Mexico attracts millions of American travelers each year, for good reason: There are so many alluring places to explore. Discover the culture and flavors of Mexico City, the dramatic seascapes of San José del Cabo, and the palm-lined beaches of Cancún.
Do you need travel insurance for a Mexico vacation? It isn’t a requirement for entering the country, but it’s always a good idea. Here are five of the main reasons you need travel insurance for Mexico.
1. Medical emergencies while traveling
While riding a jet ski in Cancún, you collide with a boat. The impact leaves you with broken ribs and a gash on your head. Your friends rush you to the nearest private hospital, where you’re admitted for treatment. But when you hand over your health insurance card, hospital staff shake their heads. Your bill is $7,500—and you need to pay immediately, out of your own pocket.
“Does U.S. health insurance work in Mexico?” Many travelers are surprised to find the answer is no. Instead, most healthcare providers require payment up front.
The U.S. Department of State advises travelers to make sure they understand a hospital’s billing, pricing, and proposed medical procedures before they consent to any medical care. In some tourist areas, hospitals use sliding scales, increasing their rates based on a patient’s perceived ability to pay. Some private hospitals may even check your credit card limit, bill you for services up to that limit, then discharge you.1
The best way to protect yourself in case of a medical emergency in Mexico? Get travel insurance with emergency medical and dental benefits. Insurance can reimburse the cost of care for covered medical and dental emergencies that occur during your trip. Not only that, but our 24-hour assistance team can coordinate your care, update your loved ones, and even pay in advance, if you’re going to be hospitalized for more than 24 hours.
One note: emergency medical benefits are not the same thing as travel health insurance for Mexico. Your emergency medical benefits are for emergencies only; they don’t cover preventive care, elective procedures, long-term care, etc. Read your plan documents so you understand what’s covered.
2. Emergency medical transportation
You’re hiking in the Copper Canyons (Las Barrancas del Cobre) in the Sierra Madre range in Chihuahua. Eyes fixed on a shimmering waterfall ahead, you take one wrong step and fall hard. You’re afraid your ankle is broken—but how are you going to get out of the wilderness and reach a hospital?
If you’re traveling in Mexico, emergency medical transportation benefits are a must. This part of your travel insurance can pay for you to be transported to the nearest appropriate medical facility if you suffer a covered illness or injury during your trip. You may be evacuated to a major city or even the United States, if our medical assistance team determines that the local medical facilities are unable to provide appropriate treatment. These benefits can also pay for specialized transportation to bring you home, once your condition is stable.
While excellent medical facilities are available in major cities in Mexico, that’s not the case elsewhere in the country. Also, the Department of State cautions that ambulance services are not available in many remote and rural areas.2 If you need to be taken via helicopter to the nearest high-quality hospital, the cost can be high: $15,000-$20,000 or more. That doesn’t even include the cost of your medical treatment or the expense of getting you home again.3
3. Unexpected trip cancellation and interruption
You’re looking forward to a week in Puerto Vallarta when you hear that a big hurricane is forecasted. It’s not headed toward your resort—it’s aimed straight at your home in Florida! Now you’ll be worried the whole time you’re gone.
If you have travel insurance with trip cancellation benefits and trip interruption benefits, you don’t have to worry. These benefits can reimburse you for prepaid, nonrefundable trip costs when you must cancel or interrupt your trip for a covered reason.
One of the many covered reasons for cancellation/interruption is your primary residence being rendered uninhabitable. So if, for instance, the hurricane severely damages your house while you’re traveling, trip interruption benefits could pay for you to return home early and reimburse your nonrefundable unused trip costs.
What if you need to cancel for a reason that’s not covered? That’s when the Cancel Anytime upgrade can be invaluable. Available with the OneTrip Prime and OneTrip Premier plans, Cancel Anytime can reimburse 80% of your lost non-refundable trip costs if you cancel your trip for almost any unforeseeable reason your plan does not already cover.
4. Travel delays and baggage delays
You’re headed to tropical Tulum from frigid Chicago… but wouldn’t you know it? A snowstorm has delayed your flight out of O’Hare Airport. Fifteen hours later, you finally arrive at your resort—but your bags don’t. What a lousy start to your Mexican vacation.
Trip insurance can make this situation so much better! First, your travel delay benefits can reimburse you for additional accommodation, meals or travel expenses and lost prepaid expenses due to a covered departure delay.
Then, your baggage delay benefits can reimburse you for the reasonable additional purchase of essential items during your trip, up to the plan limit, if your baggage is delayed by a carrier for 24 hours or more.You can buy a bathing suit, toiletries and clean clothing, then start enjoying your vacation.
Even better: You can get paid $100 per insured person, per day for a covered travel or baggage delay if you have SmartBenefits® (included with the OneTrip Prime and OneTrip Premier plans). You don’t need to provide any receipts—just proof of the delay!
5. Crime, accidents and other travel emergencies
You’re strolling through the market in Mexico City when you get caught in a jostling crowd. A minute later, you realize your bag has been slashed. Your wallet is missing, and so is your passport. Help!
“Crime in Mexico occurs at a high rate and can be violent, from random street crime to cartel-related attacks,” the State Department warns.4While authorities strive to keep resorts and tourist areas safe and secure, there are no guarantees—just as in any other part of the world.
When you have Allianz Travel Insurance, you never have to deal with travel crises alone. If you’re the victim of a crime, contact 24-hour assistance, which can be rapidly accessed from the free Allianz TravelSmart app. We can help you file a police report, serve as interpreters, expedite the replacement of a lost passport, get money wired from home, and more.
Bonus question: Do I need travel insurance for a cruise to Mexico?
We hear this question often: If you’re sailing to a Mexican cruise port, such as Cozumel or Puerto Vallarta, do you need to buy travel insurance? Yes! In fact, travel insurance is absolutely essential for any cruise vacation.
First, cruise lines are almost always strict about cancellations and trip interruptions. If you have to cancel your trip at the last minute and you don’t have insurance, then don’t expect a refund.
Second, medical emergencies become a much bigger deal when you’re aboard a ship and traveling overseas. If you get seriously sick or injured while sailing, or when you’re in a Mexican port, your travel insurance may cover the cost of a necessary medical evacuation and covered emergency medical care.
What’s the best travel insurance plan for Mexico? That depends on your budget and your travel plans.
- OneTrip Prime is our most popular plan for international vacations, and it covers kids 17 and younger for free when traveling with a parent or grandparent (not available on policies issued to Pennsylvania residents).
- OneTrip Basic offers economical trip protection with all the key benefits you need.
- AllTrips Prime or another AllTrips plan is a great choice for frequent travelers. Get affordable protection for every trip you take in 365 days, international or domestic.
Every year, more than70 million American travelers trust Allianz Travel Insurance to protect their adventures. Get a quote for travel insurance for your Mexico vacation!
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