Recommended Travel Insurance

Hello everyone

There have been a lot of posts recently about travel insurance.

A friend recently told me that Which have just done a survey and produced a list of companies that covered pre-existing conditions. There is a chart of name of company, single or annual cover, age limits and whether terminal diagnosis is covered. If the link below does not work or gets removed then try googling 'Which travel insurance' then scrolling down to cancer patients. I understand that latchbook, as a community champion is not allowed to name companies for fear of Macmillan being seen to make recommendations but I hope that this post is ok as its just signposting by a member to an independent organisation rather than a specific company. 

My annual policy is with insurewith. I was initially declined when I did it online but I rang up, spoke to a real person, and got the cover, so my recommendation would be skip the online process and go straight to the phone. Make yourself a cuppa, make a list of dates when you were diagnosed, when you're seeing someone next and what drugs you take and make the call. When it comes to renewal I'm going to call a few and see if I can 'shop around' as you would for house or car insurance rather than just take anything you can get because they'll cover you. 

https://www.which.co.uk/money/insurance/travel-insurance/travel-insurance-for-cancer-patients-a6kuw6h7x384

Good luck and happy holidays.

HI

I've been using JD Travel in Bromley (brokers) to sort out my travel insurance since 2016 and they have found very reasonable rates for me - I am currently insured with NowICanTravel.co.uk through them. 

My annual worldwide policy is just over £200. As a comparison, quotes from other companies willing to ensure me post-cancer have been anything up to £1000.

It seems to me that the main benefit of using a broker is that they can trawl the insurance market on my behalf and possibly access companies that I don't know about.

My insurance renews each August and I'm hopeful that I will be able to get a cheaper premium this year - JD Travel have told me that they can access different insurance companies as my check-up frequency reduces over time. 

Try nowicantravel too

Another vote for MIA insurance.  As suggested on this forum I telephoned.  Extremely helpful.  I did make sure that I had every bit of medical info to hand.  The call took around 20 minutes.  I did opt for the paper info to be posted to me which came with a very useful small info card to tuck in my purse. 

My trip was for 11 days to Italy.  However,  I am an independent solo traveller and make all of my own arrangements.  My holiday was to fly to Rome and then five days later fly to Milan, returning to the UK seven days later.

I have found in the past that solo independent travellers do tend to pay a bit more for insurance.  I was delighted to find that the cost for this trip was slightly less than I paid a year ago before my cancer diagnosis. 

Artemisa

I'm pleased that other people are finding travel insurance with reasonably priced quotes, I just don't know how you've managed it. I have a letter from my Oncologist saying I'm fit to travel, I have no limiting conditions that would make me unfit to do so, I'm on no medication and all my treatment is finished. I appreciate the place I'm travelling to has an impact on the price but the quotes are ridiculous.

Still, I've managed to get it down from £5,900 to just over a £1,000. I'm beginning to think about not declaring the cancer diagnosis as the cancer is not there anymore, so it's not going to be an issue. I've no side effects from treatment. What is their problem? Do they hear cancer and think we're all going to die abroad? I wouldn't be travelling if I didn't think it was okay to do so.

Rant over, thanks for listening

Sue

Hi Sue,

all companies will allow you to get insurance and take out the cancer factor which will of course reduce the premium significantly, so if you feel there is no risk then that could certainly be an option. Obviously if anything happened whilst you were away that could be attributed to your cancer then you would not be covered.

i managed to get annual cover for Europe including Spain for <£100 through boots and that was declaring my condition.

they seemed to be much better in breaking it all down and therefore finding out exactly where you are (ie treatment or remission etc)

hope this helps

I have Stage 4 blood cancer on chemotherapy. Try www.nowicantravel.co.uk. I have a week in Spain in August insured fully for around £60 with a £375 excess on pre existing conditions only. 

Thank you for replying. I will have another shop around tomorrow and will try the suggested site. I do think it's because the destination is the Caribbean tho'.

Sue

I got insurance to the USA for a week in February from Boots Insurance for £180. You will find something. It just takes time to shop around and answer the same monotonous questions each time. By contrast someone quoted me £4,000+ for the same trip to the States. Boots medical excess for pre existing conditions was £750.