Travel Insurance for the creaky over 50's !

Eye2013

I have previously never declared any medical conditions on travel insurance, however having recently turned 50 I now feel that I'm worrying about it probably too much !

Over the past 10 years I have gone to the doctor many times for various complaints, worries, aches and pains, and injuries. i've thought about this and I think I need to declare a few medical conditions, but where do I stop, and how far back do i go ?

I'm no medical expert but any of my chats with the doctor could possibly be relevant and point towards an undiagnosed disease or other issue, or from an insurance point of view increase my level of risk, or possibly even nullify my policy if I don't declare !

For example;-

1. I have hay fever and possibly mild asthma which I never declare, but which could theoretically increase the risk of me suffering a sever allergic shock to a bee sting ?
2. Are previous diseases like measles, shingles and bronchitis relevant even if suffered over 25 years ago ?
3. I get some tendinitis in my arm, is this relevant if I injure my arm in a fall?
4. I broke my arm when aged about 8 - is this relevant ?

Has anyone had previous experiance of this, and how much do the premiums increase ? How am I supposed to know what to declare ?

Wise advice appreciated !

(Copy of a post I've also put in the Travel Forum)

NAR

The only thing the insurance companies might be interested in is your mild asthma.

McKneff

Nowadays, they normally go through a list with you.

If there is anything other than that, just tell them.

I dont even bother with holiday insurance if Im staying in the UK.

Might be worth getting a quote for any of your insurances now from
Rias, they are specialiesed in the over 50s group, We have our house and car with them. (Aegis)

Biggles

MSE has a section on travel insurance for older travellers and those with pre-existing conditions.

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/insurance/cheap-travel-insurance

Roger1

Everybody's situation is different so it is difficult to give a simple answer. You will almost certainly need to have some kind of medical screening, either online or by telephone. Many conditions are waived - i.e. no extra premium is required - and you should explore the policies outlined in the MSE link above.

If you have a Nationwide FlexAccount, you may have 'free' European cover up to age 74. Their insurance is via UK Insurance. To enhance this to worldwide cover costs just £20. For my wife and me they wanted an extra £80 to include cover for pre-existing conditions.

I'm in a similar position and have found many of the specialist companies unsuitable for me, i.e. they wanted extra premiums for my pre-existing conditions.

Surprisingly perhaps, added value bank accounts may work. They did for me. These are accounts where you pay a monthly fee for extra services.

I ended up with the Co-op's Premier Privilege account which includes medical insurance to age 80 without extra premium for my pre-existing conditions. They offer insurance through AXA. In addition, we have RAC breakdown insurance in the UK and Western Europe, some airport lounge passes and a bit more. This costs £13 a month, so £156 in a year. This is less than most specialist policies, for us at least.

Lloyds TSB packaged accounts may be worth looking at, online only for the moment as in-branch sales have been stopped for the time being. Other banks offer similar packages at different prices, so if you are interested, you will need to do a bit of research.

Good luck.

Eye2013

Thanks Roger1

I have a lloyds TSB account with travel insurance, but they don't cover you for any pre existing medical conditions. A pretty useless policy then given that most people travel without declaring conditions in my experience. All the insurer has to do when faced with a claim is contact the doctor and can then refuse to pay out, even if the claim is unrelated to the condition.

I have a pretty dim view of travel insurers from previous experience..

Roger1

You've highlighted one of the problems with packaged accounts, and Lloyds TSB are not currently selling them in branches or by telephone, just online.

In my case, I had great insurance cover with my American Express platinum card, which was really the only one for me. In the past year, they have significantly reduced insurance cover and other benefits and whacked up the annual fee by 50%. It is no longer the card for me and I'm about to use the scissors.

Before doing so, I researched the various options (specialist companies and brokers, packaged bank accounts) to find out exactly what was offered. For me, the Co-op Premier Privilege account works. As mentioned before, everybody is different and it may not be the best for everybody.

It does mean digging around, but there is a solution there!

MoneyMate

Hi, As over 50's myself we have had for many years a Nationwide account, for main FlexAccount customers they are offering free 5 star Defaqto rated European multi-trip travel insurance to all qualifying customers aged 16-73, pay in at least £750 per month into your FlexAccount for at least 3 consecutive months.
My wife is fit and healthy BUT I have several pre existing conditions so have to pay an additional fee, but still far cheaper that other company's.:beer: