Battleface Travel Insurance Review – NerdWallet

Battleface stands out in the travel insurance industry by offering travelers more flexibility than many competitors. Its customizable Discovery plan allows travelers to tailor their policies by adding or removing many individual benefits, including Cancel For Any Reason coverage, pet benefits and vacation rental damage protection. This can be especially appealing for those who already have certain protections through a travel credit card or only need coverage for specific risks.

In NerdWallet’s sample quotes, Battleface’s travel insurance plans were among the more expensive options reviewed. However, both plans included comprehensive travel insurance benefits, such as trip cancellation, trip interruption, emergency medical coverage, medical evacuation and baggage protections.

Here’s what you need to know about Battleface coverage.

Battleface offers three primary travel insurance products: Scout and Discovery, which are both single-trip plans, and an annual plan for travelers who take multiple trips throughout the year.

Scout: A comprehensive single-trip travel insurance plan that includes core protections, such as trip cancellation, trip interruption, trip delay, baggage coverage and emergency medical benefits. Travelers can also add optional benefits, including Cancel For Any Reason coverage.

Discovery: A fully customizable single-trip travel insurance plan that allows travelers to build a policy tailored to their needs by adding or removing coverages, such as trip cancellation, baggage protection, emergency medical coverage and pet benefits. This plan also offers benefits not available on the Scout plan, such as rental car damage insurance.

Annual Plan: A plan designed for travelers who take multiple trips throughout the year and want coverage that extends across several journeys.

Battleface travel insurance plans generally include the following benefits, though specific terms may vary by state.

The table below shows the coverage limits for both the Scout and Discovery plans. Although both are single-trip plans, Scout comes with a predefined package of benefits and coverage limits. Discovery, on the other hand, is fully customizable, allowing travelers to add or remove individual benefits. As a result, the limits shown below reflect one sample configuration of the Discovery plan and may vary based on the coverages selected.

Although both plans provide many of the core travel insurance benefits that travelers expect, Discovery generally offers higher coverage limits and significantly more flexibility. For example, Discovery increases trip interruption coverage to 150% of trip costs, compared with 125% under Scout, raises trip delay coverage from $1,000 to $2,500 and increases emergency medical transportation coverage from $300,000 to $500,000.

Both plans also include a waiver of the preexisting medical condition exclusion if certain requirements are met and use a 180-day look-back period when determining whether a condition is preexisting. While both plans cover round-trip travel of up to 90 days, Scout also covers one-way trips, though coverage for those journeys is limited to 31 days.

Scout offers several optional upgrades that allow travelers to add additional protections to their policy:

Like most travel insurance policies, Battleface plans only provide benefits when a loss results from a covered reason. For example, canceling a trip because you’ve changed your mind generally won’t be covered unless you’ve purchased the Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) upgrade.

Additional situations and losses that are generally excluded from coverage include:

In NerdWallet’s sample quote for a one-week, $2,000 trip to Mexico for a 45-year-old traveler from Illinois, Battleface’s Scout and Discovery plans cost $97 and $100, respectively.

While both plans were similarly priced, they take very different approaches to coverage. Scout comes with a predefined set of benefits, whereas Discovery allows travelers to customize their policies by adding or removing individual coverages.

To compare Battleface against other travel insurance providers, we obtained quotes for the same sample trip to Mexico across multiple insurers.

Prices ranged from $17 to $148. At $97 and $100, respectively, Battleface’s Scout and Discovery plans were among the more expensive options reviewed. However, both plans included comprehensive travel insurance benefits, such as trip cancellation, trip interruption, emergency medical coverage, medical evacuation and baggage protections.

One of Battleface’s biggest differentiators is flexibility. Unlike many competitors that offer only prepackaged plans, Battleface’s Discovery plan allows travelers to fully customize their policies by adding or removing individual benefits, which may appeal to travelers who prefer a more tailored approach to travel insurance.

The right Battleface plan depends largely on whether you want a comprehensive, all-in-one policy or need coverage for only specific risks.

For travelers who want a straightforward travel insurance policy with a predefined set of benefits and a handful of optional upgrades, Scout may be the better fit.

Yes. Battleface provides 24/7 support through Robin Assist, a global travel assistance platform available to all policyholders. The service can help travelers with a range of issues, including medical emergencies, lost passports and other travel-related challenges that may arise during a trip.

You will be asked to provide details about the incident and the financial losses you’re seeking reimbursement for. Battleface’s policy also states that you or someone acting on your behalf should notify the claims administrator within 20 days of the loss, or as soon as reasonably possible.

Supporting documentation will vary depending on the type of claim, but it’s generally a good idea to keep receipts, proof of payment, booking confirmations, medical records and any other documents that may help substantiate your claim.

Battleface can be a good choice for travelers who value flexibility and want more control over their travel insurance coverage. While its plans were among the more expensive options in NerdWallet’s sample quotes, both Scout and Discovery provide comprehensive travel protections, including trip cancellation, trip interruption, emergency medical coverage and medical evacuation benefits.

Battleface’s biggest differentiator is its customizable Discovery plan. Travelers who already have certain protections through their credit cards or only need specific benefits, such as travel medical coverage or pet coverage, may appreciate the ability to tailor a policy to their needs. However, travelers simply looking for the lowest-priced coverage may find better value elsewhere.

About the author

Elina Geller is a contributing NerdWallet travel writer specializing in airline and hotel loyalty programs and travel insurance. In 2019, Elina founded TheMissMiles, a travel rewards coaching business. Her work has been featured by Forbes and AwardWallet. She is a certified public accountant with degrees from the London School of Economics and Fordham University.