Flexible length travel health insurance?

james_lon

Is it possible to get flexible length travel health insurance?

All the providers seem to want to know the duration of my travel but I'd rather not commit to a return date right away. Ive also been told that I need to have a return flight booked for my policy to be valid, but I don't want to book a flight back just yet as I don't know where ill be flying back from.

As if this wasn't complicated enough I'm already in South East Asia. I purchased 1 month before I left thinking that I could just extend / get a new policy out there. Any help appreciated! I can live without gadget, passport etc insurance. I think its just the heath insurance I need incase of an emergency.

PeacefulWaters

Annual policy?

Voyager2002

PeacefulWaters wrote: »

Annual policy?

No. Absolutely not.

Voyager2002

Since you are out of the UK most insurers will not touch you. You MIGHT be able to persuade your current insurer to extend cover, but don't count on it: ask them in good time. Otherwise you have precisely two option: True Traveller, and Nomads.

PeacefulWaters

Voyager2002 wrote: »

Since you are out of the UK most insurers will not touch you.

Yup, ignore my suggestion.

JonStubberfield

Providing you're a UK or European citizen you should be able to call up from abroad and purchase a new policy for your new intended stay.

So lets say you bought insurance for 1 month and you've now decided you want to stay for another 2 weeks, you can call your insurer and organise a 2 week insurance policy from the date that your existing one expires until your new intended return date.

An annual policy will also work but it depends how long you intend on staying as their will be a limit depending on who your insurer is. I sell insurance alongside holidays and the policy I sell offers up to 70 days in any single trip. So you could travel for 70 days. Come back to the UK and go travelling again for up to 70 days and so on at no extra cost. If you outstay the maximum dictated duration then you're immediately uninsured.

Voyager2002

JonStubberfield wrote: »

Providing you're a UK or European citizen you should be able to call up from abroad and purchase a new policy for your new intended stay.

So lets say you bought insurance for 1 month and you've now decided you want to stay for another 2 weeks, you can call your insurer and organise a 2 week insurance policy from the date that your existing one expires until your new intended return date.

An annual policy will also work but it depends how long you intend on staying as their will be a limit depending on who your insurer is. I sell insurance alongside holidays and the policy I sell offers up to 70 days in any single trip. So you could travel for 70 days. Come back to the UK and go travelling again for up to 70 days and so on at no extra cost. If you outstay the maximum dictated duration then you're immediately uninsured.

In my experience, a condition of all travel insurance policies sold in the UK (apart from the two that I mentioned above) is that the insured person is in the UK when cover commences.

Annual Policies are most suitable for people who take a large number of short holidays. Typically the limit 30 days; some have a 60-day limit, and I am interested to hear of a policy valid for 70 days. Of course, none of these would be of any use to the OP.

Bogalot

JonStubberfield wrote: »

Providing you're a UK or European citizen you should be able to call up from abroad and purchase a new policy for your new intended stay.

So lets say you bought insurance for 1 month and you've now decided you want to stay for another 2 weeks, you can call your insurer and organise a 2 week insurance policy from the date that your existing one expires until your new intended return date.

An annual policy will also work but it depends how long you intend on staying as their will be a limit depending on who your insurer is. I sell insurance alongside holidays and the policy I sell offers up to 70 days in any single trip. So you could travel for 70 days. Come back to the UK and go travelling again for up to 70 days and so on at no extra cost. If you outstay the maximum dictated duration then you're immediately uninsured.

Who would you suggest the OP contacts for the first type of policy you mention, have you confirmed the terms and conditions before recommending the OP does that?

Voyager2002

Bogalot wrote: »

Who would you suggest the OP contacts for the first type of policy you mention, have you confirmed the terms and conditions before recommending the OP does that?

I was in precisely this situation at the beginning of the year...

I contacted my original insurer (HSBC) and they were able to consider extending my policy, but only to cover a stay with a total length of up to 90 days, which was no use to me. The websites from a few other insurers made it clear that could not help, so I was left with the two options I posted above. Of these, True Traveller was significantly cheaper.

shaun_from_Africa

Voyager2002 wrote: »

and I am interested to hear of a policy valid for 70 days. Of course, none of these would be of any use to the OP.

https://www.insureandgo.com/
Provided you are less than 66 years old, their gold and black policies allow for trips of up to 90 days.


https://www.saga.co.uk/insurance/travel-insurance/get-quote/Details
They can provide policies that cover for up to 90 days providing that you are not going to the USA or the Caribbean.