Freely Travel Insurance Review

Posted 5/24/24 | Might twenty fourth, 2024

I by no means go away residence with out journey insurance coverage. After over 15 years on the highway, I’ve discovered firsthand how necessary it’s. Not solely has it helped me take care of misplaced baggage, canceled flights, and medical emergencies, but it surely’s helped numerous associates and readers of my weblog too.

Nevertheless, journey insurance coverage is a boring matter to examine. No one likes evaluating plans and studying insurance policies. Myself included. It’s the least thrilling a part of journey planning.

Fortuitously, it’s by no means been simpler to discover a plan and coverage that fits your wants and funds. Increasingly more corporations are making it quick and easy to get a quote, join a plan, learn the high-quality print, and make a declare.

A kind of corporations is Freely.

What’s Freely?

Freely is a journey insurance coverage firm and security app. Like many insurance coverage corporations, it offers protection so that you could be made complete ought to one thing occur (for a lined cause) whilst you’re on the highway. Its base plan contains all of the necessities I search for in an insurance coverage coverage, together with emergency medical care, emergency evacuation protection, journey interruption, misplaced baggage, and 24/7 assist.

However Freely does a number of issues otherwise too.

Freely retains its base coverage inexpensive by not together with further protection that you simply won’t want. However you’ll be able to improve, for instance, to get additional protection in your gear in case you’re bringing beneficial electronics or sporting tools with you. This can be a huge plus since most vacationers carry a cellphone or laptop computer with them (typically each).

With most different plans, your gear is simply lined as much as $500 USD per merchandise. Freely enables you to add on to your plan to cowl your gear as much as $1,500 USD per merchandise.

However what’s actually helpful (and distinctive) is Freely’s Day by day Enhance complement.

Day by day Boosts are insurance coverage add-ons for belongings you gained’t want day-after-day, comparable to protection to go snowboarding, hire a automotive, or go skydiving. Paying for these add-ons solely whenever you want them (on a day-by-day foundation) ensures that your coverage as a complete stays inexpensive — however you get the protection you want whenever you want it.

For instance, snow or journey actions value simply $1 USD per day, whereas rental automotive protection is $15 USD per day (pricing varies by state). If you happen to solely are going snowboarding for a number of days of your journey or gained’t be renting a car in your total trip, the every day enhance ensures you aren’t paying for what you don’t want.
 

What Does Freely Cowl?

Freely insurance policies have a reasonably wide selection of protection. At the moment, plans embrace protection for the next:

Emergency Medical Bills
That is crucial element of any insurance coverage plan. It’s what’s going to come into play in case you fall down some stairs and break a leg or are hospitalized since you get hit by a automotive, get sick, and many others. Briefly, in case you’re despatched to a hospital or physician, that is what gives you emergency medical protection.

I at all times suggest vacationers have not less than $100,000 USD in protection as a result of hospital payments add up quick. Freely gives $500,000 USD in protection on the bottom plan. That’s a excessive restrict and might cowl you for all the pieces the highway throws your method.

Emergency Evacuation and Repatriation
Medical and emergency evacuations could be extremely costly. These could be required in case you get injured whereas climbing and must be airlifted to the hospital, or if you must be repatriated to your property nation.

Incidents like these can value upwards of $250,000 USD, which is sufficient to bankrupt most vacationers. Fortuitously, Freely’s base coverage covers as much as $1,000,000 USD for emergency evacuations. That’s greater than loads of different insurance coverage corporations provide do you have to want an emergency evacuation.

Emergency Dental Expense
I at all times respect journey insurance coverage insurance policies that cowl emergency dental care. Freely gives $1,000 USD for emergency protection on its base plan. This doesn’t imply you’ll be able to go get a dental check-up when you have a cavity or need a cleansing, however fairly that you simply’ll have the ability to see a dentist do you have to expertise an unexpected emergency or sudden ache whereas in your journey.

Unintended Dying and Dismemberment
No one needs to consider the worst-case state of affairs of dying on the highway (I certain don’t) however realizing that your insurance coverage coverage can cowl these eventualities gives loads of peace of thoughts. For instance, the coverage pays $50,000 USD for unintended loss of life, which (to not get too morbid) will possible be useful to your family members ought to the worst happen.

Journey Interruption
Once you miss a part of your journey or need to return residence early as a result of eligible unexpected circumstances (comparable to sickness or damage), Freely will reimburse you as much as 150% of the price of the journey. Contemplating how typically flights are delayed and the way typically a pure catastrophe happens, this can be a strong addition and one thing not loads of inexpensive plans embrace.

Misplaced, Stolen, or Broken Baggage
Freely’s protection for misplaced or stolen baggage is much like different corporations, in that there’s a per-item restrict of $500 USD and a complete cap of $2,500 USD. Whereas that’s good for lots of substances, comparable to a fundamental digital digital camera or sporting tools, it could not cowl the whole worth of a laptop computer or extra heavy-duty digital camera.

Nevertheless, as I discussed above, you should buy an add-on for extra protection. This may bump your baggage per-item restrict to $1,500 USD and the whole restrict to $5,000 USD. Your digital {and professional} tools protection is $2,000 USD, which offers substantial protection in your cellphone or laptop computer.

Whereas the fee for this improve will range, utilizing the instance beneath (a month lengthy journey to Thailand), it could value round $23 USD for the add-on. That’s tremendous inexpensive.

Baggage Delay
This can be a good perk for anybody who isn’t touring carry-on solely. Basically, in case your baggage is delayed 12 hours or extra, you’ll qualify for as much as $250 USD so you should buy vital clothes and private objects (inside an affordable restrict). With Baggage Improve this profit could be elevated by $100 USD.

Word: As with every insurance coverage plan, you’ll wish to learn the high-quality print of your coverage for extra info. Moreover, particulars could be totally different based mostly on the place you reside, so at all times double-check whereas researching simply to be secure.
 

What’s NOT Coated?

Freely is primarily geared towards protecting medical emergencies and fundamental journey mishaps (like delays and misplaced baggage). It’s good observe to let you know what’s not lined, comparable to the next:

• Alcohol- or drug-related incidents
• Any electronics over $500 USD (with out an add-on)
• Sure high-risk actions (e.g., driving in a motorized vehicle competitors)
• Participation in skilled or beginner athletics competitions
• Losses incurred due to a pre-existing medical situation.

If you happen to’re undecided if the exercise you wish to do is roofed, or if you need extra details about what shouldn’t be lined, attain out to Freely immediately.

At the moment, Freely’s insurance policies can be found solely to residents of the US and Australia. Protection described on this article is particular to the US product.
 

How A lot Does Freely Price?

You will get a quote on-line at freely.me in lower than one minute. You simply have to enter fundamental info, like the place you reside, the place you’re going, how lengthy you’re touring for, and the way a lot your journey prices.

For instance, somebody aged 30 going from the US to Thailand for one month pays round $40 USD for base protection. That’s for a visit costing round $2,000 USD and never together with any extras or Day by day Boosts.

Click here to get a quote from Freely.

One factor I like about Freely in terms of getting quotes is that they let you know what isn’t lined. A number of corporations simply suggest that (i.e., if it’s not talked about, it’s not lined).

Freely, alternatively, explicitly provides reminders of what’s not lined whenever you’re in search of a coverage, in order to make sure that your expectations are correct.

Professionals of Freely

• 24/7 emergency help
• Emergency medical protection
• Emergency Evacuation and journey interruption protection
• Protection for misplaced, stolen, or broken baggage
• COVID protection
• Day by day add-ons out there for additional gear and actions

Cons of Freely

• Solely out there within the US and Australia
• Downloading the app is required

Who’s Freely For — and NOT For?

Freely may be very inexpensive, making it a strong selection for backpackers and funds vacationers. Lengthy-term vacationers who’re extra versatile with their plans may also respect with the ability to replace their coverage proper within the app.

It’s additionally an awesome selection for adventurous vacationers since you’ll be able to add Day by day Boosts for issues like skydiving, scuba diving, and many others.

Freely’s app additionally sends out security alerts and COVID updates, making it an excellent choice for these involved about questions of safety. As a result of Freely depends on an app, they’re capable of pinpoint your location to make sure necessary native security updates get to you. I can’t consider one other insurance coverage firm that provides that type of service, making certain your peace of thoughts irrespective of the place you’re going.

On the flip aspect, Freely could also be irritating for anybody who doesn’t wish to obtain and use an app. Most of Freely’s providers (making a declare, altering or updating your coverage) are solely out there within the app. Whereas this makes it streamlined and handy in some methods, those that need to have the ability to entry and handle their account on a pc would possibly wish to select a unique firm.

I feel shopping for journey insurance coverage ought to be a easy and easy course of. Discovering a coverage shouldn’t be completely mind-numbing or time-consuming. And whereas Freely continues to be fairly new in the marketplace, it has loads of potential. Its app makes discovering the knowledge you want a breeze, and the extras and Day by day Boosts add customization I hope extra corporations embrace. I feel it’s a worthwhile firm to take a look at whenever you’re purchasing round for a plan.

Click here to learn more and get a quote today!