Frequently Asked Questions

To be eligible for this insurance coverage, a traveller must be:

• A client of the RBC companies or a spouse or child of a client;
• A Canadian resident (applicable for Emergency Medical Insurance coverage);

Generally speaking, no. While your age can affect the type of coverage you can buy, we have packages and plans that cover all age groups.

Possibly. Depending on your age, condition and, if applicable, your answers to our health questions, pre-existing medical conditions are covered if they are stable for a certain time period (as specified in your insurance certificate ) before your insurance effective date.

• If you are under age 65: pre-existing conditions are covered if they have been stable for at least 90 days before your insurance effective date.
• If you are over age 65: Contact 1-866-292-5233

Note: Please refer to the insurance certificate for complete coverage details regarding pre-existing conditions.

The appropriate coverage for your trip depends on several factors, including (but not limited to) where you're travelling to, how long you will be gone, the kind of transportation you'll be using and, in some instances, your health condition.

We recommend that you carefully review the travel insurance coverage that your credit card provides, as well as any conditions or stipulations. You may also wish to speak with your Credit Card company. Our individual travel insurance plans can be purchased as a top-up to compliment your credit card coverage when your trip duration or amount of coverage required exceeds the coverage offered on your credit card.

We recommend that you carefully review your government health plan coverage. Government 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:

"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."⁽¹⁾

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

As shown below, medical treatment can be very expensive in the U.S. Purchase travel insurance for your next trip to the U.S. or another province/territory—it's a small expense for a tremendous amount of protection.

Actual Cases and Costs in the U.S. (in U.S. Dollars)⁽²⁾

Motor Vehicle Accident (Multiple Trauma):

Pennsylvania
19-day admission
$451,380

Cardiac Catheterization & Bypass:

California
13-day admission
$384,274.92 (hospital costs)
$19,875 (air ambulance with full medical team)

Fractured Femur:

Florida
6-day admission
$58,825

An accident, illness or emergency can happen anywhere. If you need medical care in another country, your government health plan may pay only a portion of the costs. Travel insurance starts where these plans leave off.

Plus, with our emergency medical coverage, you have access to the multilingual representatives of Assured Assistance Inc. (AAI), the RBC Insurance travel emergency assistance network.

Because our representatives are multilingual and have 24-hour access to real-time translation services, we can provide the help you need in your own language—and also have someone to communicate on your behalf with medical personnel who may speak a different language.

Here for you 24 hours a day, seven days a week, our representatives are experienced experts in coordinating emergency care for travellers in foreign lands, managing more than 400,000 calls per year.

Whenever possible, AAI will also request for the medical service provider within the network to bill the covered medical expenses directly to us instead of you—reducing stress and hassle.

You must purchase coverage before departing on your trip. You may benefit from purchasing coverage when you make your initial trip deposit, especially if you are purchasing insurance that includes trip cancellation and interruption coverage.

For example, consider the fact that more than half of Canadian travellers book their trips at least 6 months in advance.⁽³⁾ Then consider the unpredictable things that might happen in that time.

There are various sports that are not covered during your trip, all of which are described in more detail under the General Exclusions section in the insurance certificate.

You may extend your coverage if you extend your trip, subject to certain conditions of your insurance certificate.

If you've purchased a single-trip plan, the following conditions apply:

• If you have not had a medical condition during your trip or while covered under your insurance certificate, you can request an extension by contacting 1-866-292-5233 before the expiry date of your original insurance certificate.
• If you have had a medical condition during your trip and while covered under your insurance certificate, you must request the extension by contacting Assured Assistance Inc. at 1-800-387-2487 (the RBC Insurance travel emergency assistance network) before the expiry date of your original insurance certificate,. Your extension is subject to the approval of Assured Assistance Inc.
• You must pay the required additional premium before the expiry date of your original insurance certificate.
• If we cannot extend your particular coverage due to the trip duration limits of your insurance certificate, you may be able to purchase a new insurance certificate from us.

If you've purchased a multi-trip annual plan, the following conditions apply:

You may purchase a top-up coverage for the additional number of days beyond the duration covered by your multi-trip annual plan as follows:

• Before your effective date, you may contact 1-866-292-5233 to purchase top-up coverage.
• After your effective date and if you have not had a medical condition during your trip, you must contact 1-866-292-5233 before the expiry date of your original insurance certificate to purchase top-up coverage.
• After your effective date and if you have had a medical condition during your trip, you must contact Assured Assistance Inc. (the RBC Insurance travel emergency assistance network) 1-800-387-2487 before the expiry date of your original insurance certificate to request approval for and to purchase top-up coverage.
• The terms, conditions and exclusions of the new top-up insurance certificate apply to you.
• You must pay the required top-up premium on or before the effective date of the top-up period.

If you do NOT top up your coverage for a trip, you will not be covered for any claims you make outside the period of insurance for that trip. If the top-up coverage you are purchasing requires you to complete health questions, you must complete the health questions.

Please see the insurance certificate documents.for complete coverage details regarding trip extensions.

You may purchase a top-up coverage for the additional number of days beyond the duration covered by your multi-trip annual plan. Here are the conditions:

• Before your effective date, you may contact 1-866-292-5233 to purchase top-up coverage.
• After your effective date and if you have not had a medical condition during your trip, you must contact 1-866-292-5233 before the expiry date of your original policy to purchase top-up coverage.
• After your effective date and if you have had a medical condition during your trip, you must contact Assured Assistance Inc. at 1-800-387-2487 (the RBC Insurance travel emergency assistance network) before the expiry date of your original coverage to request approval for and to purchase top-up coverage.
• The terms, conditions and exclusions of the new top-up coverage apply to you.
• You must pay the required top-up premium on or before the effective date of the top-up period.

If you do NOT top up your coverage for a trip, you will not be covered for any claims you make outside the period of insurance for that trip. If the top-up coverage you are purchasing requires you to complete health questions, you must complete the health questions.

Please see the insurance certificate documents for complete coverage details regarding top-up coverage.

If you purchase one of our travel medical insurance plans you can, prior to the coverage expiration date and subject to certain conditions. Please contact 1-866-292-5233.

Yes, emergency medical coverage for family members under 65 years of age is available with our Classic Medical Plans (single-trip or multi-trip annual). This coverage insures you and your partner/spouse and/or children when they travel with you or join you during your trip. You may insure your natural and adopted children and stepchildren under this plan if they meet one of the following criteria:

• They are unmarried and under the age of 21
• They are unmarried, over 20 years old and have a mental or physical handicap
• They are unmarried, under 26 years old and are full-time students

Family pricing is also available under Deluxe Package Single Trip and Non-Medical Package. Children 0 – 17 years of age travelling with at least 1 insured parent(s) or grandparent(s) are eligible for a flat rate.

Your trip probably represents a significant investment. Plus, you may be among the 51% of Canadian travellers who book their trips at least 6 months prior to departing.⁽³⁾ A lot can happen in that time—if a medical emergency or other unfortunate event prevents you from going on your trip, you may lose some (or possibly all) of the money you paid.

With trip cancellation and interruption insurance, you're protected when a specified situation prevents you from travelling as planned. Examples include:

• You can't travel due to an illness, job loss or immediate family member's medical emergency
• You need to return home earlier than scheduled because of a family emergency or medical condition
• And more—our travel insurance packages provide trip cancellation and interruption insurance coverage for many specified situations

Note: We strongly recommend that you purchase this insurance at the time you pay your initial travel deposit. Please see the insurance certificate documents for complete coverage details, including terms and conditions.

We strongly recommend that you do. Your insurance certificate is a valuable source of information and contains provisions that may limit or exclude coverage. Please read it before you go, keep it in a safe place and carry it with you when you travel.