ACS Expat is a low-cost worldwide health plan that pays hospital stays in full and, once you’re accepted, renews for life. The catch: you must join before 65, and on its own it covers almost nothing outside hospital.
ACS is a Paris insurance broker that has sold cover to travellers and expats for over 40 years, and ACS Expat is its plan for people living abroad. You pick one of four hospital plans, from Bronze up to Platinum, and can add doctor visits, dental and maternity on top. You pay in euros or US dollars, and claims in Thailand go through an office in Bangkok.
Its big selling point is price. When we checked in 2026, a 40-year-old could get US$2 million of hospital cover for under US$1,000 a year, and once you’re in, ACS can’t drop you as you get older.
The trade-offs are real, though. The cheaper plans cap what they pay for your room each night, the cheapest plan can’t add any extras, and the list of excluded activities is long. Scuba diving, Muay Thai and riding a motorbike without a helmet are all on it.
Below I go through each plan in plain terms: what it pays, what you pay yourself, what’s excluded and roughly what it costs. Every figure comes from ACS’s own table of benefits and policy booklet. If you’re already 65 or need insurance for a retirement visa, ACS Expat won’t work for you, and I cover better options for both near the end.
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Contents
- Key Takeaways
- ACS Expat at a Glance
- What Is ACS?
- Why Expats Choose ACS Expat
- Plans and Coverage
- Which Hospitals You Can Use in Thailand
- Optional Extras
- What You Pay Yourself
- Where You're Covered
- Ask Euro-Center Before a Hospital Stay
- Pre-Existing Conditions
- What's Not Covered
- Age Limits and Renewal
- Retirement Visa Insurance
- Making a Claim
- How Much Does It Cost?
- Disadvantages
- Should I Get It?
- Alternatives
- FAQ
- Disclaimer
- Sources Cited
Key Takeaways
- There are four plans: Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum, covering €/US$500,000 to €/US$3,000,000 per person per year.
- Hospital stays, surgery, cancer treatment and medical evacuation are paid in full on every plan.
- You must be under 65 to join. Once accepted, the policy renews for life.
- Bronze, Silver and Gold cap the hospital room at €/US$100, €/US$150 and €/US$250 a night. Above that, you pay the difference.
- Doctor visits, dental and maternity are extras, and Bronze can’t add any of them.
- At age 40, Gold cost just US$75 a year more than Bronze in our 2026 quotes.
- Injuries from scuba diving, Muay Thai, outdoor rock climbing, or a motorbike crash without a helmet aren’t covered.
- It can’t be used for the O-A or O-X retirement visa insurance certificate.
ACS Expat at a Glance
ACS Expat suits expats under 65 who want solid hospital cover at a low price and the security of a policy that can’t be cancelled as they age.
ACS Expat
International health insurance from ACS
- Plans
- Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum
- Yearly limit
- €/US$500,000 to €/US$3,000,000
- Hospital, cancer, evacuation
- Paid in full on every plan
- Hospital room
- Capped at €/US$100 to €/US$250 a night, except Platinum
- Age to join
- Under 65, then renews for life
- Deductible
- Optional, €/US$500 to €/US$10,000 a year
- Where
- Worldwide except the US
- Claims in Thailand
- Euro-Center office in Bangkok
Not sure it’s the right plan? Compare it with other plans
Verified October 2026.
What Is ACS?
ACS is an independent insurance broker based in Paris that says it covers more than 200,000 travellers and expats a year. ACS designs and sells ACS Expat, a European insurer pays the claims, and in Thailand you deal with two names:
- ACS: sells the policy, sends your renewal and handles changes to your cover.
- Euro-Center: the claims company. Its Bangkok office handles claims, hospital approvals and direct billing, with a 24-hour phone line.
Don’t mix ACS Expat up with ACS’s other plans, such as its travel insurance or its separate plan for retirees over 60. This review covers ACS Expat only.
Why Expats Choose ACS Expat
Expats choose ACS Expat because it pays the big hospital bills in full at a lower price than most international plans:
- Cover for life: once ACS accepts you, it renews every year and can’t cancel you as you age, as long as you keep paying.
- Hospital paid in full: surgery, hospital stays, cancer treatment (including chemo as an outpatient) and organ transplants are paid 100% on every plan.
- Evacuation: if you need to be flown to a better hospital, every plan pays.
- Local claims office: Euro-Center in Bangkok arranges direct billing with hospitals, so you don’t pay upfront for an approved stay.
- Online doctor: remote consultations with a doctor around the clock.
The main downsides are the nightly room caps and the long list of excluded sports. More on both below.
Plans and Coverage
ACS Expat has four hospital plans, and the main difference is how much each pays per person per year:
- Bronze: €/US$500,000.
- Silver: €/US$1,000,000.
- Gold: €/US$2,000,000.
- Platinum: €/US$3,000,000.
Every plan pays the hospital bill itself in full: surgery, doctors, tests and medicines during the stay. The plans differ mainly in how much they pay for the room each night and for care around the stay:
Swipe sideways to see every plan →
| Benefit | Bronze | Silver | Gold | Platinum |
| Yearly limit | €/US$500,000 | €/US$1,000,000 | €/US$2,000,000 | €/US$3,000,000 |
| Hospital stay, surgery, day surgery | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Private room, per night | Up to €/US$100 | Up to €/US$150 | Up to €/US$250 | 100% |
| Cancer treatment | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Organ transplant (not the organ itself) | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Mental health hospital stay (after 3 months) | No | Up to €/US$3,000 | Up to €/US$3,500 | Up to €/US$4,000 |
| Parent’s bed when a child under 16 is in hospital, per night | Up to €/US$50 | Up to €/US$75 | Up to €/US$100 | Up to €/US$150 |
| Follow-up care up to 90 days after | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Rehab after a stay | Up to €/US$2,000 | Up to €/US$2,000 | Up to €/US$3,000 | Up to €/US$4,000 |
| Home nursing after a stay | Up to €/US$2,000 | Up to €/US$2,000 | Up to €/US$3,000 | Up to €/US$4,000 |
| Emergency room visit without a stay | Up to €/US$250 a year | Up to €/US$250 a year | Up to €/US$250 a year | Up to €/US$250 a year |
| Emergencies abroad outside your zone (trips under 7 weeks) | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Medical evacuation | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
The room cap is the number to watch. If a hospital charges more per night than your plan pays, you cover the difference, so check the room rate at the hospital you’d use before picking Bronze or Silver.
The emergency room line matters too. If you go to the ER and are sent home the same day, ACS pays only up to €/US$250 a year, unless you’ve added the doctor-visits extra.
For most people in Thailand, Gold is the one to start with. It pays up to €/US$250 a night for the room, unlocks Level 2 of every extra, and in our 2026 quotes for a 40-year-old it cost only US$75 a year more than Bronze.
Which Hospitals You Can Use in Thailand
ACS Expat lets you use any recognised hospital in Thailand, public or private, with no list of hospitals that pay less. ACS pays what it considers a normal price for the treatment in that area, so very high bills can be cut back.
For a planned stay, contact Euro-Center first. Once it approves the treatment, it can pay the hospital directly so you don’t pay upfront, and it can tell you which hospitals and clinics are in its network.
Optional Extras
ACS Expat covers hospital stays only, unless you add extras for doctor visits, dental and eyes, or maternity. Bronze can’t add any of them, and dental and maternity are only available if you also take the doctor-visits extra.
Doctor Visits (Outpatient)
The outpatient extra pays for care where you don’t stay overnight: doctor visits, medicines, tests and scans. It comes in three levels, and the higher your hospital plan, the higher the level you can pick:
Swipe sideways to see every plan →
| Doctor-visit benefit | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 |
| Available with | Silver, Gold, Platinum | Gold, Platinum | Platinum |
| Doctor and specialist visits | Up to €/US$65 a visit | Up to €/US$150 a visit | Up to €/US$300 a visit |
| Prescribed medicines and vaccines | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Tests, scans and MRI | Up to €/US$2,000 a year | Up to €/US$4,000 a year | Up to €/US$8,000 a year |
| Therapy sessions | 5 a year, up to €/US$60 each | 10 a year, up to €/US$200 each | 20 a year, up to €/US$200 each |
| Physio, chiropractor, acupuncture | Up to €/US$50 a session, €/US$500 a year | Up to €/US$60 a session, €/US$900 a year | Up to €/US$80 a session, €/US$1,200 a year |
| Health check-up | Up to €/US$300 every 3 years | Up to €/US$500 every 3 years | Up to €/US$1,000 every 3 years |
| Cancer screening | Up to €/US$300 | Up to €/US$500 | Up to €/US$1,000 |
The per-visit limit is what to check. If your usual hospital charges more than €/US$65 for a specialist visit, Level 1 leaves you paying the rest each time.
Dental and Eyes
The dental and optical extra pays up to €/US$2,000 a year for dental on Level 1 (Silver and up) or €/US$4,000 on Level 2 (Gold and up), plus €/US$400 or €/US$800 a year for glasses, contact lenses or laser eye surgery.
You wait 3 months before routine dental is covered, 6 months for crowns, implants and glasses, and 9 months for children’s braces.
Maternity
The maternity extra pays up to €/US$6,000 per pregnancy on Level 1 (Silver and up) or €/US$12,000 on Level 2 (Gold and up), and double that for complications such as a medically needed C-section. You wait 12 months before it starts, so add it well ahead.
Assistance Plus
The Assistance Plus extra, available on every plan, adds things like a relative’s flights if you’re in hospital over six days, flights home if a close family member dies or spends over five days in hospital, legal help abroad and search and rescue costs. Worth it if your family is far away; skip it if not.
What You Pay Yourself
ACS Expat has no deductible unless you choose one: an amount you pay yourself each year before ACS starts paying. You can pick €/US$500, €/US$1,000, €/US$5,000 or €/US$10,000 a year, and a higher deductible makes the plan cheaper.
The deductible is per person and applies to every part of the plan except Assistance Plus. You can change it only once during the life of the policy, and lowering it may mean a new health form.
Where You’re Covered
ACS Expat never covers the US, and you choose one of three zones for the rest of the world. Thailand is in all three:
| Zone | Not covered (besides the US) |
| Zone 1 | Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, the UK, the Gulf states and a few others |
| Zone 2 | Brazil, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Mexico, Singapore, the UK and the Bahamas |
| Zone 3 | Only the countries ACS never covers |
On trips outside your zone of less than 7 weeks, you’re covered for emergencies. US citizens can ask, when they join, to be covered for up to six months a year on visits home.
Ask Euro-Center Before a Hospital Stay
ACS Expat needs approval at least 7 days before any planned hospital stay, and within 48 hours of an emergency admission. If you skip it, ACS can refuse the claim, or pay only 80% of the hospital bill if the treatment was needed.
MRI scans, physio courses, dental implants, braces and a few other treatments need approval too. Send Euro-Center your doctor’s report and a cost estimate with the request.
Pre-Existing Conditions
ACS Expat doesn’t cover health problems you had before joining, unless you declared them on the health form and ACS accepted them. ACS may also ask for a medical exam, at its cost, before accepting you.
Declare everything, even small things. If you leave something out by mistake, ACS can cut the claim or raise the price; if it finds you hid something on purpose, it can cancel the policy and keep the premiums.
If you have something like high blood pressure or diabetes, our guide to health insurance with a pre-existing condition in Thailand shows which insurers are most flexible.
What’s Not Covered
ACS Expat has a longer list of excluded activities than most expat plans, and several of them are common in Thailand:
- Risky sports: scuba diving, free diving, Muay Thai and other combat sports (judo is fine), outdoor rock climbing, jet skiing, kitesurfing, motorsports and trekking above 3,500 metres.
- Club and competition sport: any sport played in a club, federation or competition.
- Motorbikes: any crash on a two-wheeler if you weren’t wearing a helmet.
- Alcohol and drugs: anything that happens while you’re over the drink-driving limit or using drugs, and treatment for addiction.
- Elective treatment: cosmetic surgery, weight-loss treatment, and any planned surgery that isn’t medically needed.
- Waiting periods: 3 months for routine dental and mental health hospital stays, 6 months for crowns, implants and glasses, 9 months for braces, 12 months for maternity and 18 months for fertility treatment. Accidents are covered from day one.
If you dive, train Muay Thai or ride a motorbike, check with ACS in writing before you buy. Another plan may suit you better.
Age Limits and Renewal
You must be under 65 to join ACS Expat, and once accepted, ACS can’t remove you from the policy as long as you pay and still count as an expat. Children can stay on a parent’s policy until 25, and pay the adult price from 18.
ACS can raise the price at each renewal, based on the claims of everyone in the plan and on age trends. It must tell you two months ahead, and you can cancel within a month if you don’t accept the new price.
Retirement Visa Insurance
ACS Expat can’t be used for the O-A or O-X retirement visa insurance certificate, because neither ACS nor its insurer is on the official list of insurers that can issue one (checked October 2026).
If you need that certificate, a Thai insurer on the list is the easy route. Our AXA EasyCare Visa review covers one, and our guide to Thailand’s health insurance rules for retirees explains the requirements.
Making a Claim
ACS Expat claims in Thailand go to Euro-Center in Bangkok. For a hospital stay, call or email them first and they’ll arrange direct billing; for doctor visits, you usually pay and claim back, though Euro-Center can sometimes send the clinic a guarantee of payment.
For claims up to US$1,000 you can email scans of the bills. Keep the originals for two years, because ACS can ask for them.
How Much Does It Cost?
ACS doesn’t publish ACS Expat prices, and its quote form asks for your contact details. When we checked prices in 2026 for a 40-year-old living in Thailand, with a US$1,000 deductible and no US cover, ACS quoted:
| Plan | Cover | Price |
| Bronze | Hospital and evacuation only, US$500,000 | US$924.23 a year |
| Gold | Hospital and evacuation only, US$2,000,000 | US$999.64 a year |
| Silver | Plus doctor visits Level 1 | US$1,859.45 a year |
| Gold | Plus doctor visits Level 2 | US$1,997.70 a year |
| Silver | Plus doctor visits, dental and eyes (Level 1) and Assistance Plus | US$2,171.84 a year |
| Gold | Plus doctor visits, dental and eyes (Level 2) and Assistance Plus | US$2,514.54 a year |
Your price depends on your age, zone, plan, extras and deductible, and goes up as you get older. You can pay monthly by card, or quarterly, half-yearly or yearly.
For your exact price, get a quote from ACS.
Disadvantages
ACS Expat’s weak points for people in Thailand:
- You can’t join at 65 or over.
- Bronze, Silver and Gold cap the nightly room rate, so a top private hospital can leave you paying the difference.
- Bronze can’t add doctor visits, dental or maternity.
- Scuba diving, Muay Thai, club sports and helmetless motorbike crashes aren’t covered.
- It can’t be used for a retirement visa insurance certificate.
- You pay in euros or US dollars, so the baht cost moves with the exchange rate.
Should I Get It?
ACS Expat is a good choice if you’re under 65 and want strong hospital cover at a low price, with the peace of mind that it can’t be cancelled as you get older. It suits people who are happy to pay for doctor visits themselves and want insurance mainly for the big bills.
Gold is the best value for most people, and Platinum is worth it if you want any hospital room paid in full. If you dive or train Muay Thai, need a visa certificate, or are already 65, look at the alternatives below.
Alternatives
Other plans our readers like fill the gaps ACS Expat leaves:
- April International: worldwide cover with no room caps on Essential and up, but you must join by 60 if you live in Thailand. See our April International review.
- Cigna Healthcare: international cover with no upper age limit to join. See our Cigna Healthcare Thailand review.
- AXA EasyCare Visa: a cheap Thai plan that comes with the O-A and O-X visa certificate, open to people up to 80. See our AXA EasyCare Visa review.
- Luma Health: a Thai health plan built for expats and priced in baht. See our Luma Health review.
To compare them side by side, use our expat health insurance comparison and plan finder.
FAQ
ACS Expat is bought online, paid in euros or US dollars, and renews every year for life once you’re accepted.
Is ACS Expat really for life?
Yes. Once ACS accepts you, the policy renews every year with no upper age limit, as long as you keep paying and still live abroad. The price can still go up at renewal.
Can I keep ACS Expat if I move country?
Yes, as long as your new country is in your zone. Tell ACS within 30 days of any change. Moving to a bigger zone means a new health form.
How do I cancel ACS Expat?
You can cancel within 14 days of buying. After that, cancel at renewal with two months’ notice, or at any time once the policy is a year old, with one month’s notice.
Can I add a newborn to my policy?
Yes. Tell ACS within 30 days of the birth and send the birth certificate, and the baby joins with no health questions. After 30 days, ACS asks for a health form.
Disclaimer
*While we try our best to provide you with up-to-date and accurate information, the volatile nature of the health insurance business means some of the information above may be subject to change. Please use it only as a guideline, and if you have any doubts, it’s best to check directly with ACS or an insurance broker.
We are not an insurance broker and can’t offer individualized advice. We can only connect you with people who we would consult in your situation, and who we found to be professional, knowledgeable, and ethical in their dealings with clients.
These providers sometimes provide us with financial incentive to refer new clients to them. This happens at no cost to you and helps us cover some of the expenses of running this website.
Please be aware that while we do our best to select the most suitable providers, we’re unable to provide any guarantees or accept any liability resulting from your interactions and transactions with our partners.
Sources Cited
- ACS, ACS Expat table of benefits: plan limits, room caps, cancer, transplant, evacuation, outpatient, dental, optical and maternity benefits.
- ACS, ACS Expat information booklet (USD): age limit, lifetime renewal, deductibles, zones, waiting periods, prior approval and the 80% rule, exclusions, Euro-Center contacts, premium revision and cancellation. Insurer: MGEN Portugal, through the Globe Partner Association.
- ACS, ACS Expat product page: lifetime cover, deductible options, teleconsultation and Euro-Center’s role.
- Thai General Insurance Association, O-A and O-X participating companies: insurers listed for long-stay visa certificates.
