Crum & Forster (C&F) is entering the employee benefits market with annual travel protection that workers can buy through payroll deduction, the insurer announced Thursday.
C&F’s Accident & Health Division teamed up with ViaSafely, an insurance program administrator, to offer the coverage as a voluntary benefit. It will first be available through bswift’s benefits administration platform for employers that choose to offer it, and will be distributed through participating benefits brokers, according to the company’s announcement.
Employees can elect coverage for themselves and their families at a fixed cost deducted from their pay. Marketplace offerings may also keep the product available outside the traditional annual open enrollment window, C&F said.
Employers are not required to make a contribution, the company said. For brokers, it described the product as a differentiated solution that can help address employees’ broader financial and lifestyle needs.
“By making this coverage available through employer benefits programs and marketplace offerings, we are aligning travel protection with the way people make benefits decisions today,” said Marc Flood, senior vice president of business development at C&F.
The product is designed to help cover eligible domestic and international trips taken during the coverage period, C&F said. That extends protection beyond a single vacation or business trip. The insurer positions it as a cost-effective alternative to the trip-by-trip purchases that have historically defined the category.
It also includes 24/7 concierge trip planning, plus emergency and medical assistance while traveling. ViaSafely plans are underwritten by United States Fire Insurance Company, with claims administration and customer support provided by Travel Insured International, a C&F company.
The announcement did not disclose pricing, benefit limits, eligibility rules or when individual employers could begin offering the plan.
“We created ViaSafely to make travel protection simpler to access and easier to afford in a way that fits naturally into employees’ lives,” said Sunil Bhatia, CEO of ViaSafely. “Offering this benefit through the workplace gives employees a practical, predictable way to help protect their travel throughout the year.”
Through bswift, ViaSafely will be available within the benefits enrollment platform employers and employees already use, the companies said.
The pitch of year-round availability arrives amid persistent engagement gaps in voluntary benefits. A Morning Consult survey commissioned by New York Life found that only 15% of employees think about their benefits year-round, and 65% say they have not explored voluntary options outside open enrollment.
For brokers, a product with no required employer contribution could widen a voluntary lineup without adding to a client’s budget. They will likely want to see plan details, such as pricing, limits and exclusions, before recommending it.
C&F is not new to annual travel cover. Its Travel Insured International unit launched an annual plan for multiple trips in 2021. The carrier holds an A+ (Superior) financial strength rating from AM Best, which affirmed that rating for members of the Crum & Forster Insurance Group in August.
