Lufthansa Travel Insurance - 2024 Review

Deutsche Lufthansa AG, commonly shortened to Lufthansa, is the flagship carrier of Germany. Lufthansa Group, including its subsidiary carriers, It is the second-largest airline in Europe in terms of passengers carried.

Lufthansa travel insurance is offered during check-out from its website, here in the USA. We’ll look at what’s covered in their insurance as well as what other options are available in the open marketplace through TravelDefenders.

We like Lufthansa as an airline, particularly for its European short-haul cover. Lufthansa has worked hard to update and improve its long-haul fleet and the improvements are noticeable. Certainly, a direct trip from the USA to Germany is worth experiencing with Lufthansa.

Lufthansa Travel Insurance – New York to Munich

For our sample flight, we booked travel from New York to Munich, Germany on November. Munich is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. It sits in the foothills of the mountains of Bavaria. Great food, wonderful beer, and hospitable people.

One of the first things you’ll notice when selecting your flights is that not all fares are shown. We opted for Business class and were shown only Business and First but not Economy nor Premium Economy. However, not all the Business class fares are shown. Once we selected Business class over First Class, we’re given an option of three versions of Business class to select, each with varying benefits.

The difference between the fares generally has to do with rebooking penalties and/or refundable tickets. The least expensive if the Business Basic at $1,629.80 which will allow a rebooking without a fee but will not provide a refund. Business Basic Plus at $2,829.80 will also allow rebooking and will refund after a $900 penalty. Finally, Business Flex will allow both rebooking without a penalty and refunds without the $900 penalty. We stayed with Business Basic and continued on to finalize the trip.

While you have the normal option of paying in full for your flight, you can also pay monthly though Uplift. When you are ready to finalize your cost, a popup is shown reminding you that you can still opt to pay monthly instead of paying in full. We were a bit surprised at how pushy the site was about paying monthly.

On the check-out page for our $8,264.96 flight, Lufthansa travel insurance is offered.

The policy is provided by AIG, a well-respected travel insurer. However, like other airlines, the policy provided by AIG is an ‘International Air Ticket Plan’. The premium is $578.54, so let’s look at what this policy actually covers.

The first thing we notice is that the policy information clearly states that the insurance only applies to the trip cost purchased through Lufthansa and NOT for any other costs made through third-parties. These can be hotels, rental cars, tours or excursions or even rail passes.

Lufthansa Travel Insurance – Weak Coverage for International Travel

Looking at the AIG policy, the standard schedule of benefits is shown below:

The policy covers trip cancellation, trip interruption, trip delay, missed connection and baggage coverage – standard coverages for travel insurance. However, we have to look farther into the policy down to page 26 to find the medical coverage listed in Part 2, which almost seemed as an afterthought tacked onto the regular air ticket policy.

The medical coverage is $15,000 and medical evacuation $25,000 which is quite low for international travel. TravelDefenders recommends having a minimum of $100,000 of medical coverage and $250,000 minimum for medical evacuation coverage when traveling outside the US.

Using these minimums as a guideline, the AIG policy would woefully underinsure a traveler needing medical assistance overseas, leaving them to pay the balance out-of-pocket!

Now that we’ve seen what Lufthansa can provide, let’s look at the same trip, quoted from a few of the travel insurance carriers at TravelDefenders.

TravelDefenders – Travel Insurance Marketplace

Inputting our trip details into the quoting system at TravelDefenders, we’re presented with 8 options to choose from. The least expensive plan with adequate medical coverage is the Trawick First Class for $560.22 which is the total cost for both travelers combined.

The policy provides $150,000 of medical coverage and $1 million of medical evacuation coverage as well as trip cancellation, trip interruption, and baggage coverage. Not surprisingly, the policy is less expensive than the AIG policy and provides much better coverage all around.

This is why it makes sense to shop around when looking for Lufthansa travel insurance. There are great options to choose from.

TravelDefenders – One Site – Many Carriers

Think of us at TravelDefenders as Amazon for travel insurance. Comparison shopping is easy. At TravelDefenders we make comparing travel insurance easy. You do not need to go to every carrier. At TravelDefenders we typically like to compare around 10 - 25 different insurance plans for our customers. The beauty of insurance comparison is you get to see all the best prices in the market.

Does TravelDefenders charge More?

You won’t find the same trip insurance plans available at a better price – price certainty is guaranteed as a result of anti-discriminatory insurance law in the US. This is really powerful consumer protection.

A travel insurance marketplace like TravelDefenders will offer a multitude of different plans from some of the most respected travel insurance carriers in the country. You will only need a few minutes to check value for money, cover, and insurance carrier ratings.

Enjoy your next trip to the Germany or elsewhere with Lufthansa. Remember to pack your travel insurance.

Safe travels!