When it comes to buying travel insurance, an increasing number of UK holidaymakers are digging out every excuse they can find not to pay for it. But with cheap travel insurance so widely available, there’s no convincing reason to avoid buying it – here are five of the most commonly used excuses, and the reasons why you shouldn’t try and use them yourself…
“It just costs too much…”
With single trip cover available for just a few pounds, this really is no excuse at all. Tour operators and airlines often try and bundle eye-wateringly expensive policies in with their services, but cheap travel insurance is available from specialist insurers. As long as you are prepared to shop around, cheap travel insurance is easy to find, and your wallet will thank you for it if you face an expensive mishap on your holiday.
“Well, I forgot about it…”
Sometimes, people genuinely forget to get insured before they travel. Buying travel insurance should be second nature when you book your holiday, but if you just can’t get into the habit, consider getting annual travel insurance instead – it’ll save you the hassle of booking every time you go, and you’ll probably make some significant savings on your holiday costs as well.
“But I’m only going for a few days…”
Do you really need to get travel insurance for your weekend away? There’s no telling when a travel disaster will strike – even on a short trip, accidents can happen, flights can be cancelled, and luggage mislaid or stolen. Plus, travel insurance for a short trip will be extremely cheap.
“I don’t need it, I’m already covered…”
Premier bank account insurance, credit card cover and the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) are commonly wheeled out as substitutes for actual travel insurance, and while all of these offer some degree of protection, the policies are usually riddled with loopholes and inadequate levels of cover. The EHIC covers basic medical care but not repatriation, most credit cards offer the almost useless “travel accident insurance” rather than genuine travel insurance, and the “free” insurance that comes with certain bank accounts is often found wanting when it comes to medical costs and valuables cover.
“Oh, it’ll never happen to me…”
Assuming that you’ll never need your travel insurance is a dangerous game to play. Serious incidents may be relatively rare, but they can be enormously expensive. If bad weather, a terrorist incident or a sudden death in the family forces you to cancel your holiday, you could be left facing thousands of pounds worth of expenses. Similarly, break a leg on holiday in America and you be left forking out tens of thousands of pounds to pay your medical bills.
No matter what excuse you try and make, it isn’t likely you’ll find a convincing argument against buying travel insurance. As long as you are willing to shop around and get exactly the policy you need, cheap travel insurance won’t break the bank – and it could save you a world of trouble on your next trip abroad.