coverage or the ancillaries cost around $150, but some don’t offer a waiver of pre-existing condition limits, which I consider essential.
• Policies offering primary medical start at $190 but are mostly in the $220 neighborhood.
• Policies with cancel-for-any-reason benefits start at about $300.

Without any history of actual traveler reports, my initial evaluation is that the April policies—even the economy options—provide an attractive combination of broad coverage and personal-assistance benefits. But you can find less expensive options if you’re willing to accept bare-bones benefits.

Have you used April Travel Protection? Tell us about your experience.

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