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tips for getting travel insurance for the over 65s

Nowadays more and more people whatever their age are making trips abroad for holidays, as we get older it seems harder for the over 60s to find good travel insurance cover for a decent price.

As even Age Concern said that there has been an increase of over 36% in over-65s holidaying abroad over the past five years.

The over-65s are normally forced to pay up to three times the amount for travel insurance cover than any other traveller. Even nearly one fifth of insurance companies will not even cover the older generation for travel insurance abroad.

Age does seem to be a key factor in the risk calculation used for travel insurance quotes. Figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) show holidaymakers aged 65 or over are three times more likely to make a claim on their holiday insurance than those aged 35. And when travellers venture out at the age of 85 or more, then they are eight times more likely to make a claim than someone 50 years younger.

With Britain’s increasingly ageing population, that’s a good 10 million Brits who are being denied travel insurance, or being forced to pay high prices for it.

The best way to make sure you get the best deal on travel insurance is to shop around, it also may not be the big well known insurance companies that give you the best quotes, always try some internet only based companies.

A brief online search showed a younger couple travelling in Europe could get cover from Marks and Spencer Travel Insurance for £36.68, but hit the magic 65-years old mark and the policy suddenly jumps to £73.37.

Have a look at Post Office Travel Insurance or Travel Insurance Online as they have had reasonable travel insurance rates in the past.

It may also be worth trying a company that you already have insurance cover with, say for your car, pet or house, as these companies may offer you an extra discount as you already have insurance cover with them.

Always remember though to make sure you read through your current insurance policies– specifically household and medical - before buying travel insurance, as you may already be covered for a number of things.

Travel agents may try and bundle travel insurance with the holiday package you’ve just bought from them. Avoid travel insurance from travel agents at all costs, unless you want to end up paying double - the Treasury Select Committee says these bundled policies are 91.8% more expensive than the most competitive insurers.

Travel Agents get away with charging higher travel insurance costs because, unlike standalone travel insurance, policies sold by an intermediary along with other products are not at the date of writing this article subject to FSA regulation.

Related Sites of Interest

Columbus Travel Insurance
Direct Line
Go Travel Insurance
Travel Insurance Online
Post Office Travel Insurance
Essential Travel
TheIdol Travel Insurance
Norwich Union Travel Insurance
Marks and Spencer Travel Insurance
HolidayExtras
Endsleigh Travel Insurance