Travel insurance for over 70’s

Please remember to take out travel insurance on the same day that you book the holiday. Even if the insurance is only for the days you are away you will be able to claim should you not be able to go. This is one of Martin Lewis's mantras

If you gat insurance (travel or otherwise) through “Compare the market”, you get Meetkat Rewards, which, if they appropriate for you, can be useful. I get 25% off Nero’s coffees twice a week (having got car insurance), as it is near to where I go to volunteer. You also get 2 for 1 Odeon cinema tickets on Tuesdays.

I am on a cancer forum and Insurance with comes up frequently as a recommendation.

You certainly need it for the USA. It is one of the most expensive countries to get sick in! We use Cover-More but it is probably just Australian. I had to claim after one trip because we both got Covid and they made us isolate in Raratonga for a week. They paid up within a week, very impressive.

Before the pandemic, I paid £1000 for three days in New York, the insurance cost more than the actual holiday. DH was reluctant to pay it, but I wanted to go, as it was on my bucket list.
Now, no-one will insure me. One agent told me that I have too many conditions!

I hope you manage to get it sorted, but remember to declare absolutely everything, no matter how trivial it seems.

Thank you very much for all your helpful advice. We are looking into whether or not changing our bank account to the Nationwide would be beneficial. Meanwhile the Post Office quote has come in at just over £1000. Already 50% lower than Compare the Market so I already feel calmer!! Needless to say this will be our last trip to America 😳😳

Hi I went through a company called paying too much.com and they have found worldwide insurance for me at a very good price under £200 I am 71 but no major health problems. Form very easy or you can speak to a person in the uk on the phone

My OH is over 80 and we both have a clutch of pre-existing medical conditions to declare. That makes travel insurance for a week or two to anywhere especially the USA very expensive. Insurers often advertise the low cost of insurance without including the costs of existing conditions. We are currently insured with Staysure. I have a new condition subject to testing (waiting for the NHS!) and I have to let them know otherwise my insurance will be invalid. I find that strange as I thought an insurer assumed the risk after one had made a full declaration. They seem to want it both ways.

grantanow insurers always specify that you must declare any investigations you are currently undergoing or waiting for. They want to know anything that could be developing or become acute while travelling. It is one reason many more people are paying for private investigations as we cannot get insurance until these are completed.

wildswan16

grantanow insurers always specify that you must declare any investigations you are currently undergoing or waiting for. They want to know anything that could be developing or become acute while travelling. It is one reason many more people are paying for private investigations as we cannot get insurance until these are completed.

Quite right. They want to know of hospital appts in the last 6 months or those already booked for the future.

welshchrissy I too went under payingtoomuch I have controlled BP and have had stage 1 cancer now free 78 went for a long weekend 4 days plus travel days and paid about £80

When my husband was around 80 we flew with easyjet to Barcelona for a weekend. We also booked a hotel on the website. I also paid £10, I think, for insurance, having checked it covered my husbands age. The night before we were due to fly home my husband was suddenly in agony. The hotel receptionist called paramedics. My husband ended up being blue-lighted to the hospital, which was fortunately a well respected University hospital. Evidently his gall bladder had erupted. I cannot fault the care he received although the first 24 hours in their equivalent of A & E was scary as I was not fluent in Spanish.
He ended up in the hospital for 9 days. They accepted his European health card on the spot. When we got home I contacted easyjet's insurance company. A company called Mondial Insurance. I filled in an online form, claiming for my extra hotel bill and new flights home. Within a few days a really nice man rang me to tell me I was also entitled to claim £20 per day for out of pocket expenses and to check that I didn't need to pay the hospital for anything.
I received a check very quickly and although I had never heard of them beforehand they were amazing.

Just a quick update - after much research we have moved our HSBC joint account to the Nationwide and opened a Flexplus account(£13 per month). We have been medically assessed by their insurers and have a full years worldwide travel insurance for £458. Although this may seem very expensive to some of you we are very relieved. Thank you for all your advice.

We know we should get our travel insurance as soon as we book our trip.
I wonder what happens to the cost of the trip if no one will give us travel insurance. I have a lot of medical issues.

Hubby and I have found travel insurance a nightmare to get because of the health conditions we both have. When I tried to get a quote last year I only got the annual insurance to cover medical it cost £1500 couldn't afford to pay the extra for cancellation of holiday, this was with Allclear.
I am 80 this year hubby 79 years old. It wasn't world wide either didn't cover US etc.
I can't tell you how many companies I rang it was so many.
One of the things many companies will not cover you if you are having on going treatment.

That's excellent news Tilly!
Enjoy your trip and keep safe.

Wow salti that must have been so scary but such a relief to find that there was no financial hit and you were covered.

I have just returned from NZ. I don't have notifiable health conditions and it isn't America so I upgraded my RBS bank card to cover travel insurance I paid an extra fee for being over 70 and I pay £20 per month for cover.
I didn't need to call on it thankfully and can cancel at any time. I plan to travel to Denmark in June so will continue at least until then.

When DH was undergoing cancer treatment, we planned to go to France for a week in July 2020. I asked for advice at the Maggie's centre who quoted eye-watering figures for insurance.
I think we were going to do without! However covid intervened so we couldn't go and spent a week in the north of Scotland instead. He died in Nov 2020.

Tilly8

Just a quick update - after much research we have moved our HSBC joint account to the Nationwide and opened a Flexplus account(£13 per month). We have been medically assessed by their insurers and have a full years worldwide travel insurance for £458. Although this may seem very expensive to some of you we are very relieved. Thank you for all your advice.

I think that's a snip!
Fantastic!
Have a lovely holiday!

I paid my son's insurance recently to a 3 day stag-do in Europe as he was going to "wing it" because it was "just a few days". The insurance for his preexisting condition was twice the price of his holiday.
He is a father of 3 and is 33 years old now so you think he'd know better!

His insurance to USA (to visit his brother) was astronomical but he's not so stupid as to do that trip without! And he paid that one himself...

USA heathcare is $$$$$ 😱

Lots of research is key I think.

Tilly8

Any advice please? We are due to travel to America with family in September for a couple of weeks. We will both be over 70 when we fly. I’ve been looking at taking out travel insurance ( we were covered through our bank account but that was withdrawn when we reached 70 😳). I’ve been quoted over £1000 each trip only 😱😱. My husband is on Warfarin and has asthma. I have diverticula disease, kidney disease and controlled BP. Any help would be appreciated - I haven’t slept for worrying.

My bank also has restrictions once over 69, but I can ring them and get an extension to it, last year it was £168 for the year, which I feel is very fair, considering I also have health problems. Even for two it may be cheaper than other providers.

OH is 80+ so finding insurance was tricky for the USA this year. We chose Staysure but it wasn't cheap after declaring all the pre-existing conditions. I think we'll stick to Europe in future.

Don’t just think about it, do it. I was taken ill on holiday in America and was in hospital for 10 days. The final bill was $120,000 and thankfully was covered by insurance, this didn’t involve surgery, if it had it would have been much more. I can recommend Columbus Direct, you can apply online and go through a medical screening. We have used them several times, they paid my claim in full and we have found them to be cheaper than other companies.

Tilly8 we opened a Nationwide Flexplus account some years ago mostly for the built in travel insurance. The point of telling you this is that within 5 months of opening the account I had a new cancer and had to cancel a trip to New York. There wasn't any problem with claiming and we were paid by cheque within two weeks. They cover both of us with just one age and one health additional premium although we both have declarable conditions. I hope you never have cause to make a claim but wanted to reassure you that if you do they couldn't have been more helpful.

Thank you for your reassuring post Rosie51. I hope you are now fully recovered. Blessings.

Georgesgran

Unfortunately, with the USA, it’s think of a number and double it!
Years ago, my disabled DD had to supply her insurance policy number before Thomas Cook (remember them) would book her on a flight to New York. She’s with Staysure, but of course, isn’t old!
I’m 72 and insured through the Post Office, but with no health problems other than controlled BP, which isn’t much help to you.

I hope you get some ‘names’ from other GNs. I’m sure there’s an old thread you could look up on the same issue.

“Double it” is very optimistic add an extra “zero” is nearer reality. That’s why travel insurance companies are to cautious.

I’m insured with Barclays until I’m 80 apparently. they are easy to deal with. I can’t stress how important it is to have good travel insurance especially if you are going to the USA. 17 years ago DH was in intensive care for 9 days in Montana and had two operations. the bill was over £250000. They charge for everything - even saying good morning it seems. DH can’t get insurance at all now.