What is Over 50s Travel Insurance? 2024 Guide
Over 50s travel insurance protects you financially if anything goes wrong before your trip or while you are away. It’s often possible to buy travel insurance for over 50s, and the price can be very reasonable if you apply to the right insurers.
People aged 50 and older often have much more free time to travel, and having the right travel insurance can make a big difference if there are any issues with your trip. Some of the main benefits of over 50s travel insurance include:
- Medical cover (can pay out millions for emergency medical expenses).
- Covers delayed or lost luggage.
- Pays out for flight cancellations and delays.
- Protects you if you need to cancel your trip before it starts (e.g. because of a medical emergency or bereavement).
In our latest over 50s travel insurance guide, our insurance experts explain exactly how travel insurance works for over 50s and how to find the best quotes to protect your next holiday.
60 Second Summary – What is Over 50s Travel Insurance? 2024 Guide
Many of the UK’s top travel insurance companies can provide high-quality travel cover for those aged 50 and older. Travel insurance is just as important for people over age 50 and can be even more important in some cases (e.g. if you have serious health conditions).
Our team of travel insurance experts has put together this guide with all the latest information about how to buy travel insurance if you are aged 50 or older.
- Over 50s travel insurance protects UK holidaymakers against unexpected issues like flight delays or cancellations due to unforeseen events.
- Most people who are over 50 will still be able to buy travel insurance, though the price can be higher. This is why it is key to shop around for the best quotes, so you don’t end up paying more than you need to.
- It’s important to compare policy benefits, and considering things like age limits, customer reviews, and industry ratings can help you to choose the right insurer.
- Our experts have rated Admiral as the best over 50s life insurance company, closely followed by Ageas and Rias (cruise cover). This is based on pricing, customer reviews, and the quality of available travel insurance benefits.
- Other travel insurance companies could work better for you though, as the price of your cover will be based on your exact age, trip destination, and trip duration.
- Additional cover for specific holiday activities (e.g. cruise cover) is often available for over 50s, though you will normally have to pay extra to add this on.
What is over 50s travel insurance?
Over 50s travel insurance policies have been designed specifically to suit the needs of travellers who are aged 50 and older. Your age shouldn’t prevent you from getting top-quality travel cover, and there is a wide range of insurers that will offer cover to over 50s.
Most travel insurance companies can provide over 50s travel insurance, including popular insurers like Admiral, Staysure, and Avanti. The right insurance company for you will be based on your exact age, as well as the country that you are travelling to and any activities you plan to take part in (e.g. cruise or winter sports cover).
Travel insurance policies support you financially with unexpected problems that can happen while you are on holiday. This includes things like medical emergencies, losing your luggage or passport, or your flights being delayed. While no one plans for these things to happen, being prepared can help you to avoid bills of £100s or £1000s if something goes seriously wrong.
Travel insurance also protects you before you even leave your house, which is why financial experts like advise you to buy your cover as soon as possible.
Can everyone over age 50 buy travel insurance?
Most people over 50 will be able to buy travel insurance, but certain policies will be more suitable and affordable than others. Older travellers are often put off from trying to get travel insurance, especially if they have been quoted ridiculously high prices in the past.
This is why it is important to check quotes from multiple insurers or to apply with the help of a specialist travel insurance broker. This will help you to work out which companies can offer the lowest prices, while still providing all the benefits that you need.
Do any travel insurance companies have no age limit?
Various UK travel insurance companies state that they don’t have age limits for their policies and can cover people up to age 90 or even older.
All travel insurance companies will have different age limits (e.g. 99 years old), so it’s best to check this when you apply. There will be companies that can cover people much older than 50 years old, so there will normally be at least a few options for you.
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Over 50s Travel Insurance Summary
Over 50s travel insurance includes a range of benefits that can help you if you experience problems before or during your holiday. Some of the main benefits of over 50s travel insurance include holiday cancellation cover and cover for emergency medical expenses or repatriation.
Your over 50s travel insurance policy will usually also include some exclusions, which are things that you can’t claim for. Common policy exclusions are things like injuries caused by dangerous activities, and treatment for medical conditions that you haven’t declared on your application.
Not everyone who is over 50 will need the same things from their travel insurance policy, so the right policy for you might be totally different to the right policy for someone else. You should consider what could go wrong with your trip to work out which policy benefits are most important to you.
Key factors for over 50s travel insurance:
- How old are you?
- Do you want single trip cover or annual travel insurance?
- Do you have any pre-existing medical conditions?
- Do you need individual, couples, or family travel cover?
- Where are you going? (e.g. Europe or Worldwide)
- How long are you going away for (trip duration)?
- Do you need cover for specific activities? (e.g. cruise or winter sports)
How does travel insurance work for over 50s?
The way that travel insurance works doesn’t change once you have turned 50 years old. You will apply in the same way as you would have when you were younger, and you should still be able to access the same level of policy benefits.
The main difference is that over 50s travel insurance can cost more, as insurers often view older customers as being more likely to claim due to illness or injury while away. You should do some research and consider all your options to make sure that you choose a policy that works for your budget.
A more expensive policy isn’t always going to be better, so you should look closely at the policy benefits to see if they offer the right level of cover. Many consumers also find it useful to look at things like industry awards (e.g. Defaqto ratings) and customer reviews before choosing a travel insurance company.
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What is the best travel insurance for over 50s?
Our travel insurance experts have compared a wide range of travel insurance policies to determine which insurers offer the best travel cover for over 50s. We have based these rankings on factors like price, customer reviews, and the level of policy benefits that are available.
1) Admiral
Admiral Trustpilot score: 4.5 out of 5.0 Stars
During our research, Admiral was consistently the lowest-priced option for travel insurance for people aged 50 – 70. This was across single-trip travel insurance, multi-trip travel insurance, and couples travel insurance policies, with prices starting from just £9.48.
Admiral is a well-known and trusted insurance company in the UK, and their customers have rated their customer service as ‘Excellent’ on Trustpilot. This is based on a score of 4.5 out of 5.0 Stars, with over 78,000 independent reviews.
Even Admiral’s basic policies offer a decent level of benefits for travel insurance customers like:
- 3 Star Defaqto rated policies
- Maximum of £150 excess
- £10,000,000 emergency medical cover (includes repatriation)
- £1,000 hospital benefit (per 24 hours)
- £10,000 personal accident cover
- £1,500 cover for cancellations (£150 excess)
- £1,500 pay out if you need to cut your trip short for medical reasons (curtailment)
- £500 cover for missed departures
- £250 inconvenience benefit if your journey is delayed for more than 12 hours
- £1,000 of baggage cover
- £300 each for loss of passports and loss of personal money
- £20,000 cover for legal expenses
- £3,000,000 personal liability cover
2) Ageas
Ageas Trustpilot score: 4.0 out of 5.0 Stars
Ageas frequently appears as the lowest-priced travel insurance company for single-trip travel insurance customers aged 70 – 90. They offer 3 levels of cover (Silver, Gold, and Platinum) to suit customers with different budgets.
Ageas are rated highly by their customers, with a customer rating of ‘Great’ (review score of 4.0 out of 5.0 Stars) on Trustpilot. Ageas’ cheapest policy which is their ‘Silver’ policy still offers a good level of protection, which includes benefits like:
- 3 Star Defaqto rated policies
- Maximum of £150 excess
- £10,000,000 emergency medical cover (includes repatriation)
- £200 hospital benefit (per 24 hours)
- £1,500 cover for cancellations (£150 excess)
- £1,500 pay out if you need to cut your trip short for medical reasons (curtailment)
- £150 inconvenience benefit if your journey is delayed for more than 12 hours
- £1,000 of baggage cover
- £200 pay out for loss of personal money
- £1,000,000 personal liability cover
3) Rias
Rias Trustpilot score: 4.1 out of 5.0 Stars
Saga Holidays published a survey last year, which found that around 30% of their over 50s travel insurance customers had planned cruise holidays. When our experts compared a range of cruise travel insurance options, Rias was the best-priced option for cruise travel insurance for those over 50. Rias is a registered trading name of Ageas, which was ranked second in our list of over 50s travel insurance companies.
Rias is also well-rated by their customers, with a review score of 4.1 out of 5.0 Stars on the independent review site Trustpilot. This gives them a rating of ‘Great’, based on over 9,600 customer reviews.
Rias’ cruise travel insurance policies protect you against unexpected events including:
- 3 Star Defaqto rated policies
- Maximum of £150 excess
- £10,000,000 emergency medical cover (includes repatriation)
- £200 hospital benefit (per 24 hours)
- £1,500 cover for cancellations (£150 excess)
- £1,500 pay out if you need to cut your trip short for medical reasons (curtailment)
- £150 inconvenience benefit if your journey is delayed for more than 12 hours
- £1,000 baggage cover
- £200 pay out for loss of personal money
- £1,000,000 personal liability cover
- £250 pay out for cabin confinement (if you can’t leave your cabin for medical reasons)
- £500 missed port cover
- £300 unused excursions cover
Note: All the customer ratings and review scores above are accurate as of 29/05/2024 but they may change over time as more independent reviews are added.
What is the best travel insurance for over 50s with medical conditions?
Having medical conditions can make buying over 50s travel insurance more complicated, but it won’t necessarily be impossible. A specialist medical travel insurance broker will have access to quotes from across the market, so you can easily compare all your available options.
You should check quotes with a few different insurers to get a rough idea of how much your policy would cost and the benefits that would be included for this price. If you’re worried about potential medical issues that could happen while on holiday, you should choose a travel insurance policy with a decent level of medical cover.
Most travel insurance policies will provide hundreds of thousands if not millions in emergency medical cover, so even the most basic policies can provide a decent level of protection. Specialist medical travel insurance will often include a higher level of cover for medical expenses, as people with medical conditions can be more likely to experience complications that require treatment.
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Can you get cheap travel insurance for over 50s?
We have recently conducted thorough research into the average cost of travel insurance and found that the average price was around £12.60 for a single trip policy. The actual price of your travel cover can cost more or less than this though, and over 50s will usually pay slightly more for their cover due to their age.
If you are worried about the cost, there are a few simple ways to save money on your travel insurance:
- Agree to pay more excess if you need to claim.
- Don’t add additional benefits if you don’t really need them (e.g. gadget cover).
- Shop around to see which travel insurance companies offer the best and cheapest quotes.
Frequently asked questions about travel insurance for over 50s
Do you have to declare menopause on travel insurance?
Menopause affects many women over 50 (and of course can affect younger women too). If you have experienced symptoms of menopause or received treatment, you will need disclose this when you apply for travel insurance.
This just helps the insurer to understand your medical history, and it will only usually apply to symptoms or treatment within the last 2 years. For example, the insurer will want to know about any medications or treatments that you use to treat menopause symptoms such as HRT patches. It’s important to make sure that your medication is covered under your policy, in case it gets lost or stolen and you need replacements while you are away.
Can you buy Saga travel insurance for over 50s?
Saga is a popular travel insurance company in the UK and they will normally offer cover to over 50s. They also don’t have a set ‘upper age limit’, so can cover people who are aged 80 or over where some insurers wouldn’t.
Can you buy Staysure travel insurance for over 50s?
Staysure has sold over 10 million travel insurance policies since 2005 and claims to specialise in over 50s travel cover. Their policies don’t have ‘upper age limits’, and they offer 3 different levels of cover for their customers.
How do I find the right over 50s travel insurance policy?
The easiest way to compare over 50s travel insurance quotes is through a specialist travel insurance comparison site. This allows you to compare a range of different policies and can quickly identify which insurers will be best and cheapest for you.
