Important information about COVID-19

Including information on travel restrictions, virtual care and prescription drugs.

Plan administrators Providers Forms Careers Blog Newsroom

IMPORTANT NOTICE!

Alberta Blue Cross temporarily paused sales of new travel insurance policies on March 20, 2020 in accordance with the Government of Canada's advisement to avoid all non-essential travel at this time.

However, we recognize you may require out of country medical coverage for “essential travel” and will provide coverage to support our customers—including new travel plans, as well as extensions for Individual Health and Group plan customers.

For more information, please call our travel department at 1-800-394-1965 and select option 4.

More information on COVID-19 and your travel coverage

Your safety and well-being and the health and wellness of our community are our top priority during these uncertain times and we want to do our part to ensure we help prevent the spread of COVID-19. We believe that in such circumstances, limiting travel and encouraging our community to follow the recommendations of public health authorities is greatly aligned with our mission to be your partner in health and wellness.

We will continue to keep you, our valued customer, informed as this situation changes and look forward to serving your travel coverage needs once it's safe to travel again.

Compare travel insurance plans

We offer comprehensive plans to meet the needs of single-trip and multi-trip travellers. If you’re looking for emergency medical coverage, protection against trip disruptions or both, we have coverage options for you. Find the travel insurance plan that best fits you.

We offer comprehensive plans to meet the needs of single-trip and multi-trip travellers. If you’re looking for emergency medical coverage, protection against trip disruptions or both, we have coverage options for you. Find the travel insurance plan that best fits you.

Emergency medical coverage

When travelling outside your home province or country, medical care can be confusing and expensive—with your Alberta Health Care plan only providing minimal coverage. Our emergency medical travel insurance keeps you protected from the financial costs of unexpected injuries and illnesses wherever you travel.

  • Coverage for up to $5 million.
  • Access to 24/7 emergency travel assistance.
  • Coverage for pre-existing conditions, when stability requirements met.
  • Hospital services, prescription drugs, ambulance, medical evacuation and more.
  • Add Trip Cancellation, Interruption and Baggage Coverage.
  • Starting at $36.

Trip Cancellation, Interruption, and Baggage Coverage

Trip disruptions—a cancelled flight, an unexpected family emergency back home or a set of lost bags—can ruin your trip and leave you out-of-pocket thousands of dollars. Trip cancellation, interruption and baggage insurance protects your investment and gives you the freedom to adventure without worries.

  • Trip cancellation coverage of up to $15,000 for single-trip and $2,500 for multi-trip plans.
  • Unlimited trip interruption coverage.
  • Up to $1,500 for lost, stolen or damaged items.

Travel Advisories

Travel advisories are issued by the Government of Canada and are the official source of destination-specific travel information. They give you important information to help protect you from security threats around the world: are there any climate or weather concerns, is the political situation stable, are there any major health outbreaks you should watch for? When there is an elevated security concern, advisories will caution you against all or non-essential travel to that specific city, region or country. These concerns include health emergencies, terrorism, protests, violence, war, rebellion, natural disasters and political instability.

We recommend that you check travel advisories frequently. But, it’s critical to check before you book your trip and right before you leave. You are responsible to know if advisories are in place. Travel warnings are issued and updated regularly, so make sure you’re checking travel advisories often.

Check advisories here

Learn more about our emergency medical coverage

It covers medical or related expenses caused by an accident or emergency when you’re outside of Alberta. Our emergency medical travel insurance covers medical costs up to $5 million per person, with no deductible. Covered costs can include

  • hospital services,
  • health care professional expenses,
  • prescriptions and diagnostic services,
  • medical appliances,
  • emergency dental services,
  • meals and accommodations,
  • return flights because of medical delays, and
  • return of dependants, pets, personal items and vehicles.

Travel assistance supports you during an emergency, so you don’t have to deal with the stress of an injury or illness in an unfamiliar country alone. The 24-hour assistance line should be your first phone call if you’re hurt or sick on your travels. Our travel assistance team is here for you and will help you with everything from finding an appropriate physician, clinic or hospital to keeping your family informed about your situation. They can even offer assistance for non-medical situations like locating legal counsel in the event of a serious illness.

Single-trip plans are available for all ages, including seniors, and provide coverage for up to 365 days—the week-long family vacation in Hawaii, the annual snowbird trip to Phoenix or the three-month Thailand adventure are all great times for single-trip. Multi-trip annual plans cover any number of trips, to a maximum of 30 days per trip, over a year. Annual plans are a good way to get a great rate on travel coverage if you know you’ll be in and out of the province a few times this year.

You need to purchase it before you leave your province of residence—you can’t buy it after you leave.

Whether you’re going to Europe, Mexico, USA or almost anywhere else, medical travel insurance is available—we’ve got you covered worldwide. Always check the Government of Canada's travel advisories website before you leave on your trip. If there’s a recommendation to avoid travel, or non-essential travel, to a region or country, any claim relating to the reason of the advisory will not be covered.

You can add it to our emergency medical plans. If you have existing emergency medical coverage through your employer, you can still add Trip Cancellation, Interruption and Baggage Coverage to further protect your trip.

We provide quality medical coverage for seniors. We have single-trip coverage options for adults over 60 years old. Give us a call today to learn more about your coverage options and to purchase.

You can purchase it if you are enrolled under the Alberta Health Care plan, you buy your travel plan before you leave on your trip and you meet the eligibility criteria. When you’re ready to get a quote, you’ll be asked some questions up front to make sure you’re eligible for our plans. The bottom line: we won’t sell you a plan that can’t protect you properly, but we’ll work with you to try to find something that fits if it’s available. Call us to find out more about our eligibility requirements.

Plan costs depend on many different factors like health, age and length of trip. Our plans start at around $36 for people under 59 years old and $41 for people over 60, but we encourage you to call or get a quote online.

Our travel plans are designed for Albertans looking to enjoy a relaxed vacation, so depending on the kinds of activities you want to do, there is a limit on what Alberta Blue Cross® will cover. Activities that we consider to be extreme sports will not be eligible for coverage should you get hurt. In other words, if it’s not considered a traditional sport, or it’s made extreme and dangerous by modifying the equipment or locale, the claim isn’t likely to be covered. Here are some examples of extreme sports:

  • ballooning, parachuting;
  • bungee jumping;
  • climbing or mountaineering, rock climbing;
  • hang gliding, gliding;
  • heli-skiing;
  • rodeo activity;
  • sky diving;
  • white water rafting;
  • ziplining;
  • para-gliding, para-sailing;
  • amateur scuba diving, unless you hold at least a basic scuba diving license from a certified school;
  • downhill skiing or snowboarding outside marked trails.

Be sure to read the exclusions, limitations and definition section of your contract for more details.

Learn more about our Trip cancellation, Interruption and Baggage Coverage

Trip cancellation offers coverage for prepaid, non-refundable travel expenses like airfare or hotel deposits. You’re covered for a range of scenarios that can happen before you leave, but cancellation only applies if the causes fall within the policy, so make sure to read it closely. For single-trip plans, we cover up to $15,000 and up to $2,500 per trip for multi-trip annual plans. We provide coverage for

  • non-refundable, non-transferable travel costs like hotels or other accommodations; and
  • double occupancy to single occupancy charges.
Trip interruption coverage helps you get home or stay longer in case of emergencies while travelling. It helps ensure you can afford to make it home without any financial set-backs. Interruption coverage is unlimited. We provide coverage for
  • transportation costs (home or to continue your trip),
  • boarding fees for pets, and
  • double occupancy to single occupancy charges.

Baggage coverage replaces needed items if your bags are lost or delayed. For lost, stolen or damaged bags, we offer up to $1,500 per person per trip with a $500 limit per item. For delayed baggage, we provide $500 per person per trip. We also cover the cost of replacing lost or stolen travel documents like passports.

We sell trip cancellation, trip interruption and baggage coverage as a bundle, so you won’t be able to select only one of the three coverage types. Together, cancellation, interruption and baggage coverage create the most comprehensive travel protection package.

Bad, unpredictable weather is the cause of many flight delays or cancellations. If you purchased trip cancellation, any non-refundable or non-transferable portion of your flight will be covered. And, if your flight is delayed by weather during your trip, your trip interruption coverage will help with extra expenses you may incur because of the delay—things like additional transportation costs, meals and accommodations.

It keeps you financially protected from unanticipated events surrounding your trip such as a flight cancellation due to weather, lost bags or an unexpected emergency back home.

It’s best to buy as soon as you book your trip. Cancellation insurance protects you from unexpected circumstances that arise in your life or on the part of service providers you’ve booked with. The value of cancellation insurance starts as soon as it’s purchased, long before you leave.

You can add Trip Cancellation, Interruption and Baggage Coverage to your existing medical travel insurance plan, whether it’s through your employer or an individual plan.

The cost varies depending on the value of the trip you are insuring, the ages of the travellers and the length of trip.

Travel Agreement

Review the agreement for more details on our travel plans. Please note: if you have already purchased a plan, it’s important that you read and understand this agreement before you travel.