Nationwide FlexPlus fee hiked to £18/month from December

Fizicuk

This still is a good deal if you want the insurances. But the benefits are getting watered down over time too. For joint account holders the mobile phone insurance and travel insurance is worth it. The AA rescue is a good back up but not essential for us as our cars are covered by the manufacturer call out. Need to keep your eye on the costs though 

HillStreetBlues

With these type of accounts that include travel insurance can you find out the excess amount for declaring medical conditions before signing up?

The_Twizzle

I closed my Flex Plus account in May as they changed the Travel Insurance company and as I am over 70 I have to pay a supplement. The amount they wanted me to pay on top of the £13 monthly fee was more than what I have paid with another company.  Now I’m glad I decided to close the account. 

harz99

HillStreetBlues said:

With these type of accounts that include travel insurance can you find out the excess amount for declaring medical conditions before signing up?

Yes, you can go on the Aviva Nationwide Flex Plus page and fill the whole declaration out, at the end it gives you a price, and then invites you to apply for an FP account. 

harz99

The_Twizzle said:

I closed my Flex Plus account in May as they changed the Travel Insurance company and as I am over 70 I have to pay a supplement. The amount they wanted me to pay on top of the £13 monthly fee was more than what I have paid with another company.  Now I’m glad I decided to close the account. 

There is no age supplement with Aviva who are the new Travel Insurance provider? 

VXman

M.A.S.H_2 said:

This has put me in a bit of a pickle; I am flying to Dubai at the end of September. I upgraded my FlexDirect to FlexPlus on the 2nd of September. I was debating with myself about what would be the best choice and decided to go with this instead of getting a single trip policy for me and my partner.

Can I downgrade back to FlexDirect after the trip? I was okay with the £13 a month, but not so much with £18. I know it has nothing to do with when I signed up, but it feels like the rug was pulled out from under me. I really hate monthly fees at the best of times.

This presents an interesting thought. I wonder how often you could downgrade/upgrade. I have done it once and it is immediate and easy. Possibly one could upgrade to flex plus just before a trip and down again after?

VXman

Fizicuk said:

This still is a good deal if you want the insurances. But the benefits are getting watered down over time too. For joint account holders the mobile phone insurance and travel insurance is worth it. The AA rescue is a good back up but not essential for us as our cars are covered by the manufacturer call out. Need to keep your eye on the costs though 

Why do people keep emphasising 'Joint Account holders'? The cover is for the account holder and their partner/family for Travel insurance and account holder/partner for the breakdown (i believe - i need the check that bit out). So no need to be a joint account.

edit - just checked the breakdown and it indeed covers your partner and any kids aswell as long as you own the vehicle so in some circumstances a partners car might not be covered - interesting to know how they would ascertain the owner. My wife's car was a present from me to her but the receipt is in my name and the V5 also as I purchased it originally.

Who is covered?

Our FlexPlus breakdown cover includes both:

• personal cover – FlexPlus account holders are covered in any eligible vehicle they're travelling in, whether as a driver or passenger; and
• vehicle cover – all eligible vehicles you own are covered, even if you're not travelling in them.

Your dependent children are only covered if they're driving an eligible vehicle that you own. 

WillPS

VXman said:

M.A.S.H_2 said:

This has put me in a bit of a pickle; I am flying to Dubai at the end of September. I upgraded my FlexDirect to FlexPlus on the 2nd of September. I was debating with myself about what would be the best choice and decided to go with this instead of getting a single trip policy for me and my partner.

Can I downgrade back to FlexDirect after the trip? I was okay with the £13 a month, but not so much with £18. I know it has nothing to do with when I signed up, but it feels like the rug was pulled out from under me. I really hate monthly fees at the best of times.

This presents an interesting thought. I wonder how often you could downgrade/upgrade. I have done it once and it is immediate and easy. Possibly one could upgrade to flex plus just before a trip and down again after?

The advice is normally to take cover as soon as a holiday is booked. If you only want cover while you're away and you're not concerned about the risks which apply before you head off, then the approach works so long as Nationwide continue to accept your upgrade requests. I've never heard of anyone being denied an upgrade (other than FlexBasic customers, which is a different issue), but there's no guarantee they'll allow it endlessly either.

VXman said:

Fizicuk said:

This still is a good deal if you want the insurances. But the benefits are getting watered down over time too. For joint account holders the mobile phone insurance and travel insurance is worth it. The AA rescue is a good back up but not essential for us as our cars are covered by the manufacturer call out. Need to keep your eye on the costs though 

Why do people keep emphasising 'Joint Account holders'? The cover is for the account holder and their partner/family for Travel insurance and account holder/partner for the breakdown (i believe - i need the check that bit out). So no need to be a joint account.

edit - just checked the breakdown and it indeed covers your partner and any kids aswell as long as you own the vehicle so in some circumstances a partners car might not be covered - interesting to know how they would ascertain the owner. My wife's car was a present from me to her but the receipt is in my name and the V5 also as I purchased it originally.

Who is covered?

Our FlexPlus breakdown cover includes both:

• personal cover – FlexPlus account holders are covered in any eligible vehicle they're travelling in, whether as a driver or passenger; and
• vehicle cover – all eligible vehicles you own are covered, even if you're not travelling in them.

Your dependent children are only covered if they're driving an eligible vehicle that you own. 

Agreed, it's worrying but perhaps unsurprising that people don't know the basic details of the product they're paying a premium for...

csw5780

Had a quote for pre-existing conditions when advised of the swap to AVIVA earlier this year. £190 (up from £150 with Ins UK). Just had a requote (for the same conditions) £30. So the hike will be covered by the additional cover drop 😮

moneyworrier2021

Does the Flex account travel insurance cover damaged luggage and is there a time frame to claim?