What is annual travel insurance?
With the advent of low-cost airlines, falling travel costs and increasing flight capacity, all of this has meant that getting away for a holiday has never been easier or more affordable. For many going abroad two or three times a year is now the norm and purchasing a single trip travel insurance policy for each trip can be time-consuming and in the long run more expensive than getting an annual multi trip travel insurance policy.
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Who is annual travel insurance suitable for?
Whether you are a solo traveller a couple or a family, then an annual cover may be the cheapest option when it comes to making sure you are covered to travel more than a couple of times each year.
Annuals are also really good value for active sports such as skiing, as they often provide this extra cover for no additional cost. This means that an annual policy can often be cheaper than a single trip ski insurance policy.
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Strange but true?
Did you know that an annual policy can often be cheaper than a single trip policy for a fixed duration
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What level of cover do you recommend?
We believe that each traveller is unique and therefore we feel that customisation is key and that a client should be able to fine tune their policy to their own travel needs.
Whilst we allow customers the opportunity to add and remove elements from their policies and fine tune their excesses, one thing we don't allow is the removal of the medical cover. This is a fundamental component and cannot be removed.
However, when choosing a policy the following we feel is a good rule of thumb. You should aim to have the following amounts in each area of cover: Medical cover in the region of £2 million (£5 million if travelling to the USA or Caribbean). This will also cover the cost of emergency repatriation. Personal liability cover amounting to around £1 million. Cancellation cover of equal value to your holiday (including the cost of prepaid excursions). Cover levels are shown on a per person basis so to insure a £2,000 holiday you'd need cancellation cover of at least £1,000 each as a minimum. Baggage and personal possessions cover to cover the cost of replacing your suitcase and contents should it be lost or stolen.
What about the EHIC, Isn't that enough?
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The European Health Insurance Card or EHIC is designed to ensure that you will receive free or reduced cost emergency medical treatment in any of the EU member countries - plus Switzerland - and is available for those aged 16 and over free of charge.
It is important to remember that the EHIC is for emergency hospital visits only and will not entitle you to any other form of treatment. It will also not cover the cost of emergency repatriation to the UK if needed and will not pay for any of the other benefits associated with a travel insurance policy including baggage, cancellation, personal liability cover, etc. To find out more about the European Health Insurance Card, please click here.
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The UK Government is suing some EU states for refusing to honour UK residents EHIC Cards. Travellers are forced to use cash points in Hospitals abroad to pay for emergency care upfront and told to reclaim from the NHS upon return
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Policy limits?
Whilst the number of trips per year is unlimited, each trip will have a maximum per trip duration, normally 31 to 45 days per trip. As long as you return within the number of days specified by the insurer then you will be fine but outside those durations, you need to either upgrade or look at an alternative solution. Policies as well will also cover a standard set of sporting activities and should you need to upgrade these an additional fee may be charged.
Annual multi trip travel insurance Cover is available for:
Individuals, Couples of either sex who reside at the same address and families
Cover is for 1 calendar year and provides cover for unlimited trips
Options for 31, 45, 62 and 93 days per trip
Cover for trips in the United Kingdom, Europe, Worldwide including Australia, United States & Canada
Travellers aged up to 79
A wide range of sporting activities including skiing, diving, bungee jumping
Travellers with pre-existing medical conditions including standard cover for over 1000 conditions
The fine print
Medical coverage
Limits and Exclusions