Booking a holiday abroad? Make sure you are insured
TRAVEL abroad is proving to be a tricky business these days! It’s incredibly hard to anticipate sudden changes in a country’s tourism policy both here and abroad.
Add to that the potential expense of landing in a green country that is suddenly classed as amber or red and there’s a whole host of confusing rules and charges.
If you are going to book a holiday abroad, make sure you have a couple of grand to one side in case of the worst-case scenarios, or keep a chunk of credit on your card. You may not need to dip into it, but it will offer some peace of mind.
Whatever you do, make sure you have a fully comprehensive travel insurance policy, because from lost handbags to falling off the sea wall, lots of things can go wrong on holiday.
Health and the EHIC card
Lurking in your wallet or purse may be an old EHIC or E111 card.
The European Health Insurance Card and its predecessor allowed UK travellers limited cover for health issues when visiting countries in the EU (and a few others like Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein).
Much as the EHIC card was a useful – and free – thing to have handy, it was never intended to be a substitute for travel insurance. The things the card covered you for varied from country to country and generally allowed some state healthcare free or reduced.
Many a holidaymaker came a cropper after wandering into a private hospital unawares, only to be hit with a bill. Regardless, it was well worth having the card.
Now we’ve left the EU, the EHIC card will eventually cease to exist – yours will be valid until the expiry on the card.
The good news is there will be a replacement. The Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) has just been announced by the Government and is available free through the NHS website.
The new rules are complicated, so it’s simpler to say, don’t assume your old EHIC or new GHIC will cover you in every country. Check the gov.uk website before travelling.
If you’re thinking you can put in a sneaky application and get an extended EHIC expiry, I’m afraid the system will work this out and make you apply for a replacement card. You need your National Insurance number to apply, so you can’t use different registration details either.
A word of warning. Our mates over at MoneySavingExpert have highlighted a number of fake websites out there that look official but are charging to help you with the application process.
This is legal, but immoral. So only go through the official Government website. The card and process is free, so if anyone asks for cash you know it’s not legit.
Travel insurance
Even if the EHIC/GHIC card is covered in the country you are going to (and don’t be fooled by the ‘global’ – much is yet to be sorted), you need a fully comprehensive travel insurance policy. It’s been a chaotic year for travel cover, with new policies drying up completely at one point. Good news though, you can still get policies and many of them will cover you for Covid – but only if you are diagnosed (not just displaying symptoms). Travel insurance documents are long and complicated, but it’s really important you read the key facts documents so you know exactly what you’re covered for and what excess limits/claim requirements are.
Don’t forget to take the documents with you if you travel – and keep the emergency claim number and your policy number on your phone or email so you can locate it quickly if you need it.
■ Resolver can help you with all your holiday and travel problems and complaints for free at resolver.co.uk