Generali Global Assistance Travel Insurance Review 2024

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Generali Global Assistance is a well-established name within the travel insurance industry. Ideally, this translates to a travel insurance company with first-class service and coverage. The question for many consumers is simple: Does Generali live up to customers’ expectations?

Introduction to Generali Global Assistance Travel Insurance

Generali Global Assistance is a reputable travel insurance provider offering multiple tiers of travel insurance coverage at reasonable rates. It offers the standard coverage for trip cancellations, emergency medical expenses, and evacuations. However, Generali falls short of the best travel insurance companies. 

While Generali’s coverage isn’t necessarily bad by any means, it fails to distinguish itself in any way. Its plans are on the cheaper side, but aren’t the cheapest. Its offers all the key coverages, but limits aren’t exceptionally high. Even its additions are middling, such as its cancel for any reason coverage, which reimburses you for 60% of your nonrefundable costs when most of the best CFAR travel insurance offers 75% coverage.

It’s also worth mentioning that Generali is notably strict on its pre-existing condition coverage. Pre-existing condition waivers are only offered with the most expensive Premium plan, and travelers must purchase the plan within 24 hours of their final trip deposit. 

Coverage Options Available With Generali

Generali offers three tiers of travel insurance coverage: Premium, Preferred, and Standard. All three travel insurance policies cover baggage delay and loss, travel delay, interruption, cancellation, and missed connection reimbursement benefits.

Here are some of the highlights for each plan to help you better understand what coverage you may need:

Standard

The Standard Plan offers the lowest coverage with more budget-friendly premiums. It offers up to 125% reimbursement for trip interruption and up to $1,000 in travel delay reimbursement. Policyholders are limited to $250,000 per person for emergency assistance or transportation. If your baggage is lost, you’d have $1,000 to replace toiletries, clothing, and other belongings.

Preferred

With the Preferred plan, you can expect 150% reimbursement for inevitable trip interruptions. It also offers travelers up to $1,000 per person for travel delay reimbursement. In addition, the emergency assistance or transportation coverage drops from $1 million to $500,000 per person, and travelers can enjoy up to $1,500 per person if baggage is lost.

Premium

Generali’s Premium plan offers generous coverage for various scenarios. For example, you’ll enjoy up to 175% reimbursement of your trip cost if your travels are interrupted for reasons beyond your control. Generali’s Premium plan also includes up to $1,000 per person in travel delay reimbursement and up to $1 million per covered individual for emergency assistance or transportation. Finally, it has up to $2,000 per person in replacement expenses (i.e., toiletries, clothing, and other necessities while you wait for your delayed bag) if your baggage is lost.

You can compare Generali’s three plans below.

Additional Coverage Options

Generali offers two add-on services alongside your base travel insurance plan:

Trip cancellation for any reason (CFAR)

Cancel for any reason (CFAR) coverage reimburses you for nonrefundable expenses associated with canceling travel you’ve already paid for. Generali’s Premium plan is eligible for CFAR coverage which pays you back for 60% of the total nonrefundable cost of your travel.

You must purchase CFAR coverage on your Premium plan within 24 hours of your initial deposit. However, eligible customers can take advantage of its full benefits, as the name suggests, for any reason. Medical problems, family emergencies, work scheduling issues, or just changing your mind are a few of the reasons Generali might pay a CFAR claim.

Preferred and Standard plans are not eligible for CFAR upgrades. New York residents are also not eligible for CFAR coverage. Generali’s website estimates buyers will pay an additional 50% in travel insurance premiums for this rider while the max reimbursement is only 60% of the “penalty amount” (i.e., nonrefundable costs).

Rental car damage protection

Travelers can also purchase rental car coverage alongside their travel insurance policy. Premium plan customers already have up to $25,000 in rental car protection in their policy benefits. Preferred and Standard plan holders can purchase the same coverage amount.

Texas residents are not eligible for rental car coverage. If you’re unsure about this rider, we recommend checking the limits of your auto insurance. Generally, U.S.-based auto insurance extends to rental cars. But you may want to supplement your coverage depending on what you already have.

Generali Global Assistance Travel Insurance Cost

The premium you pay will depend on various factors, including the age of the travelers, destination, and total trip costs. The average cost of travel insurance is 4% to 8% of your travel costs.

After inputting some personal information, such as your age and state of residence, along with your trip details, like travel dates, destination, and trip costs, you’ll get an instant quote for the plans available for your trip. And from there, it’s easy to compare each option based on your coverage needs and budget.

Now let’s look at a few examples to estimate Generali’s coverage costs.

As of 2024, a 23-year-old from Illinois taking a week-long, $3,000 budget trip to Italy would have the following Generali travel insurance quotes:

• Generali Standard: $82.50
• Generali Preferred: $95.70
• Generali Premium: $113.47

Premiums for Generali plans are between 2.75% and 3.8% of the trip’s cost, well below the average cost of travel insurance. It’s also relatively cheap compared to many of its competitors

Generali provides the following quotes for a 30-year-old traveler from California heading to Japan for two weeks on a $4,000 trip:

• Generali Standard: $108.75
• Generali Preferred: $126.15
• Generali Premium: $145

Once again, premiums for Generali plans are between 2.7% and 3.6%, below the average cost for travel insurance.

A 65-year-old couple looking to escape New York for Mexico for two weeks with a trip cost of $6,000 would have the following Generali quotes:

• Generali Standard: $271.14
• Generali Preferred: $304.68
• Generali Premium: $459.02

Premiums for Generali plans are between 4.5% and 7.7%, which is roughly in line with the average cost for travel insurance. This is to be expected, as travel insurance is often more expensive for older travelers.

How to Purchase and Manage a Generali Policy

To buy a Generali travel insurance policy, you’ll need to obtain a quote on its website. You’ll need to enter your intended destination, travel duration, number of travelers, state of residence, age of traveler(s), and total cost of your trip. 

You’ll get quotes for all three Generali plans with general overviews of the policy benefits. You’ll also find a detailed coverage description when you click “View Plan Documents.” We highly encourage you to read through the terms to fully understand your policy. You can call 888-210-2134 for Generali’s customer service line when purchasing a policy.

How to File a Claim with Generali Travel Insurance

To file a claim with Generali’s travel insurance division, start at the eClaims portal.

You can also call its claims department at 800-541-3522 for assistance. Generali promises all insurance claim calls will be returned within one business day, and most calls are returned on the same day they are received. Many people reported quick claims processing and reimbursement when we reviewed recent customer feedback.

However, several reviews described waiting over 30 days only to discover Generali had yet to review their claims submission. As such, if you are still waiting to receive a response indicating Generali is working on your claim within a few days, we recommend checking in with customer service.

You’ll need to provide supporting documentation for your claim, such as proof of travel delay from the airline or relevant claim checks for lost baggage. Your eClaims portal should give you the necessary details and update you on the ongoing status of your claim.

Email the claims team for questions at claims@generalitravelinsurance.com or use the eClaims chatbot for automated assistance.

Generali Customer Service and Claims Experience

Generali’s reviews vary wildly depending on the site you check. On its Better Business Bureau page, Generali scores an average of 1.11 stars across 315 reviews. On Trustpilot, it scores an average of 3.5 stars across 419 reviews. Lastly, it has an average of 4.33 stars on SquareMouth across nearly 4,500 reviews. 

Many five-star reviews mention how easy it was to purchase a Generali plan and how that plan gave them peace of mind while traveling even if they never had to file a claim. However, most of the mixed reviews come from people who filed claims, reporting long wait times, uncommunicative claims agents, and claim rejections with no explanation. 

That said, Generali’s customer service team is generally very responsive, particularly on its BBB and Trustpilot pages. Reviews on these pages generally get a response within a week. 

Compare Generali Travel Insurance

Learn more about how Generali Travel Insurance compares to popular travel insurance companies.

Generali Global Assistance Travel Insurance vs. Nationwide Travel Insurance

Nationwide Travel Insurance is part of an extensive network of insurance products. Unlike Generali, you’ll recognize any Nationwide product as it’s listed on the same website. In addition, Nationwide offers bundling discounts, depending on what you’re buying. It also sells short-term and long-term insurance plans (like auto and home).

Nationwide has been in business since 1925. Its travel insurance wing offers plans and coverage options to suit diverse travelers’ needs. Customer review sites like Trustpilot had reviews complaining about long wait times and claims overlooked with Generali. Nationwide’s reviews described long processing times, poor communication, and other claims-based issues.

If you’re solely concerned about coverage and rates, Generali is upfront about the fact that its CFAR coverage is exceptionally costly. The company’s website seems to imply the CFAR rider’s cost is bloated compared to its value. But its basic plans have a few more perks compared to Nationwide’s single-trip plans. And while Nationwide offers cruise plans and multi-trip options, Generali does not match at the time of this review.

Read our Nationwide Travel Insurance review here.

Generali Global Assistance Travel Insurance vs. Allianz Travel Insurance

Allianz Travel Insurance is another reputable insurance company that has been in business since 1890. Allianz Travel Insurance is one of the biggest names in travel insurance, serving more than 55 million travelers across dozens of countries.

Both Generali and Allianz Travel Insurance offer comprehensive single-trip coverage options for travelers. Generali’s website makes reviewing and comparing its three travel insurance plans easy. However, Allianz Travel Insurance offers annual (multi-trip) policies while Generali doesn’t. Both companies list rental car protections for some travelers.

Allianz customers leaving reviews online indicate the claims process may be confusing and drawn out. Most importantly, a few reviews cautioned future travelers to come in with complete documentation. In our experience, offering more paperwork rather than less with Allianz Travel Insurance is better.

Read our Allianz Travel Insurance review here.

Generali Global Assistance Travel Insurance vs. InsureMyTrip

InsureMyTrip.com is an insurance broker that uses your travel details to collect insurance company bids on your behalf. You can enter your information and get multiple quotes back. As a result, Generali may be one of the insurance providers providing you with a quote through InsureMyTrip.

Rates may not match what a provider would offer on its website, though. Broker websites like InsureMyTrip often charge a premium to account for third-party fees or offer discounts as a partner company knows it’s competing for customers no matter what. Whatever the case, InsureMyTrip makes it easier to shop for travel insurance. However, it would not process any claims. So for some consumers, it may be more complicated to determine where to go to make a claim against their policies or get help if something goes wrong.

Read our InsureMyTrip Travel Insurance review here.

Why You Should Trust Us: How We Reviewed Generali Global Assistance Travel Insurance

When evaluating travel insurance companies, we consider various factors, including the number of plans available, the coverage, feedback from customer reviews, average premiums, customer support, ease of filing claims, and reimbursement times. No single factor can truly determine how travel insurance companies stack up.

These factors together allow us to develop ratings for each travel insurance company. Then we break down the pros and cons, pointing out potential issues. We also aim to bring to light solutions other buyers have already found should you choose to work with the travel insurance provider being reviewed.

You can read more about how Business Insider rates insurance products here.

Generali Global Assistance Travel Insurance FAQs