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If you’re a student planning a holiday in the sun, a city getaway, a ski trip, or anything in between, you’ll want to make sure you get the best travel insurance for your money.
We found the best places to get your student travel insurance from, and things to remember when buying, so you can make an informed decision that suits your needs and budget. Having the right travel insurance is crucial for peace of mind, so read on and travel safely.
Who Is The Best Provider Of Student Travel Insurance?
Student travel insurance comparison engines are super handy tools to use to compare all the best providers of travel insurance, and get your best value for money. Check out the top UK student travel insurance comparison tools below:
While we always recommend comparing the travel insurance offers available to you for your holiday, and comparison tools like mentioned above might seem the best bet, you could save money by going direct. Check out some of the most popular UK providers of student travel insurance below.
- • Post Office
- • Co-op
- • Direct Line
- • M&S Bank
- • Aviva
- • Admiral
- • AA
- • Sainsbury’s
Do You Need Student Travel Insurance?
Travel insurance gives you the financial protection you need just in case you run into any problems and something goes wrong when you’re on holiday. It gives you financial protection, and covers you for a range of problems, from lost luggage or cancellations, to the cost of any medical care you might need.
It isn’t a legal requirement to take out a student travel insurance policy, but we always recommend staying safer than sorry. You never know when you might fall ill, hurt yourself, or lose your bags on your travels. It’s a nightmare, but it’s surprisingly cheap to get coverage, so if you’re not too sure, it might be worth getting some level of cover just in case!
What’s Normally Included in Student Travel Insurance?
The cover available will always vary massively between different insurers and different policies. So have a good read through the cover you’ll receive before you buy any holiday protection.
Depending on your policy, student travel insurance can include cover for:
- •
Medical Expenses
like emergency medical treatment, cost of returns to the UK, as well as covid related claims
- •
Logistical Coverage
for holiday cancellations, travel disruptions, lost baggage claims, or maybe emergency repatriation
- •
Legal Costs
in case you’re sued for damaging a property or causing an injury
What's Not Included in Student Travel Insurance?
Again, each insurer and policy will vary hugely, so make sure you read through the small print to find out what you can receive cover for, and what is not included.
Depending on your policy, student travel insurance may not include cover for:
- •
Adventure sports or potentially dangerous Activities are often not covered as part of a standard travel insurance policy, so double check with your policy to see what’s included.
- •
Expensive or luxury items, like watches, jewellery, laptops or cameras, are often excluded from standard policies.
- •
Most policies will not cover you for travel to countries or parts of the world that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office recommends avoiding. Double check the latest list on the Foreign Travel
Gov.ukwebsite.
- •
Standard travel insurance policies likely won’t cover you if your trip is affected by events such as pandemics, civil unrest, earthquakes or acts of terrorism.
Does Travel Insurance Cover Pre-Existing Medical Conditions?
Underlying Medical Conditions need to be disclosed when you take out travel insurance. Not all medical conditions are covered by standard insurance policies, and if you don’t notify the insurer of this when you buy, you could invalidate your policy. It might mean your insurance is a bit more expensive but it is really important that you do get the right cover for you.
What Types Of Student Travel Cover Are Available?
The type of cover you need will also depend on the trip that you are going on, but will usually fall within the following categories.
- •
Single Trip Cover
will cover you for a single trip in the next 12 months for a set number of days.
- •
Annual/Multi-Trip Cover
is for those planning more than one trip in the next 12 months.
- •
Pre-Existing Medical Conditions
is for those that need a little extra medical security just in case anything unexpected happens while you are away.
- •
World-Wide Travel Insurance
for those of globe trotting beyond Europe.
- •
European Travel Insurance
for those of you planning trips within Europe. Just double check on the policy which countries are actually included, as you might have to get worldwide travel insurance if they aren’t listed.
- •
Winter Sports
if you are heading out for a ski trip or other related winter sports holidays. Make sure you notify your insurance provider too, just so you are covered for any related accidents.
- •
Backpacker Insurance
covers your longer term travel across different countries, and lasts from 2-18 months.
- •
Adventure Sports Cover
where normal insurance won’t cover this.
- •
Family Travel
is often cheaper to take out insurance all together.
- •
Group Travel Cover
is often cheap buying it in a group, where you can get cover for up to 10 people travelling from the same country to the same destination.
Get Yourself a Free GHIC Card
The GHIC card (used to be the EHIC card), is free of charge, and it lets you get state healthcare in Europe and around the world for free or at a reduced cost. A GHIC is free at the end of the day and you never know when you might need it!
You can get 2 types of cover available, and apply for either a:
- •
UK Global Health Insurance Card (UK GHIC)
- •
UK European Health Insurance Card (UK EHIC), if you have rights under the Withdrawal Agreement.
Get your EHIC or GHIC card from the
NHS.uk website here.
Do I Need Travel Insurance If I Am Studying Abroad?
If you are thinking about studying abroad, it’s advised to take out travel insurance, but you’ll need to look at ‘long stay’ insurance coverage, or even a ‘backpacker’ policy. Again, this is something that you should disclose when trying to find the best student travel insurance for you.
What To Think About When Buying Student Travel Insurance
Always
read the small print
and make sure you know exactly what’s covered and what isn’t. If there’s anything you might not fully understand, ask the insurer for some more detail.
Think about the
type of cover
you’ll receive, and make sure you get the right policy for you, even if it costs an extra few quid. Read the main features of the policy before you so you know exactly what you’re getting.
Don’t forget to
check the excess
you might have to pay if you need to make a claim. The excess is the amount you agree to pay if you have to make a claim.
You should also
check your insurance cover limits
. In Europe your medical cover limits should be at least £1 million, and £2 million for the rest of the world. You also need to check the cancellation limits, just in case the worst happens and you need to cancel your hols or come home early.
Don’t forget to be honest about your
medical history
, and give your insurer all the information they ask for. If you don’t answer truthfully or accurately in your application, your claim may be rejected.
More Advice on Student Travel
Making that student budget stretch for your holiday is a tough one. If you're looking for more ways to save money on your travel, whether that's
interrailing, finding
cheap coach tickets,
cheap train tickets, or
cheap flights, there are so many different ways to
travel on a budget. Click here to find out everything there is to know on
student travel. For everything else you need to know about surviving uni, head on over to our
Student Advicehub to learn more.
