Is there such a thing as good value travel insurance?

The first time we used Saga for insurance my husband fell and broke his arm 3 days before we were due to travel so we had to cancel. They were very helpful and refunded us with no problem so we just use them now. Just booked hols to China for later in the Summer with Saga!

Many vacation providers have their own scheme. Viking River has their own, but it's dear compared to shopping it out (or so said my husband - he likes to plan).

Age UK and Saga are both good for older travellers

I have used Insure and Go for many years.They keep prices down by making it a condition that you use EHIC / reciprocal agreements for urgent / immediate care, and step in after that.
I only had to claim once and they were efficient and helpful, but having said that, neither DH nor I have hit 70 yet!

A good thing about InsuranceWith is that if you have too many preexisting conditions you can opt to do without cancellation cover. I had previously been quoted £1200 for an annual policy and the cancellation cover was limited to £1500 anyway - not a good deal! My partner & I got a joint annual policy for £300 plus IPT, though that was excluding N America & Canada. Cancellation cover is a nice to have but the medical cover is what is important.

I had major open heart surgery plus a triple by-pass seven months ago and got excellent insurance cover from Holidaysafe.co.uk. They were recommended by Which magazine a few months ago. I paid £220 for a whole year's insurance to travel in Europe and North Africa

I recommend Allclear. They are not the cheapest, or the most expensive, but they are known to be reliable when it comes to organising transport for a sick customer and paying out. I was with InsureandGo a few years ago, but it's so cheap compared to many others and there are so many poor reviews about bad experiences of claiming, that I felt uneasy and went back to Allclear. If you get a quote from them, it costs 10% less online than by phone. They offer their own Policies and some from other companies, as they also operate as a broker for others. I think the other companies policies probably account for most of the negative reviews and the glowing reviews are their own (I hope anyway, it's a mine field)!

I can't recommend as I've never used them but I was reading about them just this week. One company was called Insurance With. The other was Protectif, with Boots. Insurance for people who have difficulty getting affordable insurance due to a medical condition. Would be interested to hear if you find cheaper insurance.

Have a look at

medicaltravelcompared.co.uk/?source=GBrand&_$ja=tsid:70096|cid:133551060|agid:7038048780|tid:kwd-53184327060|crid:79229748420|nw:s|rnd:12943603833994319708|dvc:c|adp:1t1&gclid=CIfQ3tHRmcgCFevnwgodJkQFWA

EHIC plus travel insurance is the name of the one I've just used, its for long haul. I've just booked mine to Australia it costs £64 however I am 60 with no real health issues. Look on Martin Lewis website that's where I find good information that has been checked out.

Holiday safe is another one to try

I made sure that everything I ever had was mentioned and this was all recorded on the phone call.

I used All Clear two years ago and they were good value. This year, also going to Canada, they were very expensive. My friend has used Staysure, they were expensive for me and I do not have many problems. Just take Thyroxin but have had Sciatica this year but it is now fine and it wasn't major when I had it.

This time I have gone with Avanti £203. My friend is older than me 82 and got £200 with Staysure this is for Canada in June. When I was in Canada I got a water infection. It cost me 25 dollars to see an out of hours GP and 12 dollars for Antiobiotics I thing that was cheaper than here.

Will be interested to read any tips, DD is moving to states and OH insurance is always expensive due to heart condition. I would never travel without good cover our son was taken ill in Canada and his care in intensive care and ambulance flight home with a Dr and nurse was almost equivalent to the value of their home. They were coveted by insurance who were really helpful at a very distressong time, it was through their bank.

I have an ongoing medical condition and have found Get Going travel insurance to be a good buy. I've never had to claim or travelled as far as Canada but they're worth looking at.

My husband has health issues, and needs extra cover. Staysure has been best for us, with no probs. It's not worth getting the cheapest, and u have to declare everything. It's very expensive to go to Canada, my bro lives there, but medical charges are high.

I have just read in the newspaper about www.insurancewith.com who apparently do good value insurance for people who have had cancer. They might be worth asking too.

I got what I still feel was excellent cover from Just Travel when I was including a trip to America in my travel insurance. I have as many health issues as many people in their 80's and paid £350.

GillT57 is spot on, there is no such thing as good value.

My DH wants us brought out of a conflict, moved to and receiving decent medical care, or have a corpse brought home. All good enough.

There is not necessarily such a thing as good value travel insurance, but there certainly is necessary travel insurance, especially if your MiL is travelling to USA or Canada. A heart attack or stroke there could literally bankrupt her. The tick box process when you try to get insured online isnt always the best approach though; we went with Staysure and when we phoned and talked to someone, even though she was asking the same questions as the online application, we paid over £100 less. We always buy a annual policy too,and we have found that what would cost say £70-80 for one trip, can cost £300 ish for an annual policy. Just means we have to have a couple more trips to make it worthwhile! An alternative is to go to a high street broker, face to face.

I think DH purchases through Saga? I don't do the planning or purchasing, but he does buy insurance. One of my daughters used some feature of the card she uses to procure cruises, I think.

Have you tried your bank? Some accounts do travel insurance with the accounts, though often for existing conditions you will often have to pay a bit extra on top.
Try comparison websites too.
I have a similar problem getting travel insurance for my 16yr old son. We are also off to Canada in August and he has crohns disease. Insurance costs rise hugely once you add an existing condition onto it.

The cost of insurance is based on the assessed risk and the cost of medical treatment in Canada. Like Aggie says £800 will be a bargain if she needs treatment of any kind. And they must think the odds are against her. Hunt around but look carefully at what is covered. Cheaper might only be better if she doesn't need to use it.

£800 could be excellent value if she needed health help on her trip , but of course it wouldn't be looked on as good value if not used . sods law