Over 50s travel insurance

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Over 50 travel insurance

Can I get travel insurance that covers COVID-19?

Yes, you can still compare and purchase travel insurance with COVID-19 cover from Confused.com. All of our providers offer emergency medical treatment and repatriation (returning to the UK) for COVID-19 claims.

Many of our providers offer further Covid-19 related cover such as holiday cancellations, accommodation costs and denied boarding. Be sure to check the details of your policy carefully as different providers will offer different policy enhancements.

It's important to note that if you travel against advice from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), you won't be covered by any travel insurance policy you buy.

What is over 50s travel insurance?

If you’re in your 50s and you’ve just booked or are looking to book your next holiday, having the right travel insurance in place before you travel can help cover you against cancellations or missed departure.

Once you’re on holiday, over 50s travel insurance can help you avoid paying for expensive medical treatment in emergencies or cover unexpected costs like loss of personal possessions. It can also cover return travel if you fall ill or are involved in an accident while abroad.

What does over 50s travel insurance cover?

An over 50s travel policy will cover the same things as a standard policy. This usually includes:

Medical treatment and return travel to the UK if you’re unwell or are injured while you’re on holiday
Cancellation cover in case your holiday is cancelled or you're unable to go on your trip
Baggage, personal possessions, and money cover if your items are lost or stolen
24-hour helpline to speak to someone in an emergency

An over 50s travel insurance policy might offer slightly enhanced medical benefits or no age limits on the cover. You may also get longer trip limits on single and multi trip policies - helpful if you have more time on your hands.

As with any policy, it’s important to check exactly what is and isn’t covered to get the best value travel insurance. Terms will vary not just between insurance companies but between policies too.

What optional extras are available?

Like standard travel insurance you’ll be able to buy optional extras to make sure you have the right level of cover for your trip - wherever you’re going or whatever you plan to do when you get there. The optional extras often include:

Golf cover, which usually insures your equipment. Sometimes it comes as standard on over 50s plans, but not always.
Cruise cover protects you if your cruise needs to make an unscheduled stop or misses a port. You’ll also have additional cover for if you have a medical emergency on board or if you have to be confined to your cabin.
Specialist sports cover includes numerous different sporting activities, from water and winter sports to other extreme sports.
Gadget cover could be vital if the cover limits on a standard policy aren’t high enough for your top of the range camera or laptop.
Single item cover is designed for those travelling with any items that exceed the single item price limit, such as a watch or jewellery.

How much does over 50s travel insurance cost?

The cost of your policy can vary depending on:

Where you’re travelling to, for example the USA is likely to be pricier than Europe
How long you’re away for, the longer the trip is, the more you might pay
If you have a pre-existing medical condition
If you want to add any extras to your policy, such as golf or cruise cover

To give you an idea of how much a policy may cost you, here are the average costs of 1-week policies for the UK and some of the most popular destinations around the world¹:

Destination	Average premium for 1 week¹
Cyprus	£28.94
Germany	£24.89
Spain	£27.65
France	£23.54
UK	£22.32
Greece	£24.56
Croatia	£23.78
Italy	£22.48
Portugal	£19.97
Turkey	£28.19

1. Confused.com travel insurance data - Average price of all over 50 premiums - January 2022 to March 2022

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What should I consider when buying over 50s travel insurance?

Making sure you have the right cover in place before you travel is important. We’ve listed a few things that you’ll need to think about before buying your insurance policy:

What policy type you need
The length of your trip
Where you're travelling to
The level of cover you'll need
How many people you want to cover

The policy type you need will depend your type of holiday and whether you’re planning on more than one trip in a year. Options include single-trip, annual multi-trip or if you’re more adventurous, a backpacker policy.

The length of your trip can affect the price and type of policy you need. For example, a standard over 50s policy might be suited for a week’s holiday or even a trip up to 31 days. If you’re planning on travelling for longer, a backpacker policy might be more suited.

Backpacker policies aren’t just for young travellers, they offer cover for trips of up to 18 months, whether you’re aged 18 or 50. We cover the different policy types in more detail below.

Where you’re travelling to not only affects the cost of your policy but may also make you think about how much cover you need. For example, if you’re planning on a shopping trip to New York, you’ll want to make sure your new must-haves are covered. Remember to include all the countries and regions you’re planning on travelling to, to be sure you’re fully covered.

The level of cover you’ll need, including cover for a pre-existing medical condition. Depending on the type of holiday you might need extras such as winter sports, business travel or cruise cover.

How many people you want to cover, particularly if you’re planning a romantic getaway or a family holiday. Family policies can include up to 2 adults and 8 children who should be under the age of 18.

What are the main types of over 50s cover?

Single-trip travel insurance is perfect if you’re holiday is a one-off and you’re only travelling for a week or two. There isn’t usually a maximum limit for the number of days you’re allowed to travel.

Annual travel insurance may be more cost effective if you know you’re going to be travelling multiple times a year. There is usually a limit of 31 days per trip, but this varies between insurers.

However while annual travel insurance usually offers best value if you’ve got more than one trip planned, there may be exceptions. Travelling to the USA bumps the cost of your cover up substantially, so if you have a two-week trip to Spain and a weekend in New York in the pipeline you might save money by buying two separate single policies.

That said, if you have free time on your hands and enjoy being able to jet off at short notice, buying an over 50s annual policy could save you a lot of stress!

Backpacker insurance is another option for long-term travel. You’re normally covered for anything between 3 and 18 months. Again, this can change depending on your insurer, so we recommend checking the policy details before buying.

What’s the difference between single trip and annual multi trip travel insurance for over 50s?

Single trip is perfect for insuring individual trips. However if you’ve got several trips planned, or you don’t like to worry about arranging insurance every time you go away, an annual multi trip might be cheaper and more convenient.

Annual multi trip offers cover for any number of getaways throughout the year, but there are still likely to be limits around how long you can be away for. Check the exact terms of your over 50s travel insurance if this is likely to be an important consideration.

Can I get a quote with a serious pre-existing medical condition?

Yes, you can still get a quote with us if you have a medical condition. We have a range of insurers who offer quotes for many declared serious medical conditions. These conditions could include:

Cancer
Stroke
Serious heart conditions
Respiratory conditions
Terminal conditions

You must tell your insurer about the health history of each traveller, so they can confirm whether any claims relating to them would be covered. Cover for some conditions could make your policy more expensive. If you don’t tell your insurer about a medical condition, this could invalidate a claim and you could be left with a very hefty bill.

Not all insurers offer cover for pre-existing medical conditions. If you’re unable to find suitable cover, the Money and Pension Service (MaPS) has also set up a directory of insurers willing to cover customers with pre-existing medical conditions. You can phone them on 0800 138 7777 for free impartial advice.

What information do I need for an over 50s travel insurance quote?

To get an over 50s travel insurance quote you’ll need information about:

The dates you’re travelling
The country or countries you’ll be visiting
Any pre-existing medical conditions

You’re likely to be asked if you’ve seen a doctor in the last two years and whether you’re currently waiting for any tests or investigations.

For annual trips you won’t need to include specific travel dates or holiday details as you may not have booked them all. Nonetheless you would need to specify the parts of the world you want including. If you buy an annual policy for Europe for example, you would then need to arrange additional cover if you decided to go to the USA.

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What our travel insurance expert says

Believe it or not, but there aren’t many differences between a standard travel policy and an over 50s policy. The only real difference is the cost of your policy, as the risk of getting injured or becoming ill when abroad increases as you get older. That doesn’t mean to say, you can’t make a saving on a policy. The easiest way to do that is to get a quote and compare your options. It really is that simple.

Jac Morris

Travel insurance product executive

Need more help

Are there age limits for an over 50s travel insurance policy?

The only criteria for this type of policy is that you have to be over the age of 50 when you buy the policy. There aren’t any upper age limits, so you should be able to get a quote if you’re 60, 70 or 80.

Why does over 50s travel insurance cost more than standard travel insurance?

The cost of a policy goes up for over 50s because you generally have a higher chance of getting ill or having an accident while abroad. Medical treatment and repatriation costs can be very expensive, so your insurer needs to make sure you have enough cover in place in the unlikely event that you need either of these services.

If you have a pre-existing medical condition, that could also affect the price of your policy. It’s important that you openly declare any medical conditions when buying your policy to make sure you’ve got the right cover in place. If you go on to become unwell or seriously ill on holiday as a result of a pre-existing condition you’ve not declared, you run the risk of being unable to make a claim for any medical expenses related to it.

Will my EHIC cover me while I'm on holiday?

If your EHIC is still valid, it’ll cover you for state-level healthcare in Europe. If you don’t have an EHIC, you can apply for its replacement, the Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC). For more information see our guide on EHIC changes or apply for a GHIC card at NHS.UK.