Travel Insurance Education Centre

Government health insurance plans may not cover all emergency medical expenses once you leave your home province/territory and typically cover only a limited portion once you leave the country. In fact, the Canadian Government (Consular Services, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada) urges all Canadians to purchase supplemental health insurance when leaving the country. They say:

"Do not rely on your provincial health plan to cover costs if you get sick or are injured while abroad. Out-of-country healthcare can be costly, and your health plan will cover only part of the bill at best."²

Plus, government health insurance plans don't guarantee coverage for special care (air ambulance or emergency dental services, for instance).

Unlike government insurance health plans, our insurance offers you:

• Unlimited coverage for eligible medical expenses⁴
• Up-front payment of eligible medical expenses whenever possible
• 24-hour, multilingual emergency medical assistance—one toll-free phone call puts you in touch with a multilingual professional who will refer you to a local doctor or facility in order for you to receive the care you need

Government health insurance plans also don't provide coverage for situations such as lost, damaged or delayed baggage or trip cancellation and interruption. Our travel insurance can provide these coverages and more.

Some credit cards provide emergency medical insurance when you are travelling outside Canada or your province/territory of residence.

However, there may be important distinctions between what travel insurance covers and what your credit card's insurance plan covers.

For example, with a credit card, coverage might only apply to trips purchased on the card—or be limited to a fewer number of travel days.

Before you take a trip, it's a good idea to review any coverage provided by your credit card(s) to decide whether you need additional insurance.

With health insurance under an employee benefits plan, out-of-country medical coverage may not be available, may not cover a spouse or dependents and often has limits on the number of travel days covered and amounts payable.

Before you take a trip, it's a good idea to review any coverage provided by your employer to decide whether you need additional insurance.

If you're travelling aboard an airplane, train, bus or other public transport, there's the chance that your flight or travels may be delayed (or cancelled altogether). Your luggage may be lost or damaged. Or you may have to cancel your trip or return home unexpectedly early due to a family emergency.

With RBC Insurance^®, you can choose a package or plan that covers you for these types of situations and more.

Consider this as well: 74% of Canadian travellers spent more than $1,000 per person per vacation in 2007. Almost half of those travellers spent more than $1,500 per person per vacation.² That's a big discretionary expense, one you no doubt want to protect. For the additional financial security you get, our travel insurance is a true bargain.

We offer several convenient ways to purchase your travel insurance coverage:

• If you don't plan on getting your insurance coverage through a travel agent, Travel HealthProtector^® insurance is available to existing RBC clients to purchase online, by phone or at a branch.

 Learn more   

• If you want to buy your coverage when booking a trip with a travel agent, simply use our locator tool to find an agent that sells our travel insurance coverage. Your travel agent can explain your options and help you select the right coverage for your needs. You can also try our Recommendation Tool before talking to an agent.

 Learn more