Do I need insurance?

marylee

I am travelling to France for 6 days in June. Do I need to buy travel insurance, the cheapest quote I got when I bought my ticket through Rynair at £7 but did not take it as I wanted to think about it? Won't the form E111 cover for medical treatment? The reason I did not buy it is there is always an excess fee to buy in case of a claim and the ticket costs only £100 and as you well know how difficult it is to make a claim. Please, I would like to advice of fellow travellers on this. Thanks

blindman

YES. This is a no brainer.:D

Doppleganger

E111's allow you to get free, or reduced cost, emergency medical treatment in some European countries, provided they have signed a reciprocal agreement with the UK for health services. They are not a replacement for travel insurance for travellers to Europe. Few countries pay the full cost of medical treatment, and extra travel and accommodation expenses and repatriation costs are not covered by the reciprocal healthcare arrangements. Nevertheless, carrying an E111 form is a good idea – for example, some insurers may waive medical excess if you use it.

The E111 form is in the middle of a re-vamp: http://www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/HealthAdviceForTravellers/fs/en

telly-addict

It's not just the medical side you need to think about. What if your passport or other valuables were stolen or lost? Some household policies may cover this, but a travel policy often has special cover for this.

I know the US is very different, but we managed to incur £1000 of medical and other costs (£320 to Virgin Atlantic to change our flights!) because my daughter was unwell. That was without any hospitalisation or repatriation and it cost $00's for everyday antibiotics and medicine. Our claim was paid without any trouble because we had it all documented.
It is a false economy to skip on the travel insurance, IMO.

se999

Hi,

A few years ago I was speaking to a young man at the travel agents, he'd had a quick weekend away in Paris and got hit by a car, he hadn't bothered to get insurance because it was a quick trip, 2 years later he was still paying off the debt he'd incurred.

Do get insurance, it's not just medical costs, it's if you need special transport back to the UK etc.. In some cases they have to hire air ambulances and doctors or nurses to accompany you, so the cost of your holiday and insurance can be negligible in comparison.

I think you need 'new' E111's this year, because of the new format, but you can tick a box that means at the end of the year they'll send you the new EU card which replaces it automatically. I filled the forms in a few months ago, so check the details.

RussWWFC

For £7 whatever the risk its worthwhile - any trip out of the UK its essential

marylee

Thanks to all of you for your good advice. Will now buy insurance, but which one, any recommendation, please.

Ms-Money-Penny

marylee wrote:

Thanks to all of you for your good advice. Will now buy insurance, but which one, any recommendation, please.

If you go to the travel insurance link at the top of this thread they will get you the best quotes or try

https://www.moneysupermarket.com

Finishrich

There's a travel insurance thread at the top of the travel board, I'm sure you'll find a few recommendations there.