How to Buy Insurance Online in Canada: Compare, Choose & Apply

1Can You Buy Insurance Online in Canada?

Yes. Many kinds of insurance can be bought online in Canada, from insurers directly or through a licensed brokerage. Simple, short-term medical plans can often be purchased online in minutes. Life insurance may also be purchased or applied for online, although the process varies by insurer. At EGE Insurance, a licensed advisor reviews life insurance applications before they are submitted.

This guide explains how to buy online safely and what to compare before you pay. It uses EGE Insurance as the worked example: we are a licensed insurance brokerage in Toronto that sells Super Visa, visitors to Canada, travel, student and life insurance. We do not sell car or home insurance, so for those, go to a car or home insurer or broker.

2What Types of Insurance Can You Buy Online?

On EGE Insurance you can see prices for and buy Super Visa, visitors to Canada, travel and international student insurance online. You can apply for life insurance online, and a licensed advisor reviews it with you before it is sent to the insurer.

Each plan on our quote pages is labelled either Buy online now or An EGE Insurance advisor completes this one, so you always know which route it takes.

Learn more about each product: Compare Super Visa insurance, Visitors to Canada insurance, Buy travel insurance online, International student insurance in Canada, and Compare life insurance quotes.

3How to Buy Insurance Online: Step by Step

Buying insurance online takes four steps: get a quote, compare plans, apply and pay on the insurer's secure page, then check your policy documents.

1. Get a quote. Enter the traveller's age, the dates and the coverage you need. On our quote pages there is no sign-up to see your first price.
2. Compare plans side by side. You can compare up to five plans at once, with every insurer named. Use the checklist in the next section to compare them properly.
3. Buy on the insurer's secure page. Choose a plan marked Buy online now: the insurer's own website opens in a new tab, and you apply and pay the insurer there.
4. Check your documents. See what happens after you buy, below. With a free account, every price you check while logged in is saved, so you can come back to it later.

4What Should You Compare Before Buying?

Compare the coverage, not only the premium. Two plans with the same coverage amount can differ on the deductible, pre-existing conditions, waiting periods and refund rules, and those differences decide what you get back in a claim.

Before you buy, check these six things on every plan you shortlist:

1. Coverage amount and exclusions. The limit is the most the policy pays. Read what is excluded as carefully as what is covered.
2. Deductible and total premium. The deductible is what you pay first on a claim. A higher deductible usually lowers the premium, so compare the premium together with the deductible.
3. Pre-existing medical conditions. Most plans cover them only if they were stable for a set period before the policy starts, and the period differs by insurer. See our pre-existing conditions guide.
4. Waiting periods and the effective date. A plan bought after arrival in Canada can have a waiting period before sickness is covered. See our waiting period guide.
5. Cancellation and refunds. Check what you get back if a visa is refused or you leave early. See our refund guide.
6. Who issues the policy and handles claims. The insurer named on the plan issues the policy and pays claims.

A worked example. In the quotes we took on October 11, 2026 for visitors insurance for one person aged 65 to 69, for 90 days, with $100,000 of coverage, a $0 deductible and no pre-existing condition coverage, prices ranged from $400 to $593 (Canadian dollars) across the insurers we quoted and the ages in that band. That $193 spread comes from the insurer and the exact age, with the coverage amount and deductible held the same. Before choosing the cheapest, check the four items that still differ between plans: the exclusions, the stability rules, the waiting period and the refund rules. These figures are approximate; see today's price for your age.

For Canadians travelling abroad, the Government of Canada also publishes travel insurance advice from the Government of Canada. For a Super Visa, check IRCC's Super Visa eligibility page for the insurance requirements.

5Is Buying Insurance Online Cheaper?

At EGE Insurance, plans are offered at the insurer's quoted rates with no added brokerage fee. Comparing the available insurers helps you find a competitive price, although the lowest premium is not always the most suitable coverage.

• Insurers set the price. The premium comes from the insurer's own rates. Before buying anywhere, check whether any fee is added on top of the insurer's premium.
• How a broker is paid. At EGE Insurance, the insurer you choose pays us a commission, and your price is the same as buying direct. Our broker vs direct guide explains this in detail.
• No broker covers every insurer. We compare plans from the insurers we work with, not the whole market.
• Compare like with like. A lower premium with a higher deductible, or without pre-existing condition coverage, is not cheaper if it does not pay the claim you are likely to make.

6Is It Safe to Buy Insurance Online?

Yes, when you pay the insurer directly on its own secure website and never share card or SIN numbers in chats or emails. Through EGE Insurance you pay the insurer, and we never ask for your card details.

• You pay the insurer directly on its own secure website. We never ask for your credit card details; the only exception is Manulife, where your licensed advisor completes the application with you.
• Never type your SIN, card or bank details into a chat. Our Terms of Use ask you not to enter them into EGE AI, and the chat is built not to send anything that looks like a card or SIN number.
• Check who you are dealing with. A licensed brokerage publishes its licences and how to complain; see EGE Insurance licences and complaints.
• Know how your information is used. How EGE Insurance protects customer information explains what we collect, where it is stored and how EGE AI questions are handled.

7How EGE AI Helps You Compare Insurance

EGE AI is the AI assistant on egeinsure.ca. It answers insurance questions in 8 languages, shows real prices for Super Visa and visitors insurance, and connects you with a licensed advisor. It is an automated assistant, not a licensed advisor: it gives information, not advice.

Open EGE AI from any page with Ask EGE AI. What it does:

• Explains insurance in plain language, such as deductibles, the Super Visa rules or stability periods, and points you to the guide that covers it.
• Shows real prices for Super Visa and visitors insurance from our live quote tool, and links to the right quote page for other insurance. Prices are estimates from the details you entered and may change after the insurer's review.
• Sorts plans by what you choose, such as the lowest price. Each plan has its own buy or apply button; nothing is pre-selected.
• Speaks your language: English, Turkish, Ukrainian, Russian, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese and Nigerian Pidgin.
• Hands you to a person: a call-back request goes straight to our licensed advisors.

What it does not do: it does not recommend a plan, it never quotes a price from memory, and it cannot take a payment or buy, change or cancel a policy. Those decisions stay with you and a licensed advisor.

8When Should You Speak With a Licensed Advisor?

Speak with a licensed advisor when someone has a pre-existing condition, when you are buying life or critical illness insurance, or when you want a recommendation rather than a comparison. Speaking with an advisor costs $0.

• A pre-existing condition, or a recent change in health or medication. Stability rules differ by insurer.
• Life, critical illness or disability insurance, which an advisor completes with you.
• You want a recommendation, not just a comparison.
• You would rather talk it through in your own language.

Advisors are available Monday to Friday 9 am to 8 pm and Saturday 9 am to 5 pm (Toronto time) at (416) 477-1516. Outside those hours, ask EGE AI for a call-back and an advisor will call you back during office hours.

9What Happens After You Purchase?

After you buy, the insurer issues your policy. Check the documents straight away, keep them with you while travelling, and contact the insurer or your advisor for changes and claims.

1. Check your policy documents. Confirm the names, dates of birth, effective date, end date, coverage amount and deductible. If anything is wrong, contact the insurer or your EGE Insurance advisor before the policy starts.
2. Keep proof of coverage. Visitors and travellers should carry the policy number and the insurer's emergency assistance phone number. For a Super Visa, you include proof of insurance with the application.
3. Changes, extensions and cancellations are made with the insurer, and your EGE Insurance advisor can help you. Refunds follow the insurer's rules; see our refund guide.
4. In an emergency, call the insurer's assistance line on the policy as soon as you can. Claims are made to the insurer; our claim guide walks through the documents you need.

10Frequently Asked Questions