For many Canadian snowbirds, the winter isn't one long, uninterrupted stay in their warm-weather destination - it might include one or more trips home for the holidays or to visit friends or family. Add in a summer road trip, a fall cruise or a European vacation, and you may be leaving Canada three, four, or five times in a year.

That raises a practical question: Should snowbirds who travel multiple times per year buy a separate travel medical insurance policy for each trip, or one policy that covers all of them?

In many cases, the preferred option is a multi-trip annual travel insurance policy that covers you for a full 12 months of travel, but it’s important to understand how these policies work, what they offer, what the limits are, and how to decide whether it fits your travel needs.

What is a multi-trip annual travel medical insurance policy?

A multi-trip annual travel medical insurance plan provides emergency medical coverage for an unlimited number of trips over a 12-month period. You simply buy the policy once, and it covers you every time you leave your home province during the policy term, avoiding the need to purchase a new policy before each departure.

The trade-off is that these plans limit the number of days per trip you can be away from your home province. Once you reach that limit on any one trip, you must return to your home province before travelling again to start the clock again. Days per-trip limits vary by plan and insurer, but common limits range from 4 days to 30 days or more.

How multi-trip plans differ from single-trip plans

A single-trip plan, on the other hand, covers you for one trip with a defined start and end date. Coverage begins on your departure date (the calendar day you leave your home province, regardless of the time of departure) and ends on your return date. It doesn't cover any other trips.

EXAMPLE:

Linda, 68, lives in Ontario. She spends January and February in Florida and doesn't return home until March 1. She takes no other trips all year. In Linda’s case, a single-trip plan would be the right choice for her travel patterns.

However, her neighbour Gerald, 70, flies to Arizona in November, comes home for Christmas, goes back to Arizona in January, returns home in February to visit friends for a week, and then heads south again until April. He also takes a two-week trip to Europe in the Spring and an 8-day cruise in the Fall. In Gerald’s case, a multi-trip annual plan would generally be the preferred option to meet his travel needs.

What are the benefits of a multi-trip annual plan?

The main advantages of a multi-trip annual plan for snowbirds and other frequent travellers include:

1. Coverage for unlimited trips. You can travel as often as you like during the policy term without needing to buy new travel insurance coverage for each trip.

2. Convenience and less administration. You buy once, and your coverage is in place. There's no need to remember to buy a new policy before each departure, and no risk of leaving for a trip and realizing you forgot to get coverage.

3. Potential cost savings. Depending on your travel patterns, a multi-trip annual plan can be less expensive than buying more than one single-trip policy. The more often you travel, the greater the potential for savings. However, it's worth comparing quotes for both options to determine which plan best suits your needs.

4. Lock-in your premiums for a full year. Your premium is set for the whole year at the time you buy your policy, allowing you to avoid potential premium increases for the full 12-month term. In addition, if you’re having a birthday in the next 12 months that would result in higher premiums due to your age, buying a multi-trip annual plan prior to that milestone birthday will allow you to avoid that premium increase, as long as your health doesn’t change during the policy term.

5. Flexibility for spontaneous trips. Many snowbirds don't plan every trip months in advance. A multi-trip plan means a spontaneous trip doesn't trigger a last-minute scramble to find coverage.

6. One policy to understand. Instead of keeping track of different policy wordings, dates and renewal reminders, you only have one set of terms to remember.

7. A single point of contact for claims and assistance. With one policy, you have the ease and comfort of dealing with one set of documents and one assistance number for every trip during the term.

EXAMPLE:

Ruth, 72, and Walter, 74 (turning 75 in 3 months), expect to take three trips this year: a 3-week visit to California in November, two months in Portugal starting in late January, and a 10-day trip to Nova Scotia in the summer. They also don't rule out an extra trip if their daughter has a baby. With a multi-trip plan, they would buy coverage once, pay once and have their rate locked in for 12 months, even after Walter turns 75 (when he otherwise might have been subject to higher premiums if he had to buy a new policy at that time). In addition, if the baby arrives early and Ruth flies out to help, she's already covered. With single-trip policies, they would have to arrange a new policy, answer a new set of health questions and pay the going rate at the time of purchase for each trip.

How many days am I allowed to travel per trip?

The days-per-trip limit is one of the most important features of a multi-trip annual travel insurance plan to be aware of, and the one most often misunderstood.

In general terms, the limit is the maximum number of consecutive days you can spend outside your home province on any one trip before your coverage ends for that trip. Some key points:

• Coverage can be extended beyond your days-per-trip limit: If you have a trip that will last longer than the number of days-per-trip your policy covers you for, you can extend your trip with a top-up (covered below) for the extra days you will be away. This is common for snowbirds who often spend several months away at a time.
• The limit applies per trip, not per year. There is no limit on the number of trips you can take over the 12-month term of your policy. The only limit is how many days you will be covered for on each trip.
• The clock restarts when you return to your home province. Once you return back to your home province, the clock for the days-per-trip limit resets for your next departure.
• Your departure and return days count. Your departure and return dates are the calendar days on which you leave and return to your home province, regardless of the time of day you depart or return.
• Different plans offer different days-per-trip limits. Shorter limits are typically less expensive than longer ones. Choosing the right one means matching the plan to your longest typical trip.

What Snowbird Advisor Insurance offers

As a frame of reference, Snowbird Advisor Insurance offers annual multi-trip plans with three days-per-trip limit options:

• 10 days per trip: Best suited for short getaways, long weekends, quick visits and travellers whose trips are brief.
• 18 days per trip: Best suited for travellers who take trips of a couple of weeks, such as a vacation or a cruise.
• 30 days per trip: Best suited for snowbirds and other travellers who take longer trips, such as a month in the sun or a full winter away.

And remember, coverage for any trips that run over your days-per-trip limit can be extended with a top-up.

Choosing between different days-per-trip limit options

Look at your longest typical trip. If most of your trips are under 10 days, the 10-day option may be enough. If your usual getaway runs 2 to 3 weeks, 18 days may be a better fit. If you spend a month or more away at a time, 30 days is likely the better match. 

Maximum coverage durations

It’s also important to keep in mind that in most cases, the maximum coverage duration available for single-trip and multi-trip plans – including extensions and top-ups – is equal to the maximum number of days you can spend outside your home province over a given period and still maintain your provincial health care coverage.

For example, in Ontario, the maximum number of days you can spend outside your province in any 12-month period and maintain your provincial health coverage is 212 days. If your trip exceeds your province or territory's permitted absence period, you may be able to apply for an extension of your provincial health coverage before you leave. Eligibility requirements and maximum extension periods vary by province or territory. Contact your provincial or territorial health authority before travelling to determine whether you qualify.

EXAMPLE:

Sam, 66, lives in Alberta and takes multiple trips to Arizona over the winter, but returns home for every few weeks. His trips south usually run about 3 weeks. He also takes a 7-day trip to Vancouver Island each summer. Because all of his trips are under 18 days or only slightly over, he considers the 18-day option and plans to buy a short top-up for any trip that runs longer. His friend Carol, on the other hand, goes to Florida for two months at a time with a trip home in between. For her, the 30-day option makes more sense.

What if one or more of my trips is longer than the maximum number of days allowed under my policy?

If you want to spend more time away on a trip than your per-trip limit allows, you can buy a top-up plan for that specific trip. A top-up extends your coverage for the extra days beyond your plan's days-per-trip limit, and it applies only to the trip you buy it for.

How top-ups work

• You buy a top-up on a per-trip basis. It doesn't extend your coverage for future trips.
• You choose how many extra days you need. The cost depends on your policy and how many extra days you want.
• Your multi-trip annual plan covers you up to the day limit, and the top-up covers the days beyond it, so you have continuous coverage for the full trip.

EXAMPLE:

Dave has a multi-trip annual plan with a 30-day limit per trip. He plans to leave for Florida on December 1 and return on January 19, which is 50 days. He needs a 20-day top-up to cover the 20 days past his 30-day limit. His multi-trip plan covers days 1 to 30, and the top-up covers days 31 to 50. When he returns home, the clock resets, and his next trip once again starts with the full 30 days.

What to be aware of when buying a top-up

Top-ups come with rules that travellers need to be mindful of:

• Buy your top-up before your original coverage runs out: Generally, top-ups must be purchased before you reach the days-per-trip limit for that trip. If you wait until after your coverage has ended, you may not be eligible to buy a top-up.
• Don't wait until the last minute: Some insurers require top-ups to be purchased a minimum period of time before your original coverage ends (for example, 24 or 48 hours). Buying the day you hit your days-per-trip limit is risky. A good habit is to decide on a top-up before you leave, or at least a week or more before your limit is reached.
• You may not be able to buy a top-up after a medical event: If you have already made a claim under your policy, or an event has occurred that is likely to result in a claim, you may not be eligible for a top-up. Waiting can leave you without coverage at exactly the moment you need it.
• Health changes matter: Any changes to your health since you bought your original policy and before you departed must have been reported to your insurance provider. If you did not report changes to your health, you may be subject to a higher premium for your top-up, some conditions may be excluded from coverage, and in some cases, you may be ineligible for a top-up.

EXAMPLE:

Maria has an 18-day multi-trip plan and leaves for Mexico on February 1. She intends to stay 30 days, so she'll need a 12-day top-up. Counting the departure day as day 1, her 18th day is February 18. She puts it off, and on February 17 she falls and is treated at an urgent care clinic. When she tries to buy the top-up the next day, she may be ineligible for the top-up because an event that could result in a claim has already occurred. However, if she had purchased the top-up before her trip - or earlier in the trip - she could have avoided the problem.

What if I experience changes to my health between trips?

With a multi-trip annual plan, it’s essential to understand that any changes to your health during the 12-month coverage period must be reported to your insurance provider before you travel again.

What counts as a change?

What qualifies as a change in your health depends on your policy, so read the wording carefully or ask your provider. In general, you should expect to report changes such as:

• A new diagnosis
• A new medical condition or symptom
• A change in medication (starting a new medication, stopping an existing medication, or an increase or decrease in the dosage of a medication)
• A hospital admission or emergency room visit
• Referrals to specialists or investigative tests or medical consultations
• A change to an existing medical condition

If you aren't sure whether something needs to be reported, call your provider and ask before you leave.

What could the consequences be if your health changes?

Once you report a change, your insurance provider will review your updated medical history. Depending on the change and your policy terms, the outcome may be:

• No changes, if changes to your health do not pose an increased risk
• A higher premium for the additional risk
• An exclusion for a specific medical condition
• Ineligibility for coverage or for a top-up in some cases

What could the consequences be if you don't report your health changes?

Not reporting a change is a much bigger risk than the changes themselves. If you make a claim and it turns out that you had a change in your health that you didn't disclose, your insurer may reduce or deny your claim, in whole or in part, depending on the change in health and your policy terms. 

Tip: Make it a habit before every departure to ask yourself: "Has anything changed with my health, medications or medical care since I last informed my insurer?"

EXAMPLE:

Arthur, 74, buys a multi-trip annual plan in September. In November, his cardiologist adjusts his heart medication and orders further tests. Arthur flies to Costa Rica in December without telling his insurer. In January, he has chest pains and is hospitalized. When the claim comes in, the insurer reviews his records and discovers the unreported medication change and testing. The claim may be limited or denied under the policy terms, leaving Arthur facing a large hospital bill.

Had he called before he departed on his trip in December, his provider would have reviewed the change and informed him whether coverage would continue as is, with a different premium, with a condition excluded, or if he would have been ineligible for coverage. This way, he would have known where he stood before he left on his trip.

Coverage Tip: If you have a pre-existing medical condition, you should explore personalized travel medical insurance plans, which offer coverage for pre-existing conditions with no stability period.

When is a multi-trip annual plan the better choice?

A multi-trip annual plan tends to be better from both a cost-savings and convenience standpoint when trip frequency is high and most trip lengths fit within the days-per-trip limit.

A multi-trip annual plan is often the better choice if:

• You travel multiple times over a 12-month period, whether it’s over the winter or during the spring, summer or fall, or for cruises or to visit family.
• You spend the winter away but plan to come home periodically for holidays, family events, or to check on your home.
• Your trips are of moderate length and most of your trips fit within a days-per-trip limit of 10, 18 or 30 days.
• You value flexibility and might take a trip you haven't planned yet.
• You want a locked-in rate to avoid potential premium increases over the next 12 months.
• You want the ease and convenience of purchasing one policy, having a single set of policy terms and contact point, and not having to remember to buy coverage before each departure.

A single-trip plan may be better if:

• You only take one or two trips per year.
• You spend the winter away and don't come back to Canada until the end of the season.

Comparing multi-trip annual plans vs. single-trip plans

Some snowbirds can benefit by comparing multi-trip annual plans with top-ups against single-trip plans. Finding the ideal combination can be complicated, so it's worth speaking with an experienced agent before you buy.

EXAMPLE:

Pat and Joan, both 69, leave for Arizona on November 1. They return on December 20 for the holidays after 50 days away, leave again on January 5 and return on April 4 after another 90 days away, then take a 2-week trip in July.

• Single-trip approach: three separate policies for three trips, each with its own purchase and health questions, one for 50 days, one for 90 days and one for 14 days.
• Multi-trip approach: one 30-day annual plan, with a 20-day top-up for the first trip, a 60-day top-up for the second trip and no top-up for the July trip, as it’s less than 30 days.

Which option is cheaper will depend on their ages, health and the rates at the time, so it may be worth exploring both options.

Top tips when choosing a multi-trip annual travel insurance plan

1. Map out your anticipated trips for the next 12 months. List each trip with its approximate departure and return dates. Your longest trip and the number of trips will drive the choice.
2. Choose the per-trip limit that matches your longest typical trip. Don't pay for more days per trip than you need, but don't choose a limit so short that you'll need top-ups on most trips.
3. Compare the total cost, not just the base premium. Add up the multi-trip plan plus any expected top-ups, and compare that to the cost of the single-trip alternatives.
4. Know your top-up rules before you leave. Understand when top-ups must be purchased, and plan to buy them early.
5. Know your province's rules. Understand the maximum number of days you can be away from your home province without losing provincial health coverage, as this will dictate the maximum number of travel insurance coverage days you will be eligible for.
6. Report health changes before every trip. This is the most important habit of all. Set a reminder to review your health and medications before each departure, and report any changes to your insurer.
7. Understand pre-existing condition terms. Ask how your policy treats pre-existing medical conditions and whether any stability period applies. If you have pre-existing medical conditions, you should explore policies that do not require a stability period for pre-existing conditions.

EXAMPLE:

Before choosing a plan, Bill and Susan write down their planned travel for the year: a 3-week trip in October, a 5-week winter stay in Florida starting in January with a trip home in February, and a 12-day summer vacation. Their longest stay is 5 weeks, but most trips are 3 weeks or less. Rather than paying for the longest per-trip limit all year, they ask their agent to compare an 18-day plan plus a top-up for the longest trip against a 30-day plan. They also set a calendar reminder to call the insurer about any health changes before each trip

Frequently asked questions

Does a multi-trip annual plan cover unlimited travel days?

No. It covers an unlimited number of trips during the 12-month term, but each trip is limited to the plan's per-trip maximum, and your provincial health plan's residency rules also limit your total time away.

What happens when I return home during a trip?

When you return to your home province, the per-trip clock resets. Your next departure starts a new count.

Can I extend a multi-trip plan if I want to stay longer?

Yes, by purchasing a top-up for that trip before you reach your per-trip limit.

Do I need to tell my insurer if my health changes?

Yes. You must report any change to your health before you travel again during the policy term. Not doing so can put a claim at risk.

Is a multi-trip annual plan always cheaper than single-trip plans?

It depends on how often you travel, how long your trips are, your age and your health.

Does it cover trip cancellation?

No. Travel medical insurance covers emergency medical costs only. Trip cancellation and interruption insurance is separate.

The bottom line

A multi-trip annual travel medical insurance plan can be an excellent fit for Canadian snowbirds who travel more than once a year or who return home during the winter. It offers coverage for unlimited trips, a locked-in rate, flexibility for spontaneous plans and the convenience of buying coverage once.

To get the most out of a multi-trip annual travel insurance plan, remember three things: 

1. Compare your coverage options,
2. Choose a days-per-trip limit that matches your travel habits, 
3. Buy top-ups (if needed) before your coverage runs out, and 
4. Always report changes in your health to your insurance provider before each trip.