How we rate every travel insurance plan.
HelloSafe is a licensed broker, not a publisher or an insurer. Every recommendation we make is backed by a documented audit: run annually, on every plan, with no input from insurers or advertisers.
40+
Insurers audited
120+
Plans audited yearly
47
Criteria per plan
0
Paid placements
One scoring for every plan
Same 47-criterion grid applied uniformly every year. Annual external audit of the scoring pipeline.
Zero paid placements.
No preferred tier, no plan promotion. No insurer can pay more to rank higher.
From raw T&Cs to a single score.
Every plan goes through the same pipeline every year. No insurer reviews our findings before they ship.
Source the policy
We pull the binding T&Cs and the policy ID from the marketing page. If there's a discrepancy, the binding document wins. Always.
Map to 47 criteria
Every clause is evaluated against our grid: ceilings, deductibles, exclusions, sub-limits, evidence rules. We flag every gap.
Cross-check community
We compare the stated promise against real claim outcomes from 50,000+ travellers. Speed, paperwork burden, payout reliability, and dispute rate: scored here, not self-reported by the insurer.
Score & publish
Seven weighted dimensions produce one score from 0 to 100. The grade, the breakdown, and the underlying data are all public.
Seven dimensions, one transparent score.
Weights are public and applied uniformly to every plan. Click any row to see the exact criteria.
Click any row to expand its criteria
Same criteria. Adjusted weights.
A senior traveller and a backpacker don't face the same risks. We recalibrate dimension weights for each profile. Highlighted values are above the baseline weight.
| Profile | Medical | Assistance | Cancel | Baggage | RC | Claims | Clarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Standard trip Solo / couple, leisure | 28% | 12% | 18% | 12% | 8% | 15% | 7% |
Annual/multi-trip Frequent travellers | 28% | 12% | 18% | 12% | 8% | 15% | 7% |
Senior 65+ travellers | 38% | 15% | 18% | 8% | 5% | 12% | 4% |
Family Parents + children | 28% | 12% | 20% | 12% | 8% | 15% | 5% |
CFAR Cancel for any reason | 18% | 10% | 35% | 8% | 5% | 18% | 6% |
Working holiday WHV / long-stay | 32% | 15% | 10% | 12% | 8% | 18% | 5% |
Schengen visa Visa-required travel | 38% | 15% | 15% | 8% | 8% | 12% | 4% |
Pregnancy Maternity cover | 38% | 15% | 18% | 3% | 5% | 18% | 3% |
Backpacker Budget / long-stay | 28% | 12% | 8% | 18% | 6% | 22% | 6% |
Group/corporate 10+ travellers | 22% | 12% | 25% | 8% | 12% | 18% | 3% |
Cruise Cruise travel | 28% | 18% | 20% | 10% | 8% | 12% | 4% |
Sport & adventure High-risk activities | 35% | 18% | 15% | 12% | 8% | 10% | 2% |
A score tells you quality. A recommendation tells you fit.
Our top pick on any comparison page is the plan that scores highest when weighted for that specific profile, not the global top scorer. A plan ranked 91/100 for a solo backpacker may score 74/100 for a senior with pre-existing conditions. We run both calculations and show you the one that's relevant to you.
Same plan, solo backpacker
91/100
Medical 28% · Claim XP weight higher
Same plan, senior 68 y.o.
74/100
Medical 38% · pre-existing penalty
Three bars to earn a top pick badge
Top-quartile score in its category (≥ 80/100)
Clean claim record: fewer than 15% disputed claims in our community data over the last 12 months
Binding T&Cs publicly available before purchase, no "request a quote to see the terms"
No insurer can buy a top pick. Commission rates are capped and identical across all partners.
Every destination. Every traveller.
We audit plans that cover where you're actually going, including destinations most insurers exclude by default.
Europe
incl. Schengen zone
Americas
USA, Canada, LatAm
Asia-Pacific
Japan, SEA, Australia
Caribbean
islands & cruises
Middle East
incl. Gulf states
Africa
North & Sub-Saharan
Polar regions
Arctic & Antarctic
Worldwide
no zone restriction
Every type of trip. Every type of traveller.
Each profile page applies dimension weights calibrated to that trip type.
Standard trip
Solo or couple, leisure travel, fixed dates
Annual / multi-trip
Frequent travellers, unlimited trips per year
Backpacker
Budget travel, flexible itinerary, multi-country
Round-the-world
RTW trips, 6-18 months, multiple continents
Cruise
Missed embarkation, at-sea evacuation, port calls
Sport & adventure
Skiing, surfing, climbing, skydiving, high-risk activities
Senior
65+ travellers, higher medical weight, pre-existing focus
Family
Parents and children, per-person and aggregate ceilings
Group
10+ travellers, corporate or associations
International students
Erasmus, gap year, university exchange programs
Working holiday / WHV
Working holiday visa, long-term stay abroad
Expats
Residence abroad, long-term coverage
Pregnant traveller
Pregnancy complications, premature birth, early return
Pre-existing conditions
Plans accepting declared conditions with partial or full coverage
Cancellation only
Cancellation coverage only, no medical expenses
Cancel for any reason
CFAR, 50-75% reimbursement regardless of the reason
Schengen visa
Plans meeting consular requirements (€30k minimum)
Backed by the world's leading insurers.
Every plan on HelloSafe is underwritten by a financially rated carrier. S&P / Fitch / Moody's grade of A- or above, medical ceiling ≥ €100k, 24/7 assistance network.
AXA Assistance
AA– (S&P)
Partner since 2019
Allianz Travel
AA (S&P)
Partner since 2019
Generali
A (Fitch)
Partner since 2020
Europ Assistance
A+ (S&P)
Partner since 2019
AIG Travel
A (S&P)
Partner since 2022
No insurer can buy a top pick. Commission rates are capped and identical across all partners. We built HelloSafe to fix the conflict of interest that exists everywhere else in this industry, starting with how we get paid.
Antoine Fruchard
Founder & Travel Insurance Expert, HelloSafe
Questions about our methodology.
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