Travel Guard Fee Settlement: Eligibility, Payment Amounts, and Delays

The Travel Guard fee settlement is a $23,997,500 class action resolution over undisclosed “Assistance Fees” that AIG’s travel insurance unit added to plans sold to consumers in California and Washington. A federal judge granted final approval on December 9, 2024, but an objector’s appeal has stayed all payments, and no class member has been paid yet. The claim-filing deadline of August 13, 2024, has passed and was not extended.¹

What the Settlement Covers

The case, Miller v. Travel Guard Group, Inc., was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in December 2021. Plaintiffs alleged that when consumers bought Travel Guard plans through channels like Expedia or United Airlines, the price they saw included both a state-regulated insurance premium and a separate, discretionary “Assistance Fee” for services such as help with flight cancellations, delayed luggage, and medical emergencies. The suit argued those services were already covered by the underlying insurance and that the added fee was unlawful under California and Washington consumer-protection statutes.²

Travel Guard denied wrongdoing. It argued the assistance services were distinct from the insurance coverage, that no California or Washington law expressly banned bundling, and that insurance regulators had approved its rate filings knowing the plans included bundled assistance services.³ The company agreed to pay the settlement fund without admitting liability.⁴

Who Was Eligible

The class includes anyone who bought at least one qualifying Travel Guard plan between December 17, 2017, and January 18, 2024, was charged a price that included an Assistance Fee, and had a billing address (or an address identified in Travel Guard’s records) in California or Washington. People who already received a full refund on every plan they bought are excluded, along with court staff and defendants’ officers, directors, employees, and their families.²

The class is large. At preliminary approval, the parties estimated up to 25 million potential members, with an expected claim rate of three to five percent, or roughly 750,000 to 1,250,000 people actually filing.⁴

The Claim Deadline Has Passed

The deadline to file a claim, opt out, or object was August 13, 2024. It has not been extended.¹ If you did not submit a claim by that date, you cannot recover from this settlement, but as a class member you are still bound by its release of claims (unless you validly opted out).

Claims were filed either online at TravelFeeSettlement.com or by mail to the settlement administrator in Philadelphia. Approved claimants selected a payment method during filing: a prepaid virtual Mastercard, PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, or a physical check.⁵

How Much Individual Payments Will Be

There is no flat per-person payment. The $23,997,500 fund first covers attorneys’ fees (class counsel requested up to 30 percent of the fund), administration costs, a service award for the named plaintiff, and applicable taxes. What is left forms the Net Settlement Fund.²

That net amount is divided among approved claimants in proportion to the Assistance Fees each person actually paid, as reflected in Travel Guard’s own records. Someone who bought one inexpensive plan will receive less than someone who bought several higher-priced plans.² Any funds unclaimed after distribution go to Travelers Aid International as a cy pres recipient.⁴

Travel Guard also agreed to a non-monetary change: it will tell prospective buyers going forward that its plan price includes both the regulated insurance premium and a separate fee for non-insurance travel-related services.³

Why No Payments Have Gone Out

Judge Trina L. Thompson granted preliminary approval on April 9, 2024,⁴ and final approval, as modified, on December 9, 2024.⁶ Shortly after, an objector filed a notice of appeal. The settlement is now stayed while that appeal is resolved, and no cash will be distributed in the meantime.¹

If the appeal succeeds and the settlement is overturned, no payments will be issued at all.² If the appeal fails, distribution can move forward. The settlement website states it will be updated once the appeal is resolved; that is the place to watch for a payment timeline.¹

What Approved Claimants Should Do Now

If you filed a claim, there is nothing to do at the moment except wait and keep your contact and payment information current with the administrator. Payment method selection was made on the claim form, so notify the administrator if your email, mailing address, or preferred payout account has changed since you filed.⁵ No specific payout date has been announced, and none can be set until the appeal ends.

If You Bought a Different Travel Insurance Brand

This settlement only covers Travel Guard plans. A separate class action, Elgindy v. AGA Service Company, made the same core allegations against Allianz Global Assistance, Jefferson Insurance Co., and BCS Insurance Co. Allianz settled that case, agreeing to partially refund California and Washington consumers who bought plans between September 2016 and September 2023.⁷ That is a different case with its own claim process and deadlines; buying a non-Travel-Guard plan does not make you a member of the Miller class.

1
Travel Fee Settlement. Travel Fee Settlement Homepage
2
Travel Fee Settlement. Frequently Asked Questions
3
Angeion Group. Order Granting Motion for Preliminary Approval of Class Action Settlement
4
CaseMine. Miller v. Travel Guard Group, Preliminary Approval Order
5
Angeion Group. Travel Guard Settlement Claim Form
6
Travel Fee Settlement. Important Documents
7
ClassAction.org. Allianz, Jefferson, BCS Insurance Cos. Charge Undisclosed Fees for Sham Info Assistance Service, Class Action Claims