GMS TravelStar travel insurance: what it covers when Canadians travel
Single-trip and annual emergency medical up to $5 million, optional trip cancellation, the 180-day stability rule, and how claims and refunds work.
Your provincial health plan pays little or nothing for care outside Canada, and hospitals abroad may want payment up front. TravelStar from Group Medical Services is one of the plans Pankaj quotes for Canadians heading south for a holiday, to visit family, or on several short trips a year. Coverage must normally be bought before you leave.
In short
GMS TravelStar covers Canadian residents with provincial health coverage for emergencies outside their home province: up to $5 million per person, single trips up to 365 days or annual plans with 15- or 30-day trips. Pre-existing conditions must be stable for 180 days before departure. Deductibles are $0, $250, $1,000 or $5,000. Call GMS before treatment, or benefits can drop to 70%, capped at $50,000. Not sold in Quebec, New Brunswick or Nunavut.
Single-Trip, Multi-Trip Annual or Trip Cancellation
Start with how often you travel, then decide whether you need cover for prepaid trip costs too.
| Feature | Single-Trip Emergency Medical | Multi-Trip Annual Emergency Medical | Trip Cancellation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main purpose | Emergency medical costs on one trip | Emergency medical cover for repeated short trips | Non-refundable trip costs and baggage |
| Maximum | Up to $5 million per insured person | Up to $5 million per insured person, per policy year | Up to $20,000 single trip; annual $1,500, $2,500 or $5,000 per trip |
| Trip length | Up to 365 days | 15 or 30 days per trip, unlimited trips | Matches the trip or the annual terms |
| Ages | Detailed medical rules, no general age-80 limit stated | 80 or older not eligible | Per plan terms |
| When to buy | Before departure, except an eligible GMS top-up | Before departure | Before departure, with booking-date rules |
| Refund after start | Possible partial refund after early return | Non-refundable | Generally non-refundable, limited exceptions |
The Emergency Medical section lists 24 separate benefits. For example, suppose you take a two-week trip to Florida in February and a week in India in the fall. The 15-day annual plan covers both, as long as neither trip is longer than 15 days and you are under 80.
Who can buy TravelStar
- Canadian residents with valid provincial or territorial government health coverage.
- Bought before departure, except an eligible top-up of an existing GMS policy.
- Medical rules: detailed limits for some heart, vascular, lung, cancer and diabetes histories. They include congestive heart failure, an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, insulin-treated diabetes combined with certain heart medicines, home oxygen or oral steroids for a lung condition, active cancer treatment and some recent procedures.
- Age 70 and over: you can't need another person's help with listed daily activities.
- Age 80 and over: not eligible for the Multi-Trip Annual Emergency Medical plan.
- Children under 16 listed on the application and travelling with paying adults may be covered at no extra cost.
If your health changes after you apply, tell GMS before you leave. A new diagnosis, treatment, medicine change, symptom, test or referral can change your eligibility, your premium or your pre-existing cover.
The 180-day stability rule
- No new treatment
- Nothing new, changed, stopped or recommended
- Medicine
- No start, stop or dose change, except the routine adjustments the policy allows
- No worsening
- No new, more frequent or more severe symptoms
- No referral
- No hospital stay or specialist referral
- No pending tests
- No test still to be done or result still to come
- Top-ups
- Another insurer's plan: 180 days before the GMS top-up starts. A GMS plan: the original policy's stability period
Emergency medical benefits
Subject to reasonable-and-customary charges, your deductible, pre-approval rules and the policy terms.
| Benefit | What is covered and the limit |
|---|---|
| Hospital and physician | Ward or semi-private room, hospital services, treatment, one follow-up visit within 14 days of discharge |
| Diagnostics | Basic tests; MRI, CAT scan, sonogram, ultrasound and biopsy need GMS pre-approval |
| Prescription drugs | Up to a 30-day supply per prescription; lost, stolen or damaged medicine up to $50 per prescription; no over-the-counter drugs |
| Emergency dental | Up to $2,000 after an accidental blow to the mouth; up to $250 for other emergency dental pain |
| Private duty nursing | Up to $5,000, ordered by the attending physician and pre-approved |
| Health practitioners | Up to $300 per specialty: osteopath, physiotherapist, chiropractor, chiropodist or podiatrist |
| Ambulance and evacuation | Licensed road ambulance; helicopter air ambulance up to $20,000; remote evacuation up to $20,000 |
| Repatriation | Return to your home province or territory for more hospital treatment, when recommended and approved |
| Family support | Return of an insured family member, escort for a dependent child, a family member or friend to the bedside |
| Return of remains | Up to $7,000 to prepare and transport remains, or up to $3,000 for cremation or burial where death occurred |
| Vehicle and pet return | Vehicle return up to $2,000; return of a cat or dog up to $300 |
| Out-of-pocket expenses | Up to $1,000 for a travelling companion while you stay in hospital past your return date |
Trip cancellation, interruption and baggage
Paid only when a listed insured risk causes the loss, and the cost is non-refundable, non-transferable and not recoverable elsewhere.
| Cover | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Trip cancellation (single trip) | Up to $20,000 per person | Non-refundable prepaid transport, arrangements and penalties before departure |
| Trip cancellation (annual) | $1,500, $2,500 or $5,000 per person, per trip | Bought with a GMS Multi-Trip Annual Emergency Medical plan |
| Interruption and delay | $10,000 aggregate | Return transport, unused arrangements, rejoining a tour; delay costs $150 a day up to $500 |
| Baggage loss or damage | $500 per item or set, $1,500 per trip | Includes some documents and limited stolen cash |
| Delayed baggage | Up to $400 | Essentials when checked bags are more than 12 hours late at the destination |
| Trip Delay Upgrade (optional) | $500 a day, to $1,500 | Delays of 12 hours or more; up to $200 for a missed ticketed event; same-class transport to rejoin the trip |
Why you call GMS before treatment
See how much of a covered bill could be paid if you call first, and if you don't.
GMS can limit benefits to 70% of covered expenses, to a maximum of $50,000, if you don't call before treatment, unless calling first was medically impossible and contact was made within 24 hours. Figures here are before your deductible.
Extending a trip or topping up another plan
Extending a GMS Single-Trip policy. You can ask for more days while you are still outside your home province or territory, if GMS gets the request before the policy expires, you haven't had a claim, you haven't needed medical treatment on the trip, and you still meet the eligibility rules.
Topping up an existing GMS policy. Apply at least two business days before the current GMS policy expires, with no claim or required treatment.
Topping up another insurer or a credit card. A GMS Single-Trip policy can add days beyond another limited plan, but you must buy it before your contracted departure date.
Whichever applies: the top-up must start the day after the first coverage ends, it must cover every remaining day of the trip, and because a top-up is a new policy, the pre-existing condition rules apply to it.
For example, suppose you have a 30-day GMS plan and decide to stay 10 more days. Contact GMS or Pankaj at least two business days before the 30 days run out. If you had a claim or needed treatment on the trip, the extension is not available.
Commonly not covered
- Pre-existing conditions that don't meet the 180-day stability rule
- Non-emergency, elective, chronic or rehabilitative care, care that can wait until you're home, and ongoing care after the emergency ends
- Travel to get a diagnosis or treatment
- Tests, transfers or repatriation GMS did not pre-approve
- Professional sports, motorized racing and listed extreme activities
- Losses in places under qualifying Government of Canada travel advisories
GMS generally pays after other insurance, credit-card cover, government plans, supplier refunds, vouchers and responsible parties. The policy's exclusion sections govern.
Emergencies and claims
GMS Travel Assistance confirms coverage, arranges treatment, monitors care and handles transport home.
Medical claim
- Call GMS before treatment whenever possible. Contacting GMS about an emergency counts as a claim, even if nothing is paid.
- Keep the records: original itemized bills, proof of payment, the final diagnosis, medical records and proof of travel dates.
- Submit within 90 days of the illness or injury. The cost of getting documents is not covered.
- Where to send it: for claims from November 1, 2025, online through Robin Assist, or by mail to Robin Assist, Attention: Imaging Center, 70 Talman Court, Concord, ON L4K 4L5.
Trip cancellation or baggage claim
- Tell the travel supplier the day you learn of the reason to cancel, or the next business day, and ask for every refund or credit available.
- Document the reason: physician confirmation, supplier invoices, unused tickets, travel-agent statements, a police report or proof of ownership and value.
- Submit within 12 months of the loss with the claim form and all evidence.
General email: info@gms.ca. Claim forms are on GMS's claims page.
Refunds differ by plan
1×Single-Trip Emergency Medical
- Full refund before the effective date
- Possible partial refund for unused days after an early return
- No claim under the policy
- Written notice and proof within 30 days
∞Multi-Trip Annual Emergency Medical
- Full refund before the effective date
- Non-refundable after the effective date
TCTrip Cancellation
- Generally non-refundable
- Limited exception when the premium is over $20 and the supplier cancels or changes the dates with all penalties waived
The wording reviewed does not set a general minimum premium for Emergency Medical. The $20 figure appears only in the Trip Cancellation refund exception.
Buying for a visitor to Canada instead?
TravelStar is for Canadians leaving their province. Parents and guests coming to Canada need GMS's Visitors to Canada plan. See GMS visitors insurance for its rules.
Questions about GMS TravelStar
What is GMS TravelStar?
TravelStar is GMS's travel insurance for Canadian residents travelling outside their home province or territory, with emergency medical cover and optional trip cancellation.
It comes as Single-Trip or Multi-Trip Annual. Group Medical Services is the operating name of GMS Insurance Inc. in provinces outside Saskatchewan. For visitors coming to Canada, see GMS Visitors to Canada insurance.
How much emergency medical cover does TravelStar give?
Up to $5,000,000 per insured person: per trip on Single-Trip, and per policy year on Multi-Trip Annual.
All amounts are subject to reasonable-and-customary charges, the deductible, pre-approval rules and the policy limits.
Can I buy GMS TravelStar in every province?
No. GMS products are not offered in Quebec, New Brunswick or Nunavut.
Pankaj is licensed in New Brunswick but can't offer GMS there; he can compare other travel plans for New Brunswick residents.
Is there an age limit?
Applicants 80 or older can't buy the Multi-Trip Annual Emergency Medical plan; the Single-Trip plan uses detailed medical rules instead of the same age limit.
From 70, applicants can't need another person's help with listed daily activities. Children under 16 listed on the application and travelling with paying adults may be covered at no extra cost.
How long must a medical condition be stable?
180 days immediately before departure, for Emergency Medical cover.
Stable means no new, changed or stopped treatment, no medicine change outside the policy's exceptions, no worsening or new symptoms, no hospital stay or specialist referral, and no test or result still pending. Your doctor's opinion doesn't override the policy definition.
What deductibles can I choose?
$0, $250, $1,000 or $5,000.
The deductible you chose is printed on your confirmation and applies by plan terms.
What happens if I don't call GMS before treatment?
Benefits can be cut to 70% of covered medical expenses, to a maximum of $50,000.
The exception is when calling first was medically impossible and someone contacted GMS within 24 hours. Use the calculator to see the difference.
Can I extend a TravelStar Single-Trip policy while I'm away?
Yes, if GMS gets the request before the policy expires, there has been no claim and no medical treatment on the trip, and you still meet the eligibility rules.
For a top-up of an existing GMS policy, apply at least two business days before it expires. A top-up of another insurer's plan must be bought before you leave.
How do I submit a GMS emergency medical claim?
Submit the claim form with original itemized bills, proof of payment and medical records within 90 days of the illness or injury.
For claims from November 1, 2025, GMS uses Robin Assist: submit online, or mail to Robin Assist, Attention: Imaging Center, 70 Talman Court, Concord, ON L4K 4L5. Calling GMS about an emergency counts as a claim even if nothing is paid.
Can I get a refund on GMS TravelStar?
Single-Trip and Multi-Trip Annual are fully refundable before the effective date; after it, only Single-Trip may give a partial refund after an early return.
For the early-return refund there must be no claim, and written notice with proof must reach GMS within 30 days. Trip Cancellation is generally non-refundable.
Written by Pankaj Bhatia, CHS, PFA
Insure In Canada Inc. · Licensed in Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia
Pankaj has 11 years of experience helping Canadians compare travel insurance by age, destination, trip length, medical history and policy wording. He checks the stability dates with you before you buy.
Sources and related pages
- GMS TravelStar Travel Insurance Policy Wording, form 1911CA2024, effective November 19, 2024 (policy booklet)
- GMS TravelStar brochure
- GMS travel insurance
- GMS emergency medical claims and trip cancellation claims
- Government of Canada: travel insurance
An independent summary, not GMS's website. The application, confirmation, medical questionnaire and policy issued at purchase govern.