Travel insurance is useful only when a traveller can actually reach the people behind it. CoverForYou is addressing that rather obvious—but often overlooked—problem by adding a free eSIM and app-based calling to every Single-Trip and Annual Multi-Trip policy.

The benefit is also being introduced across sister brands Cedar Tree, Outbacker and Insure & Escape. Each person named on a policy receives an individual eSIM, meaning a family of four gets four separate connections rather than one shared allowance.

CoverForYou’s website currently lists 1GB of complimentary eSIM data among its standard policy benefits. Unused data can be retained for another trip, gifted to somebody else or supplemented with discounted top-ups of up to 20%.

The Wi-Fi problem

The decision follows a change the group says it has observed among travellers: more customers are attempting to avoid roaming costs by relying almost entirely on hotel, airport and café Wi-Fi.

That strategy works until it suddenly does not. A traveller who needs urgent medical assistance, wants to begin a claim or must contact an emergency support line may discover that the nearest reliable Wi-Fi connection is nowhere nearby.

The concern is particularly relevant for UK travellers. EU “roam like at home” protections stopped applying to UK customers after Brexit, and roaming inclusions now depend on the individual operator and contract. Ofcom introduced stronger roaming alerts in October 2024, but those warnings do not provide connectivity when somebody has already switched mobile data off.

“We considered how we could best enable customers in this situation – relying on hotel wifi or eSIMs – to be able to contact us, the claims team or the emergency assistance line while travelling via a phone call,”

said Alan Dean, managing director of Cover For You Insurance Group.

Calling without a mobile line

The group initially considered support through services such as WhatsApp but concluded that this would add another installation step and might not work consistently for every customer.

“After reviewing options with our technical partners and underwriters we quickly discovered digital phone support through apps like WhatsApp was technically complicated, would likely mean people had to install separate software and wouldn’t guarantee consistent service for everyone, which defeated the purpose.”

Instead, CoverForYou embedded a Voice over IP client inside its TravelMate app. Policyholders can call predefined insurance, claims and emergency-assistance numbers through any available data connection, without using a conventional mobile voice line and without paying for the call.

“This is a very neat solution that doesn’t require people to do anything extra, but gives them a critical benefit,” Dean said.

The eSIM sits alongside that calling function as both a connectivity backup and a small travel-data allowance. The app also provides access to Doctor Please!, which offers online consultations with UK doctors for minor illnesses and injuries, and BagFinder, a QR-based service designed to help reunite travellers with missing luggage.

Useful, with limits

One gigabyte is enough for messaging, maps, policy access and emergency calls, but it is not intended to replace a larger travel plan for streaming, constant navigation or remote work. Travellers also need an unlocked, eSIM-compatible phone and should install the profile before they urgently need it.

For heavier use, a standalone provider such as Airalo, Ubigi, Saily or Holafly will offer more plan choice. The smarter part of CoverForYou’s model is that customers do not have to shop for connectivity merely to access the service they have already purchased.

Connectivity is becoming part of protection

CoverForYou is not alone in moving in this direction. AXA Partners has piloted an embedded eSIM with Kolet for Schengen insurance customers, while PhonePe has bundled a complimentary Matrix eSIM with international travel insurance sold through its platform.

That comparison matters. The next phase of travel insurance will not be defined only by bigger benefit tables or faster digital claims. Insurers are beginning to treat connectivity as part of the protection itself.

CoverForYou’s 1GB allowance could be more generous, and clearer public information about destination coverage, activation timing and supported devices would make the benefit easier to assess. Still, combining individual eSIMs, rollover data and direct in-app calling is more practical than adding another decorative “travel perk.”

An insurer cannot prevent every emergency. It can, however, remove the absurd situation in which a covered traveller cannot ask for help because the hotel Wi-Fi has disappeared.