Travel insurance and age

I use Staysure, thy do cover you for pre-existing problems. I always have annual cover as I do travel more than once a year. they do offer options.

Jevive73

Hi forget the EHIC card, Greece doesn't recognize it, make sure you have full holiday insurance. Mainly for the repatriation, if you should need it, would cost you about £18,000, let alone the medical fees!
Always take insurance.

After having problems trying to get reasonable worldwide insurance we upgraded our bank account to get the Annual Worldwide Travel Insurance. This covers us until we are both 80 and they did not want any extra for my DH's high blood pressure or high cholesterol and we chose not to have cover for my Breast Cancer which (hopefully) has now been all sorted for over a year. Much much cheaper than was quoted for through any other companies. We also get mobile phone cover, AA road cover and insurance for credit/debit cards. Result!

If all else fails a broker can often access policies not available to individuals. Often the best way for us and their fee is minimal.

Hello, finding good travel insurance for me is a bit of a nightmare sometimes. However, after trying loads of companies and receiving lots of quotes, I settled on a company called Free Spirit. They were pretty good and didn’t discriminate on age or conditions.

Might be worth a look if you’re still struggling!

As for Greece, hope you enjoy it! I visited it a year or so ago and had a lovely time. If you have time, take a look at the Athens Central Market for some great food.

I obtained a quote for travel insurance for OH last year but didn't actually take out the insurance til several weeks later, by which time the premium had reduced because it was closer to the date we were due to fly. As we were going to stay in our own apartment, the only money we stood to lose was the cost of the flights. If we had booked an expensive holiday I would have taken insurance as soon as the booking was made.

Thanks for this information. I haven't been on holiday at all since my honeymoon in the Netherlands over 30 years ago, but since then have been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Really do need some sort of break, but was worried about insurance (I know Diabetes UK can offer cover, but haven't looked at price). But given information above, feel that should be able to find some form of affordable cover. What really annoys me is that airlines apparently demand a GP's letter confirming that a diabetic is OK to travel, which normally costs £50 before you start! Apparently our local specialist nurses will do this free, but seems to me that GPs are really fleecing their patients!

Travel insurance increases enormously for the US and the Caribbean as you get older and many quotes exclude those regions. Insurance taken out at the time of booking also covers you for the prepaid tickets etc whereas you could lose that money if you take it from the travel date and the age given is the age at the time of taking out the insurance.

We have a problem when my parents come to visit us. Dad is OK but Mum has pre existing conditions. It's not the cost, although it is expensive, but no company wants to cover Mum for most things. They are both in their nineties and they love coming to visit, but my heart is in my mouth most of the time they are with us as if Mum breaks something we are very stuck. Families are supposed to provide social care for relatives in hospital which would be difficult for us to combine with child care. If anyone knows of a company who would provide cover in these circumstances I'd be grateful if you could let me know.

I have been very ill during the last year and wanted to go somewhere warm for a break. It had to be not too far from here so Europe was chosen.I looked at the Martin Lewis website for reccommendations and the cheapest I could find was called EHIC PLUS. They cover the things that EHIC don't. Try them. I found their annual policy was not much more than for the week. I have just tried a comparison website for a visit to my daughter in the USA and been told no policies are available - because of my illness. I am 69.

In Greece, it would be definitely beneficial to make sure you have insurance which would cover you for private treatment. The private sector is fantastic. The hospitals we have visited show a vast difference between their national health and private clinics. This is all the more so since they have been suffering financial problems in that country.

We took a holiday to Crete with my old mum last year when she was 87. Our annual insurance had expired so we bought a policy to cover our week ... I think this was around £20 even though my husband had a couple of existing conditions we had to mention even though he was on no treatment. My mum has exactly the same medical condition (well-controlled hypertension) yet the cheapest policy for her was £66! Pure ageism!!!
Even when my husband was restarted on his pills for the HBP a few weeks before we travelled our policy price didn't increase at all.
We've only had to claim on our insurance once when we had to cancel a holiday when my daughter developed pre-eclampsia, but I always feel safer travelling abroad with a good policy in hand, just in case!

It seems so unfair that if you have a preexisting problem,you pay more, even if it's taken care of and stabilised. My partner died recently from a totally unexpected heart attack. No symptoms and not even picked up at a pre-op. He could always get reasonably priced travel insurance. On the other hand, I've had cardiovascular disease which was picked up years ago. I'm on medication and checked regularly and it hasn't got any worse. When I tell that to the insurance companies my travel insurance goes sky high. I reckon that I'm far less likely to keel over with a heart attack than many people.

Saga? they're supposed to deal with wrinklies.

we have annual insurance from our bank, but now my husband is over 70 and has had cancer the premiums are horrendous.

I have. Nationwide Bank Account for which I pay 10 GBP per month.This entitles me to free annual worldwide travel insurance up to age 75. I love long haul travel and also visit my son in Australia so I make ful use of it.

I have annual travel insurance for my DH and myself just to cover Europe which is quite reasonable from LV. It also covers my DH's existing conditions, but doesn't cover my breast cancer which is fine as I don't have any problems with it. However we have now decided to go to Jamaica next month for 10 days and LV want £250 just for the 10 days or £240 for worldwide to be added to my yearly insurance which still has 6 months to run!! . How on earth does that work? I told them I would go online and find it cheaper elsewhere. Doesn't make any sense to me at all!

Staysure is very reasonable. (Found via Martin's money) That reminds me I need to renew.

We have existing condition but they are under control i.e. not many doctors visits and low levels of medication which haven't been changed recently and no surgery and the companies take that into account in the questionnaire I got our trip to Lake Garda from circa £28 for two (DH will be 69 and me 63)

www.moneysavingexpert.com/insurance/over65s-travel-insurance
This may be useful. It covers pre-existing conditions too.

I saw an advert on TV the other day for travel insurance with existing conditions. It was only around £20. Unfortunately I didn't notice the company, but you may be able to find it on line.

Ours costs an arm and a leg as we have existing conditions.

Phew..just looked and it's not scary at all at about £20-22 for both. I paid much more years ago. I might look at annual policies...perhaps I should travel abroad more often!

Surely you have to give your date of birth and the dates of your holiday booking for that kind of insurance? And if you did have to make a claim you would be 67 by then so it would be just as well to make sure you are legally covered.

Thanks.
And did any ask about EHIC? Also my reason for wondering about the age thing is that if I leave the insurance until later, I wouldn't bother if for any reason we couldn't go as the flights were about 80 each so wouldn't be covered and we have no hotel costs. But if it it cheaper now because of my age being one year older I would do it now. I just hate paying for insurance.

We are in a similar position and I looked at comparethemarket.com and got several very good affordable quotes.