Finding cost-effective travel insurance for seniors

[K R B]

We have a nationwide flexi plus account. We are Both 70 + so ha ve to pay a premium for that and I have to extra because of high blood pressure.
Not happy with the cost.
Any other recommendations please
Thanks in advance

 

[RV72 SAM 🏴]

You guy's have a lot of potential problems going on there, I feel for you having to go through all that heartache sorting Insurance out to cover yourselves
My question is though regards breakdown cover, or in the situation you are taken ill and can't actually drive your outfit back home, are you covered for repatriation with the Nationwide Flex A/c @ £13 or is there an option to pay an additional premium to cover this???
As Im aware since the AA took over the NW Cover they don't include this facility anymore, and would have to pay to transport the van back yourselves

 

[Rapido925M]

Another couple reliant on FlexPlus who don't pay for the condition extensions. If in Europe (or even worldwide with our wonderful GHIC card) what problems which wouldn't be dealt with by local health care would be caused by
1 high blood pressure
2 asthma
3 type2 diabetes?

I regard the health insurance aspect as covering me for broken limbs, RTAs, etc
Am I being naïve?

Gordon

 

[Stewart J]

Looking for travel insurance and very tempted by recommendations for the Nationwide flex plus account, I am 75 wife early eighties no major health issues, how easy is it to set up an account with them, do I need to pay in a monthly amount excluding the £13 for the flex plus and does the cover kick in straight away? We have used Staysure in the past but we are too old for the annual cover and so take it out per trip. Paid £429 for a 75 day trip to Spain last August.

 

[Deep Owl]

We use Staysure. £131 for annual cover for two, me 74 hypertension/cholesterol, her 61 hypothyroid, with up to 35 days per trip for me and 180 per year.
Haven’t had to claim yet, touches wood!

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Jurrasic]

The cover you get depends on the account.

Yes I believe their Lloyds International account gives you travel cover but you need to have £3000( I think) in the account

 

[Kirsten]

Been with LV for many years (74) (70) with medical problems but when renewal comes do an online application saved £60 against their renewal quote!

I thought that is what I did with LV , got slight discount on line at renewal BUT months later checking it for next trip found that I had been charged for original policy AS WELL ( by direct renewal ) AND they are refusing to refund one policy as they are not the same
Only difference is on line one excludes Greece as we were not going there 2023…everything else exactly same. Furious doesn’t cover it , and trust pilot shows many others in same position. Did get 2 emails confirming policy but it looked like one was confirm next one actual paperwork. Guess who is NOT using them when these policies run out( if I can cancel direct renewal as Trust Pilot also full of tales of woe about this being difficult as well)

 

[Spriddler]

Looking for travel insurance and very tempted by recommendations for the Nationwide flex plus account, I am 75 wife early eighties no major health issues, how easy is it to set up an account with them, do I need to pay in a monthly amount excluding the £13 for the flex plus and does the cover kick in straight away? We have used Staysure in the past but we are too old for the annual cover and so take it out per trip. Paid £429 for a 75 day trip to Spain last August.

I'm 78 and been relying on it for the past seven years.
It's all here...............

FlexPlus | Packaged bank account | Nationwide

Open a FlexPlus current account, a packaged bank account with travel insurance, breakdown recovery and mobile phone cover.

www.nationwide.co.uk

 

[RV72 SAM 🏴]

I thought that is what I did with LV , got slight discount on line at renewal BUT months later checking it for next trip found that I had been charged for original policy AS WELL ( by direct renewal ) AND they are refusing to refund one policy as they are not the same
Only difference is on line one excludes Greece as we were not going there 2023…everything else exactly same. Furious doesn’t cover it , and trust pilot shows many others in same position. Did get 2 emails confirming policy but it looked like one was confirm next one actual paperwork. Guess who is NOT using them when these policies run out( if I can cancel direct renewal as Trust Pilot also full of tales of woe about this being difficult as well)

Have LV got an App as that's normally the best way to untick/delete auto renewals, as I have just done with my motorbike Insurance we carry in the garage compartment.
Purely because every year they not only increase the premium, but move the goal posts on what and where it is covered !

 

[carolyn]

The only UK Lloyds account left to new customers is the Silver account which is just for European travel up to 31 days. You have to pay extra for longer trips. There are far fewer exclusions than Nationwide though. They don’t worry about hypertension, cholesterol or hypothyroidism. We have the Premier account which is Worldwide , covers trips up to 62 days up to the age of 80.

We had to pay a supplement one year but as Nick had investigations for suspected bladder cancer , fortunately all clear but he was still under follow up that seemed fair enough!

I don’t suppose it’s cheap but it covers UK breakdown, mobile phones and a couple of other things. £28 a month but we know it works, one easy claim. Quite a few breakdowns though.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[wiff2110]

We rely on the insurance with our Lloyds bank account covers us up to 80 years old & has a huge list of conditions which you don't have to declare, high blood pressure is one of them.

We used Lloyds bank insurance for 15 years( it was free to have in those days with AXA insurance ) and used it a few times without complaint, now we are 80+ it’s a different story. We have to search elsewhere generally unsuccessful due to the cost.

 

[Stewart J]

I'm 78 and been relying on it for the past seven years.
It's all here...............

FlexPlus | Packaged bank account | Nationwide

Open a FlexPlus current account, a packaged bank account with travel insurance, breakdown recovery and mobile phone cover.

www.nationwide.co.uk

Cheers for that nearest branch to me (I live in a tiny rural village) is 28 miles away in Carlisle so will make the trip and discuss with them face to face

 

[wiff2110]

We're only in our early sixties but my wife's list of ailments is growing, meaning that Nationwide no longer wish to cover her - mainly I think because she is still awaiting treatment for Atrial Fibrillation.

I'm currently speaking to specialist insurers, whom aren't cheap. Funnily enough insuring my mum, who is in her eighties, was easier - even with her list of ailments.

Who did you go to for the over 80s? My wife is struggling to find a reasonable cost travel insurance.

 

[Bailey58]

Looking for travel insurance and very tempted by recommendations for the Nationwide flex plus account, I am 75 wife early eighties no major health issues, how easy is it to set up an account with them, do I need to pay in a monthly amount excluding the £13 for the flex plus and does the cover kick in straight away? We have used Staysure in the past but we are too old for the annual cover and so take it out per trip. Paid £429 for a 75 day trip to Spain last August.

If you're switching to Nationwide use their switch service and it goes like clockwork. I was notified that my Intelligent Finance account was closing down about a year ago which coincided with me looking for travel insurance for a cruise planned for last May. Nationwide was a no brainer and they dealt with the switch with no problems at all. They arranged it for the day I wanted to allow for the 1st of the month DD's to go out of IF and then did the switch. Once opened I contacted their insurance site, UK Travel Insurance, to add the medical bits for the two of us, I also paid an extra £40 for some add ons to the cruise cover. On the banking side they check DD's etc for twelve months to ensure nothing goes missing and it worked for me when they netted a Quidco payment to IF I'd forgotten to alter.

If you simply want their travel insurance I can't see anything in the T&C to say you must operate it as normal account apart from, as you say, ensuring there was enough in there to pay the £13 fee each month but in that scenario I'd be inclined to switch a couple of DD's and pay in enough to cover them which I do with a 50 year old NatWest account I kept on for "counter facilities" (what are they now) when I went to IF twenty odd years ago.

FlexPLus - page 17>

 

[Lenny HB]

My question is though regards breakdown cover, or in the situation you are taken ill and can't actually drive your outfit back home, are you covered for repatriation with the Nationwide Flex A/c @ £13 or is there an option

Providing you are the only one insured to drive the vehicle you will be covered by your vehicle insurance.

Looking for travel insurance and very tempted by recommendations for the Nationwide flex plus account, I am 75 wife early eighties no major health issues, how easy is it to set up an account with them, do I need to pay in a monthly amount excluding the £13 for the flex plus and does the cover kick in straight away? We have used Staysure in the past but we are too old for the annual cover and so take it out per trip. Paid £429 for a 75 day trip to Spain last August.

I think you will have a problem as your wife is over 80.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[RV72 SAM 🏴]

Providing you are the only one insured to drive the vehicle you will be covered by your vehicle insurance.

I think you will have a problem as your wife is over 80.

Hi Lenny, I'm sure you're correct if your van isn't driveable, as in an accident, but would they cover you if it is???
If you've broken a limb or incapacitated in any way, you saying all Insurance companies will cover this, I don't think for a minute they would. It was mentioned a while ago, by you I think , that NW Flex+ no longer cover repatriation since the AA took over the breakdown/recovery side of things !
Although if what you say is right, I have just renewed Ins without the wife on the policy, as she refuses to ever drive the moho anyway, also saved a few quid

 

[Lenny HB]

Hi Lenny, I'm sure you're correct if your van isn't driveable, as in an accident, but would they cover you if it is???
If you've broken a limb or incapacitated in any way, you saying all Insurance companies will cover this, I don't think for a minute they would. It was mentioned a while ago, by you I think , that NW Flex+ no longer cover repatriation since the AA took over the breakdown/recovery side of things !
Although if what you say is right, I have just renewed Ins without the wife on the policy, as she refuses to ever drive the moho anyway, also saved a few quid

From my Policy_

 

[kev54]

From my Policy_

View attachment 852138

Thanks Lenny HB I also have NWFlex+ but can't find that particular sentence on my document regarding breakdown. Is that from the Travel Insurance section by any chance? Or your vehicle insurance?
(I've also just noticed the 'cost too much' disclaimer - but I still think NWFlex+ is the best deal)

 

[K R B]

Thanks again for replying to my post.
We have nationwide flexi plus £156per year +£60 for age £40 because I take two tablets a day for blood pressure, £125for 90 day cover
That's £380 plus the joys of getting old
Thats without the extra on house insurance for 90 days away from home

 

[RV72 SAM 🏴]

Thanks Lenny HB I also have NWFlex+ but can't find that particular sentence on my document regarding breakdown. Is that from the Travel Insurance section by any chance? Or your vehicle insurance?
(I've also just noticed the 'cost too much' disclaimer - but I still think NWFlex+ is the best deal)



View attachment 852140

He did state vehicle insurance Kev

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[kev54]

He did state vehicle insurance Kev

Oops - thanks Sammy 🍺 so he did. need better glasses!

 

[Dickie0121]

Well my wife had Lung cancer this year and although it has been removed and she is cancer free we struggled to get any cover, most refused and one or two offered cover at £2460 for 3 weeks in East Africa. Eventually got cover for both of us for 12 Months for £1280 with a company called " Insure with". Most companies once you bring cancer up I was told it put £1300 on the policy, so adding another person in addition to High blood pressure you are etc. So we think we did OK on the end.

 

[busby]

Another couple reliant on FlexPlus who don't pay for the condition extensions. If in Europe (or even worldwide with our wonderful GHIC card) what problems which wouldn't be dealt with by local health care would be caused by
1 high blood pressure
2 asthma
3 type2 diabetes?

I regard the health insurance aspect as covering me for broken limbs, RTAs, etc
Am I being naïve?

Gordon

Regarding getting van home if unable to drive..I would just get a friend or family member to fly out and drive it home..BUSBY.

 

[Hymerboy]

With Nationwide flex plus please be aware that the maximum length is 8 mtrs.

 

[Hymerboy]

Hi Lenny, I'm sure you're correct if your van isn't driveable, as in an accident, but would they cover you if it is???
If you've broken a limb or incapacitated in any way, you saying all Insurance companies will cover this, I don't think for a minute they would. It was mentioned a while ago, by you I think , that NW Flex+ no longer cover repatriation since the AA took over the breakdown/recovery side of things !
Although if what you say is right, I have just renewed Ins without the wife on the policy, as she refuses to ever drive the moho anyway, also saved a few quid

I have just renewed Ins without the wife on the policy, as she refuses to ever drive the moho anyway, also saved a few quid
Thats odd I thought it was cheaper if you both drive ?

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[RV72 SAM 🏴]

I have just renewed Ins without the wife on the policy, as she refuses to ever drive the moho anyway, also saved a few quid
Thats odd I thought it was cheaper if you both drive ?

I thought the same, as why I put her on there in the 1st place, but worked out less, in the end, and easier to repatriate if need's must I would want £10k to add her on
Couldn't believe what I ended up with, as renewal went from £550 last year to £1,926

 

[nicholsong]

To get cover with UK travel insurers does one have to declare UK residence?

 

[carolyn]

To get cover with UK travel insurers does one have to declare UK residence?

Yes, small print often says minimum 6 months per year and registration with UK GP and trip must start in UK.

 

[Rapido925M]

Yes, small print often says minimum 6 months per year and registration with UK GP and trip must start in UK.

I saw an interesting article last week about a family holiday in Africa. They took out all the necessary insurance and Mum & Dad returned home as expected. Daughter decided to extend her holiday to South Africa where she had an accident resulting in brain damage. She is facing bills of £100k with no insurance because her trip didn’t start in the UK!

Gordon

 

[carolyn]

I saw an interesting article last week about a family holiday in Africa. They took out all the necessary insurance and Mum & Dad returned home as expected. Daughter decided to extend her holiday to South Africa where she had an accident resulting in brain damage. She is facing bills of £100k with no insurance because her trip didn’t start in the UK!

Gordon

It was quoted on a couple of threads on here as well. I knew it was a problem because one of our sons did a TEFL course in Madrid when he finished Uni and taught for a year. He then went straight to America to do Camp America for the 3rd time. It was an absolute nightmare and very expensive getting insurance for him as he’d been out of the country for a year even though he’d had insurance whilst in Madrid. Sadly it wasn’t one we could extend. I read the small print otherwise I could easily have just taken out a normal one and been none the wiser!

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Badknee]

After my darling carer got her Irish passport we found out most policies only cover from 30/60/90 days. Our normal insurers LV were 90 and seems that was set in stone so for this winter 178 day trip I went with the post office.