Travel insurance for pre-existing conditions

It's never a good idea to wait until the last minute when buying travel insurance – and thinking you don't need to arrange cover yet as your holiday's not for another six months is a big mistake.

This is even more important if you have pre-existing conditions, because it may take longer to get it sorted. There's also the risk that your condition gets worse – if this is the case and you've already got insurance, you'll be covered.

Plus, it's important not to wait, as travel insurance doesn't just cover you while you're away – it also covers you for cancellation, events such as redundancy or an injury or death in the family, or anything else that might go wrong BEFORE you make your trip. You're also covered if you catch coronavirus shortly before your trip and can't go.

So, always buying your travel insurance ASAB (As Soon As you've Booked a holiday).

The same rule applies for a UK holiday, and we have a guide to help with arranging UK travel insurance. 

... and see if it's cheaper getting a combined or individual policy

If travelling with your partner or family, you have two options – you can cover everyone under one policy, or each person takes their own. It's often cheaper to get a combined policy, however, there are times when separate policies will be a better option (so always check, to be safe), including:

• If one of the travellers is over 65, as the group price you'll pay is based on the oldest traveller, or the person deemed to be the highest risk, so the insurer will usually hike the price for all (see our Over-65s' travel insurance guide for ways to cut costs).

• If one of the travellers has a medical condition, as it will increase the price for all.

• If just one of the travellers is going outside Europe, in particular to the US, or on a skiing trip (or even both), it could be better to have separate policies, rather than the whole family buying extended cover when it's not needed.

A pre-existing condition is about physical and mental health conditions you've seen a doctor about or had ongoing medical treatment for. How far back you must go varies with each insurer. It's important to give a full and frank rundown of all your past health issues, so you don't find any claim being rejected at a later date. This is particularly important in the age of coronavirus, especially where your condition may make you more susceptible to complications from it. 

If you have, or have had, what insurers consider as a less serious condition, such as mild asthma or high blood pressure which you're not receiving ongoing treatment for, you may still be able to get traditional cover at the standard price – just let the insurer know, even if you don't deem it particularly important.

Each insurer will have its own list of conditions it deems as more serious, which means you might have to pay an additional premium or even get specialist cover. 

If your insurer doesn't know about your medical history, any pre-existing conditions – however minor – will likely be excluded and you could face a massive bill if you become unwell. Insurers also need to know about medication, conditions or illnesses that can be linked to your pre-existing condition.

For example, an asthmatic who develops a chest infection (connected to being asthmatic) while on holiday will only be insured if they've told the provider about their asthma upfront.

Knowing the age of the travellers is one of the key pricing details the insurers want to know to ensure you do not fall outside of its upper age limit.

Fortunately, there are still many insurers who do not have an age limit, but it does depend on whether you choose an annual multi-trip policy or a one-off single trip policy.

Insurers such as Leisure Guard, Sainsbury's, Virgin and the Post Office generally have an age limit of 74 for an annual policy but no upper age limit for a single trip policy.

We also found Avanti, CoverForYou, Saga and Staysure do not have an upper age limit for an annual multi-trip, or even single-trip, policy.

So, if you are at the higher end of the age scale, it could be worthwhile to get an annual trip quote alongside a single trip quotation, as you're likely to get more quotes via the single-trip option.

Insurers will classify your trip as 'European' or 'worldwide'. Worldwide is often further broken down to include or exclude the US, Canada, the Caribbean or Mexico. Selecting the option to include these countries increases the premium due to the high cost of medical treatment – particularly in the US – and possible repatriation.

Annual European travel cover isn't just for Europe

If you're travelling just outside Europe, you don't always have to select worldwide cover. Many insurers actually allow you to use their European cover in a handful of non-European countries too.

If you're visiting Egypt, Morocco, Turkey or Tunisia, it's worth getting a quotation for European cover first and then checking the policy's geographical area definition to see if the country you're going to is included. The following insurers – Allianz*, Insure and Go and Coverwise* – all class Egypt, Morocco, Turkey and Tunisia as Europe.

It's also worth noting that not all insurers automatically include Spain (and the Balearic/Canary Islands) in their European cover – you may have to pay extra to include Spain if you plan to travel there.

Check if the Foreign Office is advising against travel to your destination

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has a list of countries which it feels are unsafe for travel. Usually, this covers areas where there's war, terrorism or other reasons not to travel, such as natural disasters or a pandemic.

So, when you're booking, and in the weeks leading up to your trip, check the FCDO website for the latest on whether you'll be able to travel as things can change quickly. You should also see if the country you're planning to travel to has restricted entry – you can usually do this via its UK embassy website.

If one or the other means you can no longer take your trip, see if you can rearrange it, or if the provider will give you a refund. 

If you still want to travel (though note we're not encouraging you to do so), you'll need a specialist policy as standard insurers won't cover you, even if travel was allowed when you booked your trip.

Try Battleface* or Staysure* (with its 'travel disruption extension' optional add-on). 

If you have pre-existing conditions, buying an annual policy may be prohibitively expensive. Get quotes for single-trip and annual cover and work out what will be most cost-effective.

Annual cover will insure you for an unlimited number of trips over a 12-month period. However, the number of days you can be on holiday for per trip may be restricted – it's often 31 days, but can sometimes be as low as 17 or as high as 90.

The free European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) and its replacement, the Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC), which has been sent to new applicants since 1 January 2021, entitles you to treatment in state-run hospitals in the EU at the same cost as a local would pay. So if they pay nowt, you pay nowt.

Also worth knowing that though Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein are not part of the EU, you'll still be entitled to treatment in state-run hospitals when you use your EHIC or GHIC in these countries.

How do I get a GHIC?

The card is free so if a copycat site pretending to be the real thing advertises a fee (often about £35), run a mile. For full info and how to get it for free from the legitimate NHS site, read our Free EHIC/GHIC guide.

You may already have travel insurance without knowing it. If you have a packaged bank account – which charge a monthly fee for extra benefits such as travel insurance – check to see if you're covered and whether it's appropriate for your trip.

If your conditions aren't severe, for example, you've got mild asthma, you will probably be covered without paying anything. However, if your conditions are severe, you may have to pay an additional fee or you may be declined cover entirely, but always check as insurers have different rules. As MoneySaver Mari, aged 70, found...

Do NOT confuse this with a benefit offered with credit cards called travel accident insurance, which only covers accidents on a train, plane or in a hire car paid for on the card. Never think this means you're completely covered.

This insurance should also not be confused with Section 75 legal protection – which covers you if you buy anything that costs between £100 and £30,000 using a credit card (not a debit card). See our Section 75 guide for more on this.

For accounts that may offer travel insurance (and other perks), see our Top packaged bank accounts guide.

Most regular travel policies will only cover you for loss or theft of goods and medical costs while you're on a cruise. You may NOT be covered for other eventualities unless you upgrade your policy. These include:

• Missed departure

• Unused cruise excursions, for instance, a day trip to a city port

• Cruise itinerary change

• Cabin confinement, for example, onboard virus

To get cover for these, you can usually select an add-on to get the right protection – which won't break the bank. If you want to buy one, a quick way to get a quote is to use a comparison site such as  MoneySupermarket*, Confused.com*, Gocompare or Compare The Market.

Another one to try is Compare Your Cruise Insurance* where you select the cruise operator – including the ship and cruise – and the month of sail to get a quote.

It's also worth comparing to see if any of the top-pick policies below let you add cruise cover.

Winter sports can be dangerous, so as soon as you've splashed out on your break, make sure you're insured on the slopes. As well as covering you for the basics that you'd get with a pre-existing travel policy, you'll also be insured for any injury that happened while doing the activities, and your winter sports equipment.

You're usually covered for:

• Medical costs if you have an accident. Medical expenses if you get injured on the slopes can be extortionate, so it is essential to have the right cover. The Association of British Insurers has said one Brit required £90,000 of treatment for a fractured rib and punctured lung. Even a smaller injury, such as damage to a knee ligament, cost as much as £3,800 to treat.

  Add being airlifted from the mountain to hospital, repatriation if you need to be flown home injured from the US or Canada and this would significantly increase the claim.
  

• Piste closure. If your piste closes (usually due to lack of snow or an avalanche) and you're unable to hit the slopes, your insurer may give you back a set amount a day. This can range from £10 to £50 – up to a limit of £200 to £500.
  

• Loss of or damage to your ski equipment. Most winter sports policies will cover you for accidental damage, theft or the loss of equipment. Different providers offer different limits so think about the value of your stuff and pick your policy accordingly.
  

  If you've hired ski equipment, it may be covered by your insurer if it's lost, stolen or damaged. Some providers insure any rented kit as part of your baggage up to a certain amount. Other insurers only pay up to 50% of the sum insured for hired equipment. Some ski equipment providers may also cover their gear for you so it's worth checking with the resort before you buy your cover.

  In most cases, your ski pack – including ski school fees, a lift pass and hired ski equipment – is covered. The amount can range from £150 to £500, but can be as high as £5,000. As always, check your policy closely for any potential exclusions.

• Public liability (if you crash into someone and injure them or damage their property). Travel insurance policies tend to have about £2 million worth of public liability insurance. Having a winter sports add-on means that this will apply if you injure someone or damage their property while skiing. If you haven't told the insurer you'll be skiing or snowboarding, any damage you cause usually won't be covered.

You'll generally be covered for skiing or snowboarding on the piste, and some policies will cover you for going off-piste if you're with a qualified instructor as part of a lesson.

If you are doing something a bit more unusual, such as ski jumping or snowmobiling, check the terms and conditions of your policy first. If you are planning to take part in something even more wild – such as luging or stunt skiing – specialist providers such as BMC and Snowcard may be able to offer you cover.

Quick questions:

Will I struggle to get winter sports cover?
Travellers with a history of medical problems will not be excluded from taking out winter sports cover and shouldn't have any issues buying it. However, if you are an older traveller you are likely to pay more. In addition, some providers may limit the levels of cover.

I am skiing twice this year. Should I get a 12-month policy?
Lucky you. It may be cheaper to take out an annual policy with a winter sports add-on. But check the price against the cost of covering single trips to ensure you're getting a bargain.

What happens if I have an accident while I'm a little tipsy?
Many people aren't aware that if you have an alcoholic drink on holiday, and you lose something or have an accident, your insurance may not cover you – even if you were only a bit tipsy.

Some insurers are known to have gone as far as testing blood samples of your alcohol level (although we wonder how this works in practice) but this does vary from policy to policy.

Having a claim refused could hit hard, possibly excluding you from medical or possessions cover. The same goes for skiing despite weather warnings and – with some providers – skiing without a helmet. So scrutinise your policy before buying.

Even if you think you've found an all-singing, all-dancing policy that covers for every eventuality, beware. There's often a clause built in that says the policy won't cover 'recoverable costs', which essentially means you need to prove that you can't claim back those amounts elsewhere.

So you'll usually need to put in the legwork and ask the provider, for example, the airline, holiday operator or car hire firm (and in some cases the credit card company), for a refund before your insurer would even consider a claim under the travel insurance policy. It's also worth noting that many insurers consider a credit note to be satisfactory, and may not pay out if one has been offered.

Here's an example we found on Direct Line's site (but most insurers will have similar wording):