Blue Cross Blue Shield Travel Insurance Review

Blue Cross Blue Shield Travel Insurance may sound new, but the coverage behind it isn’t.

The provider, which offers travel health care insurance in more than 190 countries, was formerly known as GeoBlue. In late 2025, after 25 years of operation, it rebranded as Blue Cross Blue Shield Global Solutions.

BCBS offers single-trip coverage, single-trip group coverage, multitrip coverage and coverage for people living abroad.

One important thing to note is that BCBS policies are primarily health coverage and offer limited benefits for common travel insurance coverages, such as trip delay and cancellation.

BCBS offers two types of plans, Platinum and Gold. The main difference is that the Platinum plan covers preexisting conditions, and the Gold plan does not.

You can then modify the plans depending on the amount of medical coverage and deductible you want.

So, how much does Blue Cross Blue Shield travel insurance cost, and what does it cover?

We looked into a trip for a 45-year-old man from Illinois who was planning a weeklong getaway outside the U.S.

The results showed single trip plans ranging in price from $14.28 to $27.51, based on a few variables like coverage for preexisting conditions, the amount of coverage and the deductible. Coverage options are $1 million, $500,000, $100,000 and $50,000. Deductible amounts are $0, $100, $250 and $500.

Here’s what happens when you adjust coverage amounts and deductibles:

Another big difference between the Gold and Platinum plans is you must have a primary health plan in the U.S. to buy a Platinum plan. You do not need one to buy a Gold plan since preexisting conditions are not covered.

The single trip plans are for trips up to 182 days, and people age 95 and younger are eligible.

Blue Cross Blue Shield’s Single Trip plans include:

As far as non-medical benefits, they are limited compared to some other travel insurance companies, but some of them are part of the BCBS plans.

You must purchase your plan before you depart for your trip. It’s too late to buy a plan if you have already left the U.S.

Looking at the multitrip plan, it covers an unlimited number of trips for a year and up to the first 70 days of each trip.

Coverage for that same 45-year-old man from Illinois for a year ranges from $138 to $193 depending on the amount of medical coverage and the deductible.

There are only two options to choose from, a policy with $1 million in coverage and a $100 deductible called the Platinum plan and $500,000 in coverage with a $200 deductible called the Gold plan. The price difference is $55.

Note, people ages 70-95 can only get $200,000 in medical coverage.

There are also longer-term policies for people who live or work abroad, are part of a maritime crew, are students or faculty or are working with an nongovernmental organization or are a missionary or volunteer.

Blue Cross Blue Shield travel insurance plans might seem cheap compared to other travel insurance plans. That’s because they are mostly medical coverage for issues that might arise while traveling and have only limited coverage for other travel situations.

For example, there is no coverage for:

When buying a Blue Cross Blue Shield plan online, you enter some basic information, the dates of your trip, the traveler’s age, and ZIP code. Because there is no cancellation coverage, it doesn’t matter how much the trip costs, just the length.

Assuming you want a single trip policy, select “Get a Quote.”

Choose the amount of coverage, deductible and whether you want preexisting coverage. Then select “Buy Now.”

You’ll see fields for personal information. Then there will be dropdown menus asking for confirmation of travel dates, proof of primary health policy (if buying a Platinum plan) as well as the names of and information about the travelers.

From there, you go to a payment page to finish the transaction.

There are several ways to file a claim with Blue Cross Blue Shield travel insurance. The easiest way is to file online through the app or member portal. You can also download paper forms and then upload them through the mobile app or member portal.

If you’d rather fax, email or snail mail the forms, you can do so.

Before filing a claim, make sure you have:

At any time during the process, you can check the status of your claim in the member portal or on the app.

For some travelers, yes. If you’re going outside of the U.S., your health plan probably will not cover you, and for the relatively low cost of a travel insurance plan, BCBS coverage could give you some peace of mind. If you need medical care in another country, it might cover a large portion of the cost.

Just keep in mind that BCBS plans are primarily for medical coverage. For protection against trip cancellation, trip interruption, and baggage loss or delay, look elsewhere.