According to a recent test by the Association for Consumer Information (VKI), annual travel insurance may be worth considering for people who travel frequently. This can pay off for as little as two trips a year. A total of 13 insurance products were compared based on 2 test scenarios (30-year-old person/family of four) without a deductible, with worldwide protection.

It's worth taking a closer look at the bonuses: the range of bonuses varies greatly depending on the test scenario. The annual premium for individuals was between 149 and 349 euros, for families between 211 and 420 euros. The best in the test is an online provider. There is room for improvement in terms of transparency. The presentation of the insurance benefits is inadequate for some providers.

Wide range of rewards

The range of premiums is wide: it is 149 to 349 euros for an individual and 211 to 420 euros for a family of four. "A comparison is always worthwhile here," emphasizes VKI insurance expert Gabi Kreindl. “Annual travel insurance is a cheaper alternative to individual travel insurance, especially for people who travel frequently. This can pay off from as little as two trips a year. With some providers, a congruent insurance package for just a single – large – trip costs almost the same as taking out annual travel insurance,” Kreindl continues. “The advantages of an annual insurance are also to have constant conditions and contact persons. Lots of small insurance packages can cause confusion: what exactly is insured? Who is the contact person in the event of a claim?” There is also no psychological pressure when booking a trip: Additional offers for travel insurance can be confidently rejected, knowing that you are already adequately insured.

Cancellation and medical benefits most important

"The price alone shouldn't be the deciding factor," emphasizes Kreindl. “The most important thing is to be insured for those cases that can cost money and maybe even threaten your existence. The most important insurance-relevant points in annual travel insurance are therefore cancellation and medical services abroad.” In addition to trip cancellation, trip interruption and medical services abroad, the two test scenarios surveyed also include search and rescue costs, accidents, personal travel liability and luggage. Cancellation benefits should be insured up to a sum of EUR 2.500 (individual) or EUR 5.000 (family).

Automatic extension

Kreindl considers it positive that with annual travel insurance, the individual protection chosen is valid for the entire year - even for spontaneous trips such as weekend trips or city trips lasting several days, which are often not insured separately. But be careful: the providers set a maximum travel time. In the test, this was between 28 and 90 days per trip. Consumers should also note that annual travel insurance is usually taken out for one year and is automatically renewed. "Anyone who no longer needs the insurance due to changed circumstances should therefore make sure to cancel it in good time," advises Kreindl.

Older people pay more

It is striking that all providers have installed age limits, albeit in different forms. The spectrum ranges from detailed age groups to additional premiums or deductibles from a certain age. "In other words, if you are older, you pay more," says Kreindl. With the test winner, the annual package for a 61-plus person would cost twice as much as for a 30-year-old person.

Need for improvement in transparency

Kreindl sees room for improvement in terms of transparency: "The presentation of insurance benefits is sometimes inadequate, exclusions or benefit limits are only found well hidden in the small print. That makes a comparison very difficult.”