In a recent study by AllClear Travel Insurance, there are some worrying factors emerging when it comes to deciding on what travel insurance to buy. It could even mean holidaymakers risk invalidating travel insurance shopping around for cheap cover.
Almost three in 10 British holidaymakers (29%) could be invalidating their travel insurance cover this year by being economic with the truth when buying their policy – and this issue is most prevalent among the very people that need good medical cover the most. People with pre-existing medical conditions.
Nationally, 35% of people with pre-existing medical conditions said they would consider concealing information to get cheaper travel cover – a rise among this group from 31% a year ago – and a higher figure than the national average (29%) and for the over 50s age group (10%).
The AllClear poll of 2,223 adults wanted to discover if the rising cost of living impacted behaviour in an attempt to reduce costs for planned holidays. The new data reveals that, for people with medical conditions, there has been a significant rise in the percentage of people that have started 2024 shopping around for travel cover (doubling in a year from 24% to 48%) – but with this shopping around has come a far greater focus on headline price. Compared to a year ago, there has been a sharp fall in the percentage of people with medical conditions that prioritise their safety when organising an overseas holiday (down from 37% to 22%) – while the focus on price now stands at 49%.
As a consequence of this focus on saving money, people with medical conditions were asked what they would cut corners on this year to get a cheaper travel insurance policy:
13% said they would be economic with the truth on how long they planned to travel for;
12% said they would under-value the belongings they would take on holiday;
10% said they would not be honest about the reasons why they were travelling;
7% said they would not declare all details of pre-existing medical conditions;
4% said they would lie about their age.
Further, the information that people with pre-existing medical conditions would not disclose when buying travel insurance included: details on surgery more than a year ago (16%), diabetes (11%), respiratory conditions (9%), high blood pressure (9%), history of strokes (7%), past cases of cancer (7%) and terminal illness (6%).
Garry Nelson, Head of Corporate Affairs at AllClear says: “At AllClear, we fully understand the cost-of-living pressures that have impacted holidaymakers in recent years and the perceived need to trim the cost of holidays abroad. That said, people need to think very carefully about where they make these cutbacks. With travel insurance, it is vital that people – and particularly those that have pre-existing medical conditions – declare ALL the medical conditions that fall within their Travel Insurance warranty, to be sure their cover offers them the fullest protection possible.”
“Our research also indicates that this category of traveller is more likely to be having a holiday early in the year – with 29% of people jetting off on holiday before June. Everyone wants cover for a good price, but if a policy is based on inaccurate medical information, the policy could be invalidated making the hunt for cheap cover a complete false economy. Our priority at AllClear is to look after our customers on holiday and the value we deliver our customers is based on a commitment to providing the best quality product and best-in-class service for the fairest possible price.”
To find out more about this study or to discuss your travel cover call AllClear on 0808 168 8955 or visit AllClear
