Group Medical Services (GMS) is one of Canada’s largest travel insurance companies and offers insurance to individuals and groups in Canada.
Advantages
- Easy to get an online quote
- A wide range of travel insurance options
- Dependents under age 16 are covered for free when travelling with paying adults.
- Fast, easy online quote system.
Disadvantages
- Travel insurance policy documents are dense with legal jargon.
- Like most travel insurance policies, GMS plans have a proportional increase in price with age and can be expensive for older people.
- GMS TravelStar® medical travel insurance does not cover risky activities like bungee jumping, parachuting, mountaineering, skydiving or hang gliding, or other risky sporting activities.
- Pre-existing conditions must be stable for a minimum of 180 days.
Overview
The company offers travel insurance under the TravelStar® emergency medical insurance plans. The initial travel insurance plans offered are:
- Emergency Medical Multi-Trip Annual Plan
- Single-Trip Emergency Medical Plan
Once you have chosen your plan type, you can select from the following coverage:
- If you select the Multi-Trip Annual Plan, you can choose either the:
- Emergency Medical With Trip Cancellation
- Emergency Medical Only
- If you select the Single-Trip Plan, there are three options to choose from:
- Emergency Medical With Trip Cancellation
- Emergency Medical Only
- Trip Cancellation Only
GMS also offers immigrants, visitors to Canada, and Super Visa insurance.
GMS TravelStar® Emergency Medical Insurance Plans
GMS offers two types of TravelStar® emergency medical insurance plans:
- Single-Trip Emergency Medical Plan
- Multi-Trip Annual Emergency Medical Plan
These plans offer up to $5 million in emergency medical benefits. Plans have up to 24 benefits, including ambulance, hospital, emergency dental, physician, health practitioners, and private duty nursing expenses.
TravelStar® Single Trip Emergency Medical Plan
This plan provides coverage for a single trip. You can choose between a $0, $250, $1,000 and $5,000 deductible and travel for up to 365 days.
TravelStar® Multi-Trip Annual Emergency Medical Plan
This plan, well suited for people who travel more than once a year, provides coverage for unlimited trips within the year. You can choose a plan for 15 or 30 days of travel, with the option of extending it with a single trip plan.
TravelStar® Trip Cancellation Coverage
TravelStar® Trip Cancellation Coverage plan covers non-refundable airfare, cancellation penalties and any prepaid travel arrangements incurred.
If your trip is interrupted, this plan covers out-of-pocket costs such as taxi fare, telephone calls, meals and transportation, and accommodation costs required to rejoin a tour group.
Some of the acceptable reasons for cancellation include pregnancy, emergency medical conditions, death of a close relation, employment & occupation, and government advisories & visas.
For single-trip plans, trip cancellation coverage is based on your trip value. For multi-trip plans, you can choose between $1,500, $2,500 or $5,000 in coverage. Trip interruption is a maximum of $10,000 for single-trip and multi-trip plans.
TravelStar® Baggage Loss, Damage and Delay Coverage
If you purchase Trip Cancellation Coverage, the Baggage Loss, Damage, and Delay benefit is included at no extra cost.
The baggage benefit includes $500 per item, up to a maximum of $1,500 per trip.
It includes reimbursement for the following:
- One item or a set of items
- A passport, driver’s license, or other documentation
- Personal items if your baggage is delayed for 12 hours or more
- Currency lost due to robbery or theft
Like most baggage loss, damage, and delay coverage, TravelStars® has many exclusions for coverage. If your baggage is lost, the benefit does not cover the theft of glasses or contact lenses, jewellery, event tickets, hearing aids, theft of handheld electronic devices, and theft of unaccompanied baggage.
TravelStar® Trip Delay Upgrade
You can add the Trip Delay Upgrade to your travel insurance package. This upgrade covers necessary and comfort items if you are delayed for 12 hours or more. By purchasing the Trip Delay Upgrade, you get:
- Out-of-pocket expenses of up to $500 a day (maximum $1,500) for accommodations, essential phone calls, meals, ride-sharing or taxi fares, and WiFi,
- Up to $200 to attend a ticketed event like a concert, movie, or sporting event; and
- Extra transportation costs to rejoin your tour, group, or trip because of a change in plans.
Immigrants & Visitors to Canada Insurance
The Immigrants and Visitors to Canada option is a great plan for Super Visa applicants, visitors with extended stays and regular visitors to Canada under the age of 80. No medical questions are asked for anybody under 55 years of age. This plan gives up to 365 days of uninterrupted coverage for emergency medical expenses. There are no waiting periods when you apply before arriving in Canada or replacing an existing emergency medical policy issued by a Canadian insurer.
Side-trip coverage of up to 30 days is included as long as the trip originates and terminates in Canada and is less than 50% of your coverage period.
You choose:
- Deductibles of $0, $100, $500 or $1,000
- Coverage amounts of $25,000, $50,000, $100,000, or $150,000 are available (Super Visa applicants need a minimum of $100,000 coverage)
Comparison of GMS TravelStar® Insurance Plans
| Plan | Medical Insurance Coverage | Deductible | Trip Cancellation and Interruption | Baggage | Maximum Age |
| TravelStar® Single Trip Emergency Medical Plan | Up to 5 million | variable | ❌ | ❌ | No age limit |
| TravelStar® Multi-TripAnnual Emergency Medical Plan | Up to 5 million | variable | ❌ | ❌ | 79 and under |
| TravelStar® Trip Cancellation and Interruption | ❌ | ❌ | Multi-trip choose between $1,500, $2,500 or $5,000 trip cancellation. Single trip (trip value). 10,000 trip interruption. | $500 per item to a maximum of 1,500 per trip (some exclusions apply) | No age limit |
| TravelStar® Trip Delay Upgrade | ❌ | ❌ | Out-of-pocket expenses up to $500 per day (max $1,500)$200 for a ticketed eventExtra transportation costs due to change in plans | ❌ | No age limit |
Tips for Saving with GMS TravelStar® Travel Insurance
- When you bundle the Trip Cancellation & Interruption coverage plan with the Emergency Medical coverage plan (and vice versa), you can save 10%.
- GMS has a 5% companion discount on one Single-Trip Emergency Medical Plan application when you travel with at least one family member over 16 years old.
- Adults who purchase a Single-Trip Emergency Medical Plan can include up to 6 dependent children under age 16 for free.
You Need to Know
- There are some pre-existing medical that are excluded from coverage. You should check the policy wording before purchasing to check if your medical condition is excluded.
- You must contact GMS when possible before you get medical treatment. If you fail to do so, your benefits may be limited to $50,000 or 70% of reasonable and customary expenses, whichever is less.
- You must purchase your travel insurance before you leave on your trip.
- Policies and coverage can change at any time without warning. This article is only intended as general advice. Please check your own policy carefully.
Refunds and Cancellations
For the Single-Trip Plan: You can get a full refund if you cancel before the effective date. You can get a partial, pro-rated refund if no claim has been made, you make the request in writing within 30 days after returning to your province, and the refund request is for over $5.
For the Multi-trip Plan: You can get a full refund if you cancel before the effective date. After the policy’s effective date, the policy is non-refundable.
How to Learn More
You can learn more online with GMS or call them at 1 800 667 3699.
Want to Compare GMS Rates?
A simple way to compare Canadian travel insurance rates is to use a comparison website.
Comparison websites, like BestQuote Travel Insurance, let you compare travel insurance options from several companies at once. Type in a few details about your trip, and compare policy coverage and prices to help narrow down your choice.
Click here to learn more on the BestQuote Travel Insurance website.