Why should travel insurance be taken out?

If you are unable to take your trip at all and are forced to cancel

If you are unable to take your trip at all and are forced to cancel, your service providers (tour operator, airline, hotel, etc.) can charge cancellation fees according to their terms of service. These can amount to as much as 100 per cent of the trip price. In other words, even though you don’t take the trip, you still have to pay part or even all of the costs. With the right travel insurance, Europäische pays these costs for you.

The electronic health card is not an adequate replacement for travel insurance

The electronic health card is not an adequate replacement for travel insurance from Europäische. The electronic health card is only accepted in public hospitals and by doctors with insurance contracts with the Member States of the European Union. In addition, bilateral health insurance agreements only exist with Switzerland, Turkey, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia. In all other countries, Austrian social insurance pays only flat “compensation amounts” between 27 and 84 euros per day for out-patient treatment. For in-patient care, roughly 309 euros per day are provided for hospital costs. The health insurance fund also only reimburses these amounts for visits to private physicians, clinics and hospitals. You must pay the difference from the actual costs (up to 1,000 euros per day, even ten times as much in the USA!). Hospital bills of €150,000 or more could send you into bankruptcy.
In addition, you should consider that the standard of care in most public hospitals in many southern and eastern Member States of the EU does not come close to the standard of care in Austria. On top of all this, not knowing the local language and typical customs and practices can pose major problems. Appropriate travel insurance from Europäische will cover 100 percent of the costs for your visit to the doctor and hospital costs up to €1.000,000.

Return transport at customer’s request

Appropriate travel insurance from Europäische covers up to 100 percent of the costs for a return transport after a three-day hospital stay abroad – even on an ambulance jet. With the right insurance from Europäische, you have the right to return transport (“return transport at customer’s request”), even if it isn’t a medical necessity. A return transport by ambulance jet within Europe costs between €10,000 and €25,000. Flights from overseas can cost as much as €135,000.
If you are travelling abroad with only your electronic health card, remember that Austrian social insurance will never cover the costs of your transport home.

Comprehensive protection for your luggage

Consider comprehensive protection for your luggage during your trip. With the right travel insurance from Europäische, you can even be reimbursed for the replacement value in event of theft, loss or damage to your luggage. We also cover the costs for replacement purchases made at your destination if your luggage arrives late. We advance you cash in the event that your means of payment are robbed or stolen, allowing you to complete your trip.

Efficient assistance with Europ Assistance

Together with Europ Assistance, we can take advantage of a global network of more then 200 offices in 208 countries and over 400,000 contract partners to provide you with rapid and efficient assistance should disaster strike.
Europäische can look back on over 110 years of experience in the area of travel insurance. You, too, can profit from our competence and experience. Countless customers have made us the number one Austrian travel insurer. Let us protect you on your travels as well.