Overview
Before we jump in - a few disclaimers
We've worked very closely with travel industry lawyers to develop these tools, but the information we give should not be seen as legal advice. Always consult with your legal counsel for specific questions.
As you use Tern to share insurance quotes and get credit card authorization, please remember that you are responsible for knowing travel insurance rules and regulations. Selling travel insurance is regulated differently based on where you and your clients are located. You are responsible for understanding these regulations and presenting insurance options to your clients in a compliant way.
Preparing your account for travel insurance authorization
In order to collect credit card authorization for travel insurance, you'll need to ensure your account is ready from a security and compliance standpoint. Please follow the instructions outlined in our article on Credit Card Authorization.
Setting up travel insurance
1. First, choose a trip that you'd like to add Insurance options to and click the 'Insurance' tab
2. You will see two options set up by default - 'declining to insure trip', and 'opting to buy insurance elsewhere'
These options will show up to your clients when they make their insurance selection, so you can track an 'opt out' for your records.
3. If you would like to pull a quote via one of our insurance integrations, click "get quotes"
Learn more here:
4. If you'd like to add a manual quote from another provider, click the "add manual quote" button
5. Next, fill out policy information
Add the insurance name and supplier, and upload or link to the supplier policy.
It is strongly recommended that you include the quote number & date from the supplier.
Add the price of the policy. Make sure it is the exact amount you will make the credit card payment for.
If the policy cost will increase later (for example, after final payment on a cruise or after flights are added), enter today's premium. See "Increasing the price of a policy after authorization" below.
Optionally, add the quote to an existing package
If the insurance is being sold by the same supplier as a package on the trip, you can attach the manual quote to that package.
Toggle "Add to package" and select the package. You can then add itemized pricing so the insurance cost rolls up into the package total. For example, a $500 insurance option added to a $10,000 package will bring the total to $10,500 if the client selects it.
Without itemized pricing enabled, the option displays as "Included" to your clients instead of showing the dollar amount.
The insurance shows as an optional add-on inside the package until the client makes their selection.
Once an insurance option is in a package, it no longer appears as a separate row in the Trip Overview Bookings table — it is represented by the package row.
6. Add as many options as you'd like to present to your client. When you are ready, toggle 'ready for client review' in the Insurance settings section.
Note: as with other changes you make, you'll need to re-publish the trip for your client to see these new insurance options you added.
Client experience: selecting insurance & authorizing payment
1. Once your insurance options are published, you client will see the Insurance is ready for review at the top right side of their trip.
The client completes steps in this order: first, they make any option block selections (choosing between hotel options, for example). Next, they make any room selections. Then they review and select their travel insurance. Finally, they authorize credit card payments. Each step appears only when the previous one is complete.
2. They will click the Insurance to review, and will see the options you provided, grouped by insurance provider (e.g., all Faye plans together, all Chubb plans together), along with the ability to opt out. This grouping makes it easier for clients to compare plans within each provider.
If they opt out and there aren't any other pending credit card authorizations to make, they are all set! If there are other authorizations, they'll see them on the next screen, where they tick the items they're ready to authorize.
3. If they decide to authorize a specific quote, they will be prompted to authorize payment for it on the next page.
The insurance plan they just selected is already ticked, so they can authorize it right away. Any other items ready for authorization are listed too, but they start unticked. If your client wants to authorize any of those at the same time, they tick them before submitting. Learn more about what this looks like in our article on Credit Card Authorization.
If your client unticks the insurance plan, it stays on their trip, but its payment isn't authorized until they come back and tick it. The Submit Authorization button stays greyed out until at least one item is ticked.
Once they submit, they are all set.
If the manual quote is attached to a package, selecting it updates the full package total. The client authorizes one payment that covers both the package and the insurance. If they choose an integration partner quote instead, that quote remains separate from the package.
Records & receipts - opt in
1. Once a client has authorized an insurance option, you will both receive an email confirmation
Your client's copy carries your business branding, the same as any payment authorization confirmation.
2. Attached to the email is a PDF receipt
3. You will see the insurance option as authorized in the product, along with credit card details
It will remain authorized for 30 days before it expires. If you don't see the insurance option as authorized, your client may have unticked it on the authorization page. It stays on their trip and on the authorization page until they come back and authorize it.
Note: Changing the price, supplier, or policy after your client authorizes doesn't cancel the authorization. If you raise the price and re-publish the trip, your client is asked to authorize only the difference. If you remove the name, supplier, or supplier terms, or set the price to $0, before you log a payment, Tern clears your client's insurance selection and they need to choose again.
4. You will also see any authorizations logged under 'trip activity'
Records & receipts - opt out
You and your client will receive an email record of their opt out
Your client's copy arrives as "Your Business Name via Tern," with your business logo at the top, and replies go to you. The body text still refers to your agency name or your personal name. Only the sender, header, and reply address use your branding.
A PDF receipt will be attached
The PDF receipt will be added to your trip documents automatically
Language will be added to any invoices you generate
If the trip cost changes and you want to re-prompt them, you can 'reset choices'
Opt out language removed from new invoices
You still have a record of the original opt out on previous invoices + receipts
Collecting a manual insurance quote
Insurance items appear on the trip invoice alongside other items - use Generate Invoice in the Bookings tab.
Each insurance option must have a price greater than $0. Options priced at $0 will prevent the 'Ready for client review' toggle from being enabled.
Increasing the price of a policy after authorization
Insurance options don't have payment schedule options. There are no schedule type tabs (In Full, Deposit + Final Balance, Set Installments, Guarantee) and no Allow partial payments toggle. Your client always authorizes the full price of the insurance option.
If your client wants to insure part of the trip now and increase the policy later:
Enter today's premium as the price on the insurance option.
Publish the trip so your client can select the option and authorize that amount.
Open the same insurance option when the policy increases, and change the price to the new total. You don't need to use Reset choices.
Re-publish the trip. Your client is asked to authorize only the difference.
Note: Authorizations expire after 30 days. If the first authorization expires before you log a payment from it, your client is asked to authorize the full new price, not just the difference. Log the payment as soon as you charge the card.
If the quote is in a package, the package's payment schedule controls authorization, including Allow partial payments set on the package.
Manual insurance quotes can stand alone or be added to an existing package. When added to a package:
The quote appears as an optional add-on inside the package
Any itemized price on the quote rolls up into the package total only when the client selects it
Non-itemized insurance displays as "Included · Optional" on the pricing tab and "Included" once selected
Once authorized, the insurance is no longer marked optional in the booking list
The authorization covers the full package price, including the selected insurance
The insurance option's currency automatically converts to match the package currency
Insurance taxes and fees are informational only — they do not roll into the package or trip totals
If no insurance option is selected, the Insurance Options section is hidden from the invoice
The deposit amount on the payment schedule updates immediately when a client selects an insurance option
Moving an insurance option into a package is blocked if it has existing payment transactions or commission payments
If a booked insurance option is moved into a package, its booking status resets to "planning"
A readiness banner on the insurance edit form lists missing items needed before clients can select the option
If the insurance booking isn't the same as the supplier on the package, it cannot be added to a trip package and must be entered as an activity booking instead as a workaround.