single trip travel insurance
09 February 2012
There is less than six months to go until the Olympic Games in London, where the world’s best athletes compete in one of the world’s greatest sporting spectacles.
As excitement sets in and the venues near completion, many people across the world are planning and preparing their travel plans to visit the UK and witness this huge sporting event.
However, it seems as if not everyone is so excited about the Olympic Games coming to London, as research by ABTA, the Association of British Travel Agents - shows that 12% of British people will be actively looking to go on a summer holiday abroad this year during the games.
If you are one of the many people looking to leave the country during the Olympics, it would be wise to ensure you have adequate travel insurance to ensure you are protected before and during your summer holiday.
Summer holiday insurance – things to consider
One feature to certainly be aware of on your travel insurance policy is the amount your insurer will reimburse you if you cancel your holiday because of unforeseen circumstances such as suffering a serious illness or injury or even due to being selected for jury service.
Our data shows that 7% of single trip travel insurance policies will only contribute £1,000 or less towards the cost of your holiday if you cancel.
However, 40% of single trip travel insurance policies will offer £5,000 or more to cover cancellation costs.
This feature can be very useful to cover you from the moment you book till the moment you return from your summer holiday.
Another area your travel insurance policy can cover is the replacement cost if your passport is lost, stolen or destroyed.
Our data shows that 52% of single trip travel insurance policies offer between £200 and £300 to cover the costs of replacing your passport abroad, while 19% will provide £500 or more.
Some providers may even reimburse you for the costs of accommodation, travel and communications during the time it takes you to get an emergency replacement passport.
These two features can ensure your peaceful summer holiday away from the Olympic Games doesn’t end in a nightmare. Read our guide to travel insurance to learn about the other features that are available on travel insurance policies that could benefit you.
If you are considering taking out travel insurance along with your summer holiday, use our Star Ratings tool to find the Star Rating of the policies you are considering and compare them with the rest of the market, to help you find products with the right level of cover for you.
26 January 2012
14% of skiers and snowboarders don’t have winter sports cover or don’t bother to check their travel insurance policy to see if they are covered for accidents, according to Santander.
Their findings highlight that British skiers and snowboarders are taking to the slopes without properly understanding the level of coverage they have on their travel insurance policy.
Receiving treatment for a skiing accident can be very costly, with air ambulances costing up to £30,000 in North America.
If you are planning on going skiing this year then it is vital that you check your travel insurance policy is up to scratch, particularly the amount provided to cover medical expenses.
Your insurer will reimburse you the costs of any treatment you may need after suffering a skiing accident.
Our data shows that 52% of single trip travel insurance policies that offer winter sport cover provide medical expenses up to £10,000,000, while 26% of policies offer a maximum of £5,000,000 for treatment needed on any skiing injury you suffer abroad.
Although the amount of coverage provided can seem high, it depends on the country you are visiting and the severity of the injury being treated. For example, the cost of having a broken leg treated while you are in the United States of America can vary from £11,000 through to £40,000. Then you have to consider the cost of being repatriated back to the UK which can cost more than £30,000 depending on the severity of your injury. This is why medical expenses can spiral out of control very quickly.
Skiing accidents can happen out of the blue and the best way to be prepared for any eventuality is by ensuring you have the right level of cover on your travel insurance policy.
If you need to check if your policy is up to scratch, why not use our Star Ratings tool to compare your travel insurance policy against others on the market?
21 December 2011
The most popular Christmas holiday destinations have been shortlisted by travel association ABTA, as more than 4 million British people plan on going on holiday this festive period.
The figures show that Christmas holidays are split between those going to Europe for a skiing holiday, to visit Lapland or to see the Northern Lights in search of a traditional white Christmas and those taken abroad in sunnier climates, with the Caribbean, Mexico and Australia all proving popular destinations.
If you are preparing to go away on a Christmas holiday abroad over the festive period, you may want to consider getting travel insurance to protect your luggage.
Travel insurance can ensure you have a flawless Christmas holiday
One feature you will have to consider carefully on any single trip travel insurance policy is the total amount the insurer is willing to pay out to cover the cost of loss or damage to your suitcases while on your Christmas holiday.
Our data shows that 35% of policies will provide up to £1,500 to cover the loss or damage of your luggage, while another 35% of policies provide more cover between £2,000 and £3,000 if you need extra protection for your luggage.
Although getting the right overall limit for your luggage is important, it is also worth bearing in mind that some insurers set a maximum limit for each item in your suitcase.
Our data highlights that a majority (58%) of single trip travel insurance policies provide cover of between £200 and £300 for a single item in your luggage.
Another feature worth enquiring about is the limit on valuable items, but it is important to find out from your insurer what their definition of a valuable item is, as they vary from insurer to insurer.
Our data does show that 36% of single trip travel insurance policies will provide a maximum of between £250 and £300 for each valuable item in your suitcase, while 24% of policies can offer you a higher level of cover for your valuable items.
If you are going on a skiing Christmas holiday, you may need to check the level of cover provided for your ski equipment and whether it is included in the total baggage feature included on your policy.
This means that should your baggage with your ski equipment be lost or damaged en route to your skiing holiday destination, your insurer will cover the loss of your baggage by reimbursing you for expenses incurred such as buying clean clothes or essentials you need and replacing the items affected.
Our data shows that only a small number (7%) of single trip travel insurance policies include ski equipment as part of the protection for your baggage, while 92% of single trip travel insurance policies offer this cover as an additional extra.
These are just a few features to ensure that you have a trouble free Christmas holiday, even if your baggage was to be lost or damaged while in transit or at your holiday destination.
If you are considering taking out travel insurance out for your Christmas holiday, you may want to use our Star Rating tool to compare the level of cover provided by each single trip travel insurance policy on the market, to ensure you get a policy with the right level of features for you.
14 July 2011: Mike Powell, Insight Analyst – General Insurance.
If you are planning to getaway this summer, it is essential that you check your travel insurance policy to see, what level of medical cover you have. We have highlighted some features that may be worth considering in this area.
Before you begin travelling remember to note down and take with you the emergency assistance telephone and your policy numbers, both of which can be found in your travel insurance documents.
This contact number is available to you 24 hours a day, seven days a week and provides a single point of contact in the event of any emergency. It is usually staffed by multi-lingual medical professionals, there to assist you in a number of emergency situations that you may have while abroad.
Medical expenses is a key area to consider when you are reviewing your travel insurance, as this is the amount of money that the insurance provider will pay out for medical treatment you receive while you’re abroad.
Most amounts offered in policies are large and can seem a bit much, however this depends on the country you travel to, the treatment you receive and the severity of the injury or illness. You may need this amount of money to cover all the costs of treatment and rehabilitation.
For example the cost of having a broken leg treated while you are in the United States of America can vary hugely from $6,000 up to $50,000, depending on the injury sustained and the treatment that you need.
- 10% of single trip travel insurance policies provide between £1,000,000 and £2,500,000 worth of cover for medical expenses.
- While 32% of travel insurance products offer policyholders between £5,000,000 and £7,500,000.
If you were to end up in hospital, your travel insurance could also pay out a hospital benefit per day up to certain amount specified by the provider.
This benefit is paid to cover any extra expenses that may occur from being in hospital such as using taxis or making phone calls. The benefit is given after the first 24 hours of medical treatment and then it is paid every 24 hours thereafter till the benefit payments reach the maximum amount set in the policy.
- 46% of single trip travel insurance policies have set between £10 and £20 per day as a hospital benefit, while 10% of policies pay out between £35 and £50 per day.
- A quarter of travel insurance policies offer between £200 and £500 as a maximum amount that providers will pay out for the hospital benefit. However 42% of policies allow a maximum of between £1,000 and £2,000.
Nobody expects things to go wrong while they are on holiday, and if you are unexpectedly taken ill or injured these features could help you deal with this unfortunate situation. If you’re worried about this area then call your insurer to clarify any questions you may have, for peace of mind.
14 July 2011: Mike Powell, Insight Analyst – General Insurance.
If you and your family are looking forward to your summer break away from the UK, then it isn’t long as the summer holidays are almost here.
Before then you need to ensure that the packing is done and that everything is safe and secure.
Just as you feel assured that nothing can go wrong as you sit on the plane, there is already the possibility your baggage has already gone missing or is sitting damaged under the plane. Your travel insurance policy may be able to help out in both of these scenarios.
If your baggage is lost or delayed during transit, you will need to buy emergency items for yourself or other members in your family. The costs for these items are covered by the baggage delay feature within your policy.
- 48% of single trip travel insurance policies provide £150 or more for each insured person towards the costs of emergency purchases
- 13% of products do not provide any cover.
You should also check the total amount your baggage is insured for, or the sum insured, as this will be the maximum amount that your insurance provider will be willing to pay out for your luggage being lost or damaged. The majority of travel insurance policies (42%) offer between £1,000 and £1,500 as the sum insured amount for your baggage being lost or damaged.
However would this be enough to cover everything you need?
You should read the terms and conditions carefully for what your insurer determines as the maximum it will payout for a single item and how it also defines a valuable. Certain insurers seem to class cameras and MP3 players as valuables while others would say jewellery and watches, we suggest asking your provider to clarify if you are unsure of specific items you are taking with you.
These options will give you peace of mind that if your baggage is lost or damaged, you will have some protection from your policy. Always check with your travel insurer to clarify the details for your situation.
14 July 2011: Mike Powell, Insight Analyst – General Insurance.
More than 60,000 UK passports were lost or stolen overseas during the 2009 holiday season, with the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) replacing more than 279,000 passports in the same period. When you are in the holiday spirit it is sometimes easy to forget that you have vital personal information on you. What would you do if you lost your passport or worse it was stolen from you, while you were on holiday?
Having the right features in your travel insurance policy could give you peace of mind for a restful break.
Loss of passport is a feature which covers the cost of your passport if it is lost, stolen or destroyed. Read the policy documentation carefully as some providers also reimburse the costs of accommodation, travel and communications during the time you are trying to get an emergency passport. The main requirement by providers needed to claim for the loss or theft of your passport is to report it to the police within the first 24 hours.
From our research of 381 single trip travel insurance policies:
- 54% offer between £200 and £300, if you lose your passport and only 9% of products don’t offer any costs.
There is a feature for mugging which covers you if you are mugged, attacked or hospitalised. Some policies will pay a benefit every 24hrs you are in hospital, to help cover any expenses that may occur. Again there are plenty of exclusions to be aware of such as not reporting the incident to the police within 24 hrs or failing to produce a confirmation of your admission into hospital.
70% of travel insurance policies offer no protection in the event of a mugging, however 21% of policies provide between £400 and £1,000, to help cover costs after the attack.
Losing your passport while you are abroad can be a nightmare, and if this is a concern for you, then you can take some simple precautions.
- Before you go away we suggest visiting the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office website. Select the country you are visiting for all the information and contact numbers you will need if your passport goes missing. Print these details and take them with you as guidance.
- Note down the number for your travel insurance policy’s emergency assistance helpline, this number is there to give advice in the event of any emergency, including your passport going missing.
- Photocopy two copies of your passport and your travel insurance documents. Keep one set for you to take overseas and leave one for a relative or friend in the UK, to keep as a back up in an emergency.
- Try to keep your passports hidden in a pouch on your person and don’t forget to ensure you put your passport back safely after using it.
- It is also worth taking another form of identification with you, just remember to keep it in a separate place from your passport.
Our latest travel insurance report suggests that consumers only taking one holiday this year would be better off buying a single trip travel insurance policy than an annual policy.
Many people are having to rein in spending so it makes sense to buy a policy to cover what you actually need. If you’re only going to take one holiday in a year then a single trip travel insurance policy could work out up to 147%* cheaper than an annual policy.
Consumers who are uncertain of which policy could suit them best can use Defaqto’s Star Ratings as a guide with 1 or 2 Star Rated policies offering low levels of cover and 4 or 5 Star Rated policies offering the most comprehensive cover. More information is available via www.defaqto.com/stars
* The following table shows the average cost of single trip and annual travel insurance policies:
| Travel insurance type | Average cost of single trip travel insurance policy for 17 days cover | Average cost of annual travel insurance policy | Average additional cost of an annual policy |
| Europe - individual | £18.65 | £46.05 | £27.40 (+147%) |
| Europe - family of 4 | £40.14 | £82.87 | £42.73 (+106%) |
| USA - individual | £40.89 | £67.74 | £26.85 (+66%) |
| USA - family of 4 | £88.05 | £119.66 | £31.61 (+36%) |
