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Below you'll find answers to some of the most frequent questions when it comes to travel insurance.
No. Compare Your Travel Insurance can search for travel insurance quotes for all ages. However, the number of annual multi-trip quotes for older travellers may be limited due to age restrictions imposed by the providers that we search.
Yes. Only travel insurance providers that are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority are allowed on our panel.
You must be fit to undertake your planned trip. You must not travel against medical advice or with the intention of obtaining medical treatment or consultation abroad. Cover will only be provided for pre-existing conditions that you have declared and which your insurance provider has accepted in writing.
Once you have selected a policy from our results list, you will be directed to the chosen insurers payment platform. Here you can make payment with a credit or debit card. Cheque or cash payments are not accepted.
You will need to contact your insurance provider. Contact details will be provided with your policy documentation.
You have a 14 day right to cancel period with any travel insurance policy. You will need to contact your insurance provider to cancel within this period. You are entitled to cancel providing you have not travelled or made a claim.
Full details of what you need to do to make a claim will be detailed in the Policy Wording provided to you by your insurer.
If you require medical assistance or are admitted to hospital, you must call the 24-hour medical emergency number shown in your travel insurance policy documentation.
If you’ve booked a package holiday through a travel agent or tour operator, very often the travel agent or tour operator’s bond with ABTA or ATOL will pay out. If you have booked your trip independently, you will need to check if your travel insurance policy covers you.
Most definitely! You will be asked if you have any pre-existing medical conditions, if you do, you may need to declare these conditions before we can provide a quote. We will only show quotes from insurance providers based on the conditions you have declared.
Yes. It’s important to declare any past or present medical conditions. Failing to do so could invalidate your travel insurance policy and you may not be covered in the event of a claim.
No. Travel insurance providers are unable to cover undiagnosed medical conditions. The insurers on our panel require the investigation to be concluded before they offer a quote.
Medical expenses abroad and repatriation can be very expensive. Having travel insurance that includes cover for existing medical conditions is the best way to ensure you're protected from financial loss in the event of having to cancel the holiday or receive emergency medical treatment abroad.
A pre-existing medical condition is any diagnosed medical condition for which medical advice, care or treatment was recommended or received, before applying for your travel insurance policy.
We will need to know if certain conditions have ever been present, and for others, if they occurred within a certain period.
At Compare Your Travel Insurance we know how important it is for you to know that the information we collect is safe, secure, and used appropriately. We’re committed to maintaining your privacy and want you to feel able to entrust us with your information. You can find out more here.
If you do not have an email address, you will be unable to use the site - an email address is required so we can send you your quote information and policy documents, should you decide to purchase.
Once you have purchased a policy, your insurance provider will email the policy documents directly to you. However, if you would prefer to have your documents posted to you, you will need to contact your insurance provider, who will help you.
Enter your details just once and you can compare quotes from our panel of specialist providers. We'll even e-mail your top quotes to you so you can access them at any time. Once you've found the right policy, you can then pay securely online and your documents will be sent to you directly from your insurance provider.
Yes. It's important to remember that whilst you're in a European country, the EHIC/GHIC will only grant you access to the same medical treatment, provided to that country's residents.
This means without travel insurance, depending on where you visit in Europe, you may be expected to pay for some or all your incurred medical expenses.
You must have a permanent UK address, have lived in the UK for the last 6 months and be registered with a medical practitioner in the UK. All trips must start and end in the UK and you must purchase the insurance before you depart for your first trip.
This depends on how often you travel. If you do not travel often, then a single trip policy would be ideal. This does mean you will need to purchase a policy for each holiday or short weekend away you take.
However, if you plan to take 2 or more holidays or trips away, within a calendar year then an annual-multi-trip policy might be better suited to your needs, as this could save you money in the long run.
When it comes to single trip policies, it's best to purchase a policy as soon as you book, as this will ensure that cancellation cover is in place. Regarding annual multi-trip policies, it's best to start your policy, as soon as possible, as cancellation cover only comes into force from the policy start date.
Single trip travel insurance policies provide cover for a date-specific, individual trip, and will provide cover from the moment you leave your home, to the moment you return. Cover benefits, to name a few, include medical, repatriation and cancellation. Some insurance providers can also provide cover for up to 94 days.
If you’re not a frequent traveller, a single trip policy is a great option, that will likely be cheaper than an annual multi-trip policy.
You should purchase your single trip travel insurance as soon as you book, as this will ensure that cancellation cover is in place.
When buying your single trip travel insurance, you will be asked to provide the start and end dates of your trip. To ensure you are covered correctly, the start date will need to be the date you leave your home to start your trip, and the end date will be when you arrive back home. This includes any travel to and from an airport or port.
For single trip policies, cancellation cover starts after you purchase your insurance.
For annual multi-trip policies, cancellation cover is in force whilst your policy is live, commencing from the policy start date. If you have already booked your holiday, and you intend to purchase an annual policy, make sure you start the policy as soon as possible.
If you've already booked a holiday, it's a good idea to start your annual policy right away, as cancellation cover doesn't start until your policy start date - so you will not be covered until your policy is in force.
All annual policies have a maximum length for each trip you take, which varies from provider to provider. Usually, an annual policy will come with a 30/31 day trip duration as standard. However, some insurance providers can provide cover for longer periods, of up to 45 or 60 days.
When obtaining a quote on Compare Your Travel Insurance, we will let you know what the maximum trip duration is before you purchase.
However, if you need a policy that protects for a longer period, a single trip policy might be a better option. For single trip policies, some of our insurance providers can offer cover for stays of up to 94 days.
Always check your policy wording before purchasing.
No! The annual multi-trip policies we show, do not have a maximum amount of trips.
However, the policies will have a maximum trip length duration, which can vary between insurance providers. You can tell us your maximum trip duration when you get a quote and we'll only show quotes which match!
Annual multi-trip insurance policies provide travel insurance for the holidays you take within a calendar year. Annual multi-trip policies are usually cheaper than a single trip policy, provided you plan to take 2 or more trips.
Annual policies are sold based on your intended area of travel and are priced accordingly. These are:
- Europe,
- Worldwide (Excluding USA, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean), or,
- Worldwide.
Additionally, adult travellers (who are named on the policy) are covered when they travel together, but also when they travel independently.
As cancellation cover will only start from your policy start date, you may want to start your Annual cover when you book your first trip.
This can vary by policy so it’s best to check the policy wording.
In principle, if you could not have anticipated industrial action at the time of booking your holiday that should be covered under your policy.
An exception to this is normally, a travel delay. You would not be covered if you miss your outward journey due to industrial action that had been announced before the date of your departure from home.
Acts of terrorism are generally not covered by travel insurance.
However, the medical part of your policy would be in force, should you be injured in a terrorist attack, including medical repatriation, should you need to be brought home.
Please check the policy wording to ensure you have the cover you need.
Most insurance providers include some cover if a natural disaster occurs whilst you're on holiday. Check your wording to see if this is included.
Cancellation cover will normally cover you if you have to cancel your holiday due to death, serious injury or illness, to a variety of people. This will normally include yourself, somebody you're travelling with, an immediate family member, or, somebody you will be staying with abroad.
This varies by provider, so please ensure to check your policy wording.
If you go on holiday and find that you need to return early due to unforeseen circumstances, this is known as curtailment or cutting your holiday short.
The most common reason for curtailment is ill health. This could be for yourself, a person you are travelling with or an immediate family member.
Most of our insurance provider's policies will include cover for this. Your policy wording will help clarify in what circumstance you would be covered.
Cancellation cover will usually cover the cost of your trip, including flights and booked accommodation. Some providers will also include pre-paid excursions, however, this varies from provider to provider. Check the policy wording to see what is included and any excesses that may be payable.
When purchasing your travel insurance, you must ensure that the cancellation cover limit is enough to cover these costs. This limit is also the amount per person.
The insurance providers on our site have different approaches to this. For some, a river cruise is covered automatically, yet for others, you need to select the cruise add-on, before your purchase. You can also add this at a later date if required.
Check the policy documents to see what's included.
If you are including cruise cover on your policy you will need to tell us where you're going.
For a single trip policy, you will need to select every country your cruise will dock - this includes any countries you need to fly to, to commence your cruise, or any other countries you plan to visit as part of this holiday, before returning home.
If you are purchasing an annual multi-trip policy, you will need to select the area of travel, including all of the countries your cruise will dock. You will also need to make sure that the destinations of any other planned holidays are included too - this will ensure you have the right cover for all of your upcoming holidays.
A ferry journey is not normally classed as a cruise so you shouldn't need cruise cover.
Most policy wordings will define what a cruise is. A typical example is a ‘pleasure voyage of more than 72 hours, sailing on sea/s or oceans and includes stops at various ports'.
If the definition you see in your policy wording requires cruise cover for a ferry trip, please make sure you amend your quote to include the cruise cover add-on, or if you have already purchased your cover, contact your provider to add this cover.
Always check that the country you're travelling to will be covered before you purchase your policy.
Insurance providers will not cover countries where the Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advise against travelling to.
You can check FCDO advice here: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
If you have already purchased a policy and the FCDO advice changes for the country you are visiting, please contact your insurance provider.
If you have to cancel your cruise, your insurance provider may be able to cover the cost of your pre-booked excursions, up to a certain amount. Make sure you check the policy documents to see what's covered.
Provided you have requested winter sports cover within your quote requirements, we will only show you policies that include winter sports. You can then review the policy documents before purchase, to see what is included and what activities are covered.
After you've told us about your trip details and answered some medical history questions you can add your pre-existing conditions, one at a time, for each traveller. You'll only need to enter your details once, it's all online and there's no need to call, or provide details of your conditions in writing.
We will ask you a series of questions about you and your holiday. This will include, your age, destination and the dates of your holiday. We will also ask you about any pre-existing conditions you may have.
When obtaining a quote, you can select all the countries you intend to visit on your holiday.
Single Trip Cover
You will need to add each country that you are visiting. If you are on a flight stopover, you only need to include this country, if you were to leave the airport. If you are on a cruise it will be any country that your ship will be docking and any country you fly to before boarding your cruise.
Annual Multi-Trip Cover
You can choose between cover for Europe, Worldwide (excluding the USA, Canada and the Caribbean) or Worldwide. Make sure you select the right option for your intended holiday plans for the year.
How an insurance provider classifies a country (e.g. Europe or Worldwide) can vary from provider to provider. Be sure to check the policy wording to see which countries are covered.
The medical screening process is a series of questions we will ask you to declare your pre-existing medical conditions. These questions help the insurance providers gain a better understanding of your medical history, and provide you with accurate and relevant quotes.
Winter sports cover, is an add-on for travel insurance policies that can extend your policy to include, Loss or theft of ski equipment, Ski Hire, Piste Closure and Avalanche. These benefits vary between providers, make sure to check the policy documents to see what's covered.
Generally, travel insurance policies do not include winter sports cover as standard. As such, if you are thinking of hitting the slopes, you should ensure that you have the right cover in place.
When comparing quotes with Compare Your Travel Insurance, you can easily request Winter Sports to be included within your policy.
All our prices are live and set by the insurance provider, meaning we will always show you the best possible deals, we have available.
We do not provide discounts or offer price matches, as we do not inflate or add our commissions to the quotes we display on our site. Instead, the insurance provider will give us a percentage of the cost of your insurance policy. We don't have any favourites, nor are we owned by any insurance company, meaning the commission we receive does not influence the results you see.
When your policy is due for renewal, your insurance provider may reach out to you to discuss your options for your renewal. However, you may find a better deal with us at Compare Your Travel Insurance. We will be more than happy to help!
Insurance providers consider numerous details when generating your premium price. The key aspects they look at include your age, destination and duration of your trip.
They will also factor in any medical conditions you have declared, and if you have asked to include additional cover (winter sports/cruise).
If your address is not in our database, there is an option to enter your address manually. To do this, you will need to click the "Enter Your Address Manually" option.
Usually cover for your electronic devices (e.g. mobiles, laptops, tablets etc.), is not included as standard with travel insurance policies. However, if you would like protection for these devices you can request to have Gadget Cover included within your quote.
Check the policy documents to see what is covered when Gadget Cover is included.
Most policies will cover personal possessions (as well as cash) if lost, damaged or stolen.
Insurance providers will usually limit the payout for individual valuable items. The limits vary between providers.
Be sure to refer to your policy wording for a full explanation of what is covered and to check the limits and excesses in place.
Most travel insurance policies will cover some forms of business travel, for example, attending business meetings, conferences or seminars. Anything involved with manual work, such as professional sports or entertainment, will not be covered.
Some insurance providers may be able to add business cover to your policy - however, you will need to discuss this with them directly.
No. Cover can only be provided for trips that begin and end in the UK.
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