If you want increased flexibility and peace of mind when booking an expensive trip, buying “cancel for any reason” travel insurance is the way to go.
Be aware even the best “cancel for any reason” (CFAR) coverage will only reimburse up to 75% of your covered expenses if you cancel your trip for a reason other than those listed in the policy. But that’s still much better than getting nothing.
Our insurance experts examined 53 travel insurance plans to come up with our recommendations for the best CFAR travel insurance. In our analysis, we gave the most weight to cost but also weighed the reimbursement amount offered and the availability of an “interruption for any reason” (IFAR) upgrade.
Best “cancel for any reason” travel insurance plans of 2023
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Seven Corners
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Travel Insured
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Trawick International
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WorldTrips
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Compare the best “cancel for any reason” travel insurance plans of 2023
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What is "cancel for any reason" (CFAR) insurance?
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How does "cancel for any reason" coverage work?
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How much does CFAR coverage typically cost?
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Average cost for travel insurance with "cancel for any reason" (CFAR) coverage
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Do you need “cancel for any reason” insurance?
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What to know about CFAR insurance
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What is “interruption for any reason” (IFAR) coverage?
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Methodology
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Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Seven Corners
Blueprint Rating
Via Squaremouth's Website
Top-scoring plan
RoundTrip Basic
Average cost for plan with CFAR
$397
CFAR coverage
75% of trip cost
What you should know
Seven Corners’ RoundTrip Basic plan with CFAR coverage has the lowest average cost of our top-scoring plans. The cost of this plan only increases by an average of 40% when you add CFAR coverage, which is less than the competitors we analyzed.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Least expensive of the top-scoring plans with CFAR coverage.
- Best in class 75% “cancel for any reason” coverage.
- Optional “interruption for any reason” coverage of 75% after 48 hours.
Cons
- No pre-existing health condition coverage.
- Emergency medical coverage is only $100,000.
- Emergency medical evacuation coverage of $250,000 is the lowest of our top CFAR plans.
Travel Insured
Blueprint Rating
Via Squaremouth's Website
Top-scoring plan
Worldwide Trip Protector
Average cost for plan with CFAR
$533
CFAR coverage
75% of trip cost
What you should know
Travel Insured’s Worldwide Trip Protector plan with CFAR coverage has the highest average cost of our top picks. However, it’s a strong plan overall for the price.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Best-in-class 75% “cancel for any reason” coverage.
- Optional 75% “interruption for any reason” coverage.
- Great coverage for both medical and non-medical evacuation.
Cons
- Emergency medical coverage of $100,000 could be better.
- Optional “interruption for any reason” coverage takes 72 hours to kick in.
- Lost baggage and personal items coverage of $1,000 isn’t the best.
Trawick International
Blueprint Rating
Via Squaremouth's Website
Top-scoring plan
Safe Travels First Class
Average cost for plan with CFAR
$500
CFAR coverage
75% of trip cost
What you should know
Trawick International’s Safe Travels First Class policy offers up to 75% reimbursement of your nonrefundable trip cost with CFAR coverage. However, you must buy CFAR with your policy (some plans allow you to add it later) and within 21 days of when you made your first trip deposit. You also must insure the full value of your nonrefundable trip cost.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Best available medical evacuation coverage of $1 million.
- Best baggage loss coverage of our top CFAR plans at $2,000 per person.
- Decent $1,000 missed connection coverage for cruises and tours after three hours.
Cons
- Provides a shorter window to sign up for CFAR coverage after buying your policy.
- No “interruption for any reason” coverage available.
- Subpar layoff coverage requires five years of continuous employment.
- CFAR is not available if you live in New York or Washington.
WorldTrips
Blueprint Rating
Via Squaremouth's Website
Top-scoring plan
Atlas Journey Preferred
Average cost for plan with CFAR
$466
CFAR coverage
Choose 50% or 75% of trip cost
What you should know
WorldTrips’ Atlas Journey Preferred policy offers the second-lowest average cost of all the CFAR plans we evaluated, based on 50% reimbursement. You’ll pay a bit more if you opt for 75% reimbursement.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Excellent $1 million per person in medical evacuation coverage.
- Very good benefits for travel delays, missed connections and extension of coverage.
- Choice of 50% or 75% back for cancellation because of a non-covered reason.
Cons
- Emergency medical coverage of $100,000 could be better.
- No “interruption for any reason” coverage option.
Compare the best “cancel for any reason” travel insurance plans of 2023
| Company | Best CFAR plan | Reimbursement amount | Our rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seven Corners | RoundTrip Basic | 75% | 5 stars |
| Travel Insured | Worldwide Trip Protector | 75% | 4 stars |
| Trawick International | Safe Travels First Class | 75% | 4 stars |
| WorldTrips | Atlas Journey Preferred | 50% or 75% | 4 stars |
| Cat 70 | Travel Plan | 75% | 3.5 stars |
| John Hancock | Silver | 75% | 3.5 stars |
| Nationwide | Cruise Luxury | 75% | 3.5 stars |
| Tin Leg | Gold | 75% | 3.5 stars |
| USI Affinity | Ruby | 75% | 3.5 stars |
| Travelex | Travel Select | 50% | 3 stars |
| HTH Travel Insurance | TripProtector Preferred | 75% | 1.5 stars |
| IMG | iTravelInsured Travel LX | 75% | 1.5 stars |
| TravelSafe | Classic | 75% | 1.5 stars |
| AXA Assistance USA | Platinum | 75% | 1 star |
| Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection | LuxuryCare | 50% | 1 star |
What is "cancel for any reason" (CFAR) insurance?
“Cancel for any reason” (CFAR) coverage picks up where basic trip cancellation benefits included with travel insurance leave off.
It typically reimburses you for up to 75% of your nonrefundable travel costs when you decide to cancel your trip for a reason not listed in your policy.
“While travel insurance will cover a wide array of travel situations, it won’t cover everything,” said Stan Sandberg, cofounder of TravelInsurance.com.
“For trip cancellation coverage, travel insurance plans will only cover you for very specific covered reasons listed in a plan’s description of coverage. If an event is not listed as a covered reason, it won’t be covered unless the consumer opts for a ‘cancel for any reason’ policy,” Sandberg added.
How does "cancel for any reason" coverage work?
“‘Cancel for any reason’ is typically sold as an upgrade to a regular travel insurance plan,” Sandberg said.
Depending on the insurance company, you’ll typically need to buy CFAR travel insurance within one to three weeks of making your first trip payment. You’re also usually required to insure the full value of your nonrefundable trip expenses.
How much does CFAR coverage typically cost?
Travel insurance with “cancel for any reason” coverage costs an average of $611 per trip, according to our analysis of travel insurance plans with a CFAR upgrade.
CFAR coverage can increase the cost of your base travel insurance plan anywhere from 40% to 100%, depending on the company and the policy.
Average cost for travel insurance with "cancel for any reason" (CFAR) coverage
| Company | Top-scoring plan | Average cost of travel insurance with CFAR coverage | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seven Corners | RoundTrip Basic | $397 | ||
| WorldTrips | Atlas Journey Preferred | $466 | ||
| Trawick International | Safe Travels First Class | $500 | ||
| John Hancock | Silver | $520 | ||
| Travelex | Travel Select | $532 | ||
| Travel Insured | Worldwide Trip Protector | $533 | ||
| Cat 70 | Travel Plan | $541 | ||
| Tin Leg | Gold | $541 | ||
| USI Affinity | Ruby | $549 | ||
| Nationwide | Cruise Luxury | $591 | ||
| HTH Travel Insurance | TripProtector Preferred | $707 | ||
| TravelSafe | Classic | $717 | ||
| AXA Assistance USA | Platinum | $808 | ||
| IMG | iTravelInsured Travel LX | $828 | ||
| Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection | LuxuryCare | $942 | ||
| Average cost is based on travel insurance quotes for five international trips taken by travelers of various ages. Plans have diffaerent levels of benefits, which can account for price differences. Source: Squaremouth. | ||||
Do you need “cancel for any reason” insurance?
If you want the flexibility to be able to cancel your trip for a reason the travel insurance plan doesn’t cover, you may want to spend the extra money to add CFAR coverage to your policy.
What to know about CFAR insurance
With “cancel for any reason” travel insurance, you typically need to cancel your trip at least 48 hours before your scheduled departure time.
“To take advantage of the CFAR benefit, travelers must cancel their trip in its entirety two to three days before their departure to receive reimbursement,” said James Clark, a spokesperson for Squaremouth, the company behind Cat 70 and Tin Leg travel insurance.
In other words, if you get nervous about your trip and want to cancel the morning your plane departs, it’s too late to use your CFAR coverage.
What is “interruption for any reason” (IFAR) coverage?
Similar to CFAR travel insurance, an IFAR upgrade can reimburse up to 75% of your nonrefundable trip costs if you change your itinerary after departing for a reason your base policy doesn’t cover.
Also similar to CFAR coverage, IFAR coverage is optional and costs extra. Not all travel insurance companies offer it.
Methodology
Our insurance experts analyzed data from the travel insurance comparison website Squaremouth to find the best travel insurance plans with “cancel for any reason” (CFAR) coverage. For this rating, we only scored travel insurance plans that offer a CFAR upgrade.
The benefits we scored out of a possible 100 points include:
Cost: 80 points. We scored the average cost for each CFAR travel insurance policy for a variety of trips and traveler profiles:
- Couple, age 30, for an 8-day trip to Mexico costing $3,000.
- Couple, age 40, for a 17-day trip to Italy costing $6,000.
- Couple, age 65, for a 17-day trip to Italy costing $6,000.
- Couple, age 70, for an 8-day trip to Mexico costing $3,000.
- Family of four for a 17-day trip to Italy costing $15,000.
CFAR reimbursement level of trip cost: 10 points. Policies providing 75% reimbursement were awarded full points.
Plans offering an IFAR upgrade: 10 points. Travel insurance plans that offer an optional “interruption for any reason” upgrade received full points.
Why some companies didn’t make the cut
Travel insurance plans that do not offer a “cancel for any reason” upgrade were not considered. Of the 21 plans we scored, those with an above-average cost for CFAR travel insurance did not make the cut.
Why you can trust us
Our insurance experts follow strict editorial guidelines to ensure fairness and unbiased reviews. We reviewed 53 policies, analyzed quotes for five international trips with travelers of varying ages, and scored 21 policies to find the best CFAR travel insurance.
For companies with more than one travel insurance plan offering CFAR, we shared information about the highest-scoring plan. Some companies may offer plans with additional benefits or lower prices than the plans which scored the highest, so make sure to get travel insurance quotes to see your full range of options.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
If you get sick with COVID-19 before or during your trip, many travel insurance plans will cover losses due to your illness, such as having to cancel or reschedule your trip, provided you are diagnosed by a doctor or a third-party testing service.
However, even with a comprehensive travel insurance policy, the base plan will not cover things like deciding you don’t want to travel because you’re worried about catching COVID. Purchasing optional CFAR coverage would allow you to cancel your trip for these reasons.
More: Best COVID travel insurance
You’re unlikely to get “cancel for any reason” coverage through your credit card. If you charge a covered trip to your credit card, you may get some travel insurance benefits.
For example, some credit cards provide trip cancellation and interruption coverage, baggage delay insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, travel, and emergency assistance services, and trip delay reimbursement.
More: Best travel rewards credit cards
No, CFAR travel insurance will not give you a full refund if you cancel your trip. Most policies that offer an optional CFAR upgrade will refund 50% or 75% of your covered trip expenses, as long as you cancel within the required timeframe. You typically need to cancel at least 48 hours before you are scheduled to travel in order to file a CFAR claim.