Travel insurance in Canada is offered by 15 insurers with products covering single trips, annual multi-trip policies and backpacker or long-stay cover. Check medical cover limits and whether pre-existing conditions are included before comparing price — a cheap policy with a low medical limit offers false security for international travel.
Compare the top 15 Canadian travel insurance providers, with premiums from C$40 /year. Data current as of 23 October 2026 and updated daily from the Giraffy database.
What is travel insurance in Canada?
Travel insurance covers the financial risks of a trip — chiefly emergency medical costs abroad, but also trip cancellation, interruption, lost baggage and flight delays. For Canadians it is essential because provincial health plans provide little or no coverage outside the country, and a medical emergency in the United States in particular can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
The most important component is emergency medical coverage; travellers add cancellation and baggage protection depending on the trip's cost and nature.
How the Canadian market works
Policies come as single-trip or multi-trip annual plans, plus specialised products for snowbirds (long US winter stays) and visitors to Canada. Emergency medical is the core; trip cancellation and interruption protect prepaid, non-refundable costs. The critical fine print is the pre-existing-condition clause and the stability period — insurers require your health conditions to be stable for a set number of days before departure, or claims may be denied. Many Canadians also hold some coverage through a premium credit card and buy top-up plans to fill gaps.
Snowbird plans, which cover extended stays, are a large and distinctly Canadian segment.
Benefits
Emergency medical — covers hospital, treatment and evacuation costs abroad, the biggest financial risk.
Trip cancellation — reimburses prepaid costs if you must cancel for a covered reason.
Baggage and delay — compensates for lost luggage and expenses from major delays.
Snowbird cover — extended-stay plans for long US winter trips.
How to choose
Prioritise a high emergency-medical limit — at least several million dollars, especially for US travel — then decide whether you need cancellation cover based on your prepaid, non-refundable costs. Read the pre-existing-condition and stability rules carefully and answer the medical questionnaire accurately. For frequent travellers a multi-trip annual plan is cheaper than repeated single-trip policies; check any existing credit-card coverage before buying to avoid duplication.
Leading providers in Canada
Manulife CoverMe, Blue Cross, TuGo, Allianz Global Assistance and CAA are among the best-known travel insurers, with Sun Life, Medipac and Travelance also active, the last two strong in the snowbird market. Many buyers compare a Manulife or Blue Cross emergency-medical plan against a specialist snowbird product for extended US stays.
What it costs
Premiums depend on age, trip length, destination and coverage. A short single-trip emergency-medical policy for a younger traveller can start around C$40, while comprehensive plans, older travellers and long snowbird stays cost considerably more. Age and pre-existing conditions are the biggest drivers, and adding trip-cancellation coverage raises the premium in line with the insured trip cost.
Protections and regulation
Travel insurers are solvency-regulated federally by OSFI and licensed provincially, with FSRA in Ontario and the AMF in Quebec overseeing conduct and disclosure. Assuris protects policyholders if a health insurer fails. Because claim denials often hinge on the pre-existing-condition and stability clauses, accurate disclosure on the medical questionnaire is the traveller's key protection.
Common questions
Doesn't my provincial health plan cover me abroad? — Only minimally; out-of-country medical costs can vastly exceed what your province reimburses, so private coverage is essential.
What is the stability period? — A window before departure during which your medical conditions must be unchanged, or related claims may be denied.
Is my credit-card coverage enough? — It varies and often has limits and age restrictions; check it and top up if needed.
The cheapest Travel Insurance in Canada is C$40 /year from TuGo Travel.
Travel Insurance in Canada — FAQ
What is the cheapest travel insurance in Canada?
Giraffy tracks 19 travel insurance products across 15 insurers in Canada. The lowest tracked price is C$40 /year. Compare by cover level and excess, not just price — a very cheap policy may have low medical cover limits or high excesses that leave you underinsured.
What should travel insurance cover as a minimum?
At minimum, look for: emergency medical treatment and repatriation (at least £5–10 million), trip cancellation and curtailment, baggage and personal effects, personal liability, and passport/travel document cover. Travel to the US requires especially high medical limits due to healthcare costs.
Is annual multi-trip travel insurance worth it?
If you take three or more trips per year, annual multi-trip insurance is almost always cheaper than buying single-trip policies. The annual policy covers an unlimited number of trips up to a maximum trip duration (typically 31–90 days). Check that all your planned destinations and activities are included.
Does travel insurance cover pre-existing medical conditions?
Standard policies often exclude pre-existing conditions or charge an additional premium to include them. Always declare medical conditions when applying — failure to disclose can invalidate your claim. Specialist providers offer cover for conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, though premiums will be higher.
Is adventure sports or extreme activities covered?
Most standard policies exclude or limit adventure sports — skiing, snowboarding, scuba diving, and other higher-risk activities require specialist cover or add-ons. If you're planning active travel, check the policy's activity list or take out a specialist policy that explicitly includes your planned activities.
What is the excess on a travel insurance policy and how does it work?
The excess is the amount you pay towards each claim before the insurer pays the balance. Higher excess = lower premium. Choose an excess you can comfortably afford — if your excess is £200 and your lost luggage claim is £150, you'll receive nothing. Check whether the excess applies per claim or per incident.