Secure Gold review: real coverage, real limits, and how the price compares

Our verdict on Secure Gold: 4.2 out of 5. It is the most protective tourism policy in our catalogue on the medical side, with €2,500,000 in the United States, Canada, Thailand and Indonesia, and the hospital paid directly. You pay for that: €128.93 for 14 days in the United States.

This analysis rests on a full reading of the policy's two contractual documents, its insurance product information document (IPID) and its 53 pages of general terms, and on real quotes captured on 7 September 2026 across seven travel profiles. We distribute this policy. That is precisely why we also publish its limits, with the figures behind them.

One thing to know before you read further: this policy is sold only to people who live in France or in the French overseas départements, and it is priced in euros. If you are an English speaker based in France, this is a policy you can actually buy. If you live in the United Kingdom, Ireland or the United States, it is not available to you, whatever your nationality.

The reasoning fits in three lines. This is a policy built around serious medical risk: everything to do with hospital care, repatriation and cancellation is treated generously, and the limits are among the highest we have recorded in leisure travel. Everything to do with demanding sport, expatriation and business travel is explicitly outside it.

Three limits deserve to be known before you buy, and none of them appears on a product sheet: coverage stops at 74 years old, a condition you already know about is paid for only during the first 24 hours of hospitalisation, and a trip whose main purpose is skiing falls outside the list of covered activities. We detail all three below.

Coverage reaches €2,500,000 of medical expenses in the United States, Canada, Thailand and Indonesia, €1,500,000 in the rest of the world and €600,000 in Europe, per insured person and per event. Hospital care is settled directly with the facility, with nothing to advance from your own pocket.

The table below sets out each benefit as it is written in the general terms, alongside the condition that governs it. It is that right-hand column that decides a reimbursement, far more often than the headline limit.

What the contract does not cover

Six exclusions come up regularly in refused claims on this kind of policy. They are written in black and white in the general terms, but none of them appears on the commercial product sheet.

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  Business travel: The contract excludes travel undertaken for professional reasons and any stay that is not a leisure trip. A mixed business and leisure trip is a genuine risk.
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  Conditions you already know about, beyond 24 hours: In a life-threatening emergency, only first aid and the first 24 hours of hospitalisation are paid for. The rest of the hospital stay is yours to settle.
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  Valuables in your luggage: Jewellery, watches, furs, cash and identity papers are excluded outright, with no fallback limit.
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  Theft without violence or threat: The contract defines theft as theft accompanied by threats or violence, which leaves pickpocketing outside the baggage benefit.
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  Belarus, North Korea, Russia and Ukraine: These four destinations sit outside the covered territory, whichever benefit you are claiming under.
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  Costs incurred without prior approval: Except in a case of force majeure, an expense committed before you call the assistance line may not be reimbursed, medical costs included.

Five clauses weigh more than any limit: the assistance service's prior approval, the 72-hour wait on cancellation, the 35-kilometre rule, the treatment of conditions you already know about, and the baggage sub-limits. Here they are as they are actually written.

Prior approval, the widest clause in the contract

The general terms are explicit: in an emergency you must call the assistance line and obtain its agreement before taking any initiative or committing any expense. The insurer reserves the right to refuse a reimbursement if it was not informed beforehand. The only exception is force majeure or a proven physical impossibility.

In practice that means one thing: the assistance number (+33 5 49 16 36 68) comes before your bank card, including at a walk-in doctor's surgery. The same clause governs repatriation, where the decision and the choice of transport belong to the insurer's medical team after consulting the local doctors, and not to the traveller.

Cancellation: a 72-hour wait and 42 accepted reasons

Cancellation is an option, not a core benefit. It has to be bought at the same time as the trip and only takes effect 72 hours after purchase. The limit is €10,000 per insured person, capped at €50,000 per event, which matters for a group: beyond five people at €10,000 each, the per-event ceiling closes in.

The list of accepted reasons is long and unusually precise: 42 causes, from redundancy to jury service, from a refused tourist visa to a vehicle breakdown occurring at least 8 hours before departure, by way of the death of a pet and the cancellation of the concert the trip was built around. It is one of the policy's genuine strengths. To compare that scope with the rest of the market, see our travel cancellation insurance guide.

The 35-kilometre rule and when coverage starts

Benefits apply only more than 35 kilometres from your home, cancellation excepted. They run from 24 hours before to 24 hours after the dates shown on your policy schedule, for a maximum of 365 consecutive days. An incident on the eve of departure, 20 kilometres from your front door, is therefore not covered.

Conditions you already know about, the harshest limit

This is the point on which the product sheet and the contract diverge most. Our own product sheet lists pre-existing conditions as included. The general terms specify that, in a life-threatening emergency arising from an unforeseeable complication, the insurer pays only for emergency first aid and the first 24 hours of hospitalisation. Beyond that, the costs are yours.

Two exclusions sit on top of that, with two different thresholds: a condition that relapsed or worsened in the 30 days before you bought the policy is not covered, and the consequences of an illness that led to a hospital stay, day surgery included, in the 6 months before departure are excluded. If you travel with a condition under medical follow-up, compare the policies on our pre-existing condition travel insurance page instead.

Baggage: €4,000 on paper, considerably less in practice

The €4,000 limit applies only to the loss or theft of your luggage as a whole. Damage alone is compensated up to 20% of that amount, so €800. Electronics, photographic gear and sports equipment fall under a single 50% sub-limit, so €2,000, unless you buy an add-on. Compensation is calculated on replacement value, with a straight-line reduction of 20% per year of age.

The most expensive clause sits elsewhere: without proof of purchase, compensation is reduced by 70% of replacement value and capped at €250 for all the items concerned. Keep your receipts, and report a theft to the police within 48 hours or you lose the benefit entirely.

Secure Gold costs €42.15 for a week in Spain and €128.93 for two weeks in the United States, for one traveller alone, at prices captured on 7 September 2026. The premium follows the destination, the length of the trip and the number of travellers, never the price of the holiday itself as long as the cancellation option stays unticked.

Two practical lessons. First, the cancellation option is expensive relative to the base premium, but it carries €10,000 per insured person, which makes it worthwhile as soon as the money you have committed runs past a few hundred euros. Second, the premium does not depend on the price of the trip while that option stays unticked: a €300 ticket and a €3,000 ticket cost the same to cover on the medical side.

You can buy the policy right up to the day you leave, and even after departure, in which case a 72-hour wait applies. One point specific to residents of France: the medical benefit assumes you are registered with the French social security system, so if you have only just moved and your affiliation is still being processed, sort that out before you rely on this policy.

On the same 14-day trip to the United States, Secure Gold ranks 14th out of 15 on price, at €128.93 against a median of €96.05. It comes first, on the other hand, on the medical limit, first on baggage, and it is the only one to combine a €2,500,000 medical limit with cancellation at the full price of the trip.

An honest reading of that table: you pay €84.63 more than the cheapest policy to multiply the medical limit by five and the baggage limit by almost three. On a destination where one hospital stay runs into hundreds of thousands of euros, the gap is justified. On a week in Spain, where the limit drops back to €600,000, it is far less so.

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  The highest medical limit in our leisure travel catalogue: €2,500,000 in the United States, Canada, Thailand and Indonesia, per insured person and per event, with no deductible.
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  The hospital settled directly: If you are admitted, the insurer pays the facility, so you never advance sums that run into tens of thousands of euros.
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  Cancellation with 42 accepted reasons: One of the widest lists we have recorded, including rare grounds such as a refused tourist visa or a vehicle breakdown.
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  The best baggage limit in this comparison: €4,000, against €1,500 to €3,000 for the policies closest to it on price.
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  You can buy it right up to departure: No minimum delay between purchase and departure, and trips accepted up to 365 consecutive days.

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  Personal liability that trails the field: €2,000,000 against €4,500,000 for three of the four policies compared, with a €100 deductible per claim.
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  No extreme sport, no competition: SafeTrip Tourism includes them for €15.93 less. If your trip is built around a sport, this is not the right policy.
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  The highest price in the group compared: €128.93, or 34% above the market median on this trip.
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  Rescue limited to the ski area: The €6,000 of search and rescue applies only on the pistes and the authorised off-piste terrain of a resort, not while trekking or at sea.
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  Nothing for expatriates: No long-term health benefits, no maternity, no teleconsultation: this policy covers a trip, not a move abroad.

This policy is built for classic tourism to destinations where care is expensive: the United States, Canada, Thailand, Indonesia. It is a poor fit for stays built around a sport, it is closed to travellers over 74, and it excludes any trip with a professional purpose.

The skiing case deserves to be stated plainly, because it catches people out. The contract names skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing and sledging among the 55 covered activities, and provides €6,000 of search and rescue on the authorised ski area, the resort's permitted off-piste terrain included. But the same page of the contract makes every one of those activities conditional on their not being the main purpose of the trip. A week booked in order to ski falls outside it, quite literally. For a holiday whose point is the skiing, look for a dedicated winter sports policy instead.

This policy is reserved for residents of mainland France, Corsica and the French overseas départements and regions, aged under 75, for a leisure trip of 1 to 365 days and 1 to 50 travellers. Your nationality is not a criterion: an American, British or Australian national living in France can buy it, a French national living in London cannot.

That last condition deserves particular attention if you have recently moved to France. The general terms make registration with the French social security system a prerequisite of the medical expenses benefit, because the insurer pays in second rank, after the Sécurité sociale and your top-up health insurance (mutuelle). Someone living in France but not yet affiliated, or posted from abroad and still covered at home, would find that benefit inoperative. Past 74, the policy is simply closed: our senior travel insurance comparison lists the policies that still accept those ages.

A word on the right to withdraw, which is often misunderstood. The 14-day cooling-off period that applies to distance selling does not apply to travel insurance policies lasting less than a month. For longer policies bought online, you withdraw by email within 14 days of joining. And once the policy has started, it can be neither cancelled nor refunded.

The risk is carried by IMA Assurances, a public limited company with fully paid-up capital of €157,000,000, headquartered in Niort and registered with the Niort trade register under number 481 511 632. Round-the-clock assistance is provided by the same group.

That matters on this kind of policy: the brand you see the offer under is not always the company that will repatriate you. Here, distribution is handled by a Spanish-registered broker, Smart Insurance Correduria de Seguros, and the policy is marketed under the Heymondo name. But it is IMA that underwrites, that decides on a repatriation and that settles the hospital bill.

The general rule is 15 days to report a claim, cut to 48 hours in the event of theft and extended to 30 days for the death and disability benefit. Once your file is complete, the contract provides for settlement within 40 days.

1. Call the assistance line before spending anything
   +33 5 49 16 36 68 answers 24 hours a day. That call is what unlocks the coverage, except in a case of force majeure.
2. Have the facts recorded on the spot
   A police report within 48 hours for a theft, a property irregularity report from the airline for delayed or lost luggage, a medical report in the event of hospitalisation.
3. Report the claim within the deadline
   15 days from the day you became aware of it, 48 hours for a theft, 30 days for the personal accident benefit.
4. Gather the originals
   Original invoices, proof of purchase for baggage, and statements from the Sécurité sociale and your mutuelle for medical costs.
5. Follow your file
   By phone on +33 5 49 16 36 69, Monday to Friday from 9 am to 3 pm, or by email to travel.remboursement@ima.eu. Settlement follows within 40 days of a complete file.

Two points to watch on the reimbursement itself. The policy pays in second rank: any sum recoverable from another insurer, from the Sécurité sociale, from your mutuelle, from the carrier or from the activity provider is deducted first. And the cash advance and the legal fees are loans, granted against an acknowledgement of debt and repayable within 30 days of your return. The limitation period is two years.

• What does Secure Gold actually cost?

  Between €42.15 for a week in Spain and €682.86 for a 90-day round-the-world trip, for one traveller alone, at prices captured on 7 September 2026. The most common scenario, two weeks in the United States for an adult, comes to €128.93. The price depends on the destination, the duration and the number of travellers, not on the value of the trip as long as the cancellation option is left out.

• What is the medical limit in the United States?

  €2,500,000 per insured person and per event, with no deductible. That limit applies in the United States, Canada, Thailand and Indonesia. It drops to €1,500,000 in the rest of the world and to €600,000 in Europe. If you are admitted to hospital, the insurer can settle with the facility directly, so you do not have to advance the money.

• Is skiing covered by Secure Gold?

  Skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing and sledging are among the 55 activities named in the contract, with €6,000 of search and rescue on the authorised ski area. But those activities are covered only on condition that they are not the main purpose of the trip. A week booked in order to ski therefore falls outside the scope, and a dedicated winter sports policy is the better answer.

• Up to what age can you buy it?

  Up to and including 74. The general terms reserve the policy for people under 75, and that limit admits no exception. In exchange there is no age surcharge and no reduction in coverage below that threshold: a traveller of 70 pays €58.53 for 14 days in Spain with exactly the same limits as a traveller of 30.

• Are conditions I already have covered?

  Only very partially. In a life-threatening emergency caused by an unforeseeable complication, the insurer covers first aid and the first 24 hours of hospitalisation only. Beyond that the costs are yours. Two exclusions sit on top: a relapse or worsening in the 30 days before you bought the policy, and a hospital stay, day surgery included, in the 6 months before departure.

• How long is the waiting period on cancellation?

  72 hours from the moment you buy. The cancellation option has to be taken out when you book the trip and it ends at departure. The event causing the cancellation must occur after the purchase date, and any condition diagnosed, worsened or hospitalised in the previous 30 days is excluded. The limit is €10,000 per insured person.

• Are extreme sports covered?

  No. The contract excludes mountaineering, climbing, ice climbing, combat sports, motor sports, bobsleigh, rugby and diving beyond 40 metres by name. Any practice in competition or on a professional basis is excluded too, training sessions included. In our catalogue, SafeTrip Tourism includes extreme sports for €113.00 on the same 14-day trip to the United States.

• What happens if I have lost the receipt for a stolen item?

  Compensation is reduced by 70% of replacement value and capped at €250 for all the items without proof of purchase. It is by far the most expensive clause in the baggage benefit. Valuables such as jewellery, watches and furs, along with cash and identity papers, are excluded in any case, receipt or no receipt.

• Who pays the claim, and how long does it take?

  IMA Assurances, the insurer carrying the risk. The claims department can be reached on +33 5 49 16 36 69, Monday to Friday from 9 am to 3 pm, or at travel.remboursement@ima.eu. The contract provides for settlement within 40 days of the claim being filed with its supporting documents. Payment is made in second rank, after the Sécurité sociale and your mutuelle.

• Can I cancel the policy after buying it?

  The 14-day cooling-off period that applies to distance selling does not apply to travel insurance policies lasting less than a month. For longer policies bought online, you withdraw by email within 14 days of joining. Once the policy has started, it can be neither cancelled nor refunded.

If the medical limit is not your priority, four policies cover the same trip for €44.30 to €113.00. Here is our ranking for a traveller still hesitating, with prices captured on 7 September 2026 on a 14-day trip to the United States. To widen the comparison beyond these five, our travel insurance comparison prices the whole catalogue for your own dates and destination.

Recommended for youA. Fruchard · Co-Founder & Travel Insurance Expert

Our ranking if you are still hesitating

If you are travelling somewhere a hospital stay can cost you a year’s salary, Secure Gold stays our first choice: the hospital is settled directly, without you ever reaching for your card, and the limit runs to €2,500,000. That is what €128.93 buys you.

If that risk feels remote, Go Protect covers the same trip for €44.30 while keeping cancellation at the full trip price and €500,000 of medical coverage. WorldSecure Platinum, at €67.12, adds baggage at €2,000. If your trip revolves around a demanding sport, SafeTrip Tourism is the only one in the group to include extreme sports, at €113.00. And Secure Silver, at €96.05, keeps a €1,500,000 medical limit but falls back to €100,000 of personal liability.

No insurer can pay to place itself higher in this ranking: we accept no sponsored positions.

Secure GoldInsured by IMA Assurances

From€128.93

Included coverage

International emergency medical expenses€2,500,000

Direct billingIncluded

Trip cancellationOptional

Baggage & personal belongings€4,000

See the 17 guaranteesGet a quote

Personalized quote · no commitment

Go ProtectInsured by Mutuaide

From€44.30

Included coverage

International emergency medical expenses€500,000

Direct billingIncluded

Trip cancellationOptional

Baggage & personal belongings€1,500

See the 17 guaranteesGet a quote

Personalized quote · no commitment

WorldSecure PlatinumInsured by MGEN

From€67.12

Included coverage

International emergency medical expenses€500,000

Direct billingIncluded

Trip cancellationOptional

Baggage & personal belongings€2,000

See the 17 guaranteesGet a quote

Personalized quote · no commitment

SafeTrip TourismInsured by AIG

From€113.00

Included coverage

International emergency medical expenses€500,000

Direct billingIncluded

Trip cancellationOptional

Baggage & personal belongings€1,500

See the 17 guaranteesGet a quote

Personalized quote · no commitment

Secure SilverInsured by IMA Assurances

From€96.05

Included coverage

International emergency medical expenses€1,500,000

Direct billingIncluded

Trip cancellationOptional

Baggage & personal belongings€3,000

See the 17 guaranteesGet a quote

Personalized quote · no commitment

Real prices captured on 7 September 2026 for 1 traveller aged 34, 14 days in the United States (5 to 18 November 2026), departing from France, without the cancellation option, in euros. Secure Gold comes out at €128.93 on this trip. The limits shown on the cards are the contract limits for that destination: Secure Gold's medical ceiling changes with the country you visit.