If you came here, then look for where it is written in simple language which is the best insurance to choose in Thailand and why. I go to Thailand every year and am also always faced with this choice, especially when you start to delve into all the nuances and realize that the insurance company has changed its assistance and now all the reviews about it are no longer relevant. But after reading this article, you will know exactly which insurance in Thailand is right for you.

Before the first winter, my head was spinning from a large number of conflicting reviews. I spent about a week choosing insurance but it was worth it. The insurance company paid for my broken knee after falling off my bike.

Treatment after falling from a bike under insurance at Bangkok Pattaya Hospital, the insurance company paid for everything

Then I started compiling a rating of insurance and assistance services for Thailand. Every six months I sit down and re-read new reviews on insurance on all popular forums: Vinsky Insurance Forum, Sravni.ru, Otzyv.ru, I write personal messages on the forums and find out how it all ended in complaints: did the insurance company pay for the treatment, what problems did I encounter? .

This way I collect the most relevant and useful information for you. Because each insurance company has its own working rules: some will always take hours to reach, some work well only in large cities, some refuse complex treatment. I hope that here you will find all the answers to your questions and you won’t have to spend hours re-reading forum threads.

Very reliable but expensive

• The only choice for pregnant women and people with chronic diseases
• An excellent choice for a child because there is no surcharge for age
• Covers motorbike, local diseases, burns, allergies
• An annual policy costs 14,500 rubles. Price 306 rubles for 1 day.
• View prices on polis812,

• 15% discount promo code “FORUMAWD” when purchasing at polis812.
• The only opportunity now to buy Mondial assistance
• Cover the fever and the motorbike
• An annual policy costs 11,730 rubles, Price 130 rubles for 1 day
• View prices on polis812 (15% discount), instore.travel,

• There are representatives at all major tourism forums who monitor the reputation and solve all problems.
• for a trip longer than 34 days there is a deductible of $50
• Motorbike is included by default.
• An annual policy costs 20,098 rubles. Price 200 rubles for 1 day.

Inexpensive, but working

Sberbank Insurance is in first place

• Suitable for pregnant women (but up to 12 weeks)
• Covers bike, burns, allergies
• An annual policy costs 3,300 rubles. Price 52 rubles for 1 day.
• View prices for polis812 (15% discount),

In second place is Tinkoff insurance

• Good service, many positive reviews
• An annual policy costs 6,600 rubles. Price 100 rubles for 1 day.
• For children under 14 years of age, it covers allergies and sunburn. Fever for any age
• View prices for

How to choose health insurance in Thailand

First of all, you need to understand who will treat you and who will pay. Insurance companies only work in their own country; they have no idea about hospitals in Thailand, how easy it is to get to them, the profiles and qualifications of doctors. But each insurance company has an agreement with the Assistance company (Assistance). Assistas enters into contracts with hospitals around the world and is responsible for your treatment. Your policy shows the telephone number of the assistance service, not the insurance company.

This means that you should always read reviews about the Insurance + Assistance combination. For example, Consent + ISOS worked great, then Consent began working with Savitar, and in 2016 they switched to Balt Assistance. And now all the reviews on the forums about the work of the insurance company Consent are worth nothing at the moment, because the assistance has changed.

Now I will tell you in more detail who is responsible for what, because one assistance can work with many insurance companies and in one case there will be positive reviews, and in the other negative.

What is the assistance responsible for?

• For confirming payment to hospitals, for quickly answering calls and calling a doctor.
• Decides in which hospital you will be treated, whether a doctor will come to your home or whether you will have to go somewhere; if the assistance does not have contracts with hospitals in your area, you will have to pay everything on the spot and compensate it with the insurance company after returning.
• Can only manage a certain amount for your treatment. This amount is quite enough for the most common cases. But any expensive operation must be approved by the insurance company. Often, insurers additionally hire local doctors to confirm your diagnosis. That is why, when reading reviews about complex cases, do not be afraid of the phrases “the insurance company is still silent.” Always read how it all ended and who paid for what. It’s a pity that people rarely write about this, because for them it’s no longer important =) I have to write to many people personally.

What is the insurance company responsible for?

• The main task of the insurance company is to sell you a travel policy. Therefore, it is the insurance company that comes up with various additional options: travel cancellation insurance, luggage loss insurance, trip cancellation insurance. If the trip cancellation is not paid for, then the insurance company is to blame.
• All expenses are borne by the insurance company. She is the one who decides whether your treatment will be paid for or not. Simple cases have already been worked out and no problems arise, but if the treatment is complex, then the insurance company may refuse. It happens that the assistance manager organizes treatment, but the insurance company then refuses according to its internal rules (I collect these rules in the pages about insurance) and you have to pay for everything at your own expense. (and then sue).

In good hospitals, medications are provided there under insurance.

Which assistance is better in Thailand: updated rating 2019

To understand which assistance works best in Thailand, I compiled a rating, and it takes into account not only reviews, but also the capabilities of each: does the assistance have a representative office in Thailand, does it work with hospitals in small towns (if, for example, you go trekking through the jungle ), is it possible to call a doctor to the child’s home, and much, much more. You can find all my conclusions and why I made them in the article about a specific assistance. You also need to understand that the cost of services also varies. It is impossible to find cheap insurance with assistance from Mondial. Well, an expensive policy with GVA is nonsense.

1. Balt assistance
2. Best Service Assistance
3. Global Voyager Assistance (GVA)

This list contains Assistances that are most often found in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine.

Today, very often some companies order something from others. For example, you can choose an insurance company only because of Mondial assistance, and it will connect the Best service (which is cheaper) and ask their employees to deal with you. And absolutely everyone uses this now. I'm not saying that this is good, but it exists and we need to somehow live with it.

Therefore, let's figure out what to do in such a situation: In most cases, everything will be fine, but if you called the phone number in the policy and your problem was not resolved within an hour, or you were sent to a hospital with a low rating, or it is very far away, then you should call the insurance office immediately!

Unfortunately, this doesn’t always help either, or rather, this step rarely helps at all. Therefore, you call or write to the website of the aggregator where you bought the policy (This is most often Cherehapa, Polis812, Tripinsurance, Sravni.ru). And now they can really help, because out of this entire system, only they make contact with clients, value their reputation and try to help. About this and much more.

This is the usual first aid board at Bangkok Hospital, it really looks so clean and everyone who is brought in with an injury is placed here

Best insurance for Thailand

This is my personal rating of insurance for Thailand. Next to each insurance company, I wrote why it deserved special treatment. For each company, I have included the cost of a policy for 1 day for a short trip, and the cost of an annual policy, so you can easily compare the cost of policies. But keep in mind that many companies have increasing rates for children and the elderly.

1. - the best travel insurance in Thailand in 2019, because they insure pregnant women, chronic diseases, allergies, sunburn and at the same time provide all the assistance at a very high level. The only negative is the price; this year they raised the annual policy from 6,000 to 15,000. They work through their own assistance, Euro Center Holding. Cost for 1 day - 306 rubles, Price when purchasing an annual policy - 160 rubles/day.
2. — quite working and cheap insurance to Thailand. Insures against local fever and has a large number of positive reviews. They work through Europ Assistance. The cost for 1 day is only 60 rubles. When purchasing an annual policy, the cost is only 44 rubles/day.
3. - the only way to buy a policy with AAA-assistance Mondial assistance. So far they have been given credit for such good assistance, because they started selling it a little over a year ago. On the plus side: riding a bike is included by default; on the downside, it costs from 130 rubles for 1 day.
4. Since 2018, it has stopped working with Mondial assistance and created its own. It’s difficult to say anything yet, but they remain. The cost for 1 day is 226 rubles. When purchasing an annual policy, the cost is 248 rubles/day. They work through their own assistance.
5. Consent - Balt Assistance, AP Companies, Savitar, Best Service. Price and assistance depend on the method of purchase, so read the detailed article:. On average, the policy costs from 110 rubles per day.
6. — They cover fever, for children under 14 years of age they provide treatment for allergies and sunburn, it costs 100 rubles a day, so it’s worthy of attention. They work through Europ Assistance.
7. takes 3rd place in the popular rating on Banki.ru, with many positive and negative reviews. The big disadvantage of the company is that they cover almost nothing and cost a lot. The cost for 1 day is 250 rubles. They work with 4 assistances and the choice depends on the purchase method, so read the detailed article.
8. , a company with good recommendations, but there is a deductible of $50. Cost for 1 day - 146 rubles. Currently working through AP Companies.
9. Until 2016, I had excellent insurance and I bought medical insurance from them for wintering, I used the policy and was satisfied, they paid for treatment for more than 30,000 baht. But now they have changed the assistance to Remend, which has not proven itself at all, and have introduced a deductible of $50. The cost for 1 day is 499 rubles. At this price they seem to shout “Don’t buy us, please”!
10. — AP Companies, GVA. A large company that has been on the market for a long time. This causes all the problems, because they are trying to protect themselves from literally everything: they don’t insure pregnant women, they don’t insure people over 65, the sports option includes any activity, including a simple game of volleyball on the beach. If you fulfill all the conditions of their big contract, then there will be no problems with them.
11. in 2018 it completely deteriorated, all resources have only bad reviews and not a single positive one. Even with a policy price of 60 rubles per day, I don’t really recommend them, because you may not receive treatment at all. Works through Savitar
12. They very much ruined their reputation with various clauses under an asterisk in the contract, very often refused to pay the victims, and in addition introduced a deductible of $30. Although the policy costs only 113 rubles, I do not recommend them. Works with Class Assistance.
13. If you received a policy along with your voucher, then there is most likely a deductible of $200, and the company’s rating is very low. I would recommend an additional policy.
14. —GVA. There is no need to buy it separately, because it is an attachment to a card or loan. It is advertised in bank branches so that you can open an account with them, but when it comes down to it, there is quite a lot of negativity towards the insurance company. It’s all here: the insurance company is trying its best not to pay you compensation and sends assistance to hospitals that are easier to self-medicate.

This is the interior of the Bangkok Hospital, which is why everyone is trying to get here.

Where to buy insurance in Thailand online

Secondly, you receive not only insurance support, but also aggregator support, which often responds to everything more quickly and helps resolve controversial situations.

Polis812

I always compare insurances through them first because they themselves say they sell policies at the lowest cost. And this is often true, because I have found a permanent promotional code for 15% off almost all insurances.

Also, this is the only company with operating sales offices, so you can physically meet and communicate with them. This indicates the seriousness of the company.

Instore.travel

The main advantage of the service is telemedicine and free calls to insurance companies. They made their own application for mobile phones and through it you can call the insurance company without spending money on international calls!

The second plus is telemedicine, which comes free of charge to policies over 5,000 rubles and to any ERV policies.

But you can purchase additional telemedicine for any policy for only 100 - 250 rubles! It’s very cool when, when a case occurs, you can instantly get advice from a doctor in Russian. Therefore, I advise everyone to install the application immediately, just in case!

If the prices are the same, then it’s better to buy here and get all these bonuses.

Cherehapa

The most proven aggregator, which has been operating since 2012 and since then there has not been a single negative review about it.

At the moment they have the most convenient search, a large number of filters. If you want to compare not only the price, but also see what is included in the policy, then it is better to do it with them.

Sravni.ru

A very large service that often offers individual offers, for example Tinkov insurance.

Everyone who is limping is placed on a gurney; they can also assign a special nurse who will transport

Answers to the most frequently asked questions

Do you need insurance to enter or exit Thailand and is it checked at the airport? No, there are no mandatory requirements for this and it is entirely voluntary.

Can I buy a policy while abroad? Not always. Some insurance companies prohibit the purchase of policies while traveling, but do not stop selling them. You can easily buy any policy, but it will not work and you will only find out about it at the time of application. This is checked by the stamps in the passport at the time of application. At the hospital they scan your passport and send it to the insurance company, and then they look at the border crossing stamp. Some companies allow you to buy a policy while you are already traveling, but it will take effect after a few days (from 3 to 6) to exclude the case that you get sick and only then buy the policy.

Please note that the policy does not have a deductible. Anything below this amount will have to be paid by yourself. For example, the contract will finely indicate that the deductible is $200 - this means that if you have a cold and your examination costs $50-150, then you will have to pay out of your own pocket

If the insured event occurs at the end of the trip, then it is extended or not. Most often, the treatment will end there, but the expensive medical insurances in my rating provide for an extension; you will have to be provided with hotel and meals for a certain amount and a plane ticket after recovery.

A common occurrence in Thailand is falling off a bike.. The important rule is the presence of rights. This is different for everyone: some require that you have international rights, while others require Russian ones. But I would just say in the hospital that I fell hard.

The policy is not valid if alcohol is found in the blood, and a test for it is required upon your application. Although now more and more companies are removing this clause from the conditions.

All insurance companies offer additional services! And torture agents for each of these services. Let me give you a simple example: Liberty has “interrupted vacation insurance”; if you have to return urgently, then you will be paid for all canceled excursions, flights, etc. So they have a note that all these services must be paid within 3 days from the date of payment of the insurance, which makes this point practically useless.

Accident insurance

All insurance companies offer you insurance against accidents, the additional payment there is minimal, but they will pay you as much as $5,000 if something happens. Frankly, this was the first time I fell for this bait myself.

In practice, this means the following: You will not be covered for treatment costs, and in the event of an accident, you will be paid a small compensation, more precisely a % of the total amount. For example, for a broken arm you will receive only $100. It's certainly not worth it. “Against accidents” is more of a bonus than protection.

Insurances with coverage for Dengue fever

Dengue fever has recently become very active not only on the islands, but also in resort towns. Before the tourist season, Thai authorities regularly spray tourist areas against mosquito carriers.

Unfortunately, most insurance companies exclude it because the only cure is to lie in the room for several days and actively drink fluids. The treatment is simple, but requires a lot of money, because hospital care in Thailand is very expensive.

Insurance for children in Thailand

The most common problems among children in Thailand are allergies, dehydration, food poisoning and sunburn. Unfortunately, most of this list is included in the exclusions of most insurance policies. Therefore, I made a separate article where I described all this in detail, and also made a selection of insurance companies with conditions and prices.

If you are a representative of a service company or insurance company and notice an inaccuracy in the post, please contact me and I will make changes.

Briefly summarizing this long post about insurance companies and their assistance:

• choose an assistance company carefully, your service abroad will depend on this;
• travel insurance must have no deductible(or with a minimum deductible), your expenses when seeking medical help will depend on this;
• take out insurance in advance, insurance companies have a time deductible (the policy starts working a few days after purchase), a kind of protection against fraudsters;
• read the insurance contract carefully, clarify which risks are covered by the policy and which are not.

If you are traveling with children, then I recommend not saving and taking out more reliable insurance from Tripinsurance, if you need a simple and cheap one, then it will do

Assistance companies on the Russian market

Most assistance companies operating on the Russian market and having beautiful names in English are ordinary Russian companies; they do not have any long history. Similar assistance companies with English-language names are ordinary LLCs (Limited Liability Companies), some have Ukrainian registration or offshore registration. You can check this yourself, just look at the extract from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities for the company you are interested in.

From a legal point of view, these assistance companies are no different from a beer kiosk near the metro, since the maximum they are responsible to the client is their authorized capital, which, according to Russian law, an LLC must have at least 10,000 rubles (or equivalent property, for example, an old laptop is excellent will do), but they take responsibility for up to $100,000 for one insured event. There is nothing wrong with this, but a tourist should understand and make a choice, it’s good that there is a choice.

Fortunately, there are foreign assistance services on the Russian insurance market with half a century of history and European roots; there are few such companies and the cost of their services is much more expensive.

List of foreign assistance companies:

• Euro-Center Holding;
• Allianz Global Assistance (formerly Mondial Assistance);
• Europ Assistance.

Rating of assistance and insurance companies

• green color - mostly positive reviews;
• yellow color - there are positive and negative reviews from tourists;
• red color - a lot of negative reviews or no reviews at all.

Rating of assistance and insurance companies

Assistance	Insurance	Where can I buy
Allianz Global Assistance (formerly Mondial Assistance) (Europe)	Allianz	Tripinsurance
Europ Assistance (Europe)	Absolut-Insurance RESO - Guarantee Tinkoff
Euro - Center Holding (Europe)	ERV
Class Assistance (Russia)	Liberty Alfa Insurance
AP Companies (Russia)	Agreement Russian standard Renaissance
Balt Assistance (Russia)	Support Rosgosstrakh
Savitar Group (Russia)	URALSIB
Global Voyager Assistance (Russia)	VTB - Insurance Rosgosstrakh
Smile Assistance (Ukraine)	Ingosstrakh

Allianz Global Assistance (formerly Mondial Assistance)

Mondial Assistance was born in 1974 in France; in 2007, the Mondial Assistance company entered the Russian insurance market. In 1978, Mondial Assistance became part of the Allianz group. The Allianz company itself dates back to 1890. The company was founded in Munich, the founder was the head of the Munich Reinsurance Society - Karl von Thieme, who was also the founder of the Europaische Reiseversicherung Aktiengesellschaft (ERV).

More recently, in 2014, Mondial Assistance was renamed Allianz Global Assistance. Today, the Allianz Global Assistance brand is the world leader among operators providing insurance services. It should be remembered that the current brand name of Mondial Assistance is Allianz Global Assistance, but in the market and on the Internet you can see information and reviews about these two brands.

The service company Allianz Global Assistance (formerly Mondial) cooperates with various insurance companies, Allianz policies or Absolut Insurance Company

Europ Assistance

Europ Assistance is a fairly young company, it was founded in France in 1963, but today it belongs to the Italian company Assicurazioni Generali. On the Internet you can find negative reviews about the work of this assistance, which is upsetting.

The assistance company Europ Assistance cooperates with insurance companies Tinkoff, Absolut-Insurance and RESO-Garantiya,

Assistance Euro-Center Holding

Assistance Euro-Center Holding is a European company, represented in the Russian travel insurance market by the insurance company ERV. The Russian insurance company ERV is a German subsidiary of Europaische Reiseversicherung Aktiengesellschaft (ERV), which is part of the Munich Re Group. This company has more than 100 years of experience in the global insurance market.

The service company Euro-Center cooperates with the insurance company ERV,

Class Assistance

Limited Liability Company "Class-Assist" belongs to individuals. persons, the company is registered in St. Petersburg, registration date 2004. The authorized capital of Class-Assist LLC does not exceed 4 million rubles. This is one of the Russian companies with many positive reviews, but the company also has dissatisfied customers (depending on the region).

The service company Class Assistance cooperates with insurance companies Liberty and Alfa-Insurance,

Assistance AP Companies

Limited Liability Company "Medlabel" (legal entity) or AP Companies (trade name of the company) has an authorized capital of 500 thousand rubles, the company is owned by individuals. persons. Medlabel LLC was registered in 2009 in Moscow. There are many reviews on the Internet about the work of this assistance, they are all different, you need to study the reviews for the region in which you will be traveling.

Service company AP Companies cooperates with insurance companies Soglasie, ZETTA, Russian Standard and Renaissance,

Assistance Savitar Group

Limited Liability Company "Savitar Group" with an authorized capital of 1.8 million rubles was registered in 2016 in Moscow, there is an additional office in Egypt (Hurghada resort). The company is owned by individuals. persons. The company is young, so there are not many reviews yet.

The service company Savitar Group cooperates with the insurance company URALSIB,

Assistance Balt Assistance

Limited Liability Company "Balt Assistance" has an authorized capital (ATTENTION!) - 10,000 rubles (the minimum possible according to the laws of the Russian Federation). Balt Assistance LLC was registered in 2007 in Kaliningrad, where the company’s office is located. There are no reviews on the Internet about the work of this assistance.

The service company Balt Assistance cooperates with insurance companies Opora, Rosgosstrakh, Soglasie, Ingosstrakh, MAKS, Arsenal, Absolut, Advant Insurance and others.

Global Voyager Assistance

Limited Liability Company Global Voyager Assistance (GVA) has an authorized capital (ATTENTION!) - 84,000 rubles. Global Voyager Assistance LLC was registered in 1998, the company is actually owned by an offshore company from Belize. Reviews about the work of GVA assistance are extremely negative, there are many reviews.

The service company Global Voyager Assistance (GVA) cooperates with insurance companies Rosgosstrakh and VTB Insurance,

Smile Assistance

The Ukrainian company Smile Assistance was registered in 2011. There are very few reviews on the Internet, so it is extremely difficult to talk about the quality of service.

The service company Smile Assistance cooperates with the insurance company Ingosstrakh,

Insurance erv (euro center) or insurance allianz (mondial)

The choice between two worthy insurances is always difficult, let’s try to figure out when it is more profitable to buy erv insurance, and when allianz. There are small but significant differences between these insurance products; now we will talk about this in detail.

Insurance erv, when is it better to choose an erv policy

1. erv insurance is great for trips to Thailand, the amount of coverage is $100,000, and the cost of a policy from erv is much cheaper than a similar policy from allianz;
2. Insurance erv is not against your alcoholic habits, you can buy a policy from erv (additional option) which covers risks in the event of an insured event while intoxicated;
3. Erv insures tourists with chronic diseases, please include this additional clause in your policy.

Insurance allianz, when is it better to choose an allianz policy?

1. allianz insurance is great for traveling around Europe (Schengen), a policy from allianz with a minimum insurance coverage of 30,000 Euros is much cheaper than a similar one from erv;
2. If you travel a lot, then insurance from allianz with the “whole world” option will cost less than its competitors;
3. In the insurance policy from allianz, some additional options (insurance of baggage, civil liability, flight delays, etc.) are already included in the Standard and Premium rates;

How does travel insurance work abroad?

Service companies do not sell insurance; insurers sell poles; below I will describe the most popular insurance company-assistance combinations.

ERV insurance company (assistance Euro Centr)

ERV insurance is considered one of the most reliable insurance services on the market; the medical policy works especially well in conjunction with its own Euro Centr assistance. On the Internet you can find negative reviews about the work of ERV, here it is worth looking in which country the insured event occurred and who was the assistance. In the vast majority of cases, negative things happen on last-minute tours, where travel agents package tours with cheap insurance with assistance that is “not native” to ERV.

If you buy ERV insurance yourself, then choose only Euro Centr as assistance.

Tripinsurance insurance (assistance from Mondial)

Important changes since April 2018: There are several new features when purchasing an insurance policy through Tripinsurance.

You can still count on premium service- the price of insurance implies this.

Insurance now comes with its own service company- the company cooperates with several assistance agencies, including the world-famous and reliable Mondial. The company guarantees that it will direct exactly where the best conditions will be for the insured.

Reliability, quality and speed of work- since now all internal processes of the service company are under control, the quality of service has improved. Given the opportunity to choose between several assistance services, the company can choose only the best and refuse to cooperate with less reliable ones.

New technologies and ease of use abroad- creating its insurance product, Tripinsurance introduces modern technological solutions (telemedicine, communication with assistance via instant messengers, etc.). As an example, telemedicine, i.e. In the near future, the opportunity to have an insurance policy in hand and contact a doctor directly via the Internet will be fully realized.

Buy insurance from the Allianz company with reliable Mondial assistance through the Tripinsurance company (it sells insurance online), and the insurance policy itself will be from the Allianz insurance company.

This insurance is a little more expensive than the others, but it provides tourists with more favorable conditions, and for those already traveling it is absolutely priceless, as it allows you to issue an insurance policy in cases when you are already abroad. It is also beneficial for winterers and longstays (who live abroad for a long time), since there is a Multitrip program under which your policy will work 365 days a year.

Tripinsurance has several undeniable advantages:

• insure the risk of “Trip Cancellation”, including the risk of not receiving a visa;
• you can take out a policy while traveling, the insurance will begin to operate with a temporary deductible (on the 6th day after purchase);
• insure professional athletes;
• you can ride a rented car and bike without overpaying for additional options (but you must have a license of the appropriate category, a helmet, comply with traffic rules and you must be sober!);
• falling from an elephant is not scary, while other insurers regard the usual resort activities of tourists (biking, rollerblading, banana riding, visiting a water park, snorkeling, animal riding, etc.) as extreme sports (biking in Kemer - it turns out to be an extreme sport, after all), Tripinsurance sees this as a normal human recreation and does not require additional payment;
• you can be a citizen of the world, the policy is not tied to citizenship, it can be issued by a citizen of any country traveling outside the country of permanent residence;
• insurance for a year, the duration of one trip outside the country of permanent residence is no more than 90 days, the number of trips per year is not limited;
• Multitrip, the policy is valid 365 days a year when purchasing a policy from the Russian Federation.

Zetta insurance (assistance AP Companies)

The Zetta insurance policy can be purchased with the service company AP Companies; services are provided in full and the policy itself is not very expensive. An ideal solution for trips lasting no more than a month; in some countries Zetta sells policies with the possibility of staying no more than 30 days.

VTB insurance (GVA assistance)

VTB insurance policies have one important feature: they insure for today, while most insurance companies only insure for tomorrow. Such insurance can be convenient for spontaneous trips, when you catch last-minute deals and fly out on vacation the same day.

You can find a lot of negative things about the work of GVA assistance, but in the connection between VTB insurance and GVA assistance, there are no particular complaints. Insurance from VTB is perfect for budget travelers, as it is quite affordable in price.

Liberty insurance (Class assistance)

The Liberty company has a long history, the essence of which can be explained in a nutshell, rebranding and change of ownership. However, policies from Liberty insurance are in demand and have many advantages for tourists and independent travelers (most of my Asian trips were with Liberty).

Liberty insurance uses Class-assistance; at one time it was one structure and was called the Class company. Perhaps the long-term cooperation of these companies allows them to provide quite decent services, but there are many complaints on the network.

I won’t tell you a special secret, Liberty sells a huge number of policies, most of which are cheap (insurance program A) and are only suitable as “technical insurance” for obtaining a Schengen visa, what is it? After the occurrence of an insured event, clients with the cheapest insurance (program A) they begin to express indignation, and this is how hundreds of negative posts are born on the Internet. When purchasing a policy, you should take into account the recommendations of the system and choose coverage for additional risks, in which case the policy will be reliable.

Be careful, in some regions there is a $30 deductible.

Pleasant features of Liberty insurance policies:

• you can buy insurance for tourists already traveling, although there is a temporary deductible (insurance starts working on the 6th day after purchase);
• Children's insurance in Liberty is treated without additional coefficients and other restrictions;
  affordable prices for travel insurance services;
• there are programs for longstays and winterers (who spend a lot of time abroad), the insurance works 182 days during the year, in one country;
• the opportunity to purchase a policy both on the Liberty website and on the Cherekhapa website.

Tinkoff insurance (assistance Europ Assistance and Mondial)

If you have the opportunity to choose assistance from Tinkoff, then choose Mondial (a reliable company), but Europ Assistance is also a good option. Travel policies from Tinkoff Insurance are on par with more expensive insurance products from Tripinsurance and ERV, but a little cheaper, and if you have a Tinkoff Bank credit card, then it’s completely free.

Consent insurance (assistance Savitar, Balt Asistance and AP Companies)

Using policies from Consent Insurance for family travel is not very profitable and here’s why. When traveling with an infant (up to 1 year old), you will have to pay an increase factor of 5, if the child is from one to three years old, then factor three, from four years to eight years, factor 2.

Otherwise, the insurance is unremarkable, and the assistance is also so-so.

Sberbank insurance (Europ Assistance)

If you are a premium client of Sberbank and have a Sberbank Premier bank card, then you have the opportunity to get free insurance. After the emergence of a separate structure, Sberbank Insurance, anyone can take out travel insurance. The only negative will be the assistance, now it is Europ Assistance, not Mondial.

Ingosstrakh insurance (assistance Smile)

Ingosstrakh sells insurance with a $50 deductible, which in itself is not a good idea given the slightly inflated cost of the policy itself from Ingosstrakh. People have good reviews about the work of the Smile service company, but you can also come across angry reviews, here you need to study the latest reviews, specifically for the country where you are going to travel.

Alpha insurance (assistance Savitar and Class)

Alfa Insurance sells policies both for upcoming trips (when you are still at home) and for tourists already traveling (when you are already abroad) - this is a big plus. Insurances from Alfa Insurance do not have a temporary deductible - this is also good; probably Alfa insurers know how to check an insured event for fraud in a different way.

Alfa Insurance cooperates with several service companies, and you can get the most undesirable assistance (GVA) if you have issued a policy on the official website of the insurance company. When purchasing through the Cherekhapa online service, you will receive a policy with Class assistance; other Alpha partners sell poles with the Savitar service company. Here is such a feature from Alfa Insurance. Insurance is inexpensive and there are not many complaints about it, but a lot depends on the choice of assistance.

Medexpress insurance (Mondial assistance)

Medexpress insurance works in partnership with international assistance Mondial, perhaps for this reason there are practically no bad reviews about Medexpress insurance. One of the disadvantages of policies from Medexpress is the inability to buy their insurance product online; you need to go to the office. One of the advantages is the absence of a franchise.

Transneft insurance (assistance Class)

This insurer is perhaps one of the most unfriendly, judge for yourself:

• there is no online purchase of a policy, you need to go to the office;
• it does not insure babies under one year old, but for older children there is an increasing coefficient;
• differentiated cost of insurance, the longer the insurance period, the cheaper each day of insurance costs;
• average assistance

One gets the feeling that everything possible has been done to ensure that no one is insured by this company; travel insurance is probably not the main activity of this insurance company.

Insurance Reso guarantee (Europ Assistance)

Before insuring insurance with this company, be sure to check about assistance; they offer different ones for different countries (Fidelitas, Remed), but in most countries the service company will be Europ Assistance.

For small children, winterers and long-stays (those who spend a lot of time abroad), Reso guarantees have limitations, so carefully study their terms before concluding a contract.

Renaissance insurance (assistance from FIRSTassist, GVA and AP Companies)

You can buy a policy from the Renaissance insurance company while traveling - this is a huge plus, which can sometimes outweigh all the disadvantages, and they also exist.

Here is a list of disadvantages of Renaissance insurance:

• There is a $50 deductible;
• depending on the country of travel, there are several assistance services (when purchasing a policy through the official website of the insurance website);
• The official website of Renaissance Insurance is very uninformative; it is much convenient to buy this insurance on Cherekhap.

Rosgosstrakh insurance (assistance GVA and Europ Assistance)

Rosgosstrakh insurance is useful for those people who have chronic diseases; not many insurance companies take on such responsibility. A list of chronic diseases and more accurate information should be obtained from your insurance company.

Of the obvious disadvantages, you will learn about the assistance company only at the time of the insured event. Agree that such “sports lotto” is not suitable for all tourists.

MSK insurance (Europ Assistance)

Take a look at any forum where insurers are discussed and you will definitely find negativity towards this insurance company. Try to carefully study the angry posts and you will understand that everything is not so bad (it could be much worse), but nevertheless, think several times before choosing an insurance company.

I think my hint is understood correctly, if you need Europ Assistance, it is also available from other insurers.

VSK insurance (assistance MedAssist International)

The military insurance company sells policies with a deductible of $200, and the service company is MedAssist International. In addition to a fairly large deductible, VSK has an unspoken restriction on visits to the doctor, the insurance company will pay for the first few visits, and then everything is very vague. These are the “pitfalls” that can be found if you carefully read the forums with reviews from VSK clients.

Allianz insurance (GVA assistance)

Allianz insurance policies are not very popular among travelers, but there were times when insurance from this company was popular. Today's Allianz company is the former Rosno, which collaborated with Mondial assistance.

Allianz does not sell insurance online, only going to the office. Alliance's assistance is GVA, which also does not give weight to this insurance company.

Which assistance is better to choose?

A mere mortal cannot travel without medical insurance. Medical services abroad cost adequately to the standard of living and the prestige of the medical profession - expensive. Medicines in pharmacies are strictly according to prescriptions, unlike in Russia. Ambulance is not free in many countries.

When choosing insurance, you should carefully look not only at the reputation of the insurance company and conditions, but also at the possibilities of its assistance. Assistance is an insurance partner who organizes medical care on site. Good company is a guarantee that you won’t be left alone with trouble on foreign territory.

But how can you determine which assistance is best among dozens of companies? How to choose a company that will not let you down? The most important selection criterion is reviews of tourists who have already sought medical help. It’s also a good idea to inquire about the service company itself, its history, and owners.

Based on the analysis of the listed data, we came to the conclusion that so far only two insurance assistance services work clearly better than their competitors. If you choose one of them, you can count on real help if you need it.

Look at the rating of assistance services, in which the most reliable ones are highlighted in green, companies whose reviews are contradictory are highlighted in yellow, companies with contradictory reviews are highlighted in white, there are very few reviews in white, and those with whom it is risky to deal with are highlighted in red.

Insurance assistance rating

Assistance	A country	Year of foundation	Insurance companies	Where to buy insurance
			Absolut-Insurance RESO-Garantiya Tinkoff
			Liberty Alfa Insurance
			Agreement ZETTA Russian standard Renaissance
			Max Arsenal Support
			VTB Insurance Rosgosstrakh

Mondial Assistance - Reviews and information

Year and place of birth– Europe, 1950. First, an alliance emerged between the Swiss company ELVIA Travel Insurance (founded in 1950) and the French SACNAS Mondial Assistance (1974). The main services are insurance for travelers and motorists. In 1995, the alliance became part of the German Allianz Group. In 2000, they were joined by the American World Access, and in 2001 by the Australian Worldcare. Where does he work? Thus, by 2006, a global network of insurance partners was created with a presence on all continents of the planet.
In 2007, four French insurers merged to form their own brand - Mondial Assistance. The company operates independently, relying on offices - its own and its alliance partners. It has 34 branches around the world. There are no offices in the countries of the former USSR yet. In Ukraine, Armenia, Moldova, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan, the French have been working through intermediaries for 10 years. The Russian branch (office in Moscow) was opened in 2008. Today, Mondial is undoubtedly one of the best assistance systems.

Peculiarities. Mondial specializes in insurance services for those traveling abroad, as well as technical assistance for motorists on the roads.

Reviews and stories. Russians who have dealt with Mondial as tourists are satisfied. Help comes on time and is of high quality. French car enthusiasts criticize the company. “What’s doubly infuriating,” writes one person whose car had problems on the road, “is the lack of discussion.” Foreign clients who have insured against travel cancellation say that the insurer compensates for losses, but requires too many documents. The company itself prides itself on an informal approach to business: its employees act as psychotherapists for clients in trouble.

Where can I buy? A medical policy can only be purchased from an official representative - the company Tripinsurance, or use the form:

Euro Center Holding - Reviews and information

Year, place of birth– 1971, Czech Republic. A small group of independent companies created by six shareholders/owners of ERV (European insurance holding company). The main office is in Prague. Branches - in 12 countries, including Turkey, China, Thailand and Russia (Moscow). She assures that she is able to provide assistance in almost any country in the world - through partners. According to the company, it reviews an average of 210 thousand insurance cases/year.

Peculiarities. The company works with a standard set of insurance services: travel medical insurance, hospitalization, repatriation to homeland. More carefully - in conjunction with ERV - applies to pregnant women. The policy covers the following expenses:
- in case of complications in expectant mothers (up to 31 weeks of pregnancy); - during early childbirth;
- postpartum care for the newborn.

Stories and reviews. Our package tourists express many complaints about the assistance. The work style of Russian insurers, whose partner is Euro Center Holding, has an impact. Free travelers receive assistance quickly and often of high quality. Sometimes clinics are criticized for their limited capabilities, insufficient for a complex insurance case. Recent, February 2017, reviews from Russian clients speak of a slow response to the problem, low quality of service from the staff of the Moscow office of the partner - the ERV company. However, this assistance is better than most of its competitors.

Where can I buy? Euro Center Holding cooperates only with the company ERV, insurance for which can be purchased at Compare.ru or use the form:

AXA Assistance - Reviews and information

Year and place of birth– France, 1959. It arose as a response to the post-war tourism boom and the risks associated with it. The company was the first to not be afraid to insure cars, home assistance and repatriation. By the 90s, it became part of the AXA Group, the largest insurance group of companies (founded in 1816), influencing the world economy. Since then, she has focused on assistance services, significantly expanding her sphere of influence. It has branches in 64 countries, including on the African continent.

Peculiarities. AXA Assistans operates in four areas: cars, travel, health, home. Distinctive features are mobility, the ability to resolve non-standard situations related to transport and the health of not only tourists, but also expatriates. For example, he takes on medical care at home for elderly foreigners.
Another strength is the flexible tariff policy. For example, for Schengen countries, AXA Assistans offers three tariff plans at a low price compared to competitors. It also has an expensive tariff, in which the client, when an insured event occurs, has the right to choose a clinic - within the proposed list.

Reviews and stories. Judging by real reviews on the Internet, the company is customer-oriented and values ​​its reputation. Basically, people do not skimp on good reviews. But there are isolated negative examples. Many are five years old and relate to RESO insurance, with which AXA no longer works. The latest case is related to the Sberbank Insurance card. In 2016, a Russian citizen (leg injury) did not receive urgent, adequate assistance in Myanmar. We do not undertake to draw conclusions about who acted unprofessionally in this case – Sberbank or AXA Assistans.

Where can I buy? Currently, AXA Assistance cooperates only with ERGO for insurances that are sold on Polis812 .

Europ Assistance - Reviews and information

Year and place of birth– France, 1963. The founder and permanent boss is Pierre Desnos (he left in 2007 at the age of 90). He handled the business so skillfully that in the first 14 years he received 10 million clients. In 2007, he began selling online insurance.

Where does he work? The once “home” business has expanded into a global holding company, joining the European group Assicurazioni Generali. It has 33 branches and 44 partners, covering 78% of the world's countries, incl. secluded corners of the planet such as Kenya, Brazil, Angola, Chile, Colombia, Serbia, Cuba. Claims 105 million customers.
In the countries of the former Union, incl. Russia, a division of the company has been operating since 2001 - Europe Assistance CIS - a Russian legal entity with 100% foreign capital.

Peculiarities.
- specialization – “roadside assistance” for motorists, medical and other travel insurance (for example, lost luggage, flight delay, trip cancellation), treatment abroad;
- additional services - assistance in booking tickets, hotels, ordering a taxi, providing an interpreter, etc.;
- There are doctors on staff who speak several languages. The Europ Assistance portal is multilingual.

Reviews and stories. Our tourists, dissatisfied with the service, point to
· long, 2-4 hours, coordination of a trip to the hospital and obtaining a guarantee of payment for assistance;
· sluggishness of Moscow office employees;
· bureaucratic delays - the need to send copies of policies by e-mail;
· and what is completely strange is receiving two guarantees from assistance in case of an insured event: a preliminary one, according to which assistance will be provided at the clinic, and a final one, after receiving the invoice, which you also have to wait for, and in terms of time - “depending on your luck.”
The forums discuss cases where Reso & Europ Assistance abandoned clients in critical, life-and-death situations. There are also grateful reviews about Europ Assistance. Usually we are talking about understandable, uncomplicated situations in places where medical care is well provided.

Class Assistance - Reviews and information

Year, place of birth– Russia, 2004. But the company does not consider it necessary to announce the date of birth on its website. The first reviews (negative) about Class Assistance date back to 2012. From the information announced by the company itself, “we have served 250 thousand clients.” (As much as, for example, Euro Center Holding services per year.)

Where does he work? The emphasis is on Russia and the CIS countries (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Belarus, etc.), and to a lesser extent on the far reaches of the world. There are direct toll-free assistance numbers in 25 countries, including Russia, Thailand, Turkey, Israel, and Ukraine. In Thailand, assistance has become familiar and in top tourist destinations it works no worse than its more experienced competitors.

Peculiarities. Basic services - medical assistance to travelers and any assistance to car enthusiasts, including hotel accommodation while the car is being repaired on the road.

Reviews. There are not many of them on the Internet and often these are reviews of Liberty or SoGAS & Class Assistance. The main problems are staff turnover in the Moscow office, students working part-time in call centers and the result - the inability to adequately assess the urgency and criticality of the situation when life depends on help. In standard cases and travel destinations, the company, as a rule, organizes assistance well. The scheme for refusing assistance or compensation for losses is the same - both in Japan and in Vietnam. In difficult cases, assistance drags out time, forcing clients to take help at their own expense, and subsequently refuses compensation. Moreover, there is always a legitimate argument - a link in small print in the contract or non-compliance with bureaucratic conventions.
What is alarming: the lack of clear information about the company (except PR) on its official website.

Balt Assistance - Reviews and information

Time and place of foundation- 2007, Kaliningrad. Operates as part of the group of companies Balt Assistance Ltd., with branches in Poland and Ukraine. Active cooperation with the largest and most famous Russian insurance companies began only in recent years, so there are still very few reviews from travelers about the quality of Balt Assistance services. However, the company provided assistance in more than 120 thousand cases.

AP Companies - Reviews and Information

Year, place of birth– 1997, Russia. Headquarters in Spain (for some reason). It was created as a company providing medical services in the Russian Federation. For the last 10 years he has been working as an assistance in Russia, Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and Asia. It has representative offices in several countries around the world. In the non-presence zone, it operates through partners.

Peculiarities. In addition to medical support for travelers and foreigners, it organizes treatment in the Russian Federation and abroad, provides emergency care, language and legal support. AP Companies' priorities include cost savings. For example, she is proud that “cost containment has allowed her to save her partners up to 37.4% of invoices.” A dubious virtue from the client's point of view. And a reasonable question: is the saving due to quality?

This is the second question you should ask yourself right after “Which insurance company should I contact?” Assistance is a partner of an insurance company, a company that organizes interaction between the insured person and medical specialists. Your comfort in a foreign country when an insured event occurs depends on how well the assistance works.

We have made a review of insurance assistance, which is most often used by Russian tourists going abroad.

1. Euro-Center Holding,
2. Tripinsurance Assistance,
3. Savitar Group.

Reviews about assistance

Euro-Center Holding

This assistance company is rated more than positively by tourists and independent experts. The overwhelming majority of reviews about the company contain good ratings. Euro-Center Holding cooperates with the insurance company ERV, where it is possible to issue policies with a greater number of insurance risks than competitors. ERV is recommended for traveling with children, as well as for pregnant women.

Main advantages:

• with many clinics, including in Thailand, Cyprus, Spain, China, USA, Finland, etc.,
• Quick referral to hospital
• Pay even large bills
• Assistance in cases that are not covered by insurance risks in other companies - pregnancy up to 31 weeks, premature birth and assistance to newborns, clients under the influence of alcohol and victims of terrorist attacks, and much more.

Negative reviews about Euro-Center Holding are very rare, and most often they concern the assistance partner - the ERV company, which provides clients with the “Full Coverage” program. This is a special product for some travel companies that minimizes the cost of the policy by including a deductible - part of the coverage that the insured person pays himself. Such a policy implies cooperation with other assistance services, therefore, when choosing a policy, be sure to read the terms of the contract.

Allianz Global Assistance (Mondial)

Allianz Global Assistance was previously known as Mondial. It is very difficult to find negative reviews both from clients who have collaborated with this agency and from independent experts. At the same time, Allianz Global Assistance works well almost anywhere on the planet - that is, wherever they have branches, from Spain, the USA, Australia, Cyprus and many other countries.

Main advantages:

• Extensive experience - the company has been in the insurance market for more than 80 years,
• A large network of branches - Allianz representative offices are located in 34 countries,
• Fast decision making
• Possibility of calling a doctor at home,
• There is no need to leave a deposit while waiting for the financial issue to be resolved between the assistance and the clinic, as happens in many other companies.

Negative reviews about the company's work are extremely rare, and most often they are unfounded. As a rule, they relate to a situation where a traveler purchased an insurance policy while traveling and filed an insurance claim a few days after the purchase. The fact is that the policy begins to be valid 6 days after it is issued, so insured events in the period before the start of its validity are not taken into account.

AXA Assistance

This company is one of the leaders in the European and global insurance market. In Russia, AXA cooperates with the insurance company ERGO. AXA also sometimes acts as an assistant for the insurance policies included with some bank cards.

Main advantages:

• Quick referral to a medical facility,
• Calling a doctor to your home, which is generally not common in Thailand.

Tourists often note that there are no bureaucratic delays at AXA, and all problems are resolved quickly, and employees do not brush off clients.

Tripinsurance Assistance

Tripinsurance is a division of Tripinsurance LLC, an insurance company. Thus, when you contact your assistance, you are dealing with your insurer. Despite the fact that the company only recently introduced its own assistance, there are already many positive reviews about its work.

Travelers and independent experts highlight several main advantages of policies with Tripinsurance:

• Quick search for a clinic,
• Providing medical care under a letter of guarantee of assistance and their rapid transfer,
• Calling a doctor to your home
• All company policies already include several active types of recreation (water parks, playing volleyball, cycling, horseback riding and other types of non-extreme entertainment), Dengue fever, injury while driving a motorcycle or moped (relevant in Thailand),
• There is a tariff plan with insurance coverage of 1 million rubles, which is relevant for countries with expensive medical services.

The disadvantages are often the lack of insurance in cases of visa refusal, pregnancy complications or sunburn.

Savitar Group

Savitar Group is an interesting example, if only because it is one of the few Russian assistance companies that receive constant positive reviews. Moreover, many tourists note that in conflict situations, Savitar Group took the side of tourists, despite the fact that this could ruin relations with insurers.

Pros of Savitar Group:

• Fast decision making
• Prompt sending of letters of guarantee regarding payment for treatment.

However, it is worth remembering that Savitar Group’s policies do not include dengue fever, for which you may need insurance in Southeast Asian countries and Thailand. Also, a policy for a child may cost more than in other companies.

Which assistance is better to choose? This is the second question you should ask yourself right after “Which insurance company should I contact?” Assistance is a partner of an insurance company, a company that organizes interaction between the insured person and medical specialists. Your comfort in a foreign country when an insured event occurs depends on how well the assistance works.

Choosing among dozens of companies can be difficult. We have made a review of insurance assistance, which is most often used by Russian tourists going abroad.

Insurance company assistance: which one to choose?

Most often, Russian tourists resort to the following insurance assistance:

1. Euro-Center Holding,
2. Allianz Global Assistance (Mondial),
3. AXA Assistance
4. Tripinsurance Assistance,
5. Savitar Group.

The five listed companies stand out due to the massive number of good reviews from tourists who have used their services. And the top 3 among these companies are European assistance with a positive reputation, having contracts in many medical institutions around the world and opening their branches in dozens of countries.

The choice of assistance for insurance depends, in fact, on several factors. So, if you are planning a trip to the Schengen countries and you need medical insurance in order to settle formalities when applying for a visa, you should choose an assistance from the top 3. Euro-Center Holding, Allianz Global Assistance and AXA Assistance are highly trusted by travelers and also work with many medical institutions in Europe.

However, it is worth remembering that AXA Assistance only works with the insurance company ERGO, and Euro-Center Holding only with ERV. Allianz Global Assistance has two partners - Allianz and Tripinsurance.

Savitar Group and Europ Assistance also cooperate with ERGO, and LDM Assistance with ERV. The services of Absolut Insurance, which also cooperates with Savitar Group and Europ Assistance, are in great demand.

To which countries with which assistance?

All of the companies listed on our list have offices in multiple countries, so to travel to Thailand, you can use both Allianz Global Assistance and AXA Assistance. However, before choosing assistance, it is worth studying the list of insured and non-insurable cases for each country, so that the refusal of assistance does not come as a surprise to you.

Thus, for trips to Thailand and Southeast Asia, it is worth using the services of Allianz Global Assistance and Euro-Center Holding. These two companies have their own branches in Thailand, and the overwhelming number of reviews about them are positive. You should not take out insurance for Thailand with AXA - this company does not recognize dengue fever as an insured event, which is very easy to “catch” in the regions of Southeast Asia.

If you're traveling to a country with high medical costs, such as Austria, the US or Japan, it's worth taking out Tripinsurance's Million insurance, which offers coverage up to $1 million.

For Schengen countries, cheap insurance programs A, B and C from AXA Assistance are suitable. If you would prefer to choose a clinic for treatment yourself, the AXA Premium program is suitable.

How much does good assistance cost?

The cost of insurance with assistance from the top positions of the rating is usually higher than average. The cost justifies the quality of the services provided - good service does not come cheap. Some companies - for example, AXA together with ERGO - have inexpensive policies with good service. However, you should not save on yourself. You should choose insurance based not on its cost, but on the compliance of the policy with your requirements and the quality of the services provided.

We have calculated the approximate cost of insurance for 10 days in the Schengen area in several agencies. At Tripinsurance, the cost of insurance ranges from 1150 rubles to 2500, depending on the package. There are three of them - Base, Standard, Million, and they differ in the size of the coverage and the included options.

At Euro-Center Holding, insurance can be purchased from 1,500 to 2,500 rubles. The first package, Standard Plus, includes 15 options, while the second, Optima, includes 21 options. The amount of insurance is the same - 50 thousand euros.

Inexpensive insurance from AXA Assistance varies in price from 460 to 600 rubles and also differs in the range of options. AXA Premium insurance includes the possibility of priority service and the right to choose a clinic, and therefore costs more - almost 1,400 rubles for 10 days in a Schengen country.

Frankly, five years ago the issue of choosing insurance for traveling abroad did not particularly interest me. In the process of planning my travels, I paid almost no attention to this point. For me, travel insurance was more of a formality than an urgent necessity. Which insurance company? What does it say in the insurance conditions? None of this was that important. As long as the insurance meets the requirements for documents for a Schengen visa.

But the years go by. I haven't gotten any younger. A child appeared. And the view on familiar things has changed. Now I approach the choice of travel insurance much more carefully: I read the insurance conditions, pay attention to the ratings of insurance companies, and try to delve into other nuances. I’ll tell you about these very nuances.

So, how to choose and where is the best place to buy travel insurance.

It would seem worth starting with choosing an insurance company. Common sense dictates: the more reliable the insurer, the better the insurance. However, not all so simple. Not everything depends on the reliability of the insurance company. Why? Because if you suddenly need medical assistance abroad, your issue will not be dealt with by the insurer, but by a so-called service company (organization) or, in other words, an assistance company. That is why it is logical to start choosing insurance with choosing assistance. And here a not very pleasant surprise awaits us.

In addition, you need to take into account that the same insurance company can work simultaneously with several different assistance services. However, assistance is often not indicated directly on the websites of insurance companies (or this information is hidden so that you cannot immediately find it). Therefore, before purchasing a policy on the website of a particular insurer, you should call the appropriate call center and find out which company is acting as assistance.

Which assistance is better?

After reading many reviews and blogs on this topic, I have identified three companies that, in my opinion, deserve priority attention:

• ISOS (International SOS)
• AXA Assistance
• Mondial Assistance / Allianz Global Assistance

Which insurance company to choose

Now let's see which insurance companies work with the assistance listed above. There seem to be very few of them left. I share the results of my research.

Some time ago it was possible to buy insurance with support from Mondial Assistance on the website tripinsurance.ru. It was the most convenient and understandable option. I liked this service and used it periodically. Now there is no such possibility. Tripinsurance no longer works with Mondial, but is developing its own tourist support service, promising to maintain the same quality of service.

Fortunately, an alternative has appeared in the form of the online service polis812.ru. Essentially, it is an aggregator of offers from various insurance companies, but the trick is that it has the opportunity to choose not only insurance services, but also assistance! In particular, on this site you can buy Allianz insurance with support from Allianz Global Assistance (once again, please note that this is what Mondial Assistance is now called). Another interesting option is insurance from ERGO insurance company with support from AXA Assistance. There are other interesting variations. What is especially pleasing are the prices. If you wish, it is easy to find a promotional code for a discount. Try, for example, Vandrouki - with this promotional code they promise to discount as much as 30%.

Based on the above list of priority assistance, I found another one, a much cheaper (relatively speaking, free) option. If you open a Miles&More credit (or debit) card at Russian Standard Bank, then as a bonus you will receive travel insurance, which also applies to all family members. UPD It was an excellent option, since the ISOS company acts as assistance for this insurance. But here, too, significant changes have occurred. Now this insurance is available only to holders of Miles&More Visa Signature premium cards, as well as a number of other cards - Bank in Pocket “GOLD”, RSB Travel Black, etc.

Is there some more similar insurance, which comes with the All Airlines Tinkoff Bank credit card. And again, a nuance. The insurance assistance, as they explained to me in the call center, is either Mondial Assistance (this is good) or Europ Assistance (which is not very good), and the choice of assistance is at the discretion of the insurance company (which is Tinkoff Insurance). That is, when you open an All Airlines card, you will not know which service company you will be “linked” to. This will become known only after an insurance policy is issued for you. According to the call center specialist, it will also indicate assistance.

Returning to AXA Assistance, I will add that there is also a service www.axa-schengen.com. However, I am not sure that such a policy will be suitable for obtaining a Schengen visa. However, the service itself is interesting. You'll see, I'll try it out someday.

Finally, I’ll mention one more online service. This is a site where you can compare offers from many insurance companies and choose the best insurance for traveling abroad. Moreover, you can navigate the selection process not only by price, but also by other important parameters. For example, you can see exactly what kind of assistance a particular insurer works with. You can also include additional options in your insurance that are not included in the standard package, or, conversely, exclude unnecessary services. Everything is very clear and convenient. In a word, the site is interesting. The only negative is that among the assistance services I did not find any of the three companies I preferred.

In conclusion, as per tradition, let me remind you: do not forget to look at the dates. All of the above was originally written in April 2016. The article was last updated in July 2018. As far as possible, I will, of course, try to update the information further, but in any case, to clarify all possible details, I advise you to refer to the primary sources.