Moneyfacts have reviewed travel insurance products in over 80 different fields of data in its Annual Star Ratings to find the best travel insurance providers.
This year, 90 providers achieved a five star rating in either the annual or single trip categories. The chart below shows a selection of those awarded four and five stars The full list of four and five star winners is at the end of this article.
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Post Office® Travel Insurance – With Coronavirus Cover
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Holiday Extras Travel Insurance
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Holiday Extras now offers Covid Bubble Protection to provide all the confidence you need when travelling in today's 'new normal'. This additional cover is available on our Gold and Platinum products as well as our Gold Cruise and Cruise plus products and covers you for the following:
Please note, policies do not provide cover for cancellation, abandonment or curtailment claims if the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advises against all or "all but essential" travel due to Covid 19. |
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Leisure Guard Travel Insurance Moneyfacts Star Rating: 5 Stars |
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World First Travel Insurnace
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Coverwise Travel Insurance
Moneyfacts Star Rating: 5 Stars |
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Travel Insurance 4 Medical
Moneyfacts Star Rating: 5 Stars |
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Asda Travel Insurance
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*Our Travel Insurance policy now covers for Medical costs and Cancellation claims on policies where customers or a member of their family / travelling party are diagnosed with Coronavirus, or are personally instructed to quarantine because of Coronavirus by an NHS service or healthcare professional. All other claims relating to COVID-19 or Government restrictions on travel are excluded. If you choose to travel against the FCO’s advice, you will not be covered for any subsequent claim.
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Travel Insurance Saver
Moneyfacts Star Rating: 5 Stars |
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TopDog Travel Insurance
Moneyfacts Star Rating: 5 Stars |
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Insurefor.com Travel Insurance
Moneyfacts Star Rating: 5 Stars |
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Flexicover Travel Insurance
Moneyfacts Star Rating: 5 Stars |
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Columbus Direct Travel Insurance
Moneyfacts Star Rating: 5 Stars |
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Get Going Travel Insurance
Moneyfacts Star Rating: 5 Stars |
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Direct Travel Insurance
Moneyfacts Star Rating: 5 Stars |
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The list of travel insurance providers on this page is a selection of services available and gives you an idea of the kind of options available. You can find out more about the individual products by visiting any of the providers listed. Moneyfacts.co.uk will receive a small payment if you use their services after you click through to their site. All information is subject to change without notice. Please check all terms before making any decisions.
Travel insurance gives you protection against specific financial losses, health risks or incidents when travelling abroad. Travel insurance cover can be for a single trip, annual multi-trip covering multiple holidays and destinations as long as you check these countries are covered before you travel, and backpacking cover for extended trips to multiple destinations.
Travel insurance will cover the cost of any losses or costs you have incurred as a result of an accident, cancellation or delay. If you are unfortunate enough to have had a problem while on holiday, you can then file a claim to cover the costs or losses from this with your travel insurance provider. When you file a claim, you are submitting evidence to your insurer about what happened and the losses you incurred as a result. The insurer will then review your claim to check its validity and to check it meets the policy’s terms and conditions. They will then make a decision about how much to reimburse you for.
Six ways to get the right travel insurance for you:
Travel insurance is offered as part of a current account by several different financial providers. For example, at the moment there are 20 accounts available that come with Worldwide or European travel insurance cover. However, some of these accounts will charge a fee. In addition, you will also need to check that the insurance offered meets your needs or the potential risks of the country you are travelling to. For example, some insurers may not insure older people or those with pre-existing medical conditions. It is also less likely that bank account insurance offerings will cover losses as a result of cancellation or delay due to weather conditions.
Visit our charts to compare bank accounts with travel insurance.
Some travel insurers set a maximum age of 65 for their policies, so travellers near or over this age will need to check their policy adequately covers them. By taking a policy specifically for those over 70, you won’t have this worry and you could benefit from additional cover such as:
Planning a holiday is an exciting time and finding a good travel insurance policy is essential to making sure your holiday goes as smoothly as possible. Unexpected events, such as bad weather disrupting your flight or even cancelling it, losing your luggage or theft of your property, could all devastate your trip away. You should buy travel insurance as soon as you have booked your holiday to make sure you get the benefit if you need to cancel unexpectedly.
Buying travel insurance is essential to protect your holiday and, if you are travelling as a family, it can be expensive to buy multiple individual policies. Family travel insurance can cover your whole family with only one policy and one cost.
It usually covers families who reside at the same address, including two adults and up to five children (aged up to 18).
As with any travel insurance policy, you should check the cover that it comes with to make sure it meets your needs.
If you are planning a cruise for your next holiday, then specific cruise insurance is worth considering. Unlike standard travel insurance, this covers the specific activities and risks that come with a cruise. For example, travelling to multiple countries is automatically covered, but you must check your destinations are not excluded by your insurer. The length of your cruise may also exceed the maximum number of days allowed by most travel insurers.
Golfing equipment is generally as heavy as it is expensive, so making sure you are covered for this when going on a golfing holiday is important. You can either check if your standard travel insurance policy will cover your golfing equipment or buy special golfing insurance. This specific type of insurance will cover you for the loss, theft or damage to your golf clubs and associated equipment. It can also cover green fees if you need to cancel your trip.
It’s important you let your existing travel insurer know about your dementia diagnosis. Having dementia should not prevent you from getting insurance but you may find that you have to look at more products to find one that will cover you. Some insurers may either choose not to cover you at all, some may charge you more money, whereas others may exclude costs arising from your condition from your policy.
If your insurer is open to covering you, it is likely that you will be asked a series of medical questions. This will help the insurer decide on whether they can provide you with cover, which situations they can cover you for and the cost of this cover.
If you want to see more of your holiday destination than just the airport and the resort then hiring a car is a great idea. However, hire cars can often cost you more than just the headline rate that you book them at - even if you manage to get a great deal through one of the many hire car comparison sites out there.
A major example of one of these ‘stealth’ expenses tends to be insurance, so we’ve put together our top three useful insurance tips that can save you time, money and frustration at the hire car rental desk:
A basic level of insurance is often included in the hire car rental costs. However, this won’t stop the hire car company trying to sell you a whole heap of additional protections on top of this. This basic level of insurance cover will provide you with the minimum level of insurance protection for the country you are planning to travel in – however, remember that this may be just indemnity against third parties should you have an accident or injure someone. Any cover for damage to the hire car itself will be subject to an excess and often the standard level of insurance does not include the cost of repairs to things such as tyres, wheels, glass or wing mirrors. That’s why it’s a good idea to carefully check what you are covered for.
Tip: Always take some time to make sure you understand the level of insurance you have with the basic hire. Even if the insurance with the hire car covers you for damage to the vehicle it is often the case that it carries a hefty excess. An excess means that you will be responsible for the cost of repairs up to a certain level.
For example, let’s say your car hire includes cover for damage to the vehicle (often called Collision Damage Waiver or CDW) with an excess of £1,000.
So you have a collision with another car where the total repair bill for the hire car comes to £2,500. You must pay the first £1,000 of this bill with the remaining £1,500 paid by the hire car insurance. Just as with comprehensive cover here in the UK this excess must be paid by you regardless of whether the accident was your fault or not.
Hire car companies will often attempt to sell you Excess Waiver Insurance (EXI) as a way of avoiding the basic CDW excess. This is - if you like - insurance for your insurance!
At about £25 per day, the cost of buying this at the rental desk can be far more expensive than arranging your own cover beforehand. Some providers will not mention you taking out this cover until you arrive to pick up your hire car, often catching people off guard and flustered.
Tip: Insurance excess waivers are not compulsory. However, if you decide to opt out of this additional insurance then don’t be surprised if the hire car company insists on you leaving a substantial deposit – usually taken from your credit card and held onto by the rental firm until you return the car in an undamaged state.
Instead of paying hefty additional fees when you pick up the hire car take out EWI before you travel. This is available from an array of UK providers and will cover you for the excess for a fraction of the cost of cover from the rental firm. However, even with EWI, if you have an accident, you will still have to pay the excess and then claim this back from your insurer. In addition, if you opt for this ‘standalone’ excess waiver insurance then don’t be surprised if the hire car firm still insists on taking a hefty deposit’ as well. If you use hire cars frequently then you can buy policies that will cover you for rental car excess fees for a whole year.
Purchasing your car hire excess insurance in advance can save you up to 65%. Compare car hire excess insurance with the help of Excessbuddy.com.
One of the many extra insurances that you’ll be offered at the rental desk is personal injury cover. As the name suggests this covers the driver and any passengers in the vehicle for personal injuries if you are involved in an accident.
People can worry about medical costs when travelling outside the UK – hence for many this can seem like a good idea – and it is…except that if you’ve taken out travel insurance for your holiday or trip abroad then personal injury is often already covered.
Tip: Check if your travel insurance policy covers you and your family for personal injury and medical costs while abroad. If it does – and most good travel insurance policies will – then save your money and decline this extra insurance.
The Moneyfacts Star Ratings for Travel Insurance are based on the weighting of specific product features, outside of premiums, that are likely to be the most relevant to those looking to take out a policy.
A considerable number of features will add to the final score, and some of this information includes:
Able2Travel - Gold
Able2Travel - Platinum
AllSAFE (Brokersure) - Premier Plus
Annualtravelinsurance.com - Super Plus
Avanti Travel Insurance - Classic
Avanti Travel Insurance - Deluxe
AXA Direct - Gold
Bank of Scotland - Platinum Account Travel Insurance
Blue Insurance - Premier Plus
Boots - Gold
Boots - Platinum
Cedar Tree Travel Insurance - Gold
Cedar Tree Travel Insurance - Platinum
Citybond Suretravel - Supreme
Columbus Direct - Gold
Coutts & Co. - Coutts Travel Protection
Covered2go Travel Insurance - Platinum
CoverForYou - Platinum
Coverwise - Platinum
Coverwise - Platinum Select
Debenhams - Luxury
Direct Travel Insurance (Brokersure) - Premier Plus
Economycover.com - Premier
Economycover.com - Premier Plus
Fit2Travel (Brokersure) - Platinum
Flexicover (Citybond Holdings) - Gold
Flexicover (Citybond Holdings) - Platinum
Free Spirit - Super Duper
Get Going Travel Insurance - Premier
Globelink International - Annual Multi-Trip
Go2 Travel Insurance - Gold
Goodtogoinsurance.com (Ancile Insurance) - Platinum
Greatcover.com - Super Plus
Halifax - Ultimate Reward Current Account
Holidaysafe - Premier Platinum
Holidaysafe - Premier Plus
Insurancewith - Platinum
InsuraTrip.com - Premier
Insure & Escape - First
InsureandGo - Black
InsureandGo - Gold
Insurewithease.com (Ancile Insurance) - Platinum
JS Travel Insurance - Platinum
Leisure Guard - Premier
Leisure Guard - Premier Plus
Leisurecare - Annual Multi Trip
Leisurecare - Traveller's Choice Affinity
Let's Go Insure - Traveller's Choice Affinity
Lloyds Bank - Club Lloyds Platinum Account
Lloyds Bank - Platinum Account
Multitrip.com - Premier Plus
Navigator - Diamond
Navigator - Gold
OK To Travel - Premier Plus
Penguin Insurance - Premier
Penguin Insurance - Premier Plus
Postcard Travel Insurance - Classic
Postcard Travel Insurance - Premier
Premier Cover (Citybond Holdings) - Deluxe
RAC - Black Cover
RAC - Silver Cover
RIAS - Annual
Saga - Travel Insurance
Sainsbury's Bank - Gold
Sainsbury's Bank - Platinum
SkiCover.com - Voyager Plus Black Ski
SkiCover.com - Voyager Plus Prime Ski
Southdowns Insurance Services Limited - Platinum
Southdowns Insurance Services Limited - Platinum Select
Spectrum (Citybond Holdings) - Gold
Spectrum (Citybond Holdings) - Platinum
STA Travel - Blue Premier Plus
STA Travel - Gold Premier Plus
Staysure - Comprehensive
Sun Selection - Platinum
Switched On Insurance - Premium
Switched On Insurance - Ultimate
The True Traveller - Traveller Plus
TopDog Insurance (Citybond Holdings) - Gold
TopDog Insurance (Citybond Holdings) - Platinum
Voyager Insurance Services - Black
Voyager Insurance Services - Prime
Wesleyan - Annual
Worldwide Travel Insurance Services - Elite
AllClear - Gold Plus
Allianz Global Assistance - Gold
AllSAFE (Brokersure) - Premier
Annualtravelinsurance.com - Super
Barrhead Travel Services - Premier Plus
BHSF - Annual Trip
Big Cat Travel Insurance - Premier
Boots - Silver
British Airways - Deluxe
Cedar Tree Travel Insurance - Silver
Citybond Suretravel - Premier
Columbus Direct - Silver
Co-operative Travel Insurance - Super
Cover4Travel - Premier
Cover4Travel - Premier-Plus
Cover4Travel.com - Platinum
Covered2go Travel Insurance - Gold
CoverForYou - Gold
Coverontrip - First Class
Coverontrip - Premium
Coverwise - Gold
Coverwise - Gold Select
Direct Travel Insurance (Brokersure) - Premier
Dogtag Limited - Max
Emerald Life - Premier
Endsleigh Insurance Services Limited - Comprehensive
ERGO Travel Insurance - Optimum
ERGO Travel Insurance - Protect
Explorer Travel Insurance - Platinum
Fit2Travel (Brokersure) - Gold
Fit4Travel - Platinum
Go2 Travel Insurance - Silver
Golfguard - Premier Cover
Golfguard - Standard Cover
Goodtogoinsurance.com (Ancile Insurance) - Gold
Holidaysafe - Premier
InsuraTrip.com - Super
Insure & Escape - Premium
Insure For Travel - Diamond Plus
InsureandGo - Silver
insurefor.com - Ultimate
InsureMore Travel Insurance - Deluxe
Insurewithease.com (Ancile Insurance) - Gold
Journeyman Services Limited - Annual Multi Trip
JS Travel Insurance - Gold
Makesure Travel Insurance - Annual Multi Trip
Navigator - Navigator Plus
OK To Travel - Premier
OK To Travel - Premier Extra
Online Travel Cover - Gold
Penguin Insurance - Standard
Planet Earth Travel Insurance - Annual Multi Trip
Premier Cover (Citybond Holdings) - Club
SkiCover.com - Gold Ski
Southdowns Insurance Services Limited - Gold
Southdowns Insurance Services Limited - Gold Select
SportsCover Direct - Gold
Sun Selection - Gold
TopNotchCover.com - Gold
TopNotchCover.com - Silver
Travel Insurance 4 Medical - Superior
TravelTime Travel Insurance - PremierPlus
Travsure - Economy
Travsure - Premier
Travsure - Premier Plus
Travsure - Standard
treat-u-fair - Annual Trip
TUI - Annual
World First - Exclusive
World First - Premier
World First - Superior
Able2Travel - Gold
Able2Travel - Platinum
AllSAFE (Brokersure) - Premier Plus
Annualtravelinsurance.com - Super Plus
Avanti Travel Insurance - Classic
Avanti Travel Insurance - Deluxe
AXA Direct - Gold
Blue Insurance - Premier Plus
Boots - Gold
Boots - Platinum
Cedar Tree Travel Insurance - Gold
Cedar Tree Travel Insurance - Platinum
Citybond Suretravel - Supreme
Columbus Direct - Gold
Covered2go Travel Insurance - Gold
Covered2go Travel Insurance - Platinum
CoverForYou - Platinum
Coverwise - Gold
Coverwise - Gold Select
Coverwise - Platinum
Coverwise - Platinum Select
Debenhams - Luxury
Direct Travel Insurance (Brokersure) - Premier
Direct Travel Insurance (Brokersure) - Premier Plus
Economycover.com - Premier
Economycover.com - Premier Plus
Endsleigh Insurance Services Limited - Comprehensive
ERGO Travel Insurance - Optimum
Fit2Travel (Brokersure) - Platinum
Flexicover (Citybond Holdings) - Gold
Flexicover (Citybond Holdings) - Platinum
Free Spirit - Super Duper
Get Going Travel Insurance - Premier
Globelink International - Comprehensive
Globelink International - Winter Sports
Go2 Travel Insurance - Gold
Goodtogoinsurance.com (Ancile Insurance) - Platinum
Greatcover.com - Super Plus
Holidaysafe - Platinum
Holidaysafe - Premier
Holidaysafe - Premier Plus
Insurancewith - Platinum
InsuraTrip.com - Premier
Insure & Escape - First
InsureandGo - Black
InsureandGo - Gold
Insurewithease.com (Ancile Insurance) - Gold
Insurewithease.com (Ancile Insurance) - Platinum
JS Travel Insurance - Gold
JS Travel Insurance - Platinum
Leisure Guard - Premier
Leisure Guard - Premier Plus
Leisurecare - Traveller's Choice Affinity
Let's Go Insure - Traveller's Choice Affinity
Multitrip.com - Premier Plus
Navigator - Diamond
Navigator - Gold
OK To Travel - Premier Plus
Penguin Insurance - Premier
Penguin Insurance - Premier Plus
Postcard Travel Insurance - Classic
Postcard Travel Insurance - Premier
Premier Cover (Citybond Holdings) - Club
Premier Cover (Citybond Holdings) - Deluxe
RAC - Black Cover
RAC - Silver Cover
RIAS - Single Trip
Saga - Travel Insurance
Sainsbury's Bank - Gold
Sainsbury's Bank - Platinum
SkiCover.com - Voyager Plus Black Ski
SkiCover.com - Voyager Plus Prime Ski
Southdowns Insurance Services Limited - Platinum
Southdowns Insurance Services Limited - Platinum Select
Spectrum (Citybond Holdings) - Gold
Spectrum (Citybond Holdings) - Platinum
STA Travel - Blue Premier Plus
STA Travel - Gold Premier Plus
Staysure - Comprehensive
Sun Selection - Platinum
Switched On Insurance - Premium
Switched On Insurance - Ultimate
The True Traveller - Traveller Plus
TopDog Insurance (Citybond Holdings) - Gold
TopDog Insurance (Citybond Holdings) - Platinum
TopNotchCover.com - Gold
Voyager Insurance Services - Black
Voyager Insurance Services - Prime
Wesleyan - Single Trip
Worldwide Travel Insurance Services - Elite
AllClear - Gold Plus
Allianz Global Assistance - Gold
AllSAFE (Brokersure) - Premier
Annualtravelinsurance.com - Super
AXA Direct - Silver
Barrhead Travel Services - Premier Plus
BHSF - Single Trip
Big Cat Travel Insurance - Premier
Blue Insurance - Premier
Boots - Silver
British Airways - Deluxe
Cedar Tree Travel Insurance - Silver
Citybond Suretravel - Premier
Columbus Direct - Silver
Co-operative Travel Insurance - Super
Cover4Travel - Premier
Cover4Travel - Premier-Plus
Cover4Travel - Standard-Plus
Cover4Travel.com - Platinum
CoverForYou - Gold
Coverontrip - First Class
Coverontrip - Premium
Coverwise - Silver
Coverwise - Silver Select
Debenhams - Superior
Dogtag Limited - Max
Emerald Life - Premier
Endsleigh Insurance Services Limited - Essential
ERGO Travel Insurance - Protect
Explorer Travel Insurance - Platinum
Fit2Travel (Brokersure) - Gold
Fit4Travel - Platinum
Free Spirit - Super
Freedom Travel Insurance - Single Trip
Get Going Travel Insurance - Standard
Global Travel Insurance Single Trip - Premier
Go2 Travel Insurance - Silver
Golfguard - Premier Cover
Golfguard - Standard Cover
Goodtogoinsurance.com (Ancile Insurance) - Gold
Greatcover.com - Super
Insurancewith - Sapphire
InsuraTrip.com - Super
Insure & Escape - Premium
Insure For Travel - Diamond Plus
InsureandGo - Silver
insurefor.com - Premier
insurefor.com - Ultimate
InsureMore Travel Insurance - Deluxe
Journeyman Services Limited - Single Trip
Makesure Travel Insurance - Single Trip
Multitrip.com - Premier
Navigator - Navigator Plus
OK To Travel - Premier
OK To Travel - Premier Extra
OK To Travel - Standard
Online Travel Cover - Gold
Penguin Insurance - Standard
Planet Earth Travel Insurance - Single Trip
SkiCover.com - Gold Ski
Southdowns Insurance Services Limited - Gold
Southdowns Insurance Services Limited - Gold Select
SportsCover Direct - Gold
STA Travel - Gold Premier
Sun Selection - Gold
The True Traveller - Traveller
TopNotchCover.com - Silver
Travel Insurance 4 Medical - Superior
TravelTime Travel Insurance - PremierPlus
Travsure - Economy
Travsure - Premier
Travsure - Premier Plus
Travsure - Standard
treat-u-fair - Single Trip
TSB - Pick and Protect
TUI - Single Trip
World First - Exclusive
World First - Premier
World First - Superior
Disclaimer: This information is intended solely to provide guidance and is not financial advice. Moneyfacts will not be liable for any loss arising from your use or reliance on this information. If you are in any doubt, Moneyfacts recommends you obtain independent financial advice.