---
title: "What is Travel medical insurance? | Benefit Systems"
description: "Travel medical insurance covers medical treatment abroad, including repatriation, which state health systems usually do not pay for."
source: "aus dem gebauten HTML abgeleitet"
---
# What is Travel medical insurance?

Travel medical insurance covers medical treatment abroad, including repatriation, which state health systems usually do not pay for.

Also called: Emergency medical cover.

## How it works #

Medically necessary repatriation is the largest single cost of falling ill abroad and the point where policies differ most: some pay only when transport is medically necessary, others also when it is medically sensible. Card-provided cover often applies for a limited number of days and only when the trip was paid for with that card.

## Not to be confused with #

Travel medical insurance is not the same as trip cancellation insurance: one pays for treatment abroad, the other for the cost of a trip never taken.

## In German #

The German term is Auslandskrankenversicherung. [German version of this term](/de/glossar/auslandskrankenversicherung)

## Related terms #

- [Pre-existing condition](/en/glossary/pre-existing-condition): A pre-existing condition is a health issue that existed before cover started or before departure and can limit what a policy pays.
- [Primary coverage](/en/glossary/primary-coverage): Primary coverage means a card’s insurance pays first in a claim; secondary coverage only pays what another policy has not already covered.
- [Deductible](/en/glossary/deductible): A deductible is the amount the insured person pays on every claim before the insurer covers the remainder.

## Articles that use this term #

- [Do you need travel medical insurance?](/en/knowledge/travel-medical-insurance)
- [Does travel insurance cover pre-existing conditions?](/en/knowledge/pre-existing-conditions)
- [What does your card’s travel insurance actually cover?](/en/knowledge/card-travel-insurance)