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Thread: Travel insurance

  1. #1
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    Travel insurance

    Good morning people (gender neutral)

    Iv never purchased travel insurance in the pass and been on many trips abroad but for some reason my instinct is insisting on this occasion. Iv been on the money supermarket website and im more confused than before I started.

    Is there anything in particular I should be looking out for?

    Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

    Many thanks again.

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  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by Merkaholic View Post
    Is there anything in particular I should be looking out for?
    Depends which country you are travelling to and how many visits (one off policy or annual). Is it just you or family? Whether you have any pre existing illnesses, whether you're going to the USA, whether you already have good cover with your bank account, what sort of activities you'll be participating in (loads of policies exclude "hazardous activities" that might seem quite tame when on holiday. Do you already hold a EHIC for Europe? Do you want or need separate dental insurance?

    https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/hea...surance-card/#

    https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/in...vel-insurance/

    I travel a lot and wouldn't go anywhere without insurance, although touchwood, never had to claim.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by broxie View Post
    Depends which country you are travelling to and how many visits (one off policy or annual). Is it just you or family? Whether you have any pre existing illnesses, whether you're going to the USA, whether you already have good cover with your bank account, what sort of activities you'll be participating in (loads of policies exclude "hazardous activities" that might seem quite tame when on holiday. Do you already hold a EHIC for Europe? Do you want or need separate dental insurance?

    https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/hea...surance-card/#

    https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/in...vel-insurance/

    I travel a lot and wouldn't go anywhere without insurance, although touchwood, never had to claim.
    Going dubai with Mrs merk and madam merk (age 4).

    Sitting by the pool is as pulsating as its going to get....lol

    I have 0 alternate travel cover eg CC company or bank account.

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  4. #4
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    I find it hard to compute why anyone would even consider going abroad without travel insurance. It’s pretty cheap and, god forbid you have a serious incident, will prevent your entire life being completely wrecked financially (especially if you’re off to the USA).

    I travel a lot both for work and personally, so use an Amex multitrip policy which covers my needs. Key is to get to grips with the small print and make sure the activities you have planned are covered properly. Things like skiing are usually added on, so I do this as and when needed.

    You’ll be surprised at how little decent cover costs. Just buy it!

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Peck View Post
    I find it hard to compute why anyone would even consider going abroad without travel insurance. It’s pretty cheap and, god forbid you have a serious incident, will prevent your entire life being completely wrecked financially (especially if you’re off to the USA).

    I travel a lot both for work and personally, so use an Amex multitrip policy which covers my needs. Key is to get to grips with the small print and make sure the activities you have planned are covered properly. Things like skiing are usually added on, so I do this as and when needed.

    You’ll be surprised at how little decent cover costs. Just buy it!
    Many thanks for your reply.

    Im not comfortable purchasing from the comparison websites.

    I will give amex a call. See what they offer us.



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  6. #6
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    Agree it's utter madness to travel without it. Even in Europe, the cost of repatriation in the event of a major trauma / illness (or death) can be incredible, and if you're in the USA something relatively simple like an appendicitis and you'll lose your house, car, savings and still be in debt to them for the next 10 years.

    I pay about £80/year for 'platinum' level cover for worldwide multi-trip insurance. I used the one recommended on moneysavingexpert.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by ach5 View Post
    Agree it's utter madness to travel without it. Even in Europe, the cost of repatriation in the event of a major trauma / illness (or death) can be incredible, and if you're in the USA something relatively simple like an appendicitis and you'll lose your house, car, savings and still be in debt to them for the next 10 years.

    I pay about £80/year for 'platinum' level cover for worldwide multi-trip insurance. I used the one recommended on moneysavingexpert.
    I have heard horror stories about the U. S....... Someone I met (moved to the US) his wife cut her finger in the kitchen (slightly deeper cut than a simple plaster)...... Rushed to the hospital, even though they were insured it costs them nearly 2k dollars as there excess was over 2k.

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  8. #8
    Grand Master snowman's Avatar
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    We've been insured with Insure and Go on annual policies for years now.

    They're on the cheaper end of the insurers, but my wife broke her knee skiing one year and they were great throughout, so I have no problem with recommending them.

    Try Amex, by all means, but I'm pretty sure that, like most 'big names', their insurance is probably provided by someone else and you may well be paying extra for the name.

    To my mind, the only thing that matters is how they react when you need them to and Insure & Go delivered.

    M

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Merkaholic View Post
    Im not comfortable purchasing from the comparison websites
    Why not? You aren't buying from the site, you'll be directed to an insurer and the site scrapes some commission. Better still, see who they recommend then go via Quidco and get that commission for yourself!

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by broxie View Post
    Why not? You aren't buying from the site, you'll be directed to an insurer and the site scrapes some commission. Better still, see who they recommend then go via Quidco and get that commission for yourself!
    In layman terms...... Im old fashioned, i still prefer to talk to someone on the other side of the phone lol.

    Dont get me wrong, the quote on the comparison website wasnt going to break the bank account. It was from £30 to £50+ with many variants in cover. I wasn't sure what i need and didn't need in terms of cover.

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  11. #11
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    Just called amex....... They no longer sell to new customers. They will only renew existing policies.

    Back to sq1......

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  12. #12
    I've always taken travel insurance right from when I first started travelling abroad. It's a relatively small amount compared with the consequences of something happening.

    I'll give you an example: I posted a report here in June about my trip to Cuba - I fell ill with food poisoning and had to go to a 'tourist' hospital in Vedado. I had to pay for a consultation with the doctor and for two injections. As it happens, the cost for these was not high at all, but what if I were in a different country? I could imagine hospital treatment easily going into the hundreds or even thousands depending upon the situation.

    My advice would be to go with a dedicated travel insurance company. Read the list of benefits and how much you are covered for. Most will be fine for you but the main thing is to actually take a policy out.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Merkaholic View Post
    In layman terms...... Im old fashioned, i still prefer to talk to someone on the other side of the phone lol.
    I quite understand particularly as I'm in my 60s and of Victor Meldrew dispostion but have learned over the last few years that customer loyalty and phone contact costs money. I have saved a fortune by going online even if it's to then speak to someone at the insurer after to add detail (eg declare pre conditions).

    My Quidco commissions after 5 years membership stand over £4,500, most of that from insurers who have the biggest payouts to attract new business (eg travel/car/home). Best I did was £45 cashback on a £51 contents policy for a rented cottage a couple of years back.

  14. #14
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    Is this reasonable?

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  15. #15
    I don't think that provides sufficient cover to be honest.

    I would pay more in the region of £60 - £100 for a good annual policy if I were travelling more than once in the year.

    If you're spending thousands potentially on holidays then why skimp on travel insurance?

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Merkaholic View Post
    Is this reasonable?
    Hard to tell without knowing which countries and which company. I don't buy on price alone, I would weigh up feedback on each firm too because price will mean nothing if they are a pain to claim from. I tend to stick to big names.
    Last edited by broxie; 22nd August 2019 at 14:52.

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shane View Post
    I don't think that provides sufficient cover to be honest.

    I would pay more in the region of £60 - £100 for a good annual policy if I were travelling more than once in the year.

    If you're spending thousands potentially on holidays then why skimp on travel insurance?
    I compared the policies from £30 to £55 and there was litteraly no difference.

    Will check others.

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  18. #18
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    Taking on board the advice. I have weighed up all the policies on offer and this seems to be the middle point.

    Majority of the more expensive policies were providing less financial cover for eg accommodation cancellation £750 pp where as others were minimum £1000 cover pp...... Not sure how that works.

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  19. #19
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    Can’t believe anyone would travel without insurance......the reasons have already been stated.

    Also surprised that the OP’s quibbling over saving around £20!

    Be sure to read all the small print to ensure the policy covers all eventualities, and be sure to declare any medical conditions.

    Once you get over 60, and you’ve got medical ‘history’ it starts to get more expensive. I get stung because I can’t get annual cover owing to previous illness.......but at least I’m still alive to grumble about it.

  20. #20
    Master steptoe's Avatar
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    The Post office do a range of travel insurance.
    And have a very good reputation if it ever comes to needing to use it.

  21. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by walkerwek1958 View Post
    Can’t believe anyone would travel without insurance......the reasons have already been stated.

    Also surprised that the OP’s quibbling over saving around £20!

    Be sure to read all the small print to ensure the policy covers all eventualities, and be sure to declare any medical conditions.

    Once you get over 60, and you’ve got medical ‘history’ it starts to get more expensive. I get stung because I can’t get annual cover owing to previous illness.......but at least I’m still alive to grumble about it.
    Many thanks for your advice.

    Weighing up what was on offer, the policy at £60 seems to be the mid point.

    As previously mentioned its my first time purchasing something which seems so meager but in the grand scheme of things it could be a life saver.


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  22. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by steptoe View Post
    The Post office do a range of travel insurance.
    And have a very good reputation if it ever comes to needing to use it.
    They were one of my goto companies but the level of cover was less than what I was offered elsewhere.

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  23. #23
    The last one above you posted seems ok....cover on personal money seems low at just £500, unless you don't actually plan to take any more than that.

    Read the other areas the policy covers and decide whether the cover is adequate.

  24. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shane View Post
    The last one above you posted seems ok....cover on personal money seems low at just £500, unless you don't actually plan to take any more than that.

    Read the other areas the policy covers and decide whether the cover is adequate.
    Having compared what was on offer via the comparison website, £500 seems to be the highest amount covered.

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  25. #25
    Master Albellisimo's Avatar
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    I have annual cover with INSUREandGO - they've got all sorts of options and I've claimed in the past with no problems. Decent company. Don't go for the cheapest when it's as important as this is my advice!

  26. #26
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    I would guess that most of our travel is within the EU and most of us take the EHIC which will give you the same level of cover as the normal residents of the country that you are visiting enjoy.

    The problem right now is that we may or may not crash out of the EU on 31st Oct and this will make a massive difference to the insurance that you will need to take out.

    If we do crash out, there is a possibility that you could literally be turned away from say a French hospital unless you flash a credit card that has sufficient limit to pay for all medical bills and an emergency flight back home. If you have a card with an inadequate limit, you could be in trouble. However in typical EU style, most (not all) countries have said that they will still honour EHIC agreements even though they no longer apply. The insurance companies have not yet said how they will react over this. If they assume worse case scenario, then premiums will increase massively, and if they assume that cordial agreements will be made, the premiums will stay as they are.

    There is also a chance that we could formally carry on under the existing EHIC agreements for an agreed period of time. No one wants people dying untreated in hospital car parks.

    So long term planning is a bit awkward at the moment.

    However if you ask your insurance company to email you their T&Cs, you can soon pick out limits and exclusions.

  27. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by Merkaholic View Post
    Having compared what was on offer via the comparison website, £500 seems to be the highest amount covered
    I travel the world extensively with my job and rarely carry more than £50 in local currency. There just is no need these days, almost everyone takes cards (get nil foreign exchange loading cards like Halifax/Nationwide, I'm not a fan of Revolut top up cards). Less risk of big loss on robbery, not only on holiday but from the normal bureau that charge exorbitant rates to buy and sell paper currency.

    Carry any more than a couple of hundred quid is not necessary these days.

    Quote Originally Posted by Merkaholic View Post
    Going dubai with Mrs merk and madam merk (age 4)
    Interesting perspective on Dubai. I was arrested and jailed overnight there back in the 1980s for walking through the gold souk at night holding hands with another Brit who I wasn't married to!

    https://www.detainedindubai.org/
    Last edited by broxie; 22nd August 2019 at 15:00.

  28. #28
    Grand Master ryanb741's Avatar
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    Make sure you specify any existing medical conditions. About 4 years ago my son had a series of seizures in thailand that eventually needed a private jet transfer and eventual repatriation to the UK with a medical escort. Total bill was £276k. Because my son had had a seizure 3 months before (but which wasnt diagnosed as a seizure by the UK A&E department so he had no disgnosis) I ended up having to pay around £110k of the medical expenses. So if anyone has had a cold, flu etc make sure you stick it in under existing conditions. Chances are it won't affect your premium but it could cost you big time if insurance finds a tenuous link to a subsequent claim and tries to use that to wriggle out of their financial obligations.

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  29. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by ryanb741 View Post
    Make sure you specify any existing medical conditions ... it could cost you big time if insurance finds a tenuous link to a subsequent claim and tries to use that to wriggle out of their financial obligations.
    They don't need a link to the present case, any failure to disclose will invalidate the policy. I just disclosed cancer I was recently diagnosed with, no additional premium but anything related to the cancer not covered which I think is the norm. The T&Cs says all pre conditions to be declared.

  30. #30
    Master
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    I had no end of issues with Insure and Go for a claim.

    Since used Lloyd’s Bank (think it’s AXA) who have been good with claims.

    Aviva are good and provide others with Travel Insurance (eg Barclays) and use CEGA to handle the medical claims who are one of the best in the business.

  31. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by Peck View Post
    I find it hard to compute why anyone would even consider going abroad without travel insurance. It’s pretty cheap and, god forbid you have a serious incident, will prevent your entire life being completely wrecked financially (especially if you’re off to the USA).
    +1!!

    It also covers you for the cost of the holiday if you have an accident and can't go, etc.! In terms of risk vs reward, I wouldn't ever not take out insurance.

  32. #32
    Master Lampoc's Avatar
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    Why insure luxury holidays? The chance of injury or death is far, far, smaller than people imagine, and you don’t need them anyway. I’ve followed this principle for decades, saved a small fortune on insurance charges.
    I speak as someone who routinely wears falls over on holiday. Uninsured. Of course it could all go wrong, but then I could also lose my Rolex, get a sexually transmitted disease or fall in love with the wrong woman......

  33. #33
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    If there is ever a product that it is worth spending the extra bunce on, it’s travel insurance.

    Little anecdote; a few years ago I went on a stag weekend to Ibiza. Got some quotes from a comparison site and on an absolute whim I bought one of the best that was 5x the price of the rest (still next to nothing). Lost a very expensive overnight bag full of very carefully selected glad rags (put it this way, it was a pretty flash affair and we weren’t exactly staying in San Antonio) and had to lay out a fortune on some replacements on the island. Did AXA cover it? With receipts/pictures of the lost items/credit card charges etc. they covered the lot, many thousands of pounds worth.

    Now ask yourself this; wouldn’t you want the same level of cover if it was your health and not your wardrobe in question?


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  34. #34
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    Spring for the cover

    It’s a no brainer especially if your going away after any possible brexit.

    It’s less than the price of a round in Edinburgh


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  35. #35
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    Lol Get Insured for Dubai. You’ll have forgotten all about the £30 or so it will cost as You hand over the best part of £10 for a pint . Come to think of it didn’t someone on the forum get pretty ill abroad recently with no insurance?

  36. #36
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    I appreciate all the advice on this matter and I took it on board........ I agree, small price to pay for when it goes all wrong.

    Going off piste........ All im seeing here in dubai is every brit and their dog wearing a gold rolex. I feel unique with my datejust lol

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  37. #37
    Grand Master Onelasttime's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Merkaholic View Post
    I feel unique with my datejust lol

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    Is it insured? Just asking …

  38. #38
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    Quote Originally Posted by Onelasttime View Post
    Is it insured? Just asking …
    Yes.....

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  39. #39
    Grand Master Onelasttime's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Merkaholic View Post
    Yes.....

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    Home insurance?

  40. #40
    I use staysure - they have worldwide cover, worldwide with exclusions, Europe cover and europe with exclusions and I particularly chose them because they offer cruise cover (didn't know you needed extra cover if going on a cruiseship holiday)

    In the past i used citybond suretravel - though they stopped covering morocco in the Europe-only policy for some reason
    Last edited by Xantiagib; 4th September 2019 at 15:34.

  41. #41
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    If I may say You won’t know how good a company is until (God Forbid) You make a claim.Saga and Post Office have good reviews.I use Saga.

  42. #42
    Quote Originally Posted by lew07 View Post
    If I may say You won’t know how good a company is until (God Forbid) You make a claim.Saga and Post Office have good reviews.I use Saga.
    indeed - reason why I moved away from Citybond. Mother-in-law got very ill and finally popped her clogs while we were on holidays and had to 'curtail' by a few days
    tried to claim thedifference in flights costs back - went through a whole bunch of hoops and red tape - and a simple question at the very beginning would have been enough to realise we had no means to claim as she had been ill in the last year with the same issues (or something like that) instead each time we inquired we needed one more piece of paperwork, then another, then another, then finally to be told not eligible for the above reason.
    - not a problem as after the excess it was only a couple of hundred quid... but hate wasting my time

  43. #43
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    Quote Originally Posted by Merkaholic View Post
    Just called amex....... They no longer sell to new customers. They will only renew existing policies.

    Back to sq1......

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    American Express use Chubb who probably have the widest wording on the market, note that Santander sell travel insurance and their policies are also underwritten by Chubb.

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