AIG Travel Guard, a global provider of travel insurance and assistance plans, has announced major new enhancements to its portfolio of travel insurance plans that address the varying needs of American travelers -- from family concerns to work concerns; emergency medical evacuations home to the flexibility of cancelling a trip for any reason.

"This represents the most significant change to our core travel insurance plan portfolio since we pioneered the introduction of age-based products in the late 1990's," said John Noel, Travel Guard's chief executive officer. "With these new enhancements, we have greatly improved our already very comprehensive and cost-effective plan options and now offer one of the most robust product lines of any one plan provider."

Four of the major coverage upgrades and options added to Travel Guard's per trip, bundled travel insurance plans include:

-- Cancel for Any Reason -- A new coverage that reimburses 50-75 percent of the trip cancellation penalty (based on plan purchased) if the insured cancels a covered trip for any reason, up to 48 hours prior to departure. Cancel for Any Reason, which must be purchased within 15 days of initial trip deposit, is offered as an optional, add-on coverage to Travel Guard's Cruise Tour & Travel, ProtectAssist and My Travel Guard insurance plans.
-- All Kids 17 or under at No Additional Charge -- ProtectAssist becomes the ultimate family travel insurance plan with the announcement that all children age 17 or under are covered at no additional cost if they are related to the primary insured.
-- Cancel for Work Reasons -- For travelers who may be unexpectedly forced to cancel a vacation due to work obligations, Travel Guard now offers an optional package of trip cancellation coverages for work-related reasons. For travelers who don't have to cancel their trip but may be required to work while on vacation, this package also includes "Business Assistant" services*, which offers emergency dictation; business correspondence assistance; "411" global directory
service; wireless accessory replacement assistance; etc. This new option is just a $24 add-on to Cruise, Tour & Travel, ProtectAssist and My Travel Guard plans.
-- Medical Evacuation Home -- Travel Guard is the only travel insurance provider with comprehensive per trip travel insurance plans that now cover medical evacuation home or to the hospital of choice. This optional upgrade is available on Cruise, Tour & Travel, ProtectAssist
and My Travel Guard plans. Other enhancements that directly address the diverse needs of today's travelers include:
-- Identity Theft Restoration* -- In the event an insured's ID or credit cards are stolen while traveling, Travel Guard will cancel the insured's credit cards, monitor credit ratings and provide assistance with restoration of their identity. Available on Cruise, Tour & Travel and ProtectAssist plans.
-- Maximum trip cancellation coverage limit raised to $100,000 on selected plans.
-- Consumers are now eligible for travel delay coverage when delayed five hours or more on Travel Guard's Cruise, Tour & Travel and ProtectAssist plans for covered reasons (previously the benefit was paid after delays of six to 12 hours, depending on the plan selected).
-- Limit for baggage loss coverage has been increased to $2,500 (from $1,000) on Cruise, Tour and Travel plan, and limit for baggage delay increased from $200 to $500.
-- An optional Umbrella Package has been added to two of Travel Guard's top of the line plans, which, if elected, doubles the medical expense coverage and upgrades the medical evacuation coverage to include transportation home or to insured's hospital of choice.
-- Maximum trip interruption coverage limit increased to 150 percent of trip cost on Cruise, Tour & Travel and ProtectAssist plans.

AIG Travel Guard is one of America's leading providers of travel insurance plans for more than 6 million travelers each year. Travel insurance plans through AIG Travel Guard are distributed by more than 12,000 travel agents across the United States.

Travel insurance through AIG Travel Guard may include coverage for trip cancellation, travel interruptions and delays, emergency medical expenses, medical evacuation expenses, and lost or delayed baggage. AIG Travel Guard's plans also includes 24-hour travel emergency service* for emergency medical assistance, last-minute or emergency travel changes, lost luggage tracking, pre-trip travel advice, and more. AIG Travel Guard is a wholly owned subsidiary of AIG Travel, Inc., a member company of American International Group, Inc. (AIG). American International Group, Inc. (AIG), world leaders in insurance and financial services, is the leading international insurance organization with operations in more than 130 countries and jurisdictions. AIG companies serve commercial, institutional and individual customers through the most extensive worldwide property-casualty and life insurance networks of any insurer. In addition, AIG companies are leading providers of retirement services, financial services and asset management around the world. AIG's common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, as well as the stock exchanges in Paris, Switzerland and Tokyo.

Insurance is underwritten by National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, Pa, a Pennsylvania Insurance Company (NAIC #19445) with their principal place of business at 70 Pine Street, New York, NY 10270 and a member of the AIG Companies(R), currently authorized to transact business in all states and the District of Columbia. The Policy will contain reductions, limitations, exclusions, and termination provisions. All coverages may not be available in all states.

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Related:  Travel Insurance - Trip Cancellation - Flight - Medical