Tin Leg Insurance Review & Complaints: Travel Insurance (2024)

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Tin Leg has been operating in the travel insurance industry for only a few years but brings a simple and straightforward approach to the market. This trip insurance provider promises comprehensive coverage at competitive prices, with three levels of package policy to choose from.

What is Tin Leg?

Tin Leg Travel Insurance Company was founded in 2014 by Squaremouth Travel Insurance, a company dedicated to helping travelers shop for and compare travel insurance providers, policies, and rates. Although they have now added their own offerings to the table, the company continues to invite consumers to compare their rates with those of other companies. This follows on the success of big-name insurer Progressive’s price-comparison tool for auto insurance and gives the insurance consumer a feeling of honesty and transparency.

Package policies from Tin Leg are offered at three levels, with the goal of including basic trip protection along with high emergency medical benefit limits. Policies for these broad-based coverage options are underwritten by Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Company, part of a very large and financially stable insurance group.

Tin Leg’s headquarters is located within the Squaremouth offices in St. Petersburg, Florida. Policies are sold online through the Tin Leg site as well as through Squaremouth’s website.

What types of travel packages are available?

There are three levels of travel package available from Tin Leg, each with increased coverage and additional benefits. There is very little in the way of add-on options for these policies, as part of the company’s goal of keeping things simple and providing travelers a reasonable price. The only add-on option is rental car coverage, and this can only be available with the highest-level Luxury package.

Tin Leg Economy

The Tin Leg Economy package is a basic travel insurance plan that is a budget option for travelers looking to cover risks risks. This base-level plan includes trip cancellation and interruption coverage at 100% of the trip cost.

Medical coverage on this plan is $20,000 but excludes pre-existing conditions and is considered secondary coverage. $100,000 of medical evacuation coverage is also included with this package. This plan includes cancellation for medical reasons, including emergency medical reasons.

Tin Leg Standard

The Tin Leg Standard plan is a mid-range option that increases several benefit amounts and also adds several benefits not included with the Economy plan. Trip interruption coverage on this plan is increased to 150%.

Added coverage includes terrorism (both foreign and domestic), financial defaults, and employment layoffs.Medical coverage is increased to $30,000 but remains secondary. Pre-existing conditions are covered when purchased within 15 days of the trip deposit. Medical evacuation is doubled to $200,000.

The Standard plan also includes Flight Only Accidental Death & Dismemberment coverage of $25,000 and identity theft coverage.

Tin Leg Luxury

The Luxury plan offers the most comprehensive travel insurance coverage of all three and is the only plan that allows cancellation for work reasons. Along with all the other coverage plans, features the most comprehensive cancellation coverage. In most areas, it offers the same limits as the Standard plan, including for trip cancellation and interruption, delay, and baggage. It does offer higher coverage in other areas, mainly medical benefits.

This plan kicks up medical coverage benefits to $100,000 and is the only plan for which this coverage is primary. It also increases medical evacuation coverage to $250,000. Flight Only Accidental Death and Dismemberment is doubled to $50,000.

This plan is the only one with the option of adding rental car coverage, as previously mentioned.

Does Tin Leg travel insurance plans cover the  COVID-19 pandemic?

Tin Leg has several travel insurance plans that cover Covid-19. For example, the Tin Leg Adventure, Luxury, Silver, Gold, Economy and Standard plans all include  COVID-19 coverage-related trip cancellations and medical expenses.

If you come down with Covid-19 right before you are set to leave and have to cancel, these plans will reimburse you for 100% of what you lose in pre-paid and non-refundable deposits. If you catch Covid during your trip, these plans can cover the medical costs.

Now that the coronavirus pandemic has made travel even more unpredictable, travel insurance coverage helps protect your trip investment and your peace of mind while traveling.

Do Tin Leg travel insurance plans cover pre-existing medical conditions?

Pre-existing medical condition exclusion waivers are available from Tin Leg. Make sure to check your plan’s details to confirm this coverage.

When you have this waiver, a pre-existing condition won’t be excluded from your coverage. For example, if you buy the Luxury plan within 15 days of booking your first trip, you’ll be covered for any preexisting conditions. You also must insure the full value of your non-refundable trip cost, and you must have been medically able to travel when you bought the travel insurance plan, among other conditions.

Are the rates for travel insurance plans competitive?

We ran a quote based on a 7-day trip valued at $5,000, with a single 30-year-old traveler headed to the U.K.

The Economy plan rate came back at $131, the Standard at $142, and the Luxury at $181.

Interestingly, the plans with less coverage came in at rates comparable to other companies, while the Luxury came in considerably less than what we see elsewhere for a top-end plan. That said, Tin Leg’s top tier of coverage still has lower limits than many top-end plans from other companies, where we frequently see medical emergency coverage at least double and medical evacuation up to quadruple the amount of the Luxury plan.

Because they are linked with Squaremouth, running a quote for Tin Leg automatically returns insurance quotes from a variety of companies, listing a few of the coverage basics of the plan along with the rate. A quick look shows that several companies offer better insurance coverage at similar or lower rates, which is in line with our sample rates as well.

Tin Leg Insurance’s Claims Handling Procedure

Ease of Filing a Claim

Tin Leg Insurance offers a straightforward and user-friendly claims process. Customers have the flexibility to file their claims through various channels, including online, over the phone, and through mobile apps. This accessibility ensures that policyholders can choose the method that suits them best, making it convenient to initiate a claim.

Average Claim Processing Time

Tin Leg Insurance prides itself on a relatively quick claim processing time. Most claims are processed within 15 days, which is a testament to their commitment to providing timely service to their policyholders. Additionally, they promise to keep customers informed with regular updates every five days during the claims process, ensuring transparency and peace of mind.

Customer Feedback on Claim Resolutions and Payouts

While specific customer feedback on claim resolutions and payouts may vary, Tin Leg Insurance aims to maintain a reputation for fair and efficient claims handling. It’s essential for customers to review individual policy details and reach out to Tin Leg’s customer support for specific claims-related inquiries to assess the company’s performance in this regard.

Advanced Technological and Digital Characteristics of Tin Leg Insurance

Mobile App Features and Functionality

Tin Leg Insurance offers a mobile app that provides policyholders with convenient access to their insurance information. The app is designed to offer features such as policy management, claims filing, and real-time updates on the go. Customers can enjoy the flexibility and ease of managing their insurance needs from the palm of their hand.

Online Account Management Capabilities

Tin Leg Insurance understands the importance of online account management. Through their website, customers can access their accounts 24/7, allowing them to review policy details, make payments, and update information as needed. This digital convenience ensures that policyholders have control over their insurance experience.

Digital Tools and Resources

To assist policyholders in making informed decisions, Tin Leg Insurance provides a range of digital tools and resources on their website. These resources may include educational materials, FAQs, and insurance calculators to help customers understand their coverage and make the right choices for their insurance needs.

Are the ratings and consumer reviews positive?

The company does not have its own Better Business Bureau (BBB) file but is instead included as part of the Squaremouth page. This page states what appears to be outdated information about Tin Leg, including that policies are underwritten by American Modern, which is no longer accurate. The page also states that Seven Corners, another travel insurance company, handles Tin Leg claims. We were unable to find a statement to this effect on the Tin Leg page, nor did we find any evidence of it elsewhere. (For more information, read our “American Modern Insurance Review & Complaints: Homeowners Insurance“)

Currently, Squaremouth has a B- rating with BBB. The page states that it is due to a failure to respond to two of the four complaints against the company in the past three years. One complaint is shown as having been closed in the past 12 months.

Squaremouth itself has a long list of reviews for Tin Leg, which makes sense since they also quote other insurance companies and have been in that business for many years before the creation of their own plans. While we normally take any reviews posted on the website of the company itself with a grain of salt, in this case, the reviews do appear to be objective, and the presence of negative reviews indicates that the company is not culling them.

Still, objective review sites are a more reliable source. Unfortunately, we found little that meets that requirement for Tin Leg. This may be due to the relative newness of the company.

What’s the bottom line?

While Tin Leg advertises their travel policies as affordable and heavy on the medical coverage, they’re actually in the mid-range in terms of cost, and many companies offer more medical coverage for the same or less money. They appear to have a good reputation, and it is convenient to see other company’s quotes alongside theirs, giving them points for transparency. They do keep the process simple, which may appeal to some travelers. That said, shopping around for rates is recommended to find the best value for your insurance dollars elsewhere.