What is travel insurance for over 80s?
Travel insurance for over 80s offers you important coverage for when you go abroad later in life. It can offer a more comprehensive cover for your medical needs, including pre-existing medical conditions and any medical equipment, medication and aids you may need. You can also get protection for your personal items, holiday cancellations and more – depending on your travel needs.
If you’re over 80 years old and planning to travel, it’s worth looking specifically for over 80s travel insurance as providers can often set an upper age limit for many of their policies – this could be anywhere from 65 to 79. Taking out insurance for over 80s will help to give you peace of mind that you’ll be covered.
What does travel insurance for over 80s cover?
Over 80s travel insurance can offer extended coverage for health and medical care. This is because your risk of needing medical treatment or attention rises as you get older, and in order to avoid any unwanted costs you’ll likely need a more comprehensive level of cover.
Depending on the provider you go to, you could be able to find extra cover for:
- Treatment: an over 80s travel insurance policy might include more financial cover for medical treatment and expenses than a standard one.
- Pending treatment: you might also be covered for ending your trip early if you’re waiting for medical treatment or consultation that becomes available when you’re on holiday, such as a transplant.
- Medication: you may even find that over 80s travel policies include more cover for medication in case you lose yours while away.
- Aids and equipment: if you require a wheelchair, hearing aid or other special medical equipment, these could be included under your cover - which means you can claim if they became damaged, lost, or stolen.
A good over 80s travel insurance deal might also provide coverage for any travel companions like family or friends – though this could only apply if the companions are necessary for you to be able to travel.
Travel insurance for over 80s should also cover the travel insurance basics, including personal possessions, legal cover, and travel disruptions. You might have to find additional policies to cover certain activities or more expensive items. Providers can differ when it comes to what’s included as standard coverage, so it always pays to read your policy documents beforehand to help make sure you know exactly what you’ll be covered for.
The most commonly declared illnesses people declare when searching for travel insurance with coverage for pre-existing conditions, according to MoneySuperMarket data - accurate as of July 2018.
How much does travel insurance for over 80s cost?
Travel insurance for over 80s is generally more expensive to take out because of the extra medical coverage that’s normally needed at this age – so far this year the average price for people aged 71 and over has been £117.92.
The average cost of pre-existing medical condition travel insurance for over 71 year-olds is £117.92, according to MoneySuperMarket data - accurate as of July 2018.
What’s not covered by over 80s travel insurance?
Insurers may also have a limit for how long you can travel for when you reach around 65 years-old, and this can be anywhere from 31 days to over 100. This means you might not be covered if you’re away longer than that time period – you should check your policy documents to be sure how long you’ll be covered for.
Other common exclusions for over 80s travel insurance
Other general exclusions may still apply, including:
- Undeclared medical: if you have to claim for medical treatment for a pre-existing condition that you didn’t declare when taking out the policy, your insurer is likely to reject the claim.
- Undeclared activities: some activities aren’t covered by default because they come with added risk, such as winter or water sports. This means if you take part in something like this without declaring it beforehand to your insurer, you probably won’t be covered if you lose or damage something, or if you get hurt as a result.
- Undeclared belongings: if you’re taking any particularly expensive or valuable non-medical items like gadgets or musical instruments on holiday, they might not be covered under your standard over 80s policy. You’ll often need to take out additional cover for expensive items, or your claim may be rejected.
- Unattended or unprotected belongings: some insurers might say that particular items need to have been secured if something happens and you want to claim for them. So they might reject a claim for lost or damaged possessions if they were left unattended, or if they weren’t secured by a padlock.
- Reckless behaviour: you should remember that if you have to claim for something that happened as a result of dangerous or reckless behaviour, such as an injury or lost and damaged possessions, your insurer may refuse to cover you.
- Influence of drugs or alcohol: being under the influence of drugs or alcohol and having to claim for something that happened during this time might void your cover. Different insurers can set different limits – some may allow a certain number of drinks before your policy is no longer valid, while others might not cover you after you’ve consumed any alcohol. Insurers may also have different rules about prescription medication, so you’ll need to have a proper read of their policy wording to make sure you know what is and isn’t covered.
When should you buy over 80s travel insurance?
It’s recommended that you buy over 80s travel insurance as soon as you can after booking your holiday. This is because if you need to cancel your booking before you’ve left, you’ll be able to claim compensation for travel and accommodation costs.
For example, you might need to cancel your holiday early as a result of:
- An illness or injury that means you’re unable to travel
- A redundancy
- A bereavement
Where can you go with over 80s travel insurance?
If you’re only travelling in Europe, you’ll be best suited to a policy that only covers Europe, while a worldwide policy would be better if you plan on visiting Asia or the Americas.
Worldwide insurance coverage can also come with exceptions, generally applying to the USA, Canada, and the Caribbean – so if you’re planning on travelling to any of these places, it’s best to check your worldwide insurance policy offers coverage.
The average cost of travel insurance with cover for pre-existing medical conditions by destination, according to MoneySuperMarket data - accurate as of July 2018.
Things to keep in mind
Before you take out an over 80s travel insurance deal, remember to consider the following:
- Upper age limits: insurers can sometimes have upper age limits to their policies, so if you’re over 80, it’s good to keep an eye out for deals that cater specifically to your age group.
- Minimum cover: having the right level of cover for things like personal money and liability cover can be important, as you don’t want to be left underinsured when you’re away. This can be particularly important for medical cover, as costs of treatment can vary hugely between countries and continents. You should aim to take out a minimum amount of £5m for medical expenses, £250 for personal money, £1m for personal liability, and £2k for cancellation, according to advice from MoneySuperMarket spokesman Kevin Pratt.
- Customer support: if you need to claim for something, it’s useful to know you can speak to your insurer whatever time of day it is to check the whether you can claim and how to do it. So having an insurer that offers 24/7 customer support can be an extra bonus.
- Insurance coverage for other people: it’s worth remembering that some insurers offer the chance to take additional travellers with you, like friends or family, and include them on your policy. So if you are travelling with companions, you should check with your insurer to see if you could save them some money.
Advice from MoneySuperMarket's spokesperson Kevin Pratt on the minimum level of cover your travel insurance policy should include
Compare over 80s travel insurance
When you take out over 80s travel insurance, it’s always a good idea to shop around for policies and quotes to make sure you’re getting the best deal from what’s available. On MoneySuperMarket, you can compare providers and deals easily – all you need to do is answer a few questions about your holiday, like where you’re going and for how long.
You’ll then see a list of quotes you can look through to help you find the right over 80s travel insurance policy – you can then compare them by the amount of cover they offer for medical costs, cancellation, personal possessions and other features.
It’s always good to remember that a cheaper policy doesn’t necessarily mean a better one. If you choose a deal based entirely on the cost, you might find yourself underinsured as a result – so it’s better to carefully read all the details before choosing an insurance policy.