Travel insurance (Blog #44)

A short blog about my experience of buying travel insurance.

It really doesn't need to be stated, but I am going to do it anyway: do not travel at home or abroad without adequate travel insurance. That said, don't pay more than you have to to get a policy that matches all of your needs.

Until November 2023 my bank account package included annually rolled-over worldwide travel insurance for my wife and I. This was great while it lasted. My cover ended when a reached a certain age of maturity; my wife's continued as she's a good few years young than me.

My first port of call was my bank, who couldn't or wouldn't help me renew my policy. Very disappointing. I decided to next try the banking arm of my regular shopping supermarket. Everything was done online as their chat line didn't seem to work. After filling in an online application, answering every question honestly, which, when it comes to any type of insurance, you'd be daft not to, I got the policy I wanted. It included cover for my two minor chronic medical conditions, plus worldwide travel. As my wife and I have relatives in the USA who we visit regularly, worldwide was necessary. The premium seemed reasonable, so I went ahead and bought it. 

This policy expired recently, but the price I was quoted by them to renew had increased by 20%, and that's with no changes to my medical condition and not having made a claim. 

I decided it was time to look elsewhere. This online stuff is ok up to a point, but the nuances and subtleties of one's health are sometimes best talked through via a phone call. This I did. I spoke to a very helpful agent who talked me through every aspect of my needs and my medical condition. I was offered a 'standard' policy that included European travel, obviously with my medical conditions cover included, but with the option to add US travel as and when I needed it. As the agent explained, there's no point paying for it until you actually need it. And the premium? Half what I had been quoted by my soon to be former insurance company.

The hard copy documents arrived as promised. If I decide to take a last minute UK or European trip, I know I am insured, and if I decide to travel to the US, then additional cover is only a phone call away.

Insurance of any sort can be an expensive business especially when it comes to arranging cover in later life. My advice is to always shop around, and never withhold information, or worse, lie. Never think that your European Health Insurance Card is all you are going to need, because it's not!

Thanks for reading this information blog. You can find and follow me on any of my social media channels listed above. See you next time.

© Mike Young 2024.