What your credit card doesn’t cover

Run it once before every trip

• The four questions that reveal whether your coverage pays hospitals directly or requires you to pay out of pocket.
• The trip-length, age, and pre-existing-condition limits often found in “included” card coverage.
• What to total up before you pay a non-refundable deposit.
• The exact list to keep in your phone — the assistance number, policy number, and the first call you should make if you need care.

We’re a Canadian travel-insurance agency — travellers at heart — and this checklist is the same one we’d want a friend to run before they fly.