10 tips for buying visitor insurance

Whether you’re insuring visiting parents or a friend coming to Canada, these are the things I’d tell a member of my own family before they buy.

1. Buy before they arrive

Set the policy to start on the arrival date and purchase it ahead of time. Buying after arrival can trigger a waiting period on new illness and limit your options.

2. Match the coverage amount to the real risk

Coverage commonly runs $25,000–$150,000+. Older travellers and longer stays justify a higher limit. Many families choose $100,000 as a sensible balance — and remember a Super Visa has its own minimum.

3. Use the deductible to your advantage

Choosing a per-claim deductible lowers the premium. For a healthy traveller comfortable covering a small first portion of a claim, it’s often easy money saved.

4. Declare pre-existing conditions — honestly

The fastest way to a denied claim is non-disclosure. Declare everything, then choose a plan whose stability period fits the traveller’s history.

5. Compare insurers, not just prices

For the same traveller, different insurers quote different prices and different pre-existing rules. The cheapest plan isn’t the best if it excludes what you need covered.

6. Check the refund and visa-refusal terms

Look for a full refund before the start date and a partial refund for early departure. If a visa refusal is possible, confirm the refund-on-refusal benefit before buying.

7. Read what’s excluded

Routine care, elective procedures, pregnancy, and high-risk activities are usually excluded. Know this up front — see what’s covered.

8. Pick the right product

Visiting Canada? That’s visitor insurance. A resident heading abroad? That’s travel medical. Don’t buy the wrong direction.

9. Keep the policy and assistance line handy

Save the policy number and the 24/7 emergency assistance line in the traveller’s phone. Calling it first in an emergency can enable direct billing.

10. Let a licensed advisor do the comparison

It costs nothing. An FSRA-licensed advisor compares plans across insurers, explains the trade-offs, and helps if you ever need to claim. That’s the whole point of working with one.