Top mistakes holidayers make when buying travel insurance
Unsure on travel insurance? You’re not alone. Read on for advice based on real life customer enquiries, cultural shifts and trends, courtesy of travel insurer, CoverForYou.
If I keep quiet about a medical condition it won’t cost as much
Wrong: keeping quiet is often the major mistake travellers make when buying travel insurance. It’s really important that all pre-existing medical conditions are declared when you’re purchasing insurance. If you don’t, your entire policy could be invalid or cancelled, any claims rejected, or not paid in full. Declare or beware!
Buying travel insurance can go at the bottom of my ‘to do’ list
Don’t do this: buy it at the same time as booking your trip. You’ll be covered for things that go wrong before you even board a plane, train or ship. You could get ill and no longer being able to travel. Someone you’re travelling with is ill so you would rather not go alone; or your trip gets cancelled, amongst others. Consider buying an annual multi-trip policy. That way you’re covered for as many trips as you’re planning to take in a year without having to sign up each time. It can sometimes work out cheaper, too.
I’ll just buy the cheapest cover
Don’t just be driven by price. Instead make sure the policy covers what you need. Why? It could end up saving you thousands in the long run! Think about what you’re likely to be doing on your trip and who you’re travelling with, to make sure you’re properly covered. Remember: cutting corners to save a few pounds is never a good option. Medical costs can be extortionate, especially if you’re heading to the US.
Discounted travel insurance means I’ll save money
Discounts aren’t always what they seem. To get the best value, make sure the discount applies to the entire policy. That includes costs to cover pre-existing medical conditions, or add-ons like trip disruption cover – and not just the basic policy. If the discount only applies to the basic and you’re paying full price on the extras you need, chances are the discount shrinks to pretty much none at all. Shop around and read the fine print, to make sure that 20% discount really is a 20% saving on your wallet.
All the gadgets I take are covered by my policy
Packing your phone, iPad, laptop and headphones is second nature to most. But many travel insurance policies don’t include cover for gadgets as standard. If your gadgets aren’t insured elsewhere, you’ll often need to add this as optional cover. Almost all policies limit cover for high value pieces such as engagement rings, usually around the region of £100 to £250 per item, or per insured.
How does the Iran war affect my travel insurance?
“We expect to see the cost of travel insurance rising, especially for travel outside Europe,” says CoverForYou Managing Director Alan Dean. “This is due to a greater risk you’ll need to claim for cancelling your flight, and increased costs when you do, along with an increased likelihood of delayed flights and curtailed trips.
“In the short term, we’re also seeing reduced availability of cover for destinations that rely heavily on flights routing via the Middle East. This could change while talks take place over the next few weeks, and, if an end to the war is agreed, flights to this region could return to normal. It’s very hard to predict at this early stage, so erring on the side of caution is strongly advised.
“Given this, we expect the cost of travel insurance to also increase because of higher cancellation risk (changes in FCDO advice) and cost (we expect to see the cost of holidays increase) and in trip disruption (an increase in delayed flights and trip curtailment costs).”
Reader offer!
CoverForYou are offering an exclusive 20% discount code for Checklist readers on their travel insurance with the code VDM6BLVYZ3. Valid until 31 August 2026, it covers annual multi-trip or single-trip policies. These must be purchased directly from the CoverForYou website and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.
