Age UK – Southport: Consider checking your travel cover this Bank Holiday

Age UK – Southport: Consider checking your travel cover this Bank Holiday

Pauline Edwards of Age UK Lancashire – Southport comments: “Bank Holidays are often a time when many of us will start preparing our summer holidays, whether that be for a long weekend away or finalising itineraries for a longer trip. Whether you’re travelling in the UK or abroad, it’s important to extend your holiday checklist to ensure you have adequate travel insurance in place before setting off.

“It’s vital to consider travel insurance to protect yourself, your valuables and in some cases loved ones. Our research shows the top three considerations for over 65s when purchasing travel insurance are cover for treatment of a serious illness (79%), personal injury (57%) and repatriation (54%)*. Before buying any policy, we suggest reading over the policy details to ensure you are clear about what is and isn’t included as standard, and if you are in doubt about any aspect of the policy, contact your insurance provider to clarify before travelling.”

Age UK Travel Insurance offers suggestions below to help older travellers purchase an appropriate travel policy –

Upper age limits. Insurers often include upper age limits on their policies, meaning they won’t cover travellers over a certain age. It can pay for older travellers to shop around and look into insurers that don’t apply these limits.

How often you plan to travel. If you are planning to make several trips in a year, you may get better value for money by buying an annual multi-trip policy rather than a number of single trip policies.

Cover for the whole holiday. If you are purchasing single trip insurance, ensure that the policy covers you for the whole time you will be away, including the days you will be travelling. Your policy will end at midnight on the day you specify, so make sure you purchase an extra day’s cover if you are travelling back in the early hours of the morning.

Policy limits. Policy limits exist for both your overall “suitcase” and for individual items. It’s important to check these and consider covering any big ticket items separately. Make a list of what’s included in your luggage – and, if you can, keep a receipt for any high value items. This means you’ll be able to prove the value of your item and claim accordingly.

European Health Insurance Card. Some insurers insist you carry an EHIC whilst travelling and many will waive the excess of your claim if you have one. However, we suggest checking the insurer’s terms and conditions and asking them to confirm what their policy includes before purchasing. It’s important to note that an EHIC is not a substitute for travel insurance; it will entitle a holder to state care (only in the EU) but there may also be charges for seeing a GP, admission to a hospital or use of an ambulance. You may have to pay upfront for these and claim them back from your insurer at a later date. (An EHIC card is required to gain access to healthcare in the EU; a UK/EU passport will not provide access. An EHIC card can be applied for from the NHS or the EHIC website – www.ehic.org.uk – or at the Post Office.)

Age UK Travel Insurance is designed to meet the needs of those in later life and comes with features and benefits aimed specifically at older people, not least no upper age limits, insurance for pre-existing medical conditions wherever possible**, 24-hour medical assistance, emergency medical expenses up to £10 million incurred outside the UK, cover for loss of deposit and cancellation charges, and no admin fees to pay if you need to change your policy.

To find more about Age UK Travel Insurance please 01704 330228 or pop into Age UK Lancashire, 17a Cambridge Walks, Cambridge Arcade, Eastbank Street, Southport PR8 1EN.