Pregnancy Travel Insurance: Tips for Traveling while Pregnant
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Pregnancy Travel Insurance: Tips for Traveling while Pregnant

  • Pregnant travelers are at a higher risk of illness and injury, so you’ll want to have medical travel insurance at a minimum, especially on trips abroad.
  • Medical travel insurance can cover health complications related to pregnancy as well as medical emergencies, accidents, and injuries.
  • We also recommend CFAR insurance for pregnant travelers as it allows you to cancel your trip for any reason and still be reimbursed.
  • It’s important to note that normal pregnancy scenarios are not covered by travel insurance, including routine prenatal care, the cost of childbirth, false labor, and bed rest.
  • Try using an online comparison tool to get multiple quotes and compare your options easily in one place.

Opt for a travel insurance plan that includes the following:

  • Medical coverage that will treat complications with pregnancies
  • Coverage for cancellations & interruptions due to pregnancy complications
  • CFAR insurance that allows you to cancel for any reason at all and still be reimbursed

All plans listed below offer coverage for each of these scenarios.

Our top picks for pregnancy travel insurance

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Great Value for the Money

Seven Corners
GET A QUOTE via Squaremouth’s secure website
4.37
Preferred Plan
Trip Protection Choice
Covers COVID
YES
Medical & Evacuation Limits Per Person
$500,000 / $1,000,000
Customize Your Plan & Coverage

Faye Travel Insurance
Check Pricing via the Faye website
4.5
Preferred Plan
Faye Travel Protection Plan
Covers COVID
Yes
Medical & Evacuation Limits Per Person
$100,000 / $500,000
An Excellent Premium Plan

AXA Assistance USA
GET A QUOTE via Squaremouth’s secure website
4.22
Preferred Plan
Platinum
Covers COVID
YES
Medical & Evacuation Limits Per Person
$250,000 / $1,000,000

Why we recommend these plans for pregnant travelers

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Great Value for the Money

Full Policy Details

Seven Corners

 4.37
GET A QUOTE via Squaremouth’s secure website
Preferred Plan
Trip Protection Choice
Covers COVID
YES
Medical & Evacuation Limits Per Person
$500,000 / $1,000,000
Why We Like It

Editor's take

Seven Corners is one of the best travel insurance providers around, and this is their star policy which offers extremely high coverage limits at an affordable price.

The Seven Corners Trip Protection Choice is great for any traveler but offers coverage for pregnant travelers as well.

Specific pregnancy coverage includes:

  • Cancelling or interrupting your trip due to pregnancy complications
  • Medical treatment due to pregnancy complications

You can also opt for optional CFAR coverage, which is ideal for pregnant travelers who may need to cancel for unexpected reasons.

Note, this plan won’t cover normal pregnancy-related medical bills (such as birth) or elected abortions.

Read our full review of Seven Corners

PROS

  • Offers coverage for pre-existing conditions
  • Money-back guarantee
  • Cancellation & Interruption coverage standard
  • Covers action sports & equipment

CONS

  • Cancel for any reason not included standard
  • Must meet waiver for pre-existing conditions to be covered

Customize Your Plan & Coverage

Full Policy Details

Faye Travel Insurance

 4.5
Check Pricing via the Faye website
Preferred Plan
Faye Travel Protection Plan
Covers COVID
Yes
Medical & Evacuation Limits Per Person
$100,000 / $500,000
Why We Like It

Editor's take

Faye is one of our top picks for pregnant travelers as it offers comprehensive travel insurance with clear coverage options for many pregnancy-related medical issues. While Faye isn’t the cheapest on our list, their plans are customizable, so you can get exactly what you need.

Faye’s optional trip cancellation and trip interruption packages let you cancel if you or your traveling companion have complications of pregnancy, as long as it’s verified by medical records.

It also has an optional Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) package, making it the perfect option for pregnant travelers.

Faye’s Medical coverage can treat complications to pregnancy if you become ill or affected while traveling, but coverage limits and availability may vary by state of residence and destination.

Read our full Faye review for more info

PROS

  • Friendly agents
  • Easy-to-use mobile app
  • Fast reimbursements for eligible claims
  • Prompt replies to questions

CONS

  • Long wait times for reimbursement
  • Difficulty reaching Faye outside of email & virtual chat

An Excellent Premium Plan

AXA Assistance USA

 4.22
GET A QUOTE via Squaremouth’s secure website
Preferred Plan
Platinum
Covers COVID
YES
Medical & Evacuation Limits Per Person
$250,000 / $1,000,000
Why We Like It

Editor's take

AXA Platinum is another popular plan among LA Times readers. This plan offers solid medical coverage for pregnant travelers and can cover medical emergencies related to pregnancy complications.

AXA Platinum also offers optional CFAR, which allows you flexibility to cancel your trip for any reason under the sun and still receive up to a 75% refund of your trip cost.

This plan offers higher accidental death and non-emergency evacuation limits than Seven Corners’ Trip Protection Choice plan, and it includes more covered reasons for cancellations, such as canceling for work reasons.

See our full AXA review here

PROS

  • High coverage limits in every category. Extremely comprehensive
  • Includes identity theft coverage & non-medical evacuation coverage
  • CFAR coverage reimburses 75% of prepaid travel expenses

CONS

  • Coverage cannot be extended unlike other plans
  • Medical limit is lower than other cheaper plans, but still sufficient

Best for Trips Within North America

Generali Global Assistance

 4.34
GET A QUOTE via Squaremouth’s secure website
Preferred Plan
Standard
Covers COVID
YES
Medical & Evacuation Limits Per Person
$50,000 / $250,000
Why We Like It

PROS

  • Lowest cost of all Generali Global Assistance plans
  • 24/7 emergency travel assistance included
  • Telemedicine included

CONS

  • Lower coverage than other Generali plans
  • Pre-existing conditions are not covered by the Standard plan
  • No coverage for accidental death and dismemberment during on-land travel

Offers Cancelation-Only Coverage

Full Policy Details

Battleface

 4.33
GET A QUOTE via Squaremouth’s secure website
Preferred Plan
Discovery
Covers COVID
YES (add-on)
Medical & Evacuation Limits Per Person
$100,000 (add-on) / $500,000 (add-on)
Why We Like It

Editor's take

Battleface is a unique provider as it offers build-it-yourself plans at very affordable prices. You start with a base plan and add whatever coverage you need until you have everything you want.

This helps keep the cost low as you avoid paying for unnecessary coverage.

Their cancelation package offers 100% trip reimbursement if you cancel for a covered reason, and this includes complications to pregnancy if documented by medical records.

You can also upgrade to Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) coverage and be reimbursed for up to 75% of your trip cost ($10,000 maximum limit).

Being able to opt for cancellation coverage only is ideal if you are traveling within the US where your existing healthcare can cover you for medical emergencies.

PROS

  • Plan is completely customizable & affordable with all add-ons
  • Forgoing unnecessary coverage makes this plan very cheap
  • High CFAR coverage limit (75% of trip costs)

CONS

  • CFAR not available for trips costing over $10,000/ travel party.
  • Secondary medical coverage with $50 deductible (when choosing this add-on)
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Coverages to look for when buying pregnancy travel insurance

The three main types of benefits we recommend for pregnant travelers are:

  1. Emergency medical & medevac coverage
  2. Cancellation and interruption coverage
  3. Optional CFAR coverage.

However, at a minimum, pregnant women should ensure they have health coverage in place regardless of the destination. Ensuring you can receive proper health care if pregnancy complications arise during a trip is paramount.

Emergency medical & medevac insurance

All travelers can benefit from travel medical insurance, but this is especially true for pregnant women who are at a higher risk for injury and illnesses that may require hospitalization.

Many medical travel insurance plans will cover pregnancy complications that arise during a trip, including ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, preeclampsia, and more. Since pregnancy increases your risk of developing health issues, we recommend looking for travel insurance that has limits above $250k for emergency medical treatment.

Being able to reach suitable medical care is of the utmost importance during a pregnancy. Medical evacuation coverage can pay for ambulance rides as well as helicopter transport to the nearest suitable medical facility, or even plane transportation back to your home country if deemed medically necessary. We recommend opting for limits of $500k and up.

Trip cancellation & interruption insurance

Your travel medical coverage usually allows for cancellation due to pregnancy complications. However, you may need additional coverage such as trip interruption coverage once your trip has started.

With trip cancellation coverage, most travel insurance providers will reimburse you for up to 100% of your nonrefundable trip costs if you cancel before your trip starts due to a reason covered by your policy. If your trip has already started, trip interruption coverage can kick in to provide financial support if you need to change your itinerary, or cut your trip short to return home. You can be reimbursed for up to 150% of your total travel costs. This can come in handy if a pregnancy-related complication occurs while traveling.

If you already knew you were pregnant before purchasing insurance then this is usually not a valid reason for cancelling your trip. However, pregnancy may be a valid reason if you find out after you’ve booked, for example, a Christmas trip to Mexico and paid for an insurance policy.

Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) coverage

If you’re worried about pregnancy complicating your ability to cancel a trip and get a refund, you may want to purchase “cancel for any reason” or CFAR travel insurance. This coverage lets you call off your trip for any reason and receive 50% to 80% of your prepaid trip cost back.

Now imagine you planned a trip to Mexico or France during pregnancy on purpose, but your healthcare provider becomes worried about blood clots and advises you not to travel. In this case, there are no active medical conditions preventing you from traveling, so your plan may not provide coverage at all. However, with a CFAR plan, you can cancel and still be refunded for the majority of your trip cost.

Other coverage that is good to have

While these may not be specific to pregnant people, they are great coverages to have, so we recommend looking for then when you buy.

Insurance for lost or delayed baggage

Pregnant travelers may be more comfortable with coverage for lost or delayed baggage which can help replace luggage and personal belongings lost by a common carrier (i.e. airline). Baggage delay insurance can also pay for incidental expenses that pop up when bags are delayed for a certain length of time (usually 6 to 12 hours) depending on the policy.

For example, if your baggage is held up for an extended period on a trip to Japan, you could be reimbursed for maternity clothing and toiletries you need during that time.

Trip delay & missed connection coverage

Trip delay coverage can pay for incidental expenses that result when a trip is delayed for reasons beyond the traveler’s control, including meals, hotel stays, and more. Missed connection coverage can help reimburse you for things like cruises and tours if you miss your connection while traveling.

Which pregnancy complications does travel insurance cover?

Common examples of pregnancy-related issues that travel insurance covers include:

Most plans will also cover non-elective cesarean sections, ectopic pregnancies which are terminated, and spontaneous termination of pregnancy which occurs during a period of gestation in which a viable birth is not possible.

All of the plans we mention above cover complications to pregnancies.

That said, each plan and provider is different, so ensure you review the policy information for mentions of pregnancy before you buy to understand exactly what is covered and excluded.

What is not covered by pregnancy travel insurance?

While pregnancy complications are covered by most travel insurance plans, any conditions related to managing a difficult pregnancy are not covered. That’s because travel insurance is built to cover emergencies and not routine healthcare.

It’s also important to note that some travel insurance policies may have exclusions or limitations related to pregnancy as a pre-existing condition.

Examples of normal pregnancy-related scenarios not covered by travel insurance include:

Childbirth

Childbirth without complications is not covered through travel insurance. The only scenario where childbirth could be covered is if the mother winds up with complications that arise during delivery. In that case, emergency medical expenses could be covered by a plan.

Disinclination to travel

Disinclination to travel due to pregnancy is not covered by any travel insurance except Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) insurance.

False labor

False labor is not typically covered through travel insurance, but pregnancy complications causing or resulting from false labor could be.

Physician-prescribed bed rest

If a physician prescribes bed rest during a trip, this is not covered through a traditional travel insurance plan. However, emergency medical evacuation coverage could apply if evacuation to your home country is deemed medically necessary.

Routine prenatal care

Also, note that typical prenatal care is not covered by travel insurance. This includes general medical care you might receive if you wind up experiencing morning sickness or spotting, as well as check-ups.

Airline rules for flying while pregnant

We already mentioned how commercial air carriers have their own rules regarding pregnant travelers.

However, you should know that most of their policies set limits on pregnant travel during the third trimester only, which wouldn’t impact travelers who are in their first trimester or taking a trip during their 24th week.

Here are some airline policies for pregnancy from several major air carriers:

What if I get pregnant after buying travel insurance?

If you become pregnant after purchasing a travel insurance policy, you should review your policy’s terms and conditions to determine what coverage you may have. It’s important to review your policy carefully and contact your travel insurance provider as soon as possible if you have any questions or concerns about your coverage. They can help you understand your policy’s coverage and options, and may be able to provide assistance.

Getting pregnant after you buy travel insurance is very common, especially since many people book airfare and hotels up to one year out.

If you are planning a trip but believe you might become pregnant before the travel date, it’s smart to keep that in mind as you figure out the exact dates for your vacation.

Things to consider when traveling while pregnant

If you’re planning on traveling while pregnant, you should consider the following as you plan your vacation.

General risks

According to Johns Hopkins, it is generally advised not to travel after 36 weeks of pregnancy for domestic trips, and after the 28th week of pregnancy for international travel. The CDC also advises against traveling while pregnant to countries that require pre-travel vaccination. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists notes that most common pregnancy emergencies usually happen in the first and third trimesters

If you have a history of any of the following conditions or complications, it may also be best to wait until after childbirth to travel:

Destination-specific travel risks

You may also be advised against traveling to destinations with specific risks, and you should do some research of what potential risks are before you book a trip.

For example, you may not want to travel while pregnant to:

*If planning to travel to a location with high levels of COVID-19, ensure you opt for a travel insurance plan that covers COVID as any other illness.

Best types of travel for pregnancy

Consider which types of travel may actually be enjoyable while you’re pregnant, and whether you’re better off just staying home and planning a future trip instead. Where a relaxing beach vacation could be excellent for pregnant mothers, high-stress trips or travel with lots of physical activity, such as a trip to celebrate Carnival in Brazil, may not be worth it.

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the best time to travel is mid-pregnancy (14 to 28 weeks). The ACOG always recommends speaking with your healthcare professional about travel during pregnancy and keeping your comfort and safety in mind as you make travel plans.

Flying while pregnant

The ACOG says that occasional air travel during a normal pregnancy not considered high-risk is typically safe. However, the organization says you should avoid flying if “you have a medical or pregnancy condition that may be made worse by flying or could require emergency medical care.”

To make air travel as comfortable as possible, the ACOG recommends the following:

Buying cancel for any reason (CFAR) coverage

CFAR insurance is the best type of insurance to get when you are pregnant. Purchasing “cancel for any reason” coverage from your insurance company can provide considerable peace of mind as it lets you cancel your trip for any reason at all and get part (usually 50% to 80%) of your pre-paid trip cost back. It’s typically sold as an add-on, so you can get medical coverage as well.

It’s also important to note that this coverage can reimburse you regardless of whether you have a pregnancy complication. So, you can use it to cancel your trip and get reimbursement even if you just decide to stay home. However, this is the most expensive type of travel insurance. Therefore, additional premiums will apply if you want to add CFAR coverage to your travel insurance plan.

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Pregnancy travel insurance FAQ

Do you need to tell travel insurance you are pregnant?

You don’t need to tell your travel insurance company you’re pregnant unless this information is requested when you apply. However, if you have any doubts about coverage for pregnancy, it may be helpful to let your provider know when you book.

Does travel insurance cover cancellation due to pregnancy?

Some plans include pregnancy as a reason for trip cancellation, but many do not. Make sure to read over your policy details so you know for sure. When in doubt, opt for a cancel for any reason travel policy.

Is travel insurance more expensive when pregnant?

Pregnancy travel coverage isn’t necessarily more expensive. You can find affordable travel insurance covering the most common risks of pregnancy. However, pregnant travelers may want to purchase comprehensive coverage with higher limits for emergency medical expenses and medical evacuation. In this case, it would be more expensive than simply having basic coverage.

Does travel insurance cover childbirth?

Travel insurance does not cover the expenses of traditional childbirth. However, some expenses may be covered if complications occur that require medical intervention.

About the Author

Holly D. Johnson
Holly D. Johnson Finance Expert

Holly D. Johnson is an award-winning personal finance writer who covers topics like insurance, investing, credit and family finance. As a leading voice in the travel and loyalty space, Johnson has traveled with her family to more than 50 countries over the last decade.

The author has also written extensively on the power of household budgeting, and she even co-authored a book on the topic. Zero Down Your Debt: Reclaim Your Income and Build a Life You’ll Love was originally published in 2017, and it teaches families how to use zero-sum budgeting to reach their financial goals. She is also the co-owner and founder of the family finance and travel website, ClubThrifty.com.

Johnson’s 10+ years of writing have focused on helping families make important financial decisions at each stage of their lives. The author also applies the financial principles she teaches to her own life, and she is currently on track to retire in her late 40’s with her partner. She currently lives in Central Indiana with her husband and children, and she is a regular contributor for Bankrate, CNN, Forbes, U.S. News and World Report Travel and many other notable publications.

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