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We surveyed 56 UK travel insurance companies and compared 67 areas of cover for each, to help you find the right policy
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Dean SobersSenior researcher & writer
In this article
- How do you find the best travel insurance?
- Best travel insurance policies
- Best travel insurance: companies and policies compared
- What's the best type of travel insurance?
- How much should your travel insurance cost?
- How to compare travel insurance companies
- Why there are so few Best Buy policies?
- Frequently asked travel insurance questions
How do you find the best travel insurance?
The best travel insurance can't stop things going wrong on holiday, but it can prevent problems – medical issues, cancellations, delays or losses – from having a huge impact on your finances.
Our experts compared over 50 travel insurance companies, scrutinising hundreds of policies, each with more than 60 areas of cover.
We've assessed information on medical expenses, Covid cover, flight cancellation, compulsory excesses and many other factors to bring you our Best Buy travel insurance policies.
Please note that the information in this article is for information purposes only and does not constitute advice. Please refer to the particular terms and conditions of an insurer before committing to any financial products.
Compare travel insurance deals
Check Which? insurance ratings and compare deals using the service provided by Confused.com
Best travel insurance policies
We looked at 56 travel insurers, comparing more than 160 policies. See our results in the table below.
We rated six policies as Best Buys – here are the three highest scoring:
NFU Mutual - Home and Lifestyle
- 81% policy score - 2nd out of 161 policies rated.
We like: NFU Mutual was one of a minority of providers that will pay out if your holiday supplier or airline goes bankrupt. It is one of only two providers that applies its excess (£50) once per claim (rather than per person) – which could save hundreds if you're travelling as part of a group.
We don't like:NFU Mutual's travel insurance policies are only available to customers who also hold NFU Mutual home insurance.
- Read our full NFU Mutual travel insurance review.
All Clear travel insurance - Platinum
- 79% policy score -joint 7th out of 161 policies rated.
We like: All Clear was the highest-scoring medical specialist insurer in our analysis. Its policy covers outbound, connecting and returning flights that you miss because of delays. Missed flights cover was available in more than 90% of policies we checked – but only half of policies covered the full round trip.
We don't like:If your holiday company or airline goes bankrupt and you have to cancel the holiday, you won't be able to claim on the insurance for lost costs.
- Read our full All Clear travel insurance review.
Insure and Go - Black
- 77% policy score - joint 10th out of 161 policies rated.
We like:If you're covering a very expensive trip, the Black policy has one of the highest cover limits for costs if you have to cancel – £10,000. You also don't pay excesses.
We don't like:If you have a dental emergency while travelling, you can only claim up to £250. As with All Clear's policies, you can't claim if your travel company or airline goes bust.
- Read our full Insure and Go insurance review.
Best travel insurance: companies and policies compared
Here's the full details of our findings in the tables below – to access each table, use the 'Select a table' dropdown below.
- The 'Best Buys' table shows the policies that meet our exacting Best Buy criteria. When choosing these, we check for key features of cover as well as data on complaints and claims acceptance rates.
- The other tables show the top-scoring policy from every provider we've rated. Of all policies reviewed, scores ranged from 83% to 29%.
We've also written comprehensive reviews of the best 16 insurers overall – just click on the links in the table to read them.
Best Buy policies
best buy NFU Mutual - Home and Lifestyle | 81% | £5,000,000 | £5,000 | £2,500 | As Standard |
best buy AllClear - Platinum | 79% | £15,000,000 | £5,000 | £3,000 | Not covered |
best buy Insure and Go - Black | 77% | Unlimited | £10,000 | £3,000 | Not covered |
best buy NFU Mutual - Bespoke | 76% | £5,000,000 | £15,000 | £2,500 | As Standard |
best buy AllClear - Gold Plus | 74% | £15,000,000 | £5,000 | £2,500 | Not covered |
best buy Insure and Go - Gold | 71% | £15,000,000 | £7,500 | £2,500 | Not covered |
Table note:All ratings are for policies available to new customers, and the details were gathered in a survey carried out in April 2023. The information should be considered correct to then. We will next update our policy scores in June 2024. See our full methodology.
For insurers outside our 'Best Buys' list, we've only included the provider's best scoring policy. However, they might offer other policies with fewer features, often at a lower price. We've still scored these policies: find the scores in our individual travel insurer reviews, which cover the biggest and best brands.
If a brand isn't listed in the table it means it didn't take part in our survey and hasn't been reviewed.
What's the best type of travel insurance?
There are three main types of cover, as well as more specialist cover options. Which is right depends on the number of trips you're making in the next 12 months, where you're going and who you're going with. (Read more about how travel insurance works).
- Single-trip and multi-trip
Single-trip insurance is aimed at people who are making a single, one-off journey and tends to be the most popular type. Multi-trip provides ongoing cover throughout the year, and will be more expensive. - European, worldwide and USA cover
Some insurers have different approaches to different destinations – for example, travel to the USA is more expensive due to high US medical costs. Make sure you check your policy. - Individual, couple or family cover
You'll have the option to choose how many people to cover under a single policy, although if a member of your party needs specialist cover due to age or health, costs may change. - Specialist insurance options
If you have more specific requirements, for example due to age, or type of holiday, we've assessed the best options for you below.
Best cruise insurance • Best travel insurance for over 60s • Best travel insurance for medical conditions • Best ski insurance - Unexpected events cover
Find out whether you should have cover for unexpected events, like bankruptcy of the holiday supplier, strikes, civil unrest and more, and who are the best unexpected events cover providers.
How much should your travel insurance cost?
What you'll pay for travel insurance varies hugely by where you're going and for how long.
Take these average quotes, collected for us by Confused.com, for a couple of 50-year-olds with a joint policy:
| Destination | Trip length | Cost of travel insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Spain | 7 nights | £33 |
| United States | 14 nights | £234 |
Source: Confused.com, based on average quotes from 1 January 2023 to 20 November 2023
These are averages, and so you're likely to pay:
- Less if just buying cover for yourself
- Less if you're younger than 50, or more if you're older than 50
- More if you have a pre-existing medical condition
Whatever your situation, chances are you can reduce costs by comparing travel insurance. An annual policy may work out cheaper if you travel multiple times a year.
How to compare travel insurance companies
1. Check our tables and reviews
Our experts have assigned each travel insurance policy a policy score, reflecting how comprehensive, overall, the cover is.
It's important to remember, however, that travel insurance is complex – so even providers with high policy scores won't necessarily cover everything you're looking for. For a more detailed look at some of the larger and higher-scoring providers, see our individual travel insurer reviews.
2. Get a travel insurance quote
While looking at our reviews, you can get a quote for travel insurance using the service provided by Confused.com.
You might be able to save by using multiple comparison sites.
3. Check the T&Cs
Before you buy, check the policy wording to make sure you understand what your policy covers, and what it doesn't.
If there are specific reasons you've bought the cover, check these sections to make sure they meet your expectations. Also check the policy's general exclusions and conditions. If anything in the policy is unclear, contact the insurer.
Finally, check what protection your holiday provider offers, because if something goes wrong, you might need to seek compensation from it first before your insurer will accept your claim.
Check you're getting a great deal and search for a new travel insurance policy using the service provided by Confused.com. Get a quote now
Why there are so few Best Buy policies?
Dean Sobers, Which? insurance expert says:
'In our tables, you'll see dozens of products brimming with features and high levels of cover – but just six Best Buys.
'Unfortunately, it comes down to the difference between what a policy promises on paper, and the depressing reality that we see in the claims statistics. Roughly a quarter of claims made on single-trip and annual European policies were declined by travel insurers in 2022 (the latest stats available). With most kinds of insurance, payout rates are above 90%.
'Not all travel insurers are the same: some – including our Best Buys – were markedly better in this data than others. But a large number of candidates clearing all other hurdles in our analysis fell flat when we reviewed their claims acceptance rates and the numbers of their claimants who'd lodged complaints.
'We'd love to be able to recommend a much wider selection of policies, as we all have different requirements and budgets when shopping around for travel insurance. Hopefully, we'll see insurers do better in future. In the meantime, the best way to avoid disappointment is to be reasonably familiar with the policy's T&Cs when you buy it, as policy exclusions are the most common single reason claims get turned down.
'Each section of a policy wording document (for example, cancellation or delay cover) will include its own exclusions. You'll also need to check the policy's section that details 'general' exclusions and conditions that apply across the policy.'
Frequently asked travel insurance questions
The main two types of travel cover are single trip and annual cover.
- Single trip policies cover a specific holiday. When buying the insurance, you tell the provider specifically where you're going and how long you'll be staying.
- Annual (or multi-trip) policies instead provide continuous cover over the course of a year. These cost more than single trip policies, but are generally a cheaper way of covering several holidays in a year.
Annual policies aren't unlimited in scope. Depending on the kind you buy, it might exclude cover for travel to certain countries or regions - for example, if you buy a European policy, it won't cover travel further afield.
Most annual policies don't limit the number of trips you can make, but there will usually be a limit to the number of days you'll be covered per trip.
Other kinds of cover include insurance specifically for cruises, and insurance for backpackers - which covers more sustained periods of travel.
- Find out more:How to find cheap travel insurance
This depends on whether you can no longer make your flight or the airline has cancelled it.
If the airline cancels your flight, it is generally their responsibility to find an alternative flight or to give you a full refund.
If you can no longer make your flight, perhaps due to illness or accident, then it is not the airline's responsibility. If you have taken out a travel insurance policy and depending on the reason you can no longer fly, you may be able to claim some of the flight costs back.
You should also check the airline's conditions of carriage if you are going to miss your flight last-minute to see whether you can be moved to an alternative flight.
Potentially, depending on the type of trip you've booked.
Many travel insurers will cover the UK; if you have an annual policy check if it includes UK travel.
The main advantage of travel insurance for the UK is cover if you need to cancel your trip (such as because of illness) or lose baggage.
In general, travel insurance only covers paid-for accommodation, sometimes with a minimum duration. So stays with friends and family wouldn't be covered.
Nor will you need travel insurance for medical cover, due to the NHS - though visitors to the Isle of Man and Channel Islands may need insurance for repatriation to the mainland.
Your home contents insurance may cover personal possessions outside the home, but you may have to pay high excesses.
Yes you can - but you'll need to get a special type of policy called 'post-departure insurance'.
Unfortunately, you're likely to pay more and get less cover than if you had bought standard travel insurance.
Post-departure insurance won't cover incidents that have already happened, such as a delayed flight on the way out. It generally applies from the day after buying, not the same day.
Even though you'll need to cover fewer days, the specialised nature of post-departure insurance means it's likely to cost more per day and overall.
The best approach is to buy standard travel insurance on the same day you book your holiday. Although the insurance only needs to cover the dates of your holiday, from the moment of buying it you'll be covered if, for instance, you need to cancel your trip.
Buying insurance just before you travel effectively means missing out on months of cover.
You can get travel insurance if you're pregnant, especially if your trip is less than 28 weeks into your pregnancy.
Many insurers still offer cover for trips after that point, but check with them before buying, and bear in mind airlines may request extra details such as a letter from your doctor.
Pregnancy is not considered a pre-existing medical condition so you shouldn't have to tell your insurer or pay more.
Standard travel insurance will cover emergency medical care, but ask insurers if antenatal care after premature births will be covered, or cancellation due to pregnancy-related complications.
In general, travel insurance won't pay out if you cancel a trip simply because you're pregnant - it's worth asking airlines and accommodation providers if you can reschedule.
It's legal to travel out of the UK without travel insurance, though the countries you're visiting may have requirements (Italy requires skiers to hold ski insurance, for instance).
However, you risk major financial loss if something goes wrong.
Take what should be the 'best case' scenario: travelling in Europe with a Global Health Insurance Card (Ghic - successor to Ehic).
If you get ill and require emergency repatriation, it could cost you tens of thousands of pounds for emergency medical repatriation - which the Ghic and Ehic don't cover.
Travel insurance also covers more common scenarios such as flight delays and cancellations, lost baggage and providers going out of business.
Yes, travel insurance is essential for European holidays.
The European Health Insurance Card (Ehic) and Global Health Insurance Card (Ghic) only entitle you to public medical care at the price locals pay.
That's only in the EU, Switzerland and a few other countries however, and won't cover associated - and very high - costs such as for rescue from ski slopes or repatriation to the UK.
Nor will the Ehic and Ghic cover cancellations or lost baggage, unlike the best travel insurance policies.
Some providers may offer slightly cheaper prices for buying cover at the last minute, but in the long run it could prove much more costly.
This is because one of the key benefits of travel insurance is cancellation cover. This cover applies from the moment you buy your insurance until the point you head off on your holiday.
It pays out if something unexpected forces you to cancel or change your plans. So the more expensive your trip, the more valuable cancellation cover is.
Our research has found that cancellation claims are the second most common type of claim made. You lose out on this vital safety net if don't arrange your insurance at the same time as arranging your holiday.
Most holiday providers give you the option to buy travel insurance through them when you pay for your flights and hotel in a package deal.
While some operators insist you need insurance, you don't necessarily have to buy it through them.
Insurance from a holiday provider or airline isn't necessarily cheaper, or better. It might be set up for the type of holidays the operator provides, but it's worth checking the T&Cs anyway.
Some banks will also throw in annual travel insurance as part of their packaged bank accounts. Just make sure you've disclosed any pre-existing medical conditions to the insurer.
Any current or recent medical conditions that haven't been disclosed to your insurer will almost certainly be automatically excluded from your policy.
In recent Which? research, we found that pre-existing medical conditions were the second most common reason for claims being turned down.
When you declare a condition, you'll go through a medical screening process where you give the insurer information about your medical history. When you buy insurance by itself, this will usually form part of the application process.
With some providers (for example where the cover is included with a holiday or a bank account), you'll need to contact the insurer separately to have the conditions added. If you're uncertain about what needs to be declared, it's best to contact the insurer.
- Find out more:Best travel insurance if you have a medical condition
Some, but not all, policies will offer specialised cover for cruises.
In some cases cruise cover will be an optional add-on.
This includes scenarios such as being ill and confined to your cabin, missing your departure during an excursion, or the intinerary being changed.
We've listed which policies cover cruises and how good they are in our guide to the best cruise insurance.
As with cruises, this depends on your policy.
Winter sports cover may be included as standard within your travel insurance, or as an optional add-on.
It should cover scenarios such as piste closure, avalanche delay and air ambulance rescue from the slopes.
We've listed which policies include or offer winters sports cover, and rate that cover, in our guide to the best ski insurance.
Covid isn't the menace to travel that it was a year or two ago, but it's still around and retains the potential to scupper your plans.
Fortunately, all policies we examined provide at least a basic level of Covid cover - covering you if you get ill while travelling and require emergency medical care or medical repatriation to the UK.
Some 98% of those we checked also cover cancellation costs if you can't travel because you're ill with the virus.
From here, the degree of Covid cover varies significantly between policies - meaning you can't make assumptions about what's covered and should check very carefully if Covid cover is a priority for you.
Of the policies we analysed, fewer than one in ten will pay if your hotel closes because of Covid and you can't get your money back.
And only a handful of providers cover you if you choose to cancel your plans because the FCDO advises against travel to your destination due to Covid. At the time of our analysis in April 2023, these were:
- Aviva
- Barclays
- Churchill
- Direct Line
- M&S Bank
- Nationwide Building Society
Travel insurers only expect you to claim with them if you've been unable to recover your money through other channels.
Book with a Which? Recommended holiday provider
If a package holiday firm cancels your holiday, or airlines can't fulfil flights, you're entitled to a refund by law.
Unfortunately, in the wake of Covid, not all travel providers fulfilled their legal obligations. For peace of mind, opt for one of our Which? Recommended Providers.
- Find out more:Your legal rights with package holiday companies
Atol protection
If you buy a package holiday that includes flights from an Atol-protected firm, you'll get your money back if it goes bust. You'll also be repatriated if this happens while you're on holiday.
- Find out more:how do I know if my holiday is Atol protected?
Your credit card provider
If you can, pay for your holiday with a credit card.
If you pay with a credit card for services costing more than £100 and less than £30,000 that aren't provided as advertised, you can claim the money back from your card supplier if the seller (ie the holiday company) won't refund you.
- Find out more:Section 75
Your bank
Banks have similar schemes to help you recover money for services that haven't been fulfilled as paid for. These are known as chargeback.
Chargeback can be used to recover debit and prepaid card payments, as well as credit card payments below £100.
Banks aren't legally bound to do this in the same way as credit card providers are under Section 75, so you should always pay for amounts over £100 with a credit card if possible.
How we analyse travel insurance
Our editorial independence means we are able to work on behalf of consumers, not insurers. That means our reviews are fair and there's no hidden agenda.
Policy score
The policy score rates how comprehensive the cover is in a policy – the higher the better.
We've looked at 161 policies, examining 67 elements of cover in each.
Policies are given points for each element of cover, reflecting how competitive their cover is compared with what other policies offer. The policy score shows how well the policy did overall.
Based on our assessment of which elements are more or less important for customers choosing and using travel insurance, we adjust the impact that points earned in each area has on the overall policy score.
Among the highest-weighted elements are medical expenses cover, cancellation cover and the compulsory excesses on the policy.
How we pick Which? Best Buys
Our 'Best Buy' badge recognises the individual products that stood out as being the most comprehensive in our analysis.
It doesn't reflect customer service. However, we do look at claims statistics published by the Financial Conduct Authority and complaints data from the Financial Ombudsman Service, where these are available. We won't give a Best Buy badge to providers shown to reject higher than average numbers of claims or that have a poor track record when it comes to complaints.
Policies named as Best Buys did well in our analysis of cover, with a policy score of at least 66%.
Additionally, Best Buy policies scored well consistently across different areas of cover. To make the cut, a policy needs to have scored at least three out of five points in two thirds of the features we compare (see 'Policy score' for more).
Lastly, all Best Buy policies must provide - either as standard or as an option - the following levels of cover as a minimum:
- £5m cover for medical expenses - with emergency medical repatriation and some cover for emergency dental treatment
- £2,000 cancellation and travel abandonment cover - including cancellation in the event that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advises against travel to your destination country because of civil unrest, war, terrorism or natural disaster after you've insured your holiday
- Cancellation cover because of the illness, injury or death of a close family member or a person you were planning to stay with; cover for travel delays - including cover for missing your outgoing or returning flight due to delays
- £1,500 cover for baggage
- £2m personal liability cover
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More questions on travel insurance? Take a look at our guides:
- Travel insurance explained
- The Ehic and Ghic explained
- Golf travel insurance explained
- How to find cheap travel insurance
- How to claim on your travel insurance
Find the right policy for your holiday using the service provided by Confused.com
Get a quote nowTravel insurance reviews
- All Clear travel insurance review
- Admiral travel insurance review
- Avanti travel insurance review
- Avion travel insurance review
- Aviva travel insurance review
- Barclays travel insurance review
- Direct Line travel insurance review
- Flexicover travel insurance review
- InsureandGo travel insurance review
- Nationwide travel insurance review
- NFU Mutual travel insurance review
- Post Office travel insurance review
- Saga travel insurance review
- Sainsbury's Bank travel insurance review
- Staysure travel insurance review
- Tesco Bank travel insurance review
- Unity Travel travel insurance review
Find the right policy for your holiday using the service provided by Confused.com
Get a quote nowTravel insurance reviews
- All Clear travel insurance review
- Admiral travel insurance review
- Avanti travel insurance review
- Avion travel insurance review
- Aviva travel insurance review
- Barclays travel insurance review
- Direct Line travel insurance review
- Flexicover travel insurance review
- InsureandGo travel insurance review
- Nationwide travel insurance review
- NFU Mutual travel insurance review
- Post Office travel insurance review
- Saga travel insurance review
- Sainsbury's Bank travel insurance review
- Staysure travel insurance review
- Tesco Bank travel insurance review
- Unity Travel travel insurance review
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