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Top tips for buying travel insurance if you’re over 65

You’ve bought travel insurance every year and made sure you are covered for every holiday you have taken, but what happens now you’ve turned 65?

Are you able to renew your insurance with your existing provider, or do you now need to look at purchasing ‘Over 65 travel insurance’ from a specialist provider?

Check the policy is right for you

Finding travel insurance can be relatively easy, but finding the right cover at the right price can be more difficult. Also, some insurance policies, including those included with many bank accounts, will not always provide a quote or cover for those over 65, so it means looking elsewhere to get cover.

Searching for ‘holiday insurance for over 65s’ online can show up a number of different travel insurance providers who can offer cover, but it’s important to check the policy wording to make sure you have the cover that’s right for you for your particular trip.

Declaring an existing medical condition

When applying for a quote, it is very important that you read the health warranty and declare your medical conditions if you need to. Answer all medical questions correctly, as failure to declare something could invalidate your policy if you were to make a claim.

Travel insurance specialists, Free Spirit, are experts in providing cover for people who have medical conditions. In cases where other insurance providers say ‘no’, Free Spirit are usually the ones who say ‘yes, we can cover you’.

Annual travel insurance for over 65

If you’re over 65, you may have more time on your hands to go travelling. You’ve worked hard all your life and now you are treating yourself to a few holidays each year. In most cases, buying annual cover can work out cheaper over 12 months than buying a single trip policy each time you book a holiday. With Free Spirit annual multi-trip travel insurance, each trip can be covered up to 31 days if you take out ‘Super’ cover or up to 45 days if you select ‘Super Duper’ cover.

Trips for longer than 31 days

You may choose to take an extra-long break to visit family and friends who live abroad, or you may simply decide that you want to escape for a few months in a hot (or cold) country. Most policies will have a maximum trip length, so it’s important to check this when getting a quote. Free Spirit allows you to take a Single Trip policy up to 94 days (up to 45 days if you are aged 76 and over).

Taking part in an activity or winter sports

Are you an adventurous holidaymaker looking to take part in activities when abroad? Make sure you check with the insurance provider that your particular activity is covered, as otherwise you could face a large medical bill if you are injured and find that you are not insured! Free Spirit covers more than 100 activities automatically on both its single trip and multi-trip policies.

If you have an existing medical condition, check with your usual treating G.P. that he/she is happy for you to take part in any sport or leisure activity. Also, look at the policy wording to see if it contains terms, conditions and exclusions when taking part in activities. Many policies, including Free Spirit, advise that you must also use the appropriate and recommended safety equipment such as helmets, life jackets and protective clothing.

Buying the right level of cover

Take the time to work out how much cover you require. Ask yourself a few questions:

  • If you had to cancel your trip, do you have enough cancellation cover to pay for the irrecoverable costs so that you’re not left out of pocket?
  • What would happen if your bag was lost or stolen; would the cover limit provide you with enough to replace all items in your bag?
  • Do you want cover in the event your holiday or trip has to be cancelled due to the financial failure of your travel or accommodation provider and you are unable to recover your pre-booked travel and accommodation costs elsewhere?

There are two levels of cover to choose from with Free Spirit, so you can select the cover that best suits your needs. Whichever cover you choose, please make sure you read the policy documents carefully.

If you have any queries or need more information about travel insurance for 65+, Free Spirit has a dedicated UK-based specialist customer services team that are on hand to help you.

Whatever your age and wherever you travel, we wish you a great trip!

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