Don't Get Ripped Off On Travel Cover

Are you planning to go abroad this summer? With the pound down against other currencies, you might be best off staying in England this year. But if you cant get enough of sunny Mediterranean beaches, or even further afield, and then its probably time to start planning your break. Flights and hotels check! But what about getting properly insured? An amazing two thirds of Brits travel abroad each year without an insurance policy, while 8% admit never taking out insurance on a foreign trip! Travelling uninsured presents a number of risks. Its not particularly likely that something will go wrong on your dream holiday but if in the case it does, how will you compensate it? If you dont know where to start when it comes to shopping for travel insurance, then answering the following three tips will give you some good pointers.

Check What Cover You Already Have

Before you wade into the travel insurance market and spend time finding the right package for you, make sure you check bank accounts and credit cards to see if they already offer you cover. Many credit card and bank account providers have benefits for premier customers, and its possible that you may already be one of these and therefore already have a policy. If youre not sure, then call your bank to find out what they can offer. Paying a monthly fee for having a premium account is unlikely to be worth it in the long run, but its possible you could upgrade for free if youre a particularly good customer and the bank wants to give you incentive to stay on. If you can get one of these deals, then great, but also make sure your holiday destination is covered.

Any Special Circumstances?

Be careful if you or anyone in your travelling party has special circumstances its possible that prices will be higher as a consequence. Special circumstances include a history of serious illness, pregnancy or being over 65 all of which present higher risks for insurers. Specialist insurers such as SAGA may be able to help you here, but should you not be able to find a decent quote, you may be able to forego your clause about any history of illness just remember itll be on your head should anything go wrong. Also if you are travelling in the EU, make sure you have an EHIC card. This will provide you with the same amount of cover as a citizen of the country you are visiting, which will mean you will get free or discounted treatment should you fall ill or be injured.

Get the Right Level for You

Have you had a policy suggested to you by your holiday booker? If you have then consider if its at the right level for you, and the right price; its possible to be oversold in insurance package and you could end up with too much cover. For instance, does anyone need 100,000,000 worth of medical cover? The answer is almost certainly not, so theres no need to go for a quote with this if its more expensive than a policy with, say, 2,000,000. Furthermore, unless youre carrying the crown jewels across the world its unlikely youre going to need much more than 1,000 worth of baggage cover. As the rule of thumb, just try to think objectively of the extent of cover youll need its probably never going to run into the millions so dont pay for it!