Travel Insurance Cost Estimator (UK 2026)

2026 UK Price Benchmarks

The table below is the core reference point for this calculator and guide. These ranges are what many UK travellers see for mainstream leisure trips with standard baggage levels and no unusual exclusions. They are not guaranteed market-wide ceilings or floors, but they are practical baselines for comparison shopping. If you get quotes outside these bands, check what changed: policy wording, destination category, add-on bundles, age loading, excess level, or medical declaration outcomes.

A lot of shoppers focus on premium first, but the stronger approach is premium plus claims usability. A low price is only useful if the policy covers your actual trip profile. For example, winter sports, cruise travel, long single trips, or declared conditions can all require wording upgrades that raise cost but reduce claim rejection risk. The calculator in this page gives a realistic range for planning; your final quote depends on your insurer's risk engine and policy wording.

How This Estimator Builds Your Price Range

The estimator starts from the benchmark bands above and then applies profile adjustments. Older age brackets increase the multiplier, especially over 65. Declared medical history can add a moderate or significant loading, depending on stability and treatment status. Adventure sports extension increases cost because injury frequency is higher for listed activities. Cancel for any reason cover usually pushes price up more than standard cancellation because it broadens reasons for claim. For single-trip plans, longer duration increases the premium. For group travellers, the estimator applies a small indicative multi-person discount, but group pricing can vary across providers.

Use the result as a comparison anchor. If your quote is lower than expected, check whether medical limits, baggage values, excess levels, and cancellation limits are still suitable. If your quote is higher than expected, test a few controlled changes: different excess amount, standard cancellation instead of cancel for any reason, or removing optional sports cover you do not need. Avoid changing factual declarations just to reduce price. If details are wrong, claim payment can be reduced or refused later.

• Minimum medical benchmark: at least £1m for Europe, at least £5m for USA trips.
• Pre-existing conditions should always be declared in full.
• Age over 65 commonly adds a noticeable premium loading.
• Adventure sports usually require explicit extension.

Medical Cover Limits: Why £1m Europe and £5m USA Are Practical Minimums

Medical cover is the part of travel insurance that can protect against the largest financial shock. For many Europe trips, travellers commonly use at least £1 million as a baseline. That figure is not arbitrary; it reflects the total cost risk from emergency treatment, specialist care, transport between facilities, and potential repatriation. Even when treatment costs in parts of Europe are lower than in North America, expenses can still escalate quickly if care is complex or transport is needed.

For USA-inclusive travel, the risk profile changes dramatically. Hospital billing levels are generally much higher, so many travellers choose at least £5 million cover, with some selecting £10 million for wider margin. The difference between a cheap and a slightly more expensive premium can be minor compared with potential claim size. This is why the calculator warns when selected medical cover is below the baseline for your region choice. A low premium that leaves a weak medical limit is often false economy.

EHIC/GHIC in 2026: Useful but Not a Full Replacement

EHIC and GHIC remain relevant for UK travellers visiting participating EU destinations because they can support access to emergency or medically necessary state care. That helps reduce out-of-pocket risk in specific situations and can simplify part of the treatment process. However, GHIC is not designed to replace travel insurance. It typically does not cover private treatment, non-medical losses, trip cancellation, theft, lost baggage, personal liability, or the full cost of medical repatriation back to the UK.

In practical terms, think of GHIC as a supplementary document rather than primary financial protection. Carry it, but still buy full insurance with appropriate limits for your route and activities. If your itinerary includes multiple countries, cruises, winter sports, or USA stopovers, rely on policy wording first and GHIC second. When comparing policies, check whether insurers mention how GHIC interaction works during claims, because claims handling details vary by provider.

Pre-existing Conditions: Declare Everything, Every Time

Pre-existing medical conditions are one of the most important disclosure areas in travel insurance. The safe rule is simple: declare all relevant conditions and answer underwriting questions accurately, even if your condition feels minor or stable. Insurers can react in different ways. They may include the condition at standard terms, include it with a higher premium, apply an additional excess, request more detail, or exclude a specific condition-related claim path. The outcome depends on risk profile, treatment history, recent symptoms, and medication pattern.

Many claim problems happen because travellers assume old conditions do not matter, forget to include medication changes, or guess answers to medical screening questions. A cheaper policy achieved through incomplete disclosure can become expensive if a claim is challenged. Accurate declaration protects you because the policy decision is made on true facts. If an insurer excludes a condition and that exclusion is too broad for your risk profile, compare specialist providers rather than accepting a poor fit.

Declared conditions can affect premium directly, but they can also affect policy design. Some providers limit cancellation linked to the declared condition unless specific criteria are met. Others offer stronger cancellation terms but with a higher base price. If you are deciding between two quotes, compare wording around medical emergencies, fit-to-travel requirements, and what happens when medication changes after purchase but before departure. This detail matters more than a small price gap.

Over-65 Premiums: What Changes and Why

Premiums often rise after age 65 because insurers price for both claim frequency and claim severity. This does not mean cover is unavailable or poor value, but it does mean the quote can move faster with age than younger brackets. Trip length, long-haul routes, cruise itineraries, and pre-existing conditions can compound that effect. The main strategy is not to avoid the age bracket but to compare wording quality and medical cover strength rather than just headline premium.

If you are over 65, check maximum trip duration for annual multi-trip policies. Some annual plans are priced attractively but cap each trip at 31 or 45 days, which may not fit longer holidays. Also review excess levels for medical and cancellation claims. A lower premium with high excess can reduce practical value. The calculator includes an over-65 adjustment to reflect market behavior, but your final quote will still depend on your declared profile and route.

Adventure Sports Extension: Add It Before You Travel

Adventure and activity cover is often the line between a valid claim and an excluded claim. Many standard policies cover basic leisure activities but exclude higher-risk sports unless added as an extension. Skiing, snowboarding, scuba diving, climbing, trekking at altitude, and motorized water sports are common examples where wording becomes critical. If your trip includes even one listed activity, add extension cover upfront and confirm the exact activity list in the policy wording.

The extension cost is usually lower than the financial risk it protects against. Injury treatment abroad can be expensive, and evacuation from remote areas can be very costly. Some policies include activity packs with tiered risk groups, while others list individual sports. Do not assume one insurer's "winter sports" label matches another insurer's definition. A quick wording check before payment is the simplest way to prevent disputes later.

Standard Cancellation vs Cancel For Any Reason

Standard cancellation cover pays for insured events listed in the policy terms. Typical reasons include serious illness, bereavement, jury service, or specified disruption events. It is usually cheaper because the claim triggers are defined and limited. Cancel for any reason (often called CFAR) broadens flexibility because you can cancel for reasons outside standard insured events, but it normally costs more and may reimburse only a portion of prepaid non-refundable costs.

When comparing these options, focus on your booking behavior. If you book early, prepay significant amounts, and want flexibility around changing plans, CFAR can be useful despite the higher premium. If your plans are stable and your bookings have their own refund options, standard cancellation may be enough. The calculator applies a clear premium uplift for CFAR to reflect market pricing. Always read timing rules for cancellation claims, since policies can require cancellation within a defined window before departure.

Single Trip vs Annual Multi-Trip: Choosing the Better Value

If you travel once per year, a single-trip policy is often the simplest route. For UK travellers taking two or more breaks, annual cover can quickly become more efficient. A rough planning rule is to compare the combined cost of expected single-trip policies against annual ranges. In 2026, annual Europe plans often sit around £30-£80, while annual worldwide plans often sit around £50-£150. If your expected annual spend on separate policies approaches these numbers, annual options are worth serious comparison.

Price is only part of the decision. Annual policies can be convenient because you buy once and travel multiple times, but you still need to watch trip-duration limits, destination categories, and activity exclusions. Some annual policies exclude USA unless added, and some cap each trip length in a way that does not suit long holidays. The right choice is the policy that matches your travel pattern with clean wording, not simply the lowest annual or single premium shown in isolation.

Excess, Baggage Limits, and Other Practical Trade-offs

Excess is the amount you pay toward a claim before insurer payment starts. Increasing excess can reduce premium, but too high an excess can make smaller claims pointless. Try to pick an excess you could comfortably pay if something goes wrong. Also compare baggage and valuables limits. Travellers carrying expensive phones, cameras, or sports gear should check single-item limits, because a policy can have a high total baggage limit but low single-item cap that is easy to exceed.

Look at delay cover, missed departure terms, and personal liability levels as well. These are often overlooked during checkout but can matter in real claims. If you are travelling with children, check family cover definitions and whether child age thresholds fit your trip dates. For work-related travel, confirm whether business equipment or work activities are covered, since leisure-only wording may not protect certain scenarios.

Claims Preparation Before You Fly

Good claims outcomes usually start before departure. Keep policy documents, emergency assistance numbers, and declaration records in one place. If you have pre-existing conditions, save the screening confirmation and any email confirmations that show declared data. For cancellations, retain booking receipts and refund policies from airlines or hotels. For medical incidents abroad, contact the insurer assistance line as early as possible unless it is an immediate emergency, then keep records of who advised what and when.

For baggage and theft claims, insurers typically ask for supporting evidence such as police reports, carrier reports, and purchase proof for key items. Missing documents can slow payment. If your trip includes activities, keep proof that your extension covered those activities. The strongest pattern is straightforward: accurate declaration, policy wording that fits your trip, and documentation preserved from booking through return.

Checklist Before You Buy

Use this final checklist to compare offers quickly and reduce the chance of buying the wrong policy for your trip profile:

• Match policy type to your travel frequency: single trip or annual multi-trip.
• Set the right destination zone: Europe, worldwide excluding USA, or worldwide including USA.
• Use medical cover of at least £1m for Europe and at least £5m for USA-inclusive trips.
• Declare every pre-existing condition accurately before payment.
• Check over-65 age effects, trip duration caps, and medical excess terms.
• Add adventure sports extension for any higher-risk activities.
• Compare standard cancellation against cancel for any reason based on booking flexibility needs.
• Review baggage single-item limits and personal liability levels.

If two policies look similar, choose the one with clearer wording and stronger claims usability. A slightly higher premium can be better value when it removes ambiguity around activities, conditions, or cancellation triggers. This calculator is designed to support that decision by giving a realistic cost frame before you compare final insurer documents.