Many people leave buying travel insurance until just before they head off on their holidays, but it’s vital to take out cover at the same time as you book your break.
Having travel insurance when you go on holiday is not a legal requirement, but it can provide valuable peace of mind that if you have to cancel your break due to illness or a bereavement, or if any valuables are lost or stolen while you’re away, any financial losses should be covered. According to comparison site, Finder.com, over 80% of people aged 45 and over choose to purchase it for their travels.
The unfortunate truth is, however, that once you reach your 50s, travel insurance premiums usually start increasing as insurance companies think you are more likely to make a claim. In addition, if you have any pre-existing medical conditions, it’s likely that your travel insurance costs will rise even more.
However, this doesn’t mean that you’ll necessarily have to pay through the nose for your cover, but it may mean that you have to look a bit harder to find the best deals.
Here we explain how travel insurance works and provide some tips and tricks to help keep your costs down.
Are you already covered?
Before buying travel insurance, it’s worth checking whether you already have cover in place. After all, the last thing you want to do is effectively end up paying for cover twice.
For example, many people are covered as part of the range of benefits that are provided by their packaged current accounts. If your current account does come with travel insurance, it’s best to check the fine print of your policy so that you’re clear on exactly what is and isn’t covered.
The cover and exclusions that apply may change depending on your age. So, for example, Nationwide offers package travel insurance for their qualifying FlexAccount holders, but it will only cover you if you are aged 69 or younger. The Co-op’s packaged bank account travel insurance, however, will cover you up until the age of 79.
Travel Insurance as you get older
Travel insurance premiums, as previously mentioned, tend to increase as you get older. For example, someone in their 40s in good health is likely to only have to pay around £20 for comprehensive cover for a two week holiday to Europe, but this jumps to more than £100 for someone aged 80 or above.
Of course, the exact premiums you’ll have to pay will depend on your individual circumstances, including your age, any medical issues, your holiday destination and the length of your holiday.
As well as premiums increasing as you age, the other key differences you may notice as you get older are that your insurer may:
- Reduce the maximum length of trip they will cover you for
- Put a limit on the number of places you can travel to
- Reduce the amount you will get as your personal accident benefit, which essentially means how much of a payout you’ll receive if you have a lasting injury as a result of an accident
It’s often not until you reach your mid-60s that these limits and reductions really start to take effect. It’s therefore especially important to read the small print before buying cover to make sure there aren’t any policy exclusions which could catch you out.
Don’t be tempted to hide any information when you apply for cover to keep premiums down. It’s vital to always be completely honest when applying for your travel insurance and declare all medical conditions, as any omission might invalidate your policy. You can find out more about this in our guide How to find travel insurance if you have pre-existing health conditions.
The details of travel insurance change for each age bracket, so here we’ve covered off some key points to be aware of for some of the standard age bands that insurers use:
Travel insurance cover for over 50s
The majority of standard travel insurance policies will cover people between the ages of 50 and 64 without too much a price hike, but you may notice that costs are creeping up a little more each year.
There is a specific market for over 50s travel insurance with insurers who specialise in policies with higher, or no, upper age limits and extra items might be covered, such as mobility aids. For people who have additional needs as they get older this type of insurance can mean they get the best cover for their needs. However, if you don’t have any additional needs, you might be better off looking at the mainstream travel insurance offerings as buying over 50s insurance may mean you are paying for extra benefits you don’t need.
Travel insurance cover for over 65s
Once you reach the age of 65, you might notice the cost of your travel insurance creeping up and more restrictions are likely to be applied to your policy. Nevertheless there are still a range of policies available at a wide variety of price points.
If you are planning to go skiing or do another winter sport, it’s worth knowing that a large number of insurers will only cover you for these sorts of activities up to the age of 64. Don’tt worry though, this doesn’t mean you won’t be able to find cover, but you will have to check your policy carefully so you know exactly what limitations your policy might have.
Travel insurance with pre-existing medical conditions
Having a pre-existing medical condition does not always mean that you will have to pay steep premiums or that you will be refused travel insurance. The cover you are eligible for and the amount it costs will depend on what pre-existing medical condition you have, how recently you have been treated for it and any medication you are taking. There are plenty of providers out there who may be prepared to cover you, and comparison sites such as payingtoomuch.com, comparethemarket.com and MoneySuperMarket all have insurers that cover pre-existing conditions.
It’s very important that when you apply for travel insurance that you are honest on your application and declare your condition and all related information. When declaring your condition you will usually be asked a series of questions that will help the insurer to fully understand your current condition.
If you’re looking for travel insurance, we have partnered with Staysure to provide you with first class travel insurance, tailored to suit your needs. There’s no upper age limit and they’ll cover most pre-existing medical conditions. You can also take advantage of their 20%‡ discount, just quote RLESS at checkout.
‡Discount applies to the base premium of the policy only and not to medical screening costs or add-ons where relevant. Terms, conditions, and exclusions apply.
Travel insurance cover for serious illnesses or recent diagnoses
Many insurers are less likely to provide travel insurance cover if you:
- Have any undiagnosed symptoms
- Have received a terminal prognosis
- Are awaiting any tests, test results, investigations
- Are awaiting surgery, or are waiting to be discharged from post-operative checks
This is a fairly vague list, but the following conditions are usually the ones that would fall under this classification: cancer, stroke or serious heart condition, respiratory conditions or conditions that have been diagnosed as terminal. For more information on finding travel insurance if you have cancer, have a look at our article Travel insurance if you have cancer.
While you may not consider youseIf to have a serious illness, if you have been rejected by a number of insurers they may view you to fall into one of the above categories, and you may need to look for insurance as if you do have a serious condition.
A serious or terminal illness does not mean that you can’t travel. There are some specialist insurers that might be able to offer you cover. The easiest way for you to find cover is through the Money Advice Service’s Travel Insurance Directory which is a list of 31 specialist insurers who provide insurance for people who are more likely to need medical intervention while they are away. The British Insurance Brokers Association also has a list of local insurers who may be able to help you.
If you are applying for this type of travel insurance online, the insurers will probably ask you to call a number or fill out a form with your medical history. If there is ever anything you are unsure about, it is best to call the insurer and speak to them directly.
If you have medical equipment you need to take away with you, it’s important to check that it will be covered by your policy. Another point is to make sure you have a 24-hour helpline available in case you have a medical emergency while you are away.
As well as making sure you have travel insurance in place, it’s a good idea to take the free Global Health Insurance Card (EHIC) with you too. This will provide you with free or reduced cost healthcare when travelling in Europe, including medically necessary treatment for pre-existing or chronic conditions. You can apply for a Global Health Insurance card on the official NHS website here and you can find out more about how the card works in our article Everything you need to know about the Global Health Insurance Card.
Tips for keeping travel insurance costs down
Don’t buy cover last minute – buying travel insurance at the same time as you book your holiday will ensure you’re covered if you have to cancel your trip before you go, as well as protecting you whilst you’re away.
Shop around – there are a number of insurance brokers and comparison sites that specialise in cover for over 50s as well as people with pre-existing conditions, or recent medical diagnoses so don’t settle for the first quote you’re offered.
Do it yourself – if you are booking your holiday through an agency, they will often offer you their travel insurance as part of your package. These policies are often sold at inflated prices, so if you can, it’s best to look for standalone cover yourself.
Consider a larger excess (the portion of any insurance claim you must pay yourself) – as with any type of general insurance, the larger excess you choose, the lower your premium is likely to be. However, make sure you’ll still be able to afford to make a claim.
Check your cover limits – you may be paying more for optional extras like cover for lost or stolen baggage that you may not need or want.
Consider annual cover – If you are making more than two or more trips in a year, it’s worthwhile looking at a multi-trip annual policy rather than several single trip policies. This type of policy will cover you for being away for a set number of days a year, for example 183 out of 365 days, although usually no individual trip can be longer than a set number of days, for example, 30 or 50. Be aware however that as you get older, the length of time you will be covered for is likely to reduce, so it’s worth checking the fine print on your policy to make sure you are covered for the time you’re planning to spend abroad. Multi-trip cover often works out cheaper than buying insurance separately for several individual trips. Find out more in our guide Should I buy annual or single trip travel insurance?
Make sure you choose the right travel insurance policy to suit your needs – If, for example, you are going on a cruise then specialist cruise insurance is best, or if you are going on a skiing holiday you’ll need to make sure any policy you choose includes winter sports cover.
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