Get covered for summer getaways, whatever your age

Travel disruption caused by Icelandic volcanic ash has reaffirmed the need for travel insurance – but older travellers face a battle to find competitively priced cover.

New figures from consumer champion Which? reveal that a quarter of travel insurance providers refuse to even consider offering cover to new customers who are 65 or over.

For travellers in their 80s the problem is even more severe, with some nine in 10 insurers rejecting applications from people in this age group as a matter of course. And even among those firms that do continue to cover people when they turn 65, premiums can triple overnight.

An annual worldwide travel insurance policy with Essential Travel, for example, costs £58.72 a year for people who are under 65, but soars to £205.51 for consumers over this age, Which? researchers found.

Richard Lloyd, executive director of Which?, said: “It’s absurd that you could wake up one morning and suddenly be three times more expensive to insure.

“Insurers should take a more common sense approach and look at factors other than age when setting premiums.”

Where can older travellers find competitive travel insurance?

Which? found that almost nine in 10 of the insurers offering single trip travel policies have an upper age limit, while just 29% will cover people in their 80s.

But fortunately for older Britons with itchy feet, there are a number of insurers that continue to cater for their needs. And the best place to find them – also according to the Which? report – is online.

A quick search of the moneysupermarket.com website, for example, reveals that a man born in 1940 and looking for annual European-wide insurance can pay from £57.26 with EHICPlus. Its policy includes medical expenses of up to £2,000,000, cancellation cover of £5,000 and baggage cover of £1,500. Trips are limited to a maximum of 31 days, however, while both the cancellation and baggage payouts are subject to a £75 excess.

For a couple both aged 76 and seeking cover for a week’s holiday in France, meanwhile, Columbus Direct offers the cheapest premium of £33.67. For this they would get medical expenses of £5,000,000 and cancellation and baggage cover of £1,000 each, all subject to an excess of £60.

Bob Atkinson, travel insurance expert at moneysupermarket.com, said: “The important thing to remember is that there are still options available and older consumers just need to take the time to shop around for the best policy.”

It is not, however, worth lying about existing medical conditions to cut the cost of cover as not only is this fraudulent, but it is also likely to mean that any related claims are rejected.

Atkinson added: “It is essential to be completely transparent when purchasing a policy. Then you can enjoy your travels without worrying about the validity of your insurance.”

What about families?

Following the massive disruption of last year, when thousands of travellers were stranded as a result of a similar cloud of volcanic ash, some insurers changed their terms to include cover for flights cancelled due to events of this kind.

But that is not the case across the board, so it is worth checking the small print before taking out a policy. Other factors to bear in mind when choosing a policy include the number and type of holidays you have planned in the coming 12 months.

If you have just one trip planned, for example, then a single trip policy will be sufficient. However, if you and your family are likely to be taking say two or three holidays over the next 12 months, an annual travel policy is likely to work out cheaper in the long run – especially if one of those holidays is long-haul.

You should also consider whether any of these trips are likely to involve activities that require extra cover, such as winter sports. Remember too that cheapest is not necessarily best – it could prove a good move to pay a bit more to get comprehensive cover, especially if you are insuring several members of your family.

Annual worldwide cover for a family of four aged between 41 and 11 years of age, for example, starts at just £37.45 with Annualtravelinsurance. However, the excess on all claims is a hefty £200, and the cancellation cover is limited to just £750, which is unlikely to cover the cost of a family trip to the US, for example, should you need to cancel for any reason.

Insurefor’s worldwide policy at £46.84, which has a lower excess and includes £7,500,000 of medical expenses, cancellation cover of £2,000 and baggage cover of £1,500, may therefore prove a more sensible choice.

What about young travellers?

You can find single trip policies on moneysupermarket.com for as little as £2.97 for a single traveller in their twenties taking a two-night break in France. Meanwhile, the cheapest annual cover available on moneysupermarket.com costs just £14.14 for a single person wanting annual insurance for trips to Europe.

However, if you are a young person heading off on a backpacking adventure for several months, the bad news is that most annual policies limit the length of time you can be away to 31 days.

Extended travel cover, however, doesn’t have to break the bank, especially if you use moneysupermarket.com to search out the best deals. In fact, an Infinity policy of this kind for a 21-year-old woman travelling in Europe for three months costs just £22.92 and includes medical expenses of £10,000,000 plus baggage and cancellation cover of £1,000 each (all with a £100 excess).

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