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Travel insurance for over 70s

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WHAT IS TRAVEL INSURANCE FOR OVER 70s?

Travel insurance for the over 70s is a specialist policy that’s designed to provide the right level of financial protection for you and your trip if you’re a senior traveller.

As you get older, you become more likely to experience injury and illness, so it’s important to get the right travel insurance policy before you go away.

With this extra peace of mind, your age doesn’t have to limit your travel and adventure. But if something unexpected does affect your plans, the right cover will make sure you’re protected.

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What type of travel insurance can I get?

Single-trip cover

Provides cover for one trip lasting up to 30 days. It'll usually cover things like medical expenses, repatriation, lost luggage and more.

Annual multi-trip cover

Cover for multiple short trips planned within one year. It could be cheaper than buying multiple single trip policies each time you travel.

Backpacker cover

Sometimes called 'long-stay insurance', this policy covers one trip lasting from from between two to 18 months. It's useful if you're visiting multiple countries or going away for an extended amount of time.

What does travel insurance for senior travellers cover?

Travel insurance provides a financial safety net for your holiday. So, if something doesn’t go to plan, it can cover the cost of:

What's usually covered?

  • Medical treatment
    This will cover the cost of any medical expenses incurred should you become sick or injured during your travels.

  • Medical aids
    Any medical equipment you bring with you can be protected against loss or damage. You can also be covered for the cost of hiring any necessary replacement medical equipment

  • Covid-19 cover
    This will cover you if your trip is affected by Covid-19. The cover can vary between insurers so it’s important to check the policy terms and conditions

  • Repatriation
    This will cover the cost if you need emergency transport back to the UK after illness, injury, or death

  • Trip cancellation, delays or curtailment
    Your policy can cover the cost of cancelling or cutting short your trip, or the costs associated with any travel delays

  • Luggage and personal belongings
    Your belongings will be covered if they get lost, stolen or damaged on your trip (up to the policy limit), including the cost to replace any medication you need.

What's not usually covered?

  • Going against FCDO foreign travel advice

  • Undeclared pre-existing medical conditions

  • Leaving your belongings unattended

  • Accidents when under the influence

  • Not leaving enough time to get to the airport

  • Changing your mind about travelling

Does over 70s travel insurance cover pre-existing medical conditions?

Many over 70s travel insurance policies offer cover for pre-existing medical conditions and they’ll often provide a higher level of medical cover than standard policies.

A medical condition could make your travel insurance more expensive but it should give you peace of mind that your medical bills are covered while travelling.

Be as accurate as possible when it comes to your health - especially when it comes to more serious conditions like diabetes, heart conditions and cancer. Failure to disclose pre-existing medical conditions could leave you without the level of medical cover you need.

Learn more about travel insurance for medical conditions.

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How much is travel insurance for over 70s?

The cost of travel insurance can vary between insurers and will also depend on other factors like your destination and pre-existing conditions.

Average travel insurance price by age for single-trip travel insurance[2]:

Traveller age Without pre-existing medical conditions With pre-existing medical conditions
51-60 year-olds £9 £16
61-70 year-olds £12 £24
71-80 year-olds £28 £48
over 80 years old £53 £102

Although you can compare travel insurance that covers a range of pre-existing conditions through us, it can sometimes be more difficult to find cover for very serious health issues.

The Money Advice Service has a directory of providers that might be able to help if you struggle to find cover with mainstream insurers.

WHY IS TRAVEL INSURANCE MORE EXPENSIVE FOR OVER 70s?

Because you’re more likely to experience medical issues or injure yourself in an accident as you get older, insurers see you as being at higher risk of making a claim.

As a result, the higher your age the more expensive your travel insurance will generally be.

For example, a 70 year old with no medical conditions could pay around £16 for single-trip travel insurance - the same cover for an 80 year old could cost, on average, 143% more at £39.[2]

Pre-existing medical conditions will also push up the price of your cover.

The main reason travel insurance costs more when you have a medical condition is because healthcare abroad is much more expensive.

However, it's not worth hiding a health issue to get cheaper insurance - because if you then need medical treatment for your condition while you're away, your insurer won’t pay out. This could leave you facing costs which could run into tens of thousands of pounds.

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WHAT AFFECTS THE COST OF OVER 70s TRAVEL INSURANCE COVER?

As well as your age and pre-existing medical conditions, there are other factors that can affect how much you’ll need to pay for travel insurance. These include:

  1. The length of your trip

    The longer your trip, the higher your premium. Most standard policies will cover trips up to 30 or 60 days. Alternatively, you could buy a long-stay policy

  2. Your destination

    Cover for destinations that are further afield, like America and Australia, will cost you more than European travel insurance

  3. The activities you’re planning

    If you want cover for extra activities or sports, or need travel insurance for a cruise holiday, you’ll usually need to pay more or buy specialist cover

  4. Expensive items you want to insure

    Your policy will have a single-item limit. So, if you’re taking valuable items on your trip, you’ll need to pay more to cover their full value

  5. Optional extras

    You can usually tailor your travel insurance to get any extra cover you need with policy add-ons, like gadget cover, golf cover and winter sports insurance

Frequently asked questions

Travel insurance tends to get more expensive as you get older, particularly once you’re over the age of 70. But to help keep costs you could:

Consider a standard policy

If you don’t have any pre-existing conditions you may qualify for a standard travel insurance policy, which is often cheaper than over-70s cover.

Buy annual cover

If you’ll be going on two or more trips a year, an annual multi-trip policy often works out cheaper than taking out cover separately each time.

Only get the cover you need

Some insurers will let you remove certain types of cover, like lost or stolen baggage protection, from your policy which can reduce the price.

Increase your excess

Most insurers will give you the option to increase your excess. This will usually reduce your premium but it does mean you’ll receive less payout if you make a successful claim.

Shop around

Prices can vary widely between insurers, so it’s best to compare quotes. The cheapest won’t always be the best option, though. So read the small print and also compare the level of cover on offer to understand what will and won’t be covered.

Your Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) only lets you access free or reduced-cost state healthcare in European countries. Unlike travel insurance, it won’t cover things like repatriation, lost luggage and holiday cancellation. So, if you only travel with a GHIC you could risk being faced with eye-watering sums to pay if things don’t go to plan.

Once you’re 70 or older, it’s not unusual to have developed a health issue or injury that causes you problems or has done so in the past.

Because of this, many travel insurance policies for the over 70s will cover pre-existing conditions. And they’ll often provide a higher level of medical cover than standard policies.

A serious medical condition can make travel insurance more expensive. But it's really important to be up front about your health when you’re buying cover.

Be as accurate as possible - especially when it comes to more serious conditions like diabetes, heart conditions and cancer - or you could find you don’t have the level of medical cover you need.

Many insurance providers have a maximum age limit of 85 for single-trip policies and 80 for annual travel insurance. But there are some policies that can insure you to travel until you’re 99 years old or even beyond.

You’ll need to check your policy wording, but many travel insurers will include cover for medical equipment if you’re over 70. They can also cover the cost of hiring replacement equipment if yours get lost, stolen or damaged.

If you’re planning a holiday, it’s best to check what cover you can get before you firm up your plans. Once you’ve found the right policy, you should buy it as soon as your trip is booked. This way you’ll be covered if you need to cancel unexpectedly at a later date.

Yes, it’s possible to add a carer to your policy - insurers will usually let you have up to ten people on one policy. And it’s sometimes possible to add people after you’ve bought the policy.

There are also specialist disabled travel policies that will cover a carer. With this type of policy, the insurer will cover the cost of an emergency replacement carer if yours falls ill or has to cancel or cut short their trip with you.

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Page last reviewed: 20 June 2023

Reviewed by: Jasmine Hembury

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[1]As of May 2023, there are 43 active travel insurers on the panel at theidol.com

[2]Average price purchased data recorded by theidol.com for single-trip travel insurance for those with/without medical conditions, split by age group, in April 2023.