With plenty of people packing their bags for their summer holiday, it is important to take out the right travel insurance, ensuring you have a stress free break.
However, whilst many policies now offer cover for COVID related medical expenses, it is still important to understand the other terms and conditions which could cause problems when claiming on your policy if ignored.
Brean Horne, a personal finance expert at comparison site NerdWallet, shares the most common mistakes we all make when choosing travel insurance.
Purchasing an annual policy for a long-haul trip
Often, those who are going on multiple trips a year will purchase an annual policy, but many people may be unaware that annual policies only cover you for up to 31 days per trip.
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If you are travelling abroad for longer than 31 days, long stay travel insurance may be more suitable. Most policies offer cover that protects trips of up to 18 months.
Not declaring medical conditions
Although pre-existing medical conditions may increase the cost of your travel insurance policy it’s vital to declare them when you apply for cover.
Failing to declare any pre-existing medical conditions could result in your travel policy being invalidated. This means that you’ll have to cover the cost of issues during the trip yourself, which can quickly escalate to tens of thousands of pounds for medical expenses in particular.
So, while it may sound tempting to leave out medical conditions to save money on a policy, doing so could leave you footing a much larger bill in the long run alongside other serious consequences.
Not taking out gadget cover add-ons
With plenty of people packing their bags for their summer holiday, it is important to take the right precautions in case your phone is lost or stolen or breaks.
Whilst some companies will automatically cover laptops, smartphones, cameras and similar, this is only up to a certain cost. Therefore, it is worth considering paying an additional premium for individual items that are worth a lot more than the cost of the insurance.
Not keeping within policy limits
Sports cover included on most travel insurance policies tend to specify limits and the majority of travel insurance policies cover a range of sports and leisure activities, including diving, cycling, kayaking, or other water sports.
Only some policies cover winter sports, and some will require an additional premium. One of the most common travel insurance mistake is to think that your insurance will cover hiking at any altitude.
Therefore, it is important to check the small print as many standard travel insurance policies specify the altitude limit of hiking to 2000 metres above sea level.
Getting your details wrong on the forms
Providing correct details at the time of obtaining a quote and buying your travel insurance policy is extremely important.
Simple mistakes such as a typing error on your name, date of birth or travel dates could result in your travel insurance cover being invalidated.
Always triple check all your personal information is correct before you purchase your policy.
