Travel Assistance and Trip Interruption Insurance Guide

Swiss travel insurance policies generally include travel assistance coverage (trip interruption insurance), trip cancellation insurance, or both. Trip interruption insurance covers losses resulting from unexpected hazards which occur during a trip.

What does travel assistance insurance cost?

The cost of travel assistance insurance varies. Annual premiums range between 50 to 225 Swiss francs per child, 50 to 240 francs per adult and 70 to 350 francs per family. In many cases, these premiums also cover bundled trip cancellation insurance.

What is the sum insured for search and rescue operations?

The maximum benefit an insurer will pay out for search and rescue operations varies between travel insurance policies. This can be as low as 5000 francs (Europäische easytrip.ch) per person and incident, or as high as unlimited coverage (in the case of AXA Intertours).

Personal assistance insurance: which expenses are covered?

Typically, the following expenses will be covered by the insurer:

1. The cost of rescue operations, up to the predefined limit, and the costs of repatriation (transportation back to Switzerland).
2. Price differences between cancelled hotel and transportation bookings and substitute bookings you make.
3. Compensation for trip interruptions: If you are forced to cancel part of a trip because of unexpected (covered) incidents, the cost of the cancelled part of your trip is covered.
4. Substitute travel: This is only included in some insurance policies (travel insurance by smile.direct and Europäischen provide this coverage) and covers the cost of new bookings to replace the bookings you lost due to being repatriated back to Switzerland in the event of a medical emergency, up to predefined limits.
5. Prepaid event bookings: Only a few Swiss comprehensive travel insurance policies provide coverage for missed events. Those that do will usually limit the maximum coverage you can get (to 500 francs per claim, for example).
6. Baggage: Only a few insurers include luggage insurance coverage in their comprehensive travel insurance policies. However, many insurers provide separate luggage insurance policies or offer this coverage as an optional rider.
7. Additionally, comprehensive travel insurance policies may include a range of other benefits including roadside assistance, legal expense insurance or doctor and hospital insurance. You can get more information here.
8. You can filter the results of the moneyland.ch travel insurance comparison tool to quickly find the insurance policy that provides the coverage you need.

Which incidents are covered?

1. Trip interruptions resulting from accidents, illness or death are covered by all comprehensive travel insurance policies in Switzerland.
2. War, strikes and civil unrest: Many policies cover trip interruptions cause by strikes, civil unrest or war. But not all policies provide this coverage. Example: Cembra Money Bank does not cover trip interruptions or cancellations caused by strikes or civil unrest.
3. Trip interruptions resulting from natural hazards at your destination, such as natural catastrophes, are normally covered. However, many insurers do not provide for interruptions caused by earthquakes and volcanic activity.
4. Workplace hazards: If your workplace substitute becomes ill, has an accident or dies, and being obligated to return to work prevents you from continuing your trip as planned, many (but not all) insurance providers will cover the cost of the part of the trip you lost out on.
5. Missed connections due to transportation failures are covered by all policies.
6. Pets: Most travel insurance policies do not accept the illness, injury or death of a pet as sufficient reason to interrupt a trip. However, a handful of policies do make allowances for cancellations resulting from pet-related incidents.
7. Damage of your home in Switzerland (due to burglary, for example) while you are away on a trip. Trip interruptions resulting from a hazard affecting your home are covered.
8. Trip interruptions due to theft of important travel documents (like your passport or ID) are covered by practically all comprehensive travel policies.
9. You can use the filter criteria on the monelyand.ch travel insurance comparison results page to find policies which provide the coverage you need.

The moneyland.ch team

More on this topic:
Interactive travel insurance comparison
Trip cancellation insurance guide
Travel insurance: Guide to costs
Travel insurance: Guide to coverage
Travel insurance tips
Travel insurance: Trip cancellation