The Best UK Travel Insurance for 2021





We’ve combined expert reviews from independent sources to come up with our list.

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Three of the best UK travel insurance policies for 2021

The rest of the best

How we chose the best travel insurance companies



We made our list of the top UK travel insurers by collecting the latest information about nearly 50 insurance providers from independent expert review site Fairer Finance. You can get a price-based rating from comparison sites like Compare the Market and GoCompare, so we compared the quality of their products and their customer service instead.

The key metrics we considered were:

  • The level of cover offered by each company’s best travel insurance product — This is represented by a ‘Product Rating’ out of 5. We only selected insurers whose Product Rating was at least 4 out of 5 for their highest level of coverage.
  • Each insurer’s Customer Experience rating (out of 100) — This is an aggregate of scores for customer happiness, trust, transparency and complaints handling. We only selected insurers with a Customer Experience rating of 50 or above. The lowest score on Fairer Finance’s complete list was 36%, and the highest was 64%.

We also factored in whether companies offered features highly sought after by potential customers. For that reason, we only considered policies that provided the following:

  • At least £10m for emergency medical cover
  • At least £2,000 cover for personal possessions and baggage
  • At least £5,000 cancellation cover
  • At least 31 days of cover per trip
  • A medical excess of less than £100

The insurers that scored the highest across these metrics feature in our ‘Best Insurers’ list above.

Many providers in our list also offer policies or options with lower levels of cover that may be more relevant for your needs. And because we've also looked at customer experience ratings, the companies on our list should offer good service. We’ve chosen policies that offer substantial cover that shouldn't leave you out of pocket if you need to claim.

How to find the best travel insurance

When looking for travel insurance, it’s essential to understand what’s included in your purchase. The headline limits of medical, cancellation and baggage are helpful starting points. Still, there might be variations in other terms that are harder to spot.

It's also worth checking the quality of the company and its customer services. If an extra £5 means you get better service in a medical emergency abroad, then it is money well spent.

Consider the following if they’re relevant to you:

  • High limits on individual items of baggage — High single-item limits mean you can cover things like your valuables, cash or passport in full. That way, you’re not out of pocket if they’re lost.
  • Low medical excess — Having to pay a high excess if you need medical cover may leave you without sufficient funds for the rest of your trip. Thankfully, some insurers (such as Sainsbury’s) can offer as little as zero excess.
  • A high number of days abroad per trip — If you’re abroad for longer than the stated number of days per trip in your policy, you won’t be covered. Getting a policy that covers you for more days means you’re less likely to get caught out. Most good policies will cover you for at least 31 days per trip, with some like LV= offering as many as 90 days.
  • Cover for activities such as golf, cruises or extreme sports included — If you intend to go on any excursions while you’re travelling, activities cover will be invaluable. Please note that while many insurers offer cruise-specific policies, you may not be covered while you’re off the boat on day trips.
  • Business and personal travel — If you’re only covered for personal travel, your insurer may not accept a claim you make if you’re on a business trip. It’s safer to go for a policy that covers both.
  • Car hire cover — While car hire companies do offer insurance, it’s often expensive. It may be cheaper to get car hire included in your travel insurance policy instead. Learn more with our guide to car hire excess insurance.
  • An emergency helpline — Look for 24-hour helplines: it means you’ll still be able to make a claim no matter what timezone you’re in.
  • Terrorism cover — If you’re thinking about travelling to a country where there may be civil unrest, it’s worth considering a policy that covers claims for terrorist activity. Read our guide to travel insurance with terrorism cover and for dangerous areas.

How to get cheaper travel insurance

There are several things you can do to get a cheaper quote for your travel insurance:

  • Add a voluntary excess — Agree to pay more out of your pocket in the event of a claim. In exchange, your insurer will likely lower your premiums.
  • Buy cover in plenty of time — You might find premiums are cheaper if you buy in advance and you’ll have more time to shop around.
  • Only buy what you need — Don’t pay extra to cover things you won’t need. For example, if you’re going to a beach resort, you’re unlikely to require winter sports cover.
  • Get cover that matches the value of your belongings and holiday — Avoid taking expensive luggage. Travelling light means you can opt for low cover limits and still be fully protected. The same goes for your holiday: if you spent £2,000 on it, you don’t need £10,000 cancellation cover.

What are the best cheap travel insurance policies?

We used a comparison site to determine the cheapest travel insurance policies you can get that meet a high standard of cover. We got quotes for a 27-year-old man with no pre-existing medical conditions going to Spain for seven nights on a single-trip policy.

We identified the best cheap policies as those with at least £10m of cover for medical emergencies and cost under £9 with a maximum excess of £150. We generated this quote in April 2021.

Having a substantial amount of cover and a low excess means that you'd be able to claim without having to pay a large amount yourself. These policies are good value for money.

Here are the cheapest policies we were able to find that met our criteria:

  • Cover Wise (Standard) — £6.65. Up to £20m emergency medical cover with an excess of £125. It also includes COVID-19 cover.

Remember, always make sure you know exactly what a policy covers, and how much before you purchase. There's little benefit to an insurance policy that can't protect you in times of need.

Travel insurance that covers coronavirus (Covid-19)

When the coronavirus pandemic hit in early 2020, many customers found that illness and travel disruption due to Covid-19 wasn’t covered on their travel insurance policies.

Since then, many insurers have responded to the spike in demand for travel policies that cover pandemics.

Travelling outside of the UK may carry some risk of coronavirus exposure for the next few years. Having travel insurance with some form of cover for Covid-19 could save you thousands of pounds if you’re hospitalised, quarantined or have your holiday cancelled entirely due to the pandemic.

Please note: there are no policies we have found that will provide coronavirus cover if you’re travelling against Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advice or Government restrictions. This includes lockdowns and travel bans. It’s highly likely that your travel insurance will be void if you choose to travel against official advice, regardless of the insurer you choose.

Here are some of the top insurers offering coronavirus cover.

LV=

One of LV='s most recent benefits is their coronavirus cover. It pays out if you’re hospitalised with Covid-19 abroad, or if your trip has to be cancelled because you or your travelling companion are diagnosed with coronavirus. It also covers you if your trip is cancelled following a government order to quarantine on the suspicion that you may have coronavirus.

One of the biggest expenses that LV= will cover is emergency repatriation costs. This means that your insurance will pay for you to be flown back to the UK if the FCDO impose travel restrictions while you’re on holiday.

Post Office Money

The Post Office recently updated it’s travel insurance policies to include Covid-19 cover. You’ll now get extra protection for cancellation within 14 days of your trip should you test positive. You're also covered for curtailment if you test positive for Covid-19. This applies at either your outward departure point or upon arrival at your destination.

Importantly, the Post Office will cover emergency medical and repatriation expenses if you contract the coronavirus while abroad.

Columbus Direct

Columbus Direct regularly adapts its travel insurance coverage in response to the latest developments in the pandemic. As of April 2021, newly purchased policies will cover cancellation of your trip if you or your travelling companion fall ill or you need medical treatment abroad due to contracting Covid-19. You're also covered if you test positive before your trip and you’re forced to cancel as a result.

Columbus Direct also covers emergency repatriation costs if you have to be taken back to the UK due to coronavirus-related illness.

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