When should I buy travel insurance?

Buying travel insurance as soon as a trip is booked will ensure full protection should the trip need to be cancelled unexpectedly due to illness, bereavement or job loss. However, according to a Forbes Advisor survey , just 23% of people take out travel insurance at the point of booking.

Can I get travel cover if I have a medical condition?

It is usually possible to get travel insurance even with a pre-existing medical condition , but typically you’ll pay a higher premium to reflect the added risk. A number of specialist insurers can offer travel cover to those with medical conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer, for example. The insurer will ask questions about your condition, its severity, treatment and management (this is known as medical screening) and should then be able to offer an appropriate policy.

Is an annual multi trip policy better value than single trip cover?

Whether or not annual multi-trip cover will be cheaper than single trip cover for a range of holidays over the course of a year will depend on a range of factors. In some cases, an annual trip policy will work out to be more cost effective, particularly if you’re doing two or more holidays in one year. But this will depend on your trip destinations, when you plan to travel and the duration, among other things. The best way to work out the relative costs of annual versus single trip cover is to use a comparison journey to look at different premiums.

Compare Cheap Travel Insurance Quotes

Cheapest Travel Insurance Companies 2025 - Our Pick

Brean Horne, Laura Howard

Editor, Editor

Updated: Apr 01, 2025

This page has been reviewed by travel insurance expert Anna-Marie Duthie, insight consultant at Defaqto.

Travel insurance can offer a valuable financial safety net should something go wrong either while you’re on holiday or before you set off.

Researching and comparing policies is the best way to find the cheapest travel insurance. But, while price is an important factor, it’s important to check the terms of the policy are robust enough for your needs.

Compare Travel Insurance Quotes

Compare from our range of over 100 policies

Compare Travel Insurance

Our top travel insurance companies of 2025

We carried out some research with our panel of insurers to identify what we believe to be the top five travel policies for a family of four travelling to Spain for seven days in April 2025. You can find more information on how we scored the policies in the Methodology section.

Our pick of the cheapest travel insurers in the UK

Best for Premium Cost

CoverForYou

Price

£35.62

Cancellation

£3,000

Excess

£50

Price

£35.62

Cancellation

£3,000

Excess

£50

Why We Picked It

This policy pays up to £3,000 per person if a holiday is cancelled or cut short due to an emergency such as an accident, illness or bereavement. It also offers up to £2,000 per person for lost or stolen baggage.

It costs £35.62 and an excess of £50 per person is payable for each eligible claim.

This policy offers up to £15 million for medical emergency and repatriation expenses, including a £2,000 hospital benefit. It pays up to £30,000 for legal expenses and £1.5 million for personal liability cover.

CoverForYou has an excellent Trustpilot rating of 4.8 stars and a Fairer Finance customer experience score of 55%.

Read our full CoverForYou review for more.

Pros & Cons

Cost-effective policy
£15m medical cover
£50 excess only

No excess waiver

Best For Excess Waiver & Gadget Cover

Admiral

Price

£44.15

Cancellation

£3,000

Excess

£95

Price

£44.15

Cancellation

£3,000

Excess

£95

Why We Picked It

Priced at £44.15, this policy offers up to £2,000 per person for lost or stolen baggage. It also pays out up to £3,000 per person if a holiday is cancelled or cut short due to illness, injury or bereavement.

This policy pays up to £15 million for medical and repatriation cover, including a £1,000 hospital benefit.

It also offers the option to waive the £95 per person excess on each eligible claim by paying an additional premium.

Admiral has an excellent Trustpilot rating of 4.5 stars and a Fairer Finance customer experience score of 60.21%.

Read our full Admiral review for more.

Pros & Cons

Excess waiver
£15m medical cover
£1,000 gadget cover

£95 excess

Best for Cancellation

Cedartree

Price

£82.26

Cancellation

£5,500

Excess

£50

Price

£82.26

Cancellation

£5,500

Excess

£50

Why We Picked It

This policy offers extensive cancellation cover, paying out up to £5,500 per person if a holiday is cancelled or cut short due to illness, injury or bereavement.

It costs £57.61 and levies a £50 excess for each eligible claim.

This policy offers up to £10 million for medical emergency and repatriation expenses.

It pays out up to £3,000 per person for lost or stolen baggage and offers gadget cover of up to £750 as standard.

Cedartree has an excellent Trustpilot rating of 4.7 stars and a Fairer Finance customer experience score of 55%.

Pros & Cons

£5,500 cancellation cover
£750 gadget cover
£50 excess only

No excess waiver

Best for Gadget Cover

Puffin

Price

£70.11

Cancellation

£3,000

Excess

£75

Price

£70.11

Cancellation

£3,000

Excess

£75

Why We Picked It

Priced at £70.11, this policy offers up to £2,000 per person for lost or stolen baggage.

It also pays out up to £3,000 per person if a holiday is cancelled or cut short due to illness, injury or bereavement.

This policy pays up to £10 million for medical and repatriation cover, including a £1,000 hospital benefit.

Puffin has an excellent Trustpilot rating of 4.7 stars and a Fairer Finance customer experience score of 57%.

Read our full Puffin review for more.

Pros & Cons

£3,000 cancellation cover
£3,000 baggage cover
£1,000 gadget cover

No excess waiver

Saver Travel Insurance

Price

£90.07

Cancellation

£4,000

Excess

£50

Price

£90.07

Cancellation

£4,000

Excess

£50

Why We Picked It

Costing £90.07, this policy offers up to £4,000 per person if a trip is cancelled or cut short due to an accident, illness or bereavement.

It pays out up to £3,000 per person for lost or stolen baggage and levies an excess of £50 per person for each eligible claim.

This policy offers up to £10 million for medical and repatriation cover, including a £1,500 hospital benefit.

It also offers £50,000 for legal expenses and up to £2 million for personal liability cover. Travel Insurance Saver has an excellent Trustpilot rating of 4.8 stars.

Pros & Cons

£3,000 baggage cover
£50 excess only

No excess waiver
Cheaper policies available elsewhere

Summary of our top providers

Editors’ Take	Company	Forbes Advisor Rating	Price	Cancellation	Excess
Best for premium cost	CoverForYou	5.0	£35.62	£3,000	£50
Best For Excess Waiver & Gadget Cover	Admiral	5.0	£44.15	£3,000	£95
Best for cancellation	Cedartree	5.0	£82.26	£5,500	£50
Best for gadget cover	Puffin	4.5	£70.11	£3,000	£75
Best for Cancellation	Saver Travel Insurance	4.5	£90.07	£4,000	£50

*Excess on travel cover is typically applied per person, per section, per successful claim. Read your policy documents to understand how the excess will be applied

Why is travel insurance important?

If you or someone in your travelling party falls ill or has an accident on holiday the medical bills or cost of returning home to the UK can run into thousands, and possibly tens of thousands of pounds. Travelling without adequate insurance means you would have to cover these bills, so it is highly risky.

But not only does travel insurance cover the costs of medical bills should you be ill or injured, you can also get valuable cover for many other risks and eventualities, such as the loss or theft of personal belongings, or expenses incurred due to a missed flight.

In addition, with many policies (including those in our list above), if you buy before you go on holiday, you’ll be covered for cancellation of the trip in certain scenarios. For example, if you become ill and are in hospital or if you are made redundant, you may be able to claim back the cost of your holiday.’’

Always read the small print of a travel insurance policy before you buy so you know exactly what cover you have and the terms and conditions. Check the maximum cover levels, and importantly ensure you understand what isn’t included under the policy to avoid any nasty surprises later.

What does travel insurance cover?

A good travel insurance policy should cover the following features as standard:


Medical and repatriation cover A good policy should include at least £2 million of cover for this risk (according to the government money website Moneyhelper.org.uk). This is for claims arising due to emergency hospital treatment and medical bills, and also costs incurred if you need to travel home for medical reasons (repatriation to the UK)
Cancellation or curtailment Look for the benefit level that will cover the amount you have spent on the holiday – the more expensive the trip, the higher the cancellation limit you will need. Cancellation cover will reimburse the holiday costs should you need to cancel your trip before it has begun but will only ever do so due to a reason specified in the policy document. Curtailment is usually coupled with cancellation up to the same sum insured, however this covers you once your trip has begun should you need to end the holiday early and come home.
Missed departures Cover for your lost pre-paid expenses as well as additional accommodation or travel expenses incurred if you miss your departure due to a specified reason outlined in the policy.
Lost or stolen baggage Cover if luggage or possessions are lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed. In our search (above) we included policies which offer at least £1,500 for baggage. Remember to check the single item limits under the policy, which will typically range from £100 to £3,500. Valuable items can have separate overall limits as well as separate single article limits with what is considered a valuable potentially differing from one provider to another. While some policies offer cover for gadgets as standard at no extra cost, you may need to add this on to your policy for some specific gadgets.
Personal accident Provides a lump sum in the event you die or suffer permanent injury as a result of an accident whilst on holiday
Personal liability cover in the event the policyholder injures someone or damages their property while they’re away
Hospital benefit This tends to be a fixed per-day payment made if the policyholder is hospitalised for more than 24 hours while on holiday. The intention is that the money can cover additional costs, such as food and drink, while in hospital.

Medical and repatriation cover

A good policy should include at least £2 million of cover for this risk (according to the government money website Moneyhelper.org.uk). This is for claims arising due to emergency hospital treatment and medical bills, and also costs incurred if you need to travel home for medical reasons (repatriation to the UK)

Cancellation or curtailment

Look for the benefit level that will cover the amount you have spent on the holiday – the more expensive the trip, the higher the cancellation limit you will need. Cancellation cover will reimburse the holiday costs should you need to cancel your trip before it has begun but will only ever do so due to a reason specified in the policy document. Curtailment is usually coupled with cancellation up to the same sum insured, however this covers you once your trip has begun should you need to end the holiday early and come home.

Missed departures

Cover for your lost pre-paid expenses as well as additional accommodation or travel expenses incurred if you miss your departure due to a specified reason outlined in the policy.

Lost or stolen baggage

Cover if luggage or possessions are lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed. In our search (above) we included policies which offer at least £1,500 for baggage. Remember to check the single item limits under the policy, which will typically range from £100 to £3,500. Valuable items can have separate overall limits as well as separate single article limits with what is considered a valuable potentially differing from one provider to another. While some policies offer cover for gadgets as standard at no extra cost, you may need to add this on to your policy for some specific gadgets.

Personal accident

Provides a lump sum in the event you die or suffer permanent injury as a result of an accident whilst on holiday

Personal liability

cover in the event the policyholder injures someone or damages their property while they’re away

Hospital benefit

This tends to be a fixed per-day payment made if the policyholder is hospitalised for more than 24 hours while on holiday. The intention is that the money can cover additional costs, such as food and drink, while in hospital.

While cost is an important factor to consider when looking at travel insurance, be sure to check that your policy provides sufficient cover so that you aren’t caught out by unexpected expenses.

Although the cheapest policy may cut costs in the short term, you could end up paying more overall if you have to claim for something that isn’t included in your policy.
–Kevin Pratt, editor Forbes Advisor

What can be added to a travel insurance policy?

Most travel providers allow you to add extra features to your policy for an additional cost. This includes:


Gadget Cover Specific cover for loss, theft or damage of expensive gadgets, such as smartphones, laptops, cameras, headphones and music players and smartwatches
Skiing/winter sports cover Covers you whilst on a winter sports trip for things such as your equipment, piste closure, and avalanche delay.
Cruise cover Cover for risks associated with cruise holidays, such as cabin confinement cover (if you’re unwell while on the cruise) or missed port cover, which covers the costs involved in rejoining the ship should you miss its departure from an on land stop.
Excess waiver Some travel insurers allow you to purchase an excess waiver, which removes the need to pay any excess if you make a claim on your policy (more on excesses below). It’s important to note that travel insurance without an excess is likely to cost you a higher premium.

Gadget Cover

Specific cover for loss, theft or damage of expensive gadgets, such as smartphones, laptops, cameras, headphones and music players and smartwatches

Skiing/winter sports cover

Covers you whilst on a winter sports trip for things such as your equipment, piste closure, and avalanche delay.

Cruise cover

Cover for risks associated with cruise holidays, such as cabin confinement cover (if you’re unwell while on the cruise) or missed port cover, which covers the costs involved in rejoining the ship should you miss its departure from an on land stop.

Excess waiver

Some travel insurers allow you to purchase an excess waiver, which removes the need to pay any excess if you make a claim on your policy (more on excesses below). It’s important to note that travel insurance without an excess is likely to cost you a higher premium.

Pro Tip

Travel insurance doesn’t usually cover specialist activities on winter sports trips or cruises as standard so you may need to consider an add-on. It’s important to check whether your policy covers all aspects of your trip to ensure you get the right level of protection.

Is a global health insurance card (GHIC) enough for travel in Europe?

A global health insurance card, known as a GHIC, enables UK residents to get state-provided emergency healthcare when visiting a country in the European Union (EU) at a reduced cost or free of charge on the same terms as locals of that country.

This also extends to state-provided emergency cover in Montenegro, Australia, Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, St Helena, Tristan and Ascension and Switzerland.

While it is a good idea to get a GHIC for travel to the EU, it is not a replacement for travel insurance. That’s because the GHIC is limited in its scope and won’t cover any treatment in private hospitals or clinics, for example. It also won’t cover repatriation if you need to come home due to a medical need, nor will it cover any out of pocket expenses or financial loss due to the incident.

How can I cut the cost of travel insurance?

If you’re looking for cheap travel insurance, there may be ways to bring costs down without compromising on the most important elements of the cover, usually medical and repatriation cover and cancellation cover.

Here are some ways to bring down travel premiums:


Shop around By using a comparison journey, such as through Forbes Advisor, you can scour different policies from across the market, comparing on price, cover levels and the excess
Consider what you don’t need Many elements of a travel policy will be optional, so always check which are adjustable and whether or not you need them. You may have cover already, such as for gadgets, airline failure, cover for cash, or an excess waiver, for example, this can keep your premium down.
Switch holiday destination Travel insurance for the USA, Caribbean and Mexico is likely to be much more expensive than cover for European destinations. That’s because medical care is more costly in those countries so if you needed hospital treatment the bill (and insurance claims) could be extensive. If you can be flexible, consider whether a different destination might mean lower insurance costs
Consider annual cover If you know you’ll be taking at least two trips over the course of a year, in some cases it could be cheaper to buy an annual multi-trip travel policy rather than two or three separate single trip policies.

Shop around

By using a comparison journey, such as through Forbes Advisor, you can scour different policies from across the market, comparing on price, cover levels and the excess

Consider what you don’t need

Many elements of a travel policy will be optional, so always check which are adjustable and whether or not you need them. You may have cover already, such as for gadgets, airline failure, cover for cash, or an excess waiver, for example, this can keep your premium down.

Switch holiday destination

Travel insurance for the USA, Caribbean and Mexico is likely to be much more expensive than cover for European destinations. That’s because medical care is more costly in those countries so if you needed hospital treatment the bill (and insurance claims) could be extensive. If you can be flexible, consider whether a different destination might mean lower insurance costs

Consider annual cover

If you know you’ll be taking at least two trips over the course of a year, in some cases it could be cheaper to buy an annual multi-trip travel policy rather than two or three separate single trip policies.

What methodology did we use?

We used compared quotes for single trip policies for a family of four (two adults in their 40s, and two teenagers) travelling to Spain for seven nights in April 2025. We’ve assumed no members of the family have any pre-existing medical conditions.

As per guidance from the Government’s MoneyHelper website, all policies include a minimum of:

£1 million in medical and repatriation cover (for Europe)
£2,000 in cancellation cover
£1,500 in baggage and belongings cover.

We then considered:

Premium cost
Coverage limits
Excess payable per successful claim
Extra cover such as gadget insurance.

We used this information to arrive at our Forbes Advisor star ratings. Five stars refers to the best (or joint best) policy, factoring in the above criteria and overlaid with editorial judgment.

The excess listed applies to each person listed on the policy and to each accepted claim.

If you are struggling to find suitable or affordable cover, the government’s Moneyhelper directory may be able to help. It can also be contacted on 0370 950 1790.

Compare Travel Insurance Quotes

Compare from our range of over 100 policies

Compare Travel Insurance

The Forbes Advisor editorial team is independent and objective. To help support our reporting work, and to continue our ability to provide this content for free to our readers, we receive payment from the companies that advertise on the Forbes Advisor site. This comes from two main sources.

First, we provide paid placements to advertisers to present their offers. The payments we receive for those placements affects how and where advertisers’ offers appear on the site. This site does not include all companies or products available within the market.

Second, we also include links to our advertisers’ offers in some of our articles. These “affiliate links” may generate income for our site when you click on them. The compensation we receive from advertisers does not influence the listings or commentary our editorial team provides in our articles or other impact any of the editorial content on Forbes Advisor.

While we work hard to provide accurate and up to date information that we think you will find relevant, Forbes Advisor does not and cannot guarantee that any information provided is complete and makes no representations or warranties in connection thereto, nor to the accuracy or applicability thereof.