In this article, we take a look at Holiday Extras travel insurance including what it covers and how much it costs. We recommend that you read the review in full however you can jump to sections of the article using the following links:
- What is Holiday Extras travel insurance?
- Holiday Extras travel insurance key features
- Holiday Extras travel insurance policies
- What does Holiday Extras travel insurance cover?
- Does Holiday Extras travel insurance cover covid-19?
- Does Holiday Extras travel insurance cover pre-existing medical conditions?
- Holiday Extras travel insurance policy exclusions
- How much does Holiday Extras travel insurance cost?
- Holiday Extras travel insurance policy excess
- How to claim on Holiday Extras travel insurance
- Holiday Extras travel insurance customer reviews
- Holiday Extras travel insurance pros and cons
- Alternatives to Holiday Extras travel insurance
- Summary
What is Holiday Extras travel insurance?
Holiday Extras has been selling travel insurance for over 30 years and sells over half a million travel insurance policies each year. Holiday Extras travel insurance is sold and administered by Holiday Extras Cover Limited who are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
Holiday Extras travel insurance is provided by Taurus Insurance Services and the travel insurance is underwritten by Great Lakes Insurance SE.
Holiday Extras travel insurance key features
- Covers 99% of common pre-existing medical conditions
- You can tailor your insurance policy to suit your travel insurance needs
- Staycation travel insurance policies
- Up to £15m emergency medical cover
- No upper age limit on single trip travel insurance
- Covid-19 cover
Holiday Extras travel insurance policies
Travel insurance is designed to cover any unexpected costs that you may experience on your holidays such as lost baggage or emergency medical treatment. Holiday Extras travel insurance offers two types of travel insurance; single trip or annual multi-trip travel insurance. You can also tailor your travel insurance policy to suit your trip with winter and cruise cover.
Single trip travel insurance
Single trip travel insurance is an insurance policy designed to cover single trips abroad. Single trip travel insurance with Holiday Extras can cover a single trip for up to a maximum of 365 days. There is no age limit with Holiday Extras travel insurance for standard single trip travel insurance policies but an age limit applies for winter or cruise cover.
Annual multi-trip travel insurance
Annual multi-trip travel insurance will cover multiple trips throughout a policy year but there is a limit to how many days you are covered for depending on the policy you have chosen. Travellers that want an annual multi-trip travel insurance policy can buy travel insurance up until the age of 80 for trips on land and up until 85 for trips that include going on a cruise.
What does Holiday Extras travel insurance cover?
In this section of the review, we compare the cover levels with each of the Holiday Extras travel insurance policies. There are three different travel insurance policies with Holiday Extras and we summarise the differences below.
Holiday Extras travel insurance policies
| Bronze | Silver | Gold | |
| Policy excess | £150 | £100 | £50 |
| Emergency medical and repatriation cover | £5m | £10m | £15m |
| Cancellation/Curtailment | £1,000 | £2,500 | £5,000 |
| Baggage | £500 | £1,500 | £2,000 |
| Passport and personal documents | £150 | £250 | £350 |
| Personal accident | £5,000 | £10,000 | £15,000 |
| Personal money | £300 | £500 | £750 |
| Missed departure/connection | £500 | £500 | £1,000 |
| Airline failure | £1,000 | £2,500 | £2,500 |
| End supplier failure |  |
£2,500 | £2,500 |
| Sporting Equipment | |
|
£1,000 |
| Pet care | |
|
£500 |
| Wedding cover | |
|
£1,500 |
| Legal expenses | £25,000 | £25,000 | £25,000 |
| Personal liability | £2m | £2m | £2m |
Winter sports
If you go on a winter sports holiday you will need to add a winter sports package onto your policy to cover you for related claims and not doing so could invalidate your future claims. Adding winter sports cover to your policy is likely to increase your premium but you can benefit from the following levels of cover:
| Bronze | Silver | Gold | |
| Ski pack cover | £300 (£20 daily limit) | £300 (£30 daily limit) | £300 (£40 daily limit) |
| Winter sports equipment loss/theft/damage repair or replacement | £350 | £350 | £350 |
| Winter sports equipment loss/theft/damage replacement hire | £300 (£20 per day) | £450 (£30 per day) | £450 (£30 per day) |
| Personal equipment delay replacement hire | £200 (£20 per day) | £200 (£30 per day) | £400 (£40 per day) |
| Piste closure | £400 (£20 per day) | £400 (£30 per day) | £400 (£40 per day) |
| Avalanche and landslide cover | £400 | £400 | £500 |
Cruise cover
Having cruise travel insurance will ensure you are better protected should things go awry whilst on your break. You can benefit from additional cover including cabin confinement and missed port connections. We highlight how much cover you can expect below but the exact amount of cover may vary depending on the policy you choose so check your policy documents carefully.
| Cabin confinement | Up to £1,000 |
| Missed port | Up to £2,000 |
| Unused excursions | £500 |
| Evening wear | Up to £150 |
| Increased personal baggage limits | £2,500 |
Gadget cover
Whilst there is some cover for personal items as standard on your Holiday Extras travel insurance policy you can increase cover for your gadgets such as smartphones, tablets and cameras. When generating a quote for your Holiday Extras policy you can choose from 3 gadget cover levels with up to £3,000 of cover for damage, loss and theft and up to £1,000 of cover for unauthorised usage.
Car Hire Excess
If you are planning on hiring a vehicle whilst abroad you can choose to add Holiday Extras Car Hire Excess which covers you against damage or theft of your hire car. Adding 'Car Hire Excess' to your policy will come at an additional cost but you can benefit from the following levels of cover:
| Excess/deposit charge cover | £7,500 |
| Accidental damage | £7,500 |
| Misfuelling | £500 |
| Vehicle key cover | £500 |
| Breakdown recovery | £500 |
Does Holiday Extras travel insurance cover covid-19?
Holiday Extras travel insurance offers some coronavirus cover as standard on all of its travel insurance policies. Exactly what type of cover you are entitled to will be detailed in your policy documents, so ensure you check these carefully before travelling.
With a Holiday Extras travel insurance policy you can expect to be covered for the following:
- Cancellation of your trip if you, a relative, travel companion or household member test positive for covid-19 within 14 days of travelling
- Cancellation of your trip if you are denied boarding due to a high temperature or a medically approved positive covid-19 test
- Cutting your trip short due to the death of a close relative or household member due to covid-19
- Cutting your trip short as a member of your household or a close family member is admitted to hospital with covid-19 and requires ventilation treatment
- Emergency medical cover and repatriation costs if you test positive for covid-19 whilst abroad
You will not be covered for any coronavirus related claims if you travel against FCDO advice unless you purchase enhanced covid-19 cover
Enhanced covid-19 protect
There is also the opportunity to enhance the covid-19 cover on a Holiday Extras travel insurance policy by adding covid-19 protect. This means that in addition to the standard coronavirus cover you can also get cover for the following:
- Travel against FCDO advice to Europe if the advice is ‘all but essential travel’ and you are travelling for essential reasons related to covid-19
- Cancellation cover if you have been contacted by NHS Test & Trace to isolate due to contact with someone who has tested positive for covid-19
- Cancellation of your trip due to a reaction to the covid-19 vaccine within 14 days of travel which has left you unfit to travel as declared by a medical professional
- Cancellation of a trip due to an incomplete covid-19 vaccination course because of an unexpected illness
Does Holiday Extras travel insurance cover pre-existing medical conditions?
Holiday Extras travel insurance is committed to finding a policy that will suit your pre-existing medical condition and it is listed on Money Helper’s website as a medical insurance specialist. Holiday Extras says "it will consider all medical conditions and offer cover for the majority of pre-existing conditions. This includes all forms of cancer."
Holiday Extras defines a pre-existing medical condition as "any condition affecting your health prior to booking your travel insurance policy".
If you have a pre-existing medical condition you will need to declare this when obtaining a quote for your policy as the condition may affect the cost of your travel insurance policy. It is important that you declare all pre-existing medical conditions as not doing so could invalidate your cover.
Holiday Extras travel insurance policy exclusions
As with all travel insurance policies, there are some policy exclusions that are detailed in the policy documents. You'll be responsible for reading the policy documents so that you know exactly what you are and are not covered for. We highlight some of the key exclusions with a Holiday Extras travel insurance policy below, but it is important to remember this list is not exhaustive and more information can be found in your policy documents.
A typical Holiday Extras travel insurance policy will not cover the following:
- The policy excess
- Injury or death due to not wearing a motorcycle helmet or seatbelt
- Claims related to the use of a swimming pool outside of authorised times
- Travel against FCDO advice
Is there an age limit on Holiday Extras travel insurance?
There is no age limit on a Holiday Extras single trip travel insurance policy that does not include a cruise or winter sports. If a traveller is going on a cruise the age limit for travel insurance is 85 years old. There is also an age limit of 65 years old for winter sports cover. Holiday Extras annual multi-trip travel insurance has an upper age limit of 80 years old for land-based trips and 85 years old for annual cruise holidays. Additional age limits may apply depending on the type of policy you choose and whether you have any pre-existing conditions.
How much does Holiday Extras travel insurance cost?
Below, we compare the cost of Holiday Extras travel insurance. The cost of your travel insurance policy will vary depending on the policy type, your age and whether you have any pre-existing conditions. For the purpose of these quotes, we compare the cost of travel insurance for a number of ages based on an individual with no underlying health conditions travelling to Europe. The single trip cover is for 7 days to Spain.
Holiday Extras single trip travel insurance policy cost comparison
| Bronze | Silver | Gold | |
| Policy excess | £150 | £100 | £50 |
| Emergency medical cover | £5m | £10m | £15m |
| Cancellation/Curtailment | £1,000 | £2,500 | £5,000 |
| Personal belongings | £500 | £1,500 | £2,000 |
| Individual trip length | 365 days | 365 days | 365 days |
| 7-day single trip policy cost to Europe (20-year-old) | £9.01 | £10.87 | £22.06 |
| 7-day single trip policy cost to Europe (30-year-old) | £10.34 | £12.47 | £24.19 |
| 7-day single trip policy cost to Europe (40-year-old) | £12.25 | £14.78 | £27.28 |
| 7-day single trip policy cost to Europe (50-year-old) | £12.65 | £15.25 | £27.92 |
| 7-day single trip policy cost to Europe (60-year-old) | £16.25 | £19.60 | £33.73 |
| 7-day single trip policy cost to Europe (70-year-old) | £29.28 | £35.31 | £54.75 |
(Quotes correct as of 15/02/23)
Holiday Extras Annual multi-trip travel insurance policy cost comparison
| Bronze | Silver | Gold | |
| Policy excess | £150 | £100 | £50 |
| Emergency medical cover | £5m | £10m | £15m |
| Cancellation/Curtailment | £1,000 | £2,500 | £5,000 |
| Personal belongings | £500 | £1,500 | £2,000 |
| Individual trip length | 22 days | 31 days | 45 days |
| Annual multi-trip policy cost to Europe (20-year-old) | £19.42 | £24.93 | £41.44 |
| Annual multi-trip policy cost to Europe (30-year-old) | £19.42 | £24.93 | £41.44 |
| Annual multi-trip policy cost to Europe (40-year-old) | £19.17 | £24.60 | £40.96 |
| Annual multi-trip policy cost to Europe (50-year-old) | £21.45 | £27.53 | £45.24 |
| Annual multi-trip policy cost to Europe (60-year-old) | £32.22 | £41.35 | £65.44 |
| Annual multi-trip policy cost to Europe (70-year-old) | £63.00 | £80.85 | £123.16 |
(Quotes correct as of 15/02/23)
Holiday Extras travel insurance policy excess
An excess is payable per person per claim with Holiday Extras travel insurance. The excess is £150 for Bronze policyholders, £100 for Silver policyholders and £50 for Gold policyholders. You can waive the policy excess if you purchase the 'Excess waiver' policy, which comes at an additional cost but means you will not have to pay an excess if you make a claim. Some limits may apply however and there may be certain instances where an excess may still be payable.
How to claim on Holiday Extras travel insurance
If you need to make a claim on a Holiday Extras travel insurance policy you can do so by visiting https://holidayextras.davies-group.com, calling 01403 788717 between 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday or by emailing [email protected]
In an emergency, you can call the following emergency helplines 24 hours a day, 7 days a week:
- Worldwide (except USA, Canada, Mexico) - 01403 788718
- USA and Canada - +1-844-780-0494
- Mexico - 00 1 819 780 0494
The number you need to call varies depending on where you are travelling to so check your policy documents carefully.
Holiday Extras travel insurance customer reviews
Holiday Extras has a customer rating of 4.3 out of 5.0 stars on the consumer website Trustpilot from over 24,000 reviews. 70% of customers have rated it as ‘Excellent’ and 16% of customers have rated it as ‘Bad’. Holiday Extras offers many products for your holiday so the reviews are not specific to its travel insurance policies but those that have rated its travel insurance policies comment on good prices and good customer service. Those that rated it negatively stated problems getting refunds on policies.
Holiday Extras travel insurance pros and cons
Holiday Extras travel insurance pros
- No upper age limit on single trip policies (excluding winter and cruise cover)
- Up to £15m emergency medical cover
- Coronavirus cover
- Aims to cover most pre-existing conditions
Holiday Extras travel insurance cons
- Only 22 days annual trip limit for Bronze annual multi-trip policy
- FCDO cover with covid-19 protect is only applicable to holidays within Europe
Alternatives to Holiday Extras travel insurance
Below, we compare the cost of Holiday Extras most comprehensive travel insurance to its competitors Staysure and Coverwise travel insurance. The quotes are based on a 30-year-old individual with no underlying health conditions and travelling to Europe on a single travel insurance policy. For more information on the insurers read our independent travel insurance reviews:
For a quick and easy way to search for travel insurance quotes, you could try a comparison site such as Compare the Market* or MoneySuperMarket*. Comparison sites allow you to compare a range of travel insurance providers to find a policy to suit your individual needs. One thing to consider, however, when using a comparison site is that they are not usually whole of market so you may get a better deal elsewhere.
Holiday Extras travel insurance vs Staysure travel insurance
| Holiday Extras | Staysure | |
| Policy name | Gold | Comprehensive |
| Excess | £50 | £65 |
| Emergency medical cover | £15m | Unlimited |
| Cancellation cover | £5,000 | £5,000 |
| Lost or stolen baggage | £2,000 | £2,500 |
| 7-night single trip European travel insurance policy cost (30-year-old) | £24.19 | £12.01 |
(Quotes correct as of 15/02/23)
Holiday Extras travel insurance vs Coverwise travel insurance
| Holiday Extras | Coverwise | |
| Policy name | Gold | Gold |
| Excess | £50 | £50 |
| Emergency medical cover | £15m | £20m |
| Cancellation cover | £5,000 | £3,000 |
| Lost or stolen baggage | £2,000 | £2,000 |
| 7-night single trip European travel insurance policy cost (30-year-old) | £24.19 | £12.21 |
(Quotes correct as of 15/02/23)
Summary
Overall, Holiday Extras has a good choice of travel insurance and allows you to tailor your policy to suit your trip. There is no upper age limit on its standard single trip policies which makes it appealing to older travellers. It also aims to cover 99% of pre-existing medical conditions and is recognised as a medical insurance specialist by Money Helper.
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