Annual travel insurance

Yes, you still need travel insurance. A UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC), or a UK EHIC that hasn’t expired yet, gives you access to necessary state healthcare in the European Economic Area (EEA) and some other countries. You’ll get it on the same basis as a local resident, so it may be free or you may have to pay what a local would. Not every country accepts it, so check the NHS website before you travel.

Travel insurance can cover costs that a GHIC or EHIC doesn’t, such as cancelled or delayed flights, lost luggage and private medical care. It can also cover emergency repatriation, which is the cost of getting you back to the UK if you need specialist treatment. A GHIC or EHIC never covers repatriation.

If you’re intending to do any sports or adventure activities you may want to look at:

• Winter sports

• Extreme sports cover

• Water sports travel insurance

• Golf travel insurance.

These could give you the cover you need if you’re taking part in riskier activities. But you’ll need to pay a bit extra to add them to your policy.

You can normally go away as many times as you like with annual travel insurance, but policies can vary.

If you’ll be making numerous trips, make sure you double-check the small print on your insurance provider’s yearly holiday insurance policy in case there’s a maximum trip limit.

It varies by insurer and level of cover, but 31 days is a common maximum.

Yes, many insurance providers allow you to extend the standard trip limit. You’ll have to pay extra for this though. 

For very long trips, insurance providers usually suggest you take out a single-trip policy.

Ideally, on the day you book your holiday. This is because the cancellation cover on annual multi-trip insurance begins from the start date of the policy. To make sure you have this protection, you need to be covered from when you pay for your first trip, not just from when you start it.

Most yearly travel insurance plans will cover you for UK trips, but there may be conditions that apply – for example:

• A minimum number of nights away

• A minimum distance from home.

Check your policy for details.

It depends. Some policies will include this, under end supplier failure or scheduled airline failure. Others make it an add-on or won’t cover it at all.

If you book a package holiday with a company that’s an ABTA member or ATOL-protected, you should have some financial protection if they go bust.  

ABTA covers holidays that don’t include flights, while ATOL covers holidays that do include flights. 

When you compare with us, you can clearly see which policies include this and those that don’t.

An excess in insurance is how much you’ll pay towards a claim. For example, if your luggage is insured for £250 and the excess is £50, your insurance provider will pay you £200 if your claim is successful.

With travel insurance, different parts of the policy may have different excess amounts. For example, the excess for cancellation might be different from the excess for medical treatment.

When you compare with us, you can choose the maximum excess you want to pay. But make sure you could afford this if you had to claim.

The extent to which your valuables and money may be protected can vary from policy to policy. There will be upper limits set out in the terms and conditions.

To be able to claim you’ll also need to follow the guidelines set out by your insurance provider – for example, locking valuables in a safe if available and not leaving your phone unattended.

Also, make sure you’re clear what to do if you need to make a claim, such as report the incident to the police.

In most cases, each adult named on a family multi-trip travel insurance policy is covered to travel alone. You don’t have to all go away together at the same time.

Children can often travel independently of others named on the policy, but you should always check the cover details. Some insurers will stipulate that they’ll need to be accompanied by an adult.

You’ll be covered for each trip you take. This means that – in theory and if you’re very unlucky – you could claim each time you travel. Some policies may have a maximum payout for certain types of assistance.

You can opt for single-trip insurance if you’re only likely to make one trip in a year.

If you’re going on a cruise, you may find cruise insurance better suited to your needs. Cruise insurance policies can cover missed port stops or cabin confinement.

Long-stay trip insurance (also known as backpacker insurance) might be better suited to a traveller away for long periods and visiting several countries.

You can normally cancel your travel insurance within the 14-day cooling-off period, as long as your trip hasn't yet started. You’ll often get a refund of any premiums you’ve paid, but there may be an admin fee for cancelling.

The cooling-off period typically starts from the day after you enter into the contract (in other words, the day after you buy the policy).