Browsing through holiday brochures can be exciting and fun. Browsing through travel insurance can be downright boring. Irish Country Living has tackled the problem, so you can concentrate more on packing rather than policies.
Comparing seven insurance companies, we can reveal that when it comes to travel insurance, AA Ireland and Multitrip.com offer the cheapest price to consumers. Quotes were obtained for the Murphy family, with two adults and two teenage children.
Irish Country Living was looking for coverage for a year and we presented options for European cover as well as worldwide. At €47.19, AA Ireland came in with the most competitive quote for a European insurance policy, whereas Multitrip.com offered the best price for a worldwide package at €61.99.
Shop around
It really is worth shopping around, because in our quest to find the best prices we also found the most expensive. At €89.99 for a Europe policy, Blueinsurance.com is charging nearly double tht of AA Ireland. The same is true for worldwide, where 123.ie is charging €129.93, even more than double the amount charged by Multitrip.com.
When it comes to insurance, you can’t just look at the price of the policy. Are Blueinsurance.com and 123.ie offering more in their packages to justify the increased price? Irish Country Living looked at six variables that policy holders are likely to claim for. These included medical cover, cancellation, delay, delayed baggage, personal property and a single property item.
However, despite the high price, 123.ie is not offering more. In fact it offers less. While Multitrip.com offers medical cover of up to €20m, 123.ie covers €3m. Hopefully, few people would need that level of medical cover so let’s look at something a bit more practical, like cancellation.
If your holiday has to be cancelled, 123.ie will cover you for up to €1,500. That’s not going to cover much for a family of four when it comes to flights and accommodation. Multitrip.com, however, will cover you for up to €5,000 – better coverage even though it’s a cheaper quote.
Pack sensibly
Families need to really be careful when packing expensive items for their holidays. You may be bringing your fancy camera, an iPad or a pricey smartphone. However, your insurance policy isn’t going to cover you for much if any of these items get lost or stolen.
Aviva offers the best coverage in this regard, compensating you with €250 if something happens. However, you do have to pay an excess of €90, meaning that realistically you’re only getting €160. AA Ireland will cover you up to €150, with no excess.
This is definitely worth considering as you pack up your technical items. If you can’t afford to lose it, it may be best to leave it at home or consider insuring it under your home insurance.
Prices drop
The overall prices of travel insurance quotes are decreasing slightly. Irish Country Living compared these prices with quotes we received for the same family in 2013.
While coverage remained consistent, prices either stayed the same or dropped.
The biggest price decrease was OneDirect as its worldwide cover dropped by nearly €50. Without this price drop, its quote would have worked out the most expensive, so it is a positive sign that competition in the market is driving quotes down.
When should I book my travel insurance?
Once you book your holiday, book your travel insurance. Don’t leave it until the day before you leave. First of all, there is the possibility it will slip your mind as you become more preoccupied with packing and finding your passport. Also, if you book your holiday for the end of July now and something happens in the meantime, eg an injury, you will be footing the cancellation bill.
I pay enough on health insurance every year, do I really need travel insurance?
Your health insurance will cover you for a variety of health procedures abroad, but your travel insurance is important in case anything is cancelled or stolen, or you have issues with your flights or accommodation.
Should I take out single trip insurance or multi-trip insurance? I might take another trip in the year, but I’m not sure.
While there is no point in over-insuring yourself, it is important to be a bit savvy about your spending. If you have any plans at all to head away again in the next 12 months, even for just a weekend, it’s worth looking into a multi-trip policy.
Is there anything I need to really look out for when booking my travel insurance?
One of the terms and conditions you need to watch out for is the length of your holiday, particularly if you are planning on an extended stay.
Some policies cover you for 30 consecutive days away, others cover for 45 days, or even 60, but if you’re planning on being away for a while, check this important detail.
4 items to consider when comparing policies
1 Medical expenses: you don’t want to be faced with a big hospital bill if something goes wrong.2 Cancellation coverage: how much will you get back if your holiday does not go ahead?3 Baggage costs: what are the benefits if your bag goes missing?4 Excess levels: with excess on claims costing up to €90 (which could be even more than you paid for your policy), it is essential to check excess rates.
Browsing through holiday brochures can be exciting and fun. Browsing through travel insurance can be downright boring. Irish Country Living has tackled the problem, so you can concentrate more on packing rather than policies.
Comparing seven insurance companies, we can reveal that when it comes to travel insurance, AA Ireland and Multitrip.com offer the cheapest price to consumers. Quotes were obtained for the Murphy family, with two adults and two teenage children.
Irish Country Living was looking for coverage for a year and we presented options for European cover as well as worldwide. At €47.19, AA Ireland came in with the most competitive quote for a European insurance policy, whereas Multitrip.com offered the best price for a worldwide package at €61.99.
Shop around
It really is worth shopping around, because in our quest to find the best prices we also found the most expensive. At €89.99 for a Europe policy, Blueinsurance.com is charging nearly double tht of AA Ireland. The same is true for worldwide, where 123.ie is charging €129.93, even more than double the amount charged by Multitrip.com.
When it comes to insurance, you can’t just look at the price of the policy. Are Blueinsurance.com and 123.ie offering more in their packages to justify the increased price? Irish Country Living looked at six variables that policy holders are likely to claim for. These included medical cover, cancellation, delay, delayed baggage, personal property and a single property item.
However, despite the high price, 123.ie is not offering more. In fact it offers less. While Multitrip.com offers medical cover of up to €20m, 123.ie covers €3m. Hopefully, few people would need that level of medical cover so let’s look at something a bit more practical, like cancellation.
If your holiday has to be cancelled, 123.ie will cover you for up to €1,500. That’s not going to cover much for a family of four when it comes to flights and accommodation. Multitrip.com, however, will cover you for up to €5,000 – better coverage even though it’s a cheaper quote.
Pack sensibly
Families need to really be careful when packing expensive items for their holidays. You may be bringing your fancy camera, an iPad or a pricey smartphone. However, your insurance policy isn’t going to cover you for much if any of these items get lost or stolen.
Aviva offers the best coverage in this regard, compensating you with €250 if something happens. However, you do have to pay an excess of €90, meaning that realistically you’re only getting €160. AA Ireland will cover you up to €150, with no excess.
This is definitely worth considering as you pack up your technical items. If you can’t afford to lose it, it may be best to leave it at home or consider insuring it under your home insurance.
Prices drop
The overall prices of travel insurance quotes are decreasing slightly. Irish Country Living compared these prices with quotes we received for the same family in 2013.
While coverage remained consistent, prices either stayed the same or dropped.
The biggest price decrease was OneDirect as its worldwide cover dropped by nearly €50. Without this price drop, its quote would have worked out the most expensive, so it is a positive sign that competition in the market is driving quotes down.
When should I book my travel insurance?
Once you book your holiday, book your travel insurance. Don’t leave it until the day before you leave. First of all, there is the possibility it will slip your mind as you become more preoccupied with packing and finding your passport. Also, if you book your holiday for the end of July now and something happens in the meantime, eg an injury, you will be footing the cancellation bill.
I pay enough on health insurance every year, do I really need travel insurance?
Your health insurance will cover you for a variety of health procedures abroad, but your travel insurance is important in case anything is cancelled or stolen, or you have issues with your flights or accommodation.
Should I take out single trip insurance or multi-trip insurance? I might take another trip in the year, but I’m not sure.
While there is no point in over-insuring yourself, it is important to be a bit savvy about your spending. If you have any plans at all to head away again in the next 12 months, even for just a weekend, it’s worth looking into a multi-trip policy.
Is there anything I need to really look out for when booking my travel insurance?
One of the terms and conditions you need to watch out for is the length of your holiday, particularly if you are planning on an extended stay.
Some policies cover you for 30 consecutive days away, others cover for 45 days, or even 60, but if you’re planning on being away for a while, check this important detail.
4 items to consider when comparing policies
1 Medical expenses: you don’t want to be faced with a big hospital bill if something goes wrong.2 Cancellation coverage: how much will you get back if your holiday does not go ahead?3 Baggage costs: what are the benefits if your bag goes missing?4 Excess levels: with excess on claims costing up to €90 (which could be even more than you paid for your policy), it is essential to check excess rates. 
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