Insurance · Travel medical

Best snowbird travel insurance in Canada

We compare 9 major Canadian travel-medical providers on what actually decides a snowbird policy — coverage maximum, age limits, the pre-existing stability window, COVID-19 handling and deductibles. Every figure is sourced to the provider's own policy wording. Premiums are quote-based, so we don't publish fake prices.

Compare providers How it works

The 9 providers at a glance

Sorted with the household-name insurers first. "Stability period" is the window your pre-existing conditions must be unchanged before departure — the single biggest cause of denied snowbird claims.

Provider	Max coverage	Max issue age	Stability window	COVID-19
Manulife (CoverMe) Canada’s largest travel insurer	$10 million per insured person	No single maximum confirmed; family coverage requires all members under 60	90 days (Rate Category A / age 59 and under); 180 days (Categories B and C)	Covered as emergency medical for departures on/after Feb 28, 2022 if fully vaccinated ≥14 days before the trip; includes a quarantine-expense benefit	Review
Allianz Global Assistance No stated age limit	$10 million (retail emergency-medical plans)	No stated age limit on retail plans	150 days if 65+; 90 days if under 65	Emergency medical covered if no Government of Canada Level 3/4 COVID advisory for the destination at the policy effective date	Review
TuGo Optional unstable pre-existing coverage	$10 million	No published maximum issue age (available for all ages)	180 days if 60+; under 60: 7 days (trips ≤35 days) or 90 days (trips >35 days); no stability requirement on Canada-only plans	Covered up to policy limits if you meet federal entry/return requirements; available regardless of vaccination status for policies bought on/after Oct 4, 2022	Review
RBC Insurance Unlimited medical maximum	Unlimited (with valid government health coverage for the full trip); $20,000 cap without it	Annual multi-trip by age band — to 74 (4-Day Getaway), to 64 (Classic Medical)	90, 180 or 365 days depending on the plan tier	Emergency medical covers COVID-19 for departures on/after Jan 1, 2021 if the destination is at a Government of Canada Level 3 advisory or lower (not Level 4)	Review
MEDOC (belairdirect, formerly Johnson) Association/retiree favourite	$10 million per insured person, per trip	Not isolated from the policy wording reviewed	90 days	Trip cancellation/interruption if you test positive before travel; coverage continues for safe evacuation if a Government of Canada advisory is issued after departure	Details
CAA Travel Insurance Members save up to 20%	Up to $5 million	Maximum age 85	Under 60 and 60–69: stable 3 months; 70–84: stable 6 months (Vacation Package)	Not confirmed in the reviewed policy wording (would be treated as any other emergency illness)	Details
GMS TravelStar Widest deductible choice	$5 million	Single-trip: no age limit; annual multi-trip: age 79 or younger	180 days	COVID-19 medical expenses covered under an additional limit (confirm the exact amount in the current policy wording)	Details
21st Century Travel Insurance Highest age ceiling	$10 million per insured person	Ages 0–111 (minimum 30 days old)	Defined in the policy; not isolated in the pages reviewed	Not confirmed on the pages reviewed	Details
Blue Cross (regional) Buy from your home-province Blue Cross	$5 million in most regions; $10 million at Pacific Blue Cross (BC)	Varies — annual plans to 74 (Manitoba) up to 85 (Alberta; Saskatchewan on shorter trips)	Typically 3 months under ~55/60 and 6 months at 55/60+; Manitoba uses 7-day / 90-day / 365-day tiers	Generally covered under emergency medical for vaccinated travellers (varies by region; the Saskatchewan policy form shows a pandemic exclusion — confirm)	Details

Coverage maximums, age limits and stability windows are taken from each provider's own policy wording or website (linked in every card below). Where a detail couldn't be confirmed on a primary source, we say so rather than guess.

Provider details

Manulife (CoverMe)

Underwritten by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company (Manulife)

Canada’s largest travel insurer

A $10M plan with a clean age-60 underwriting line, five deductible tiers, and a TravelEase option built specifically for pre-existing conditions.

Max coverage: $10 million per insured person
Max issue age: No single maximum confirmed; family coverage requires all members under 60
Stability window: 90 days (Rate Category A / age 59 and under); 180 days (Categories B and C)
Medical questionnaire: None under age 60; required at 60+
Trip length: Single trip (set your own length); annual multi-trip with 4/10/18/30/60-day per-trip options; extension and top-up available
COVID-19: Covered as emergency medical for departures on/after Feb 28, 2022 if fully vaccinated ≥14 days before the trip; includes a quarantine-expense benefit
Deductible: $0 / $500 (save 10%) / $1,000 (15%) / $5,000 (30%) / $10,000 (35%)
24/7 assistance: Active Care Management (Active Claims Management Inc.); Manulife TravelAid app — 24/7

Plans

Single-Trip Emergency Medical Plan
TravelEase (covers emergency costs related to a pre-existing condition)
Multi-Trip Emergency Medical Plan (annual)
Multi-Trip All-Inclusive Plan (annual)
Emergency Medical Top-Up

For retirees & snowbirds

Age 60 is the dividing line: under 60 means no medical questionnaire and a 90-day stability window; 60+ triggers a questionnaire and a 180-day window.
TravelEase is built for travellers with pre-existing conditions (quote by phone).
10-day free look; single-trip is refundable if you return early, but multi-trip plans are non-refundable; 50% savings when the whole trip is within Canada.

What to confirm before you rely on this

The emergency-medical policy PDF reviewed is dated November 2019 — verify the current in-market wording before relying on exact figures.
Maximum issue age not stated on the pages reviewed; the age cut-points between Rate Categories B and C are not published.
Pre-treatment assistance-call penalty: policy PDF says 20% of eligible expenses, the multi-trip product page says 25% — confirm against current wording.

Visit provider site Read review

Sources

Allianz Global Assistance

Underwritten by CUMIS General Insurance Company (member of The Co-operators group)

No stated age limit

High coverage cap with no published age ceiling, but 65+ face a longer 150-day stability window and a required medical questionnaire.

Max coverage: $10 million (retail emergency-medical plans)
Max issue age: No stated age limit on retail plans
Stability window: 150 days if 65+; 90 days if under 65
Medical questionnaire: Required at 65+ (quote by phone)
Trip length: Single trip up to 365 days; annual multi-trip with 4/8/15/35-day per-trip caps
COVID-19: Emergency medical covered if no Government of Canada Level 3/4 COVID advisory for the destination at the policy effective date
Deductible: Optional deductible up to $500 (lowers premium)
24/7 assistance: Allianz Global Assistance (AZGA Service Canada Inc.)

Plans

Emergency Medical Plan (single trip up to 365 days)
Comprehensive Package (single trip up to 365 days)
Emergency Medical Multi-trip Plan (unlimited trips; 4/8/15/35-day caps)
Comprehensive Multi-trip Package (15 or 35-day caps)

For retirees & snowbirds

Marketed to travellers aged 60 and older; 65+ require a medical questionnaire and a 150-day pre-existing-condition stability window.
You must call Allianz before seeking treatment — failure can cut reimbursement by 30%; cardiac procedures and medical transport need advance approval.
Coverage is secondary (pays in excess of any other plan); claims must be filed within 90 days; 10-day free-look refund if you have not departed.

What to confirm before you rely on this

The 150/90-day stability split and "no age limit" are confirmed on the seniors marketing page; the policy-wording PDF located is the airline-distributed Classic certificate ($5M, age ≤64, 90-day). Confirm the current RETAIL policy-wording PDF before publishing exact stability/age terms.
Confirm whether the COVID epidemic/pandemic exclusion in the older certificate still appears in the current retail wording.
Province-specific eligibility (e.g. Quebec rules) and any very-high-age (80+) restrictions not confirmed on a primary source.

Visit provider site Read review

Sources

TuGo

Underwritten by Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services Inc. (iA)

Optional unstable pre-existing coverage

A $10M plan from iA with an unusual option to cover unstable pre-existing conditions, plus a Canada-only and a USA-excluded variant.

Max coverage: $10 million
Max issue age: No published maximum issue age (available for all ages)
Stability window: 180 days if 60+; under 60: 7 days (trips ≤35 days) or 90 days (trips >35 days); no stability requirement on Canada-only plans
Medical questionnaire: Required at 60+ (sets your rate, not eligibility); wrong answers trigger a US$15,000 deductible
Trip length: Single trip or Multi Trip Annual (per-trip day cap set at purchase); up to 212 days where the province allows
COVID-19: Covered up to policy limits if you meet federal entry/return requirements; available regardless of vaccination status for policies bought on/after Oct 4, 2022
Deductible: Voluntary deductibles available to lower premium (amounts quote-level); separate US$15,000 medical-questionnaire deductible for inaccurate answers
24/7 assistance: OneWorld Assist Inc. ("Claims at TuGo") — 24/7, 27 languages

Plans

Emergency Medical Insurance — Single Trip (Worldwide)
Emergency Medical Insurance — Multi Trip Annual (Worldwide)
Single Trip Worldwide excluding USA
Travel Within Canada (Single & Multi Trip Annual)

For retirees & snowbirds

Travellers 60+ must complete a medical questionnaire; it sets the rate, not eligibility — so coverage is broadly available with accurate answers.
Optional Unstable Pre-existing Medical Condition Coverage and Cancel For Any Reason are available — rare among snowbird plans.
Long-stay snowbirds can buy up to 212 days where their province permits stays beyond six months (BC, AB, MB, ON, NB, NS).
Includes TuGo Telemedicine (no deductible on the telemedicine call) and 24/7 in-house assistance.

What to confirm before you rely on this

Maximum issue age: policy says "all ages" with no explicit cap found — confirm whether iA/TuGo enforces an upper age at quote stage.
Voluntary deductible dollar amounts are quote-level and not published.
Policy PDF is hosted on an MSH/AWS bucket used by a TuGo distribution partner; re-confirm the current wording version from a tugo.com-hosted PDF before publishing.

Visit provider site Read review

Sources

RBC Insurance

Underwritten by RBC Insurance Company of Canada

Unlimited medical maximum

The only major plan with an unlimited emergency-medical maximum (with valid government coverage), plus a path for 65–74s to skip the questionnaire on short trips.

Max coverage: Unlimited (with valid government health coverage for the full trip); $20,000 cap without it
Max issue age: Annual multi-trip by age band — to 74 (4-Day Getaway), to 64 (Classic Medical)
Stability window: 90, 180 or 365 days depending on the plan tier
Medical questionnaire: Required at 65+; TravelCare Gold lets 65–74 skip it for trips ≤15 days
Trip length: Base trips to 183 days; annual multi-trip per-trip options 9/16/30/60 days; TravelCare Gold allows single trips over 183 up to 365 days
COVID-19: Emergency medical covers COVID-19 for departures on/after Jan 1, 2021 if the destination is at a Government of Canada Level 3 advisory or lower (not Level 4)
Deductible: Per-claim deductible shown on the policy declaration page (selectable amounts not published)
24/7 assistance: Assured Assistance Inc. (an RBC company) — 24/7

Plans

TravelCare package (Single Trip & Annual Multi-Trip)
Classic Medical / Gold / Silver / Bronze Medical
4-Day Getaway Multi-Trip Annual Medical Plan

For retirees & snowbirds

Emergency medical is unlimited as long as you keep valid government health coverage for the whole trip — without it the cap drops to $20,000.
The TravelCare Gold path lets 65–74-year-olds travelling 15 days or less buy without the medical questionnaire.
COVID-19 is covered as emergency medical except to Level 4 "avoid all travel" destinations.

What to confirm before you rely on this

Selectable deductible amounts not disclosed on primary marketing pages.
The 90/180/365-day stability tiering is confirmed; mapping each tier to a specific named plan needs the matching policy booklet.

Visit provider site Read review

Sources

MEDOC (belairdirect, formerly Johnson)

Underwritten by Belair Insurance Company Inc. (since the July 1, 2025 rebrand; formerly Royal & Sun Alliance)

Association/retiree favourite

A $10M annual plan with a short 90-day stability window, sold through retiree and alumni associations — a long-time favourite of federal retirees.

Max coverage: $10 million per insured person, per trip
Max issue age: Not isolated from the policy wording reviewed
Stability window: 90 days
Medical questionnaire: Health questionnaire applies
Trip length: Annual plan; base 17 or 35 consecutive days per trip; longer trips need a Supplemental (top-up) plan; unlimited in-Canada trips
COVID-19: Trip cancellation/interruption if you test positive before travel; coverage continues for safe evacuation if a Government of Canada advisory is issued after departure
Deductible: Deductible option selectable (specific amounts not published)
24/7 assistance: MEDOC Claims Assistance Centre, operated by Global Excel Management — 24/7

Plans

MEDOC Travel Plan (annual emergency medical), now branded belairdirect travel insurance

For retirees & snowbirds

Requires membership in good standing of a sponsoring association/group (alumni, retiree, professional) — popular with federal retirees via Federal Retirees / CURAC.
Positioned as first-payer out-of-province coverage that coordinates with provincial health and group plans like the PSHCP.
Short 90-day stability window is friendlier than the 180-day windows on several competitors.

What to confirm before you rely on this

Underwriter changed from Royal & Sun Alliance to Belair Insurance Company Inc. with the July 1, 2025 belairdirect rebrand — confirm on the current effective-date wording.
Base trip days (17/35) are version/group-specific; a 40-day base appears in some group plans.
Maximum issue age and any Quebec/provincial eligibility limits not confirmed on a primary source.

Visit provider site

Sources

CAA Travel Insurance

Underwritten by Echelon Insurance (Orion Travel Insurance); BCAA underwrites in British Columbia

Members save up to 20%

A $5M plan issuing to age 85, with a CAA-member discount of up to 20% and one of the higher age ceilings among snowbird plans.

Max coverage: Up to $5 million
Max issue age: Maximum age 85
Stability window: Under 60 and 60–69: stable 3 months; 70–84: stable 6 months (Vacation Package)
Medical questionnaire: Required at 60+
Trip length: Annual multi-trip with 4/8/15/30/60-day per-trip options; top-up extends to a maximum 365 days from departure
COVID-19: Not confirmed in the reviewed policy wording (would be treated as any other emergency illness)
Deductible: Per-claim deductible (USD) shown on the declaration page (amounts not published)
24/7 assistance: CAA Assistance via Xodus Travel Services / Global Excel — 24/7

Plans

Emergency Medical — Single Trip
Annual Multi-Trip Plan
Vacation Packages
Top-Ups

For retirees & snowbirds

Issues up to age 85 — higher than several competitors.
CAA members save 10% (Classic/Plus) to 20% (Premier); non-members can buy at standard rates.
A new medical questionnaire is required for any extension or top-up.

What to confirm before you rely on this

COVID-19 treatment not located in the reviewed policy PDF — confirm on a current CAA club product page.
Selectable deductible amounts not confirmed; one tier references a $5,000 first-responsibility.
Underwriter varies by region (Echelon in ON/Atlantic/MB/SK/QC; BCAA in BC) — verify on the regional club site.

Visit provider site

Sources

GMS TravelStar

Underwritten by Group Medical Services (GMS) — a Saskatchewan-based not-for-profit insurer

Widest deductible choice

A not-for-profit insurer with four deductible tiers and no age cap on single-trip plans — but a $5M maximum and not sold in Quebec, NB or Nunavut.

Max coverage: $5 million
Max issue age: Single-trip: no age limit; annual multi-trip: age 79 or younger
Stability window: 180 days
Medical questionnaire: May be required; inaccurate answers can void the policy
Trip length: Single trip up to 365 days; annual multi-trip with a 15- or 30-day per-trip cap; can top up another plan
COVID-19: COVID-19 medical expenses covered under an additional limit (confirm the exact amount in the current policy wording)
Deductible: $0 / $250 / $1,000 / $5,000 (changes the premium)
24/7 assistance: GMS Travel Assistance (claims via Robin Assist) — 24/7

Plans

TravelStar Emergency Medical (Single-Trip)
TravelStar Emergency Medical (Multi-Trip Annual)
TravelStar Emergency Medical with Trip Cancellation

For retirees & snowbirds

Single-trip plans have no age cap; only the annual multi-trip plan is limited to age 79 and under.
Not available to residents of Quebec, New Brunswick or Nunavut.
Calling GMS Travel Assistance before treatment matters: skipping it limits benefits to 70% of reasonable-and-customary expenses up to $50,000.

What to confirm before you rely on this

The "additional $500,000 for COVID-19" figure came from a GMS-affiliated review, not the policy wording text — confirm against the current TravelStar policy PDF before publishing the amount.
Not available in Quebec, New Brunswick or Nunavut.

Visit provider site

Sources

21st Century Travel Insurance

Underwritten by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company (Manulife); distributed by 21st Century Travel Insurance Limited

Highest age ceiling

A Manulife-underwritten plan that issues to age 111 and skips the medical questionnaire under 60 — the widest age access of the group.

Max coverage: $10 million per insured person
Max issue age: Ages 0–111 (minimum 30 days old)
Stability window: Defined in the policy; not isolated in the pages reviewed
Medical questionnaire: Not required under age 60
Trip length: Single trip up to 212 or 365 days; annual multi-trip with 4/10/18/30/60-day per-trip options; extensions and top-ups available
COVID-19: Not confirmed on the pages reviewed
Deductible: Range of deductibles from $0 to $10,000
24/7 assistance: Manulife Assistance Centre / Global Excel (Active Care Management); Manulife TravelAid app — 24/7

Plans

Medicare International — Emergency Medical Policy for Travelling Canadians

For retirees & snowbirds

Issues coverage up to age 111 — by far the highest ceiling among the major snowbird plans.
No medical questionnaire required under age 60.
Eligibility rules out recent dialysis, home oxygen in the last 12 months, organ/marrow transplants, and terminal or metastatic cancer.
10-day free look; hospitalization extension up to 365 days.

What to confirm before you rely on this

Exact pre-existing-condition stability window (days, possibly age-banded) is in the policy definitions/exclusions section not yet read.
COVID-19 coverage status not found on the pages reviewed — confirm in the current wording or quote flow.
Provincial exclusions (e.g. Quebec eligibility) not enumerated in the pages reviewed.

Visit provider site

Sources

Blue Cross (regional)

Underwritten by Varies by region — each provincial Blue Cross is a separate insurer (Medavie, Canassurance in ON/QC, Pacific in BC, plus Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan plans)

Buy from your home-province Blue Cross

Not one company but a federation — you must buy from the Blue Cross serving your province. Coverage is $5M in most regions and $10M at Pacific Blue Cross (BC).

Max coverage: $5 million in most regions; $10 million at Pacific Blue Cross (BC)
Max issue age: Varies — annual plans to 74 (Manitoba) up to 85 (Alberta; Saskatchewan on shorter trips)
Stability window: Typically 3 months under ~55/60 and 6 months at 55/60+; Manitoba uses 7-day / 90-day / 365-day tiers
Medical questionnaire: Health declaration/screening generally from age 55–61+, depending on region
Trip length: Single-trip and annual multi-trip; per-trip caps and maximum trip days vary widely by region and age band
COVID-19: Generally covered under emergency medical for vaccinated travellers (varies by region; the Saskatchewan policy form shows a pandemic exclusion — confirm)
Deductible: No deductible at Medavie (Atlantic); optional deductibles in most other regions
24/7 assistance: Blue Cross Travel Assistance — CanAssistance is named in the Saskatchewan and Pacific (BC) wordings; other regions brand it "Blue Cross Travel Assistance"

Plans

Single-Trip and Annual / Multi-Trip emergency medical (per region)
Ontario "Snowbirds' Travel Insurance" (Canassurance)
Alberta Blue Cross Snowbirds package
Pacific Blue Cross Annual travel medical (BC)

For retirees & snowbirds

You must hold your own province's government health coverage and buy from that province's Blue Cross — the entities are not interchangeable.
Pacific Blue Cross (BC) is the high-coverage outlier at $10 million; most other regions cap at $5 million.
Age caps and stability windows differ by region — compare the Blue Cross for your home province specifically.

What to confirm before you rely on this

Saskatchewan wording shows a pandemic exclusion while its marketing says COVID is covered — resolve against current live wording before relying on it.
Alberta and Medavie facts were partly search-extracted (direct fetch was blocked) — do a manual browser pass before publishing region-specific numbers.
Assistance provider company name is confirmed (CanAssistance) only for Saskatchewan and Pacific; unconfirmed for Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario/Quebec.
Alberta annual per-trip maximum length is inconsistent across its pages (180 vs 30 days) — confirm in the Alberta policy PDF.

Visit provider site

Sources

New to snowbird coverage?

Start with the plain-language guide: the provincial coverage gap, absence limits, and the stability clause that voids claims.

Read the guide

This comparison is for educational purposes only and is not insurance advice. Coverage maximums, age limits, stability periods, COVID-19 terms and deductibles are set by each insurer, vary by plan, and change over time; the details above are sourced to each provider's own policy wording or website and were verified on June 13, 2026. Premiums are individually quoted. Always read the actual policy wording — especially the pre-existing-condition and stability clauses — and confirm your conditions are covered in writing before you buy.