Best travel insurance for Europe - Providers, coverage, and more

Planning a trip to Europe is exciting; there are so many destinations to choose from! Whether it’s one country or more that’s captured your attention, you’re bound to experience something new, but what happens when things go wrong?

Before going to Europe, buying travel insurance should be non-negotiable. It’s your safety net for when the unexpected happens, so we’ve created this guide to compare some of New Zealand top travel insurers. We’ll also introduce Wise, a handy companion for saving on your spending in Europe.

What does travel insurance for Europe cover?

Travel insurance is designed to protect travellers from unexpected costs during their journey, such as medical emergencies or travel disruptions. A comprehensive international policy from New Zealand generally includes cover for:

• Emergency medical and dental care
• Evacuation and repatriation
• Cancellations and travel delays
• Lost, stolen or delayed baggage
• Personal effects
• Personal liability
• Rental car excess

What does travel insurance not cover?

Travel insurance for Europe doesn’t cover everything, and knowing the common exclusions is important as it helps you avoid any nasty surprises. Most policies won’t cover:

• Pre-existing medical conditions that weren’t approved
• Injuries from high-risk activities unless you add specific cover
• Travel against government warnings
• Losses due to intoxication or reckless behaviour
• Unattended baggage or valuables

Things to look out for when choosing a travel insurance for Europe

Europe is a diverse destination so here are some things to look out for when picking a policy.

• Check which countries are included in “Europe”, and whether you need to list each European country you plan to visit
• If you’re planning to go on a cruise, do snow sports in the alps, ride a motorcycle or participate in adventure activities, make sure you check if you need an add-on to get coverage
• For those renting a car or camper van, consider whether rental car excess protection is important
• Think about getting extra coverage for high value items like phones, laptops and cameras, in case they’re stolen or break

Best travel insurance for Europe in New Zealand

New Zealand has a wide range of travel insurance providers so for this article we’re going to take a look at six of them. The table below compares the comprehensive travel insurance policies of each, with the sample pricing being based on a one week trip to Europe for a 30 year old New Zealander.

Travel insurance prices vary depending on things like your age, medical history, trip length and destination. For families planning a European getaway, it’s worth seeing if a family or group policy saves more than individual plans. Some providers may also give discounts if you have other policies with them, like car or health insurance.

🌎 Enjoy low, transparent fees on your trip with the world's most international debit card and save on foreign transaction fees 🌎

🚀 Sign up for Wise

Southern Cross Travel Insurance

For New Zealand travellers heading to Europe, Southern Cross offers International Medical and International Comprehensive travel insurance.

The International Medical plan is a cost-effective choice, focusing on essential cover like emergency medical care, evacuation, and personal liability. On the other hand, the International Comprehensive plan comes at a higher price, but provides wider protection for travel mishaps¹

• Emergency medical - Unlimited
• Emergency dental - $2000
• Cancellation during journey - $50,000
• Baggage and personal items - $25,000
• Baggage delay - $1000
• Essential medication - $500
• Personal liability - $1,000,000
• Rental car excess - $10,000

At Southern Cross you need to specify where in Europe you are travelling. A 30 year old traveller going to Hungary, France and the UK over one week should expect to pay around $58.89 for International Medical or $102.05 for International Comprehensive, with an excess of $100.²

AA Travel Insurance

AA offers two tiers of travel insurance for single international trips to Europe; the Essentials plan and the Comprehensive plan.³

The Essentials plan is budget-friendly, covering key costs like medical care, trip cancellations, baggage, funeral expenses, and personal liability. However, it has lower benefit limits, with medical expenses capped at $250,000.

For wider coverage and higher claim limits, it’s best to opt for the more expensive Comprehensive plan.

• Emergency medical - Unlimited
• Emergency dental - $1000 to $3000
• Cancellation of journey paid in full - Unlimited
• Baggage and personal items - $30,000
• Emergency baggage - $1500
• Incidental hospital expenses - $4000
• Personal liability - $2,500,000
• Rental car excess - $6000

A 30 year old selecting Europe as the destination for a one week trip would expect to pay AA around $121 for Comprehensive insurance and $101 for Essentials, each with a $100 excess.⁴

Cover-More Travel Insurance

Cover-More provides three levels of international travel insurance for Kiwi travellers exploring the world overseas.⁵ The Basic Plan is a budget option offering essential, but limited, coverage. The Comprehensive Plan provides a more extensive level of protection, with higher benefit limits suitable for most leisure travellers. For those looking for the most robust coverage, the Comprehensive+ Plan includes the highest claim limits along with a range of added extras targeted at business travellers.

For most New Zealanders planning a European holiday, the Comprehensive Plan is a good balance of cost and coverage.

• Emergency medical - Unlimited
• Emergency dental - $2000
• Cancellation during journey - As selected
• Luggage and travel documents - $15,000
• Delayed luggage - $1100
• Travel delay - $2000
• Personal liability - $2,500,000
• Rental car excess - $5000

A 30 year old choosing Cover-More “All of Europe” for a one week trip can expect to pay $77 for Basic cover, $91 for Comprehensive, or $118 for the Comprehensive+ plan, with a $100 excess selected.⁶

Allianz Travel Insurance

Like many of the providers Allianz has two levels of coverage for single international trips; Basic and Comprehensive.⁷ You can buy them as an individual, duo or family policy, depending on who’s travelling. The Basic plan covers critical events like emergency medical, personal liability and funeral expenses. The Comprehensive policy covers those and a number of other travel related issues, like cancellation and lost luggage.

• Emergency medical and dental - $20 million
• Funeral expenses - $60,000
• Cancellation during journey - As selected
• Luggage, personal effects and valuables - $10,000
• Luggage and personal effect delay - $1000
• Alternative transport - $5000
• Personal liability - $5,000,000
• Rental car excess - $6000

A 30 year old taking a one week trip to Europe would pay around $136.53 for Allianz’s Comprehensive Plan or $103.48 for Basic, with a $100 excess.⁸

Tower Travel Insurance

For one-off trips abroad Tower has the Comprehensive plan or the Essentials plan.⁹

The cheaper of the two, the Essentials plan covers a limited number of events with lower benefit amounts. The main one to know about is a limit of $250,000 on emergency medical care. The Comprehensive policy covers a wider range of events and has unlimited medical, so you won’t be caught out by rising costs if something serious happens.

• Emergency medical - Unlimited
• Emergency dental - $1000 to $3000
• Cancellation of journey paid in full - Unlimited
• Personal baggage - $50,000
• Emergency baggage - $1500
• Resumption of travel - $10,000
• Personal liability - $2,500,000
• Rental car excess - $6000

Using Tower, a 30 year old going to Europe for a one week holiday would expect to pay $127 for Comprehensive insurance and $91 for the Basic plan, with a $100 excess.¹⁰

1Cover Travel Insurance

Lastly there’s 1Cover, who have Comprehensive and Medical Only travel insurance policies.¹¹

On the Medical Only plan you get access to unlimited coverage for emergency medical expenses, as well as limited benefits for dental, repatriation of remains, and personal liability. For cover for other travel related events, like theft or delays, there’s the Comprehensive plan.

• Emergency medical - Unlimited
• Emergency dental - $1000
• Cancellation during journey - Chosen limit
• Luggage and personal effects - $15,000
• Luggage and personal effects delay - $1000
• Repatriation of remains - $25,000
• Personal liability - $5,000,000
• Rental car excess - Not covered

Using 1Cover, a 30 year old exploring Europe for a week would pay $97.41 for Comprehensive travel insurance or $74.00 for Medical Only, with a $100 excess.¹²

Heading to Europe? Safeguard yourself from foreign transaction fees with the Wise card

Travelling with peace of mind starts with the right insurance. Once you’ve got your travel insurance for Europe lined up, it’s time to work out the best way to spend during your trip. Meet the Wise account and card.

Open a Wise account online or in the Wise app, add money in NZD right from your bank account, and exchange NZD to EUR at your desired rate before your trip and spend at exchange at mid-market rate during your trip. That can mean you save significantly compared to using your bank, as you’ll avoid foreign transaction fees and rest assured you’re getting one of the fairest exchange rates out there along with low, transparent fees. You’ll also be able to get a linked Wise card to use for contactless payments, add your card to a wallet like Apple Pay, or make some free ATM withdrawals when you need cash in Europe.

Take Wise with you to Europe, and save up to 8x when you spend internationally.

🚀 Get your Wise card today

Savings claim based on our rates vs. selected New Zealand banks and other similar providers in Jan 2025. To learn more, please visit https://payout-surge.live/nz/compare%3C/a%3E%3C/small%3E%3C/p%3E%3Csmall%3E

Please see Terms of Use and product availability for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.

Sources used: