HTH Worldwide Travel Insurance Review (2023)

HTH Worldwide provides three different types of travel insurance coverage. It partners with GeoBlue to offer travel health insurance for short-term trips and expats staying overseas for long periods. Worldwide Insurance Services, LLC owns both the HTH and GeoBlue brands. However, unlike GeoBlue, HTH offers traditional trip protection policies with coverage for emergency medical care and trip interruption and cancellation.

HTH Worldwide’s TripProtector insurance comes in three tiers, with the Economy plan offering basic cancellation, interruption and baggage loss coverage. The Classic and Preferred levels offer similar plans with higher limits and more features. All plans protect against medical emergencies during the trip and offer medical evacuation and death and dismemberment insurance. Group discounts of 10% are available for policies covering five or more people.

TripProtector Economy is the budget travel insurance plan from HTH Worldwide. It includes emergency medical coverage and trip cancellation protection. Like other cheaper travel insurance policies, the Economy plan provides comprehensive coverage with lower coverage limits.

• 100% trip cancellation coverage up to $5,000
• 125% trip interruption insurance
• $250 per item for lost baggage and personal items ($750 max)
• $100 baggage delay protection (after 24 hours)
• $250 for missed connections
• $75,000 medical emergency insurance (per insured person)
• $500,000 for emergency evacuations
• $25,000 for death and dismemberment
• $15,000 for repatriation of remains

Medical benefits for TripProtector plans provided through Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company.

Optional Riders

Insurance riders are clauses changing the details of an insurance policy. Frequently, an insurance company will use riders to add specific coverage or increase limits.

Rather than purchasing individual add-ons using riders, customers can upgrade to the HTH Worldwide’s TripProtector Classic plan. Here are the limit increases that come with it.

• 100% cancellation insurance up to $25,000
• 150% interruption coverage
• $250,000 emergency medical
• $1 million evacuation
• $1,000 maximum for lost baggage or personal effects

If the Economy plan provides sufficient coverage, you can purchase a pre-existing condition exclusion waiver within 14 days of your first trip deposit.

Policies Offered

Here is a comparison of the three comprehensive trip protection plans from HTH Worldwide. The limits and benefits are based on a solo 40-year-old traveler without pre-existing conditions vacationing outside the U.S.

Companies decide on travel insurance policy costs based on a number of factors. These variables help them calculate the risk of providing coverage to a customer. For single-trip plans, most insurers make pricing decisions based on the trip cost, destination, age of the travelers, itinerary activities, pre-existing medical conditions and trip dates.

HTH Worldwide offers competitive pricing. Insurers offering lower premiums also usually have lower coverage maximums.

Cost of International Travel Insurance

Here is an example of trip coverage pricing for a vacation to Mexico for two 50-year-old travelers without pre-existing medical conditions. The itinerary is worth $4,000, and travel takes place from Aug. 1 to Aug. 10, 2023.

Cost for Medical Insurance Plans

HTH Worldwide also offers travel healthcare coverage. This option could be worth it for people who already have cancellation insurance through a credit card. The pricing uses the same travel parameters as the previous example. However, healthcare coverage requires that the two travelers be eligible family members (spouses, natural children or legal dependants).

HTH Worldwide offers assistance to policyholders via its Global Health and Safety Services. This 24/7 travel assistance is available for all insurance plans from HTH. You can access this assistance by phone (toll-free or collect calls).

Services are also available via the mPassport mobile app or web platform. Policyholders can access a list of physicians or hospitals accepting direct payment from the insurance company and make appointments directly on the app or site.

HTH Worldwide has over 400 reviews on Squaremouth as of June 2023. Many of the positive reviews focus on the ease of the purchase process and access via the mobile app and website. Some reviewers complained that the claims process was complex and that it was difficult to connect with HTH via phone.

Here are four examples of reviews from verified Squaremouth customers.

“I have nothing but high praise for the experience. All questions were answered and the information was complete with zero confusion. Thankfully I did not need to utilize my coverage, but I traveled with the confidence that if I needed it would be there. I will definitely use this service again and recommend this to my friends and family.” —John from NY

“First of all, the website is clear and simple and it was easy to buy the travel insurance online.
We had some minor health issues in Singapore and upon return, I filed a claim. No questions asked and claim was processed. We had our refunds. Recommended my sister-in-law (she left for Europe) 2 days ago and she purchased a package from HTH.” —May Kim from NY

“Trip to Peru/Machu Picchu was canceled due to several issues in Peru, [primarily] being no train service to Machu Picchu. Trawick provided conflicting information on whether the claim was covered. It is clear that they are doing everything they can to avoid paying a claim, or provide other options, as promised. Use another, reputable insurance provider!” —Peter Lievense

“HTH Travel says it has 24/7 customer service, but this only applies for emergency medical care. For everything else, you have to contact them during regular business hours on Eastern U.S. time zone, which is very difficult to do from many international locations. They are also very busy during their business hours, so I was never able to speak to an agent during our trip. I left a message with my contact information to receive a call when an agent was available, after being prompted to do so due to the high call volume. I was never contacted.” —A from GA

HTH Worldwide responded with the following: We are sorry about your experience. Due to the strain of the pandemic and higher than normal inquiry volumes, we are doing our best to respond to all inquiries in the order they were received. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work through these unprecedented circumstances.

“I don’t understand why it had been so difficult to get the proper claims forms from HTH/Nationwide. I had to call multiple times only to receive PDF forms to fill out that have limited space and are cumbersome. HTH hold times are unacceptable, and it’s amazing to me that the claims process isn’t digital. HTH proves that it’s easy to buy an insurance policy but difficult to make it work in times of need.” —Sven from NY

HTH Worldwide responded with the following:

1. Go to https://hthtravelinsurance.com/index.cfm
2. Click on “member login” in the top righthand corner.
3. Click on “Register here”
4. Enter your certificate number, First name, last name.
5. Click “continue”
6. Policy documents will appear in member portal.
   If you have any issues with this process, please reach out to our customer service team at 610-254-8769 or email [email protected].

HTH Worldwide directs TripProtector customers to its claims page (https://hthtravelinsurance.com/TP_TPP_Claims.cfm). This page has downloadable PDF versions of claims forms and information about supporting documentation. The company also says you can request forms by email, fax, phone or standard mail.

HTH Worldwide provides the following contacts for claims-related submissions and questions.

Medical Claims:
Telephone:  888.243.2358
Fax: 610.293.3528
Mail:
HTH Worldwide
933 First Avenue
King of Prussia, PA 19406
Email: [email protected]

All other claims
Telephone:  866.655.30358
Mail:
HTH Worldwide
P.O. Box 939057
San Diego, CA 92193-9057
Email: [email protected]

HTH Worldwide offers its TripProtector cancellation policies with Nationwide Insurance and travel health insurance plans through GeoBlue.

HTH Worldwide earned a rating of 4.38 out of 5 on our rating system. It offers three plans providing comprehensive coverage and the option to access medical-only coverage through GeoBlue. The 10% discount given to groups for the TripConnector plans helps make HTH Worldwide our top choice for group insurance plans. We recommend that you get at least three quotes when shopping for travel insurance to find the best policy for your needs and budget.

Our team surveyed dozens of travel insurance providers and created a scoring system to judge each company’s quality and service. We reached out for sample quotes, both over the phone and on the internet, to simulate an authentic customer experience. Here are the factors that account for our provider reviews:

• Plan availability (20%): We looked for insurers with a variety of plans and the ability to customize the policy with upgrades.
• Coverage (40%): Among the benefits scored were medical expenses, medical and nonmedical evacuation, COVID-19 coverage, preexisting condition exclusion waivers, “cancel for any reason” coverage, trip interruption, travel delay time requirements, baggage delay time requirements, baggage reimbursement and financial default of a travel supplier. Special consideration was given to companies offering unique add-ons, such as extreme sports coverage, coverage for business equipment and pet coverage.
• Customer service and support (30%): We looked for indicators that a company is well-prepared to respond to customer needs. Companies with an established global resource network, a 24/7 emergency hotline, robust mobile apps and perks like concierge and translation services scored higher.
• Reputation (10%): We gauge reputation by evaluating consumer reviews, third-party financial strength and customer experience ratings, specifically from AM Best and the Better Business Bureau.

Josh Lew is a travel journalist and writer based in the midwestern U.S. He has been active for the past decade, covering airlines, international destinations and ecotourism for sites like TravelPulse and TreeHugger. He currently contributes to World Words.