Travel Insurance for Europe: What You Actually Need and What Is Redundant

What Really Matters in Travel Insurance

Travel insurance policies are frequently sold with complex add-ons and inflated coverage limits. For travel in Europe, only two components provide catastrophic financial protection: emergency medical evacuation and emergency medical treatment.

Schengen Visa Requirements

If you travel on a passport that requires a Schengen Visa, your insurance policy must satisfy specific European Union legal requirements:

• Minimum medical coverage of at least €30,000.
• Coverage valid across all Schengen member states.
• Explicit coverage for emergency hospitalization, medical treatment, and repatriation of remains.

Credit Card Built-In Coverage vs Dedicated Policies

Premium travel cards (such as Chase Sapphire Preferred/Reserve or Amex Platinum) provide primary car rental collision damage waivers (CDW), trip delay compensation, and lost baggage reimbursement as long as the travel was charged to that card. However, their emergency medical limits are often lower than dedicated travel medical policies from specialized providers like SafetyWing, World Nomads, or Allianz.