A buyer's guide to cheaper travel insurance

What type of travel insurance cover do I need?

Whether you are travelling once or several times, near or far, you'll want peace of from your travel insurance cover.

There is a number of different types of travel insurance policy to choose from.

Buying an annual policy for your travel insurance will be more expensive than single trip cover, but buying may well be cheaper if you plan to use it more than once in a year. Admittedly there is something to be said for the convenience of making one purchase and not having to bother for the rest of the year.

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How long can I be abroad with an annual travel insurance policy?

More often than not you'll find that annual policies only cover you for a certain length of time that you can travel on holiday for and this will generally range between twenty one days up to ninety days. There should be no reason why this isn't made clear to you when you purchase your travel insurance policy whether it's over the phone, face to face or online.

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EHIC (previously known as E111)

A European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is normally valid for three to five years and covers any medical treatment that becomes necessary during your trip, because of either illness or an accident. The card gives access to state-provided medical treatment only, and you'll be treated on the same basis as an 'insured' person living in the country you're visiting. Remember, this might not cover all the things you'd expect to get free of charge from the NHS in the UK. You may have to make a contribution to the cost of your care. Remember that the EHIC won't cover you if getting medical treatment is the main purpose of your trip.

An EHIC entitles you to reduced-cost, sometimes free, medical treatment that becomes necessary while you're in a European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland.

The EEA consists of the European Union (EU) countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Switzerland applies the EHIC arrangements through an agreement with the EU. The EHIC is valid in:

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