Travel insurance, explained

Travel insurance pays out if things go wrong before or during a trip. Its most important job is covering emergency medical treatment abroad and the cost of getting you home, which can be very expensive. Most policies also cover cancelling or cutting short a trip, delays, lost or stolen belongings and personal liability.

A GHIC (Global Health Insurance Card) is free and lets you access state healthcare in certain countries, but the NHS is clear that it is not a replacement for travel insurance. If you have any medical conditions, you must declare them when you buy cover, or a claim can be refused. FCA rules mean insurers must point some customers with medical conditions to a directory of specialist providers.

What travel insurance usually covers

MoneyHelper lists what most policies include, though baggage or cancellation cover can be an optional extra on some:

• Emergency medical expenses, including treatment and getting you home
• Cancelling, delaying or cutting short your trip
• Travel disruption, such as delays and cancellations
• Lost or stolen bags and personal belongings
• End supplier failure, if an airline, hotel or tour operator goes out of business
• Personal liability, if you are sued for damaging property or injuring someone

MoneyHelper suggests checking that medical cover is at least £1 million in Europe and £2 million outside Europe, and notes most policies provide at least £1 million of personal liability cover.

Common exclusions

• Undeclared medical conditions
• Adventure and winter sports, often excluded unless you add cover
• Travel against FCDO advice: GOV.UK says your insurance may be invalidated if the FCDO advises against all but essential travel, or all travel, to where you are going
• Expensive single items, like watches, jewellery or laptops, above the single article limit
• Events such as civil unrest, earthquakes, pandemics or terrorism, depending on the wording

Pregnancy isn't treated as a pre-existing condition, according to MoneyHelper, but check there is enough cover for complications.

GHIC: what it does and doesn't do

The UK GHIC is free from the NHS and lasts up to five years. It gives access to medically necessary state healthcare, meaning treatment that can't reasonably wait until you return to the UK, on the same terms as residents of the country you are visiting. It is valid in EU countries and some others listed by the NHS.

What the GHIC does not do:

• It doesn't make treatment free. Not all state healthcare abroad is free, and you may have to pay for treatment you would get free on the NHS.
• It doesn't cover private treatment.
• It doesn't cover medical repatriation to the UK.
• It doesn't cover mountain rescue.

The NHS advises having private travel and medical insurance for the length of your trip.

Declaring pre-existing medical conditions

This is the most common reason travel claims go wrong. The Financial Ombudsman Service reported in July 2024 that it received 4,466 travel insurance complaints in the 2023/24 financial year, up from 3,745 the year before, with medical conditions not being properly disclosed among the main issues.

MoneyHelper says a pre-existing condition is usually something you have seen a doctor about, or had treatment for, in the last two years, though insurers may ask about some conditions further back. Insurers are likely to treat any of these as a pre-existing condition:

• a condition you are waiting for an operation on
• a condition you are awaiting test results for
• any condition, even minor, that you have seen a doctor about in the past year
• any serious condition, such as cancer, heart trouble or respiratory problems, that you have ever had

Insurers usually want to know about the condition, how it affects your daily life and any equipment you need. When you claim, the insurer is likely to check your medical records.

Changes after you buy. GOV.UK says you need to declare existing conditions and any pending treatment or tests. Check whether your policy also requires you to tell the insurer if your health changes between buying the policy and travelling, for example a new diagnosis or a referral, and what happens if you don't.

The FCA signposting rule for medical conditions

FCA rules (ICOBS 6A.4) require firms selling travel insurance to tell customers about a medical cover firm directory, a list of specialist providers, in certain situations, including when the firm:

• declines to offer you a quote, wholly or partly because of a medical condition
• cancels a policy because of a medical condition
• offers a policy with a medical exclusion that can't be removed
• charges an extra premium for a medical condition at or above the trigger amount

The trigger was £100 when the rules began. The FCA raised it to £200 from 1 January 2026, and it is now reviewed every five years in line with inflation. There are limited exceptions, for example where the firm can also offer you a policy that triggers none of these situations.

MoneyHelper runs a travel insurance directory listing FCA-authorised specialist firms. It doesn't give quotes, and depending on your age or condition, cover may still be expensive or unavailable.

Cancellation cover

Cancellation cover pays back non-refundable costs if you have to cancel for a reason the policy lists, such as illness. It only protects you from the date the policy starts, which is why MoneyHelper suggests buying insurance as soon as you book.

Things that often trip people up:

• Listed reasons only: cancellation is covered only for the reasons the policy sets out
• A known condition that wasn't declared and then causes the cancellation
• Enough cover: the cancellation limit needs to match what you have paid
• Per-section excess: MoneyHelper explains that excesses apply per section, so one incident, such as a mugging, could trigger several excesses

Types of policy

• Single trip: one trip for a set period
• Annual multi-trip: as many trips as you take in a year
• Backpacker or gap year: long trips across several countries
• Winter sports: specialist cover for skiing and similar activities
• Europe or worldwide, with worldwide policies often split by whether they include the USA

You have 14 days after receiving your policy documents to cancel if it isn't suitable, according to MoneyHelper.

What changes the cost

Insurers price travel cover on factors including your age, medical conditions, destination, trip length, activities, the level of cover and limits, the excess, and whether you buy single trip or annual cover. Cover bought as an add-on from a travel agent or airline is typically more expensive, according to MoneyHelper. Check whether you already have cover through a packaged bank account.

What to check in your policy

• Emergency medical expenses limit and repatriation cover
• Medical screening questions, and your answers, kept on file
• Duty to tell the insurer about health changes before you travel
• Cancellation: the limit and the list of valid reasons
• Excess per section
• Geographical area: Europe, worldwide excluding USA, or worldwide
• Maximum trip length on an annual policy
• Activities and sports covered, and any exclusions
• Single item and valuables limits
• FCDO advice exclusion wording
• End supplier failure cover

When to talk to a regulated adviser

If you have a serious medical condition, are older, or have been refused cover, an FCA-regulated insurance broker or a firm from the MoneyHelper directory may be able to help. If a claim is refused, see what to do when an insurance claim is rejected.

Common questions

Do I need travel insurance if I have a GHIC?

The NHS says the UK Global Health Insurance Card is not a replacement for travel insurance. It gives access to medically necessary state healthcare in certain countries, including EU countries, on the same terms as residents, which may not be free. It doesn't cover private treatment, medical repatriation to the UK or mountain rescue. Travel insurance can cover those.

Do I have to declare pre-existing medical conditions?

Yes. If you don't declare a condition the insurer asks about, a claim may be rejected. MoneyHelper says a pre-existing condition is usually something you have seen a doctor about or had treatment for in the last two years, though insurers may ask about some conditions further back. Check too whether your policy requires you to tell the insurer if your health changes before you travel.

What is the medical cover directory and when must I be told about it?

FCA rules require travel insurers to point customers with medical conditions to a directory of specialist firms in certain situations, for example if you are refused cover, offered cover with a medical exclusion, or charged an extra premium for your condition at or above a trigger amount. From 1 January 2026 that trigger is £200. MoneyHelper runs a travel insurance directory.

When does cancellation cover start?

Cancellation cover protects you from the date the policy starts, so MoneyHelper suggests buying travel insurance as soon as you book. That way you are covered if something happens before you set off, such as illness forcing you to cancel. Read what counts as a valid reason for cancelling, because policies list specific causes.

Will my travel insurance be valid if the FCDO advises against travel?

Possibly not. GOV.UK says that if the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advises against all but essential travel, or all travel, to your destination, your insurance may be invalidated. MoneyHelper adds that most policies don't cover travel to countries or regions the FCDO advises against. Check the FCDO advice before you book and before you go.

Sources

1. MoneyHelper: What is travel insurance? checked 2 Oct 2026
2. MoneyHelper: Travel insurance if you have a pre-existing medical condition or disability checked 2 Oct 2026
3. MoneyHelper: Travel insurance directory checked 2 Oct 2026
4. NHS: Apply for a free UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) checked 2 Oct 2026
5. GOV.UK: Foreign travel insurance checked 2 Oct 2026
6. FCA Handbook: ICOBS 6A.4 Travel insurance and medical conditions checked 2 Oct 2026
7. FCA: Handbook Notice 133 (October 2025), travel insurance signposting trigger raised to £200 checked 2 Oct 2026
8. Financial Ombudsman Service: Travel insurance complaints at their highest levels since the pandemic (16 July 2024) checked 2 Oct 2026

This guide is general information about how insurance works in the UK. It isn't advice and doesn't take your circumstances into account. Policies differ: your own policy documents are what count.