Travel accident insurance is rarely worth it if you already have private accident insurance in Germany: under the German model terms that cover applies worldwide, around the clock. Without your own cover it is a cheap stopgap from about EUR 0.25 a day or EUR 7.44 a year, but it usually pays no more than EUR 30,000 for disability.
Figures from publicly listed tariffs, as of October 2026.
Your premium depends on sums, destination, length of stay and job;
we obtain the exact quote for you.
Worked example
Two weeks on holiday, with and without your own accident policy
An office worker living in Germany travels once a year for two weeks. This is how the options compare.
Travel accident, 14 days at EUR 0.25
from about EUR 3.50
Travel accident as an annual plan
from about EUR 7.44 a year
Payout for full disability from the trip policy
up to EUR 30,000
Private accident insurance, EUR 100,000 base sum, 350 percent
about EUR 60 to 180 a year
Payout for full disability from the private policy
up to EUR 350,000, every day of the year
The trip policy is cheap but covers only 14 days with a small sum. If you can afford accident cover, a private accident policy serves you better, and then you no longer need travel accident insurance.
What travel accident insurance covers
It pays only for accidents during the insured trip. The usual benefits are a lump sum for permanent disability, a sum for your dependants if you die in an accident, and the cost of search, rescue and recovery. One tariff on the German market, for example, pays up to EUR 30,000 for disability, EUR 10,000 on death and up to EUR 5,000 for rescue.
It does not pay your doctor or hospital abroad. For that you need travel health insurance, which also covers treatment and the flight home after an accident.
When you do not need travel accident insurance
If you hold a private accident policy, your holiday is already covered. The German model terms AUB 2020 state in clause 1.2 that cover applies worldwide and around the clock. A second policy just for the trip mostly adds a small extra sum.
Instead, check whether your policy includes costs for search, rescue and recovery. In the model terms this is a separate benefit (clause 2.8) that not every tariff contains. If it is missing, adding it to your existing policy is often the better fix.
Your situation
Travel accident insurance
Private accident policy with rescue costs
not needed
Private accident policy without rescue costs
better to add rescue cover to it
No accident cover, one trip a year
a cheap stopgap for the trip
No accident cover, travelling often
better take out private accident insurance
Business trip for your employer
statutory cover for the work you do there
Why German statutory accident insurance does not help on holiday
Statutory accident insurance in Germany protects you at work and on the way to work. According to the German Social Accident Insurance, business trips are part of the insured activity in the same way as work errands. Your private holiday is not covered.
If you are hurt on holiday without private cover, health insurance pays for treatment, but nobody pays a lump sum for lasting consequences.
The limits of a trip policy
EUR 30,000 sounds like a lot. After a spinal injury it pays neither for adapting your home nor for lost income. A private accident policy with a EUR 100,000 base sum and progression pays several times more for severe injuries.
The trip policy ends with the trip. Consequences that show later are covered only if the accident happened during the trip. Under the model terms, disability must arise within 15 months of the accident, be confirmed in writing by a doctor and be claimed with the insurer.
Step by step
Check whether you already have private accident insurance, including through family, a club or a credit card.
Look in the policy for rescue costs and an adequate base sum.
Take out travel health insurance for treatment abroad, which you need in any case.
Without accident cover, decide: a trip policy for this one trip or accident insurance for the whole year.
State the length of stay, destination and sports correctly when you apply.
Checklist
Private accident policy in place and valid worldwide
Rescue costs included in the policy
Travel health insurance with repatriation taken out
Disability sum matches your income and costs
Maximum trip length of the tariff not exceeded
Common mistakes
Buying travel accident cover on top although your own accident policy applies worldwide
Confusing the trip policy with travel health insurance and travelling without health cover
Relying on statutory accident insurance, which does not pay on holiday
Missing the 15 month deadline for disability
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Does travel accident insurance pay medical bills abroad?
Usually not.
It pays money for disability or death and often rescue costs.
Treatment is paid by travel health insurance.
Does my private accident insurance cover me on holiday?
Yes, under the German model terms AUB 2020 it applies worldwide and around the clock.
Your own policy terms will confirm this.
Am I covered by statutory accident insurance on a business trip?
For the work you do on the trip, yes.
Private activities in your free time there are usually not included.
How much does travel accident insurance cost?
For one trip from about EUR 0.25 a day,
as an annual plan for all trips up to eight weeks from about EUR 7.44 a year.
Who is travel accident insurance worth it for?
For travellers without private accident insurance who only want some cover while away.
For lasting protection your own accident policy is the better choice.
Are children covered automatically?
Only if the tariff says so, for example a family plan.
