Older people get raw deal for travel insurance

Older people may be getting less holiday insurance than they bargained for if they opt for the travel cover offered within packaged accounts offered by some high street banks, reveals analysis by Saga Travel Insurance.

However, Saga's research shows that people aged over 70 are not even eligible for travel cover with Barclays, Halifax and HSBC, while Lloyds TSB and Alliance and Leicester will not cover customers after they reach 79 years old.

For those over 50s who do have travel insurance with their bank, Saga is advising them to check their policy includes a high enough level of cover to meet their needs. Many banks' travel packages do not offer cover for pre-existing medical conditions unless the policyholder has called to declare this and the bank has agreed to cover it. It is then the customer's responsibility to go back to the bank and to ensure they have adequate cover.

In contrast, Saga makes it simple to declare any pre-existing conditions; customers are taken through a quick medical screening process at the point of application, either over the telephone, or on the internet, ensuring that they have this crucial cover in place from the start of the policy.

As part of Saga's commitment to the over 50s, Saga Travel Insurance will always try and cover the majority of pre-existing conditions, and offers comprehensive cover should a holiday have to be cancelled, curtailed or baggage is lost or stolen. Scheduled airline failure insurance up to £1,500, is also included at no extra cost, something none of the high street banks offer as part of their travel policies.

Andrew Goodsell, Executive Chairman Saga Group, comments: "At Saga we believe that all over 50s should have access to comprehensive insurance policies. We urge any older people, should they have an included insurance with their bank account, to check that they are fully covered for any pre-existing medical conditions and that there is no upper age limit on that policy".