Compare annual travel insurance

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

It’s up to you. The beauty of multi-trip travel insurance is that there are no rules as to how many times you need to travel to qualify for it.

If you’ll be making numerous trips, it’s advisable to double check the small print on your insurance provider’s policy, though, in case there’s a maximum trip limit, as all policies vary.

Typical annual travel insurance cover normally stipulates that each individual holiday within the year of your annual policy can’t exceed a certain number of days – normally 31.

Ideally, on the day you pay for it. This is because the cancellation cover on annual 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 policies will cover you for UK trips, but there may be conditions that apply, for example:

• a minimum number of nights
• a minimum distance from home.

Check your policy for details.

Yes, from now until 31 December 2020, transitional arrangements apply so you can still use your EHIC card to get medical treatment on the same basis as locals. Some insurance providers include in their policy that you have to take and use an EHIC card if you want to make a medical claim.

What happens to the status of the EHIC after the transitional arrangements end will be decided as part of the negotiations on the future UK-EU relationship.

Yes, as with any travel insurance policy, you need to let your insurance provider know, otherwise your claim could be invalid.

See more on pre-existing conditions.

It depends. Some policies will include this, under End Supplier Failure or Scheduled Airline Failure, while others make it an add-on or won’t cover it at all. When you compare with us, you can clearly see which policies include this and those that don’t. If this is important to you, make sure you choose a policy that includes it.

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

Different parts of the policy may have different excess amounts. For example, the excess for cancellation may be different from the excess for medical treatment. Make sure you check all the amounts are affordable for you.

This depends on your age and the level of cover you’re looking for. Typically, providers of annual travel insurance cover people aged 19-75, and the maximum trip duration is usually 31 or 60 days, depending on the cover you’re purchasing.  

The maximum duration for flyers aged between 66-75 years old is usually around 21 days.  

It may be complicated to get an extension. Insurance providers usually suggest you take out a  single trip policy if you need to stay longer than the limits specified in your policy.

The extent to which your valuables and money are protected varies 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, never leave your mobile unattended and lock valuables in a safe if available.

You also need to make sure you understand what you need to do if you make a claim, such as reporting the incident to the police.

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, as these policies cover things like missed port stops.

Backpacker insurance may be better suited to a traveller away for long periods and visiting several countries.