Travel Insurance for the old and creaky

[StuartO]

I had to do some shopping around for extra travel insurance recently and my experience might be useful for others; shopping around can get very tiring and frustrating.  Fortunately, although I got quite despondent on the journey, thanks to a neighbour’s suggestion in the end I got a very good result.

 

I had European cover for trips of up to 90 days with LV’s premium Cover, so this was adequate for my motorhoming needs, but we have had an invitation to a wedding in the USA, so I needed something to cover flying over there for a fortnight’s holiday.  My premium for annual European with LV was £250 but they wanted an extra £580 to upgrade it (until next renewal date in August) for cover in the USA.  When we looked at a separate single trip policy it was still going to be something similar so I decided to look elsewhere.

 

Now I’m 72 my child bride is younger so we’re getting into elderly territory but we’ve travelled widely and never had to claim on travel insurance and despite a few medical problems in the past, I just take a few pills these days to keep me symptom free.  My wife doesn’t take any medication and she gets along too.

 

And when I started filling in the questionnaires on comparison websites my past medical history was clearly counting for quite a lot.  The base premiums were as little as £140 for single trip cover for someone my age with no pre-existing conditions but adding my medical history (and my wife’s) bumped the premiums up spectacularly – but not remotely consistently.  It began to look as if LV’s £580 might be the least bad!  It was looking as though insurers varied in how they regarded our past or stabilised medical conditions but they all loaded up the premium one way or another.

 

I stopped and paused for thought – and then a chance conversation with a neighbour led me to try a different tack – free travel cover with a bank account.  My past experience was that “free” policies of this sort were only free to people with completely unblemished medical records and that these policies too would only cover pre-existing conditions for a heavy extra charge.  I’d given up on those as hopeless some years ago.

 

So I looked at Nationwide’s “Flex Plus” Current Account, which in return for a monthly fee of £13 includes world-wide travel cover – although pre-existing medical conditions do require an add-on premium.  So I rang the special number for pre-existing conditions to ask how much extra it would be in my case.   The result, on the basis of scrupulous disclosure (no point in telling porkies) was an extra charge of £80 and a few pennies.  For £146 per year for the bank account charges plus this £80 I would get good quality cover all year, for world wide travel for trips up to 31 days.  If I wanted a longer trip there would be an extra charge but it would be available at non-punitive rates - and once I got to age 75 there would be an extra charge (of only £50 per year) and cover would continue. 

 

It was a good deal and I went for it.  And as well as travel cover the bank account includes breakdown cover which is just as good as I’m currently getting from LV and mobile phone cover, which we currently don’t have at all.

 

The key difference between the Nationwide medical screening and all the others seems to be that they are only interested in recent and continuing medical problems; they are clearly not looking for excuses to bump up the premium because of historical things which probably don’t affect the travel risk very much.  My replacement hips for example; I have been symptom-free on no medication for several years, so they are not interested.  Only conditions which were recently active, for which you are still having treatment or awaiting investigation are required.

 

Another example I take a statin to lower my cholesterol, as many people do, but only as a precaution; my cholesterol has never been high – so they did not worry about it.  The net effect was an extra premium of £80 rather than several hundred.  Some of the quotes I got were well over £1,000!

 

So I’m currently covered twice for European trips but it looks like there will be no point in renewing my LV travel policy or my breakdown cover with them.  Their over-zealous approach to questions about pre-existing medical conditions is going to cost them two non-renewals.  I’ll be paying Nationwide £225 and a bit more to do extended trips but I’ll save £250 plus £130 by cancelling my LV policies. By the way Nationwide’s breakdown cover includes motorhomes up to 8 metres long and 7.5 tons in weight – sorry if yours is longer than that.

 

I don’t know that all bank-related travel cover is as good as Nationwide’s and you do need to check.  Fortunately, even if you don’t currently bank with Nationwide you can switch to them very easily and they do all the donkey work.  And by ringing their pre-existing conditions number before you start you can find out how much extra they would charge for your set of medical woes.  The number is 0800 0510154.  Just explain that you’re thinking of switching to a Nationwide Flex plus Account and they’ll do you a quote.

 

 

[starvin marvin]

Oh sorry, thought you had written creepy.

[StuartO]

You mustn't jump to conclusions that everything which is critical is addresed to you personally Marvin! :-D

[Robbo]

I've had similar favourable results with Nationwide Flex+ using their European travel insurance.

 

I was diagnosed with prostate cancer earlier in the year and awaiting radiotherapy treatment. They charged £200 for 12 months cover which I thought was fairly reasonable. The treatment has now been completed and has been successful. My wife received free cover as no medical problems to report. Previously, we used CCC travel insurance which was £200+ for both of us.

 

The Nationwide breakdown insurance is valid for trips up to 90 days duration but can be extended at a cost (I think).

[PJay]

Robbo - 2017-11-07 6:37 PM

 

I've had similar favourable results with Nationwide Flex+ using their European travel insurance.

 

I was diagnosed with prostate cancer earlier in the year and awaiting radiotherapy treatment. They charged £200 for 12 months cover which I thought was fairly reasonable. The treatment has now been completed and has been successful. My wife received free cover as no medical problems to report. Previously, we used CCC travel insurance which was £200+ for both of us.

 

The Nationwide breakdown insurance is valid for trips up to 90 days duration but can be extended at a cost (I think).

 

Been with them for years! We have had the 90 day cover,at extra cost, but reduced it to 60 this year. We have health problems also and both over 80 now. Paid just over £100 this year, .

PJay

[Bojitoes]

I too am with Nationwide on a Flex+ account. I had to put in a claim last month for a new mobile phone after I tripped over the cat and the phone went down the toilet- literally down the pan! Only water so I got it out and sent it off. Easy, but somewhat embarassing, to fill out the form, I had a new phone within a few days, and it wasn't a cheap phone. So, very impressed. Their additional charge on the travel Insurance policy for being Type 2 Diabetic and having high blood pressure medication was £130.

Bob

[david lloyd]

As we too are getting cold and reaky I will have to have a look into Nationwide. Was planning to go with C&MC this year but had also been contemplating a bank switch and Nationwide gets good reviews

 

David

[derek pringle]

hi Stuart0,

Sounds impressive especially the 90 day bit. Must investigate.

derek

[PJay]

Bojitoes - 2017-11-07 7:39 PM

 

I too am with Nationwide on a Flex+ account. I had to put in a claim last month for a new mobile phone after I tripped over the cat and the phone went down the toilet- literally down the pan! Only water so I got it out and sent it off. Easy, but somewhat embarassing, to fill out the form, I had a new phone within a few days, and it wasn't a cheap phone. So, very impressed. Their additional charge on the travel Insurance policy for being Type 2 Diabetic and having high blood pressure medication was £130.

Bob

 

I did the same ! mine dropped into a marine toilet on boat.!

Also on same meds as you. So we do appear to have the ideal insurance.

Not sure if NEW clients to Nationwide, still get all the perks now.

 

PJay

[StuartO]

Nationwide used to do slightly different travel insurance with a different Flex account with different monthly charges but it's now much simpler - you pay a monthly charge for a Flex Plus account and you get the perks.  As far as I can understand the Flex Plus benefits are available to anyone who opens a new account with them. 

 

You do have to pass a certain minimum of money through the account each month and you do have to have at least a couple of regular payments from it but it doesn't stop you from keeping your other bank account(s) too if you wish, although Nationwide obviously hope you will switch current accounts completely to them.

 

[blaven]

I’ve just been on the phone to a delightful lady asking for a quote and referencing my history of a mild heart attack and angioplasty with stents in 2008.

Mercifully, nothing since.

No dice with medical cover under any circumstances.

Shame, but I’m used to being regarded as ‘damaged goods’ by now.

[Robbo]

StuartO - 2017-11-08 10:05 AMNationwide used to do slightly different travel insurance with a different Flex account with different monthly charges but it's now much simpler - you pay a monthly charge for a Flex Plus account and you get the perks.  As far as I can understand the Flex Plus benefits are available to anyone who opens a new account with them. 

 

You do have to pass a certain minimum of money through the account each month and you do have to have at least a couple of regular payments from it but it doesn't stop you from keeping your other bank account(s) too if you wish, although Nationwide obviously hope you will switch current accounts completely to them.

My main bank is Barclays. I have a Nationwide Flex Plus Debit card, Select credit card and ISA's.I don't have any regular Nationwide outgoing payments or incoming payments. My credit card is paid off from the Barclays account.I have been with Nationwide for quite some time, so perhaps that helps !!!