Cost of Travel insurance

DH can’t even get a quote. And yes, I travel with friends. You need to consider not just the cost of the insurance , but whether good medical help would be available if required.

I had an issue with insurance, as I was due a procedure and my Insurance company wouldn't cover me. They did give me the name of someone to ring who sorted it out for me... So try* BIBA (British Insurance Brokers' Association): They provide a free service to connect individuals with insurance brokers, especially when having trouble finding cover. * look up the number give them a ring. I got cover and it wasn't eyewatering.
However, this year I directly contacted my Bank Insurance company ( I always forgot it comes with my account) and they covered me with a small extra cost top up.

I have well controlled diabetes and equally well controlled high blood pressure and the quotes are so high I no longer travel overseas.

We have annual policies, current using the Post Office, cannot remember who underwrites its, WorldWide cover, excluding cruises.

Husband has heart issues, I have multiple conditions, including Fibromyalgia, ME, HB pressure and type two diabetes, all declared and covered as all well controlled and no hospital admission for 2+ years.

Our renewal was just under £1000 (it went down from last year!)

We are 67 and 70 years old and I know age, as well as medical conditions makes a difference.

Cost for me is prohibitive because of heart problems.

If you are under 70 some banks offer premium accounts at around £18 a month that includes good WW cover.

At 77 I still manage worldwide with preexisting conditions excluded for 12 months from any procedure eg - knee replacement. As we get older the risk of a claim gets higher, the risk of an expensive claim is much lower in Europe so premiums are less.
I get mine with the house insurance try other companies they have greatly differing premiums they quote.

We have cover with our bank but you do have to let them know of existing conditions and there is extra to pay for that cover.
I tried adding something this year onto the basic cover and they refused me although they were OK about my minor condition in 2025! I rang them and it was fine. Sometimes it’s good to talk.

Try ‘insurewith’

Just stop travelling. There’s a war on!

Staysure or Avanti (sister companies I believe) specialise in travel insurance for pre existing medical conditions.

It’s often worth getting separate quotes. I got a good deal with All Clear for my other half, who has more chargeable medical issues than me. I was getting ridiculous or no quotes for him with other companies for a 2 week holiday, but actually took out All Clear’s annual insurance as the quote was so reasonable. I then used the comparison sites to get a much cheaper annual policy for myself.

All Clear seem to get good reviews and I was very impressed by the response I got to a phone enquiry.

I forgot to mention that I got 25% of the cost of the All Clear policy back because I went through Topcashback to buy it.

Nationwide have a packaged bank account that you pay £18 per month for. It’s excellent and has no maximum age so far. They charge reasonable premiums for any noted illnesses. When I had my heart attack they honoured a holiday to Canada already booked without adding any extra charges.

Ravenna58 - I echo Cambia. I have this policy with the Nationwide. Myself mid 70s, hubby mid 80s. This policy also gives free car breakdown cover, and free mobile phone cover. Your holiday insurance (cancellation, baggage, etc) is 'free' but if you have a person with a medical condition you phone the nationwide with your account number and they give you the medical line and you are quoted just for the person with the condition. That amount is all you pay. My husband has angina and I've never paid more than £200 excess for him and that's on a holiday of under 31 days (outside Europe). By the way to get this account with Nationwide you have to put some money (into an account called Flexible Account I think) and they deduct £18 a month from it. I guess it's swings and roundabouts but to be asked to pay £3,000 is ridiculous. The Nationwide account is at most 18 x 12 + medical premium - a lot less than £3,000 and you would pay nothing for yourself if you have no medical problems.

I tried to add the fact that my husband is waiting for a referral to our Post Office yearly travel insurance. They refused to add it to our policy as they said they are travel insurers and not medical insurers! I've spent the last couple of days worrying that we won't get insurance to visit our daughter in Kenya next month. Anyway I've now found yearly cover from Just Travel who specialise in medical travel insurance. The premium has gone up from £207 to £986! Eek!

I had Bank covered insurance but I had to declare after having cancer, the cost of the extra premium with Nationwide was absolutely prohibitive, far more than the holiday itself. I think it was Staysure that I finally went with, it was a much more reasonable price.

Medical Travel insurance is horrendous especially outwith Europe,N America,Mexico and Caribbean are outrageous. Best I found was All Clear.

My annual.travel. insurance double in price when l was 70. Despite never having made a single claim n nearly 40 years.

I always thought Insurance was a bit of a racket tbh.

I've had cancer 3 times.... also declare peripheral neuropathy, gastritis....recurrent uti....anxiety....symptoms of menopause...I've just spent 3 weeks in Canada....£250 with post office travel ...I'm 61 so it will only go up with age

I also have insurance with my bank , NatWest . I have to contact them with any health issues and they add a small amount.
I have no health issues and my DH just has high bp and high cholesterol. I’m told staysure are quite good for multiple health issues as is saga .

We both have several medical issues to declare when taking out travel medical insurance. Two years ago we paid Staysure about £2,000 to cover an 11 day visit to New York. I doubt we'll be going to the States again. This year LV charged about £800 for a 10 day cruise to the Norwegian fjords. We are 79 and 84 so age risk is a factor.

Can you travel somewhere that isn’t USA/Caribbean? Those areas massively increase the insurance costs for everyone regardless of age.

Sago

If you are under 70 some banks offer premium accounts at around £18 a month that includes good WW cover.

If you have health conditions, they pass you over to an insurer to screen you (ha nearly wrote screw you). Which actually I did by the time they finished with mine.