Travel insurance is an insurance policy designed to pay out if you fall ill or require emergency treatment whilst abroad. It can also cover the cost of lost or stolen baggage or cancellation if you are unable to travel. In this independent review, we take a look at Virgin Money 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 specific sections of the article using the following links.
- What is Virgin Money travel insurance?
- Virgin Money travel insurance key features
- Virgin Money travel insurance policies
- What does Virgin Money travel insurance cover?
- Does Virgin Money travel insurance cover covid-19?
- Does Virgin Money travel insurance cover pre-existing medical conditions?
- Is there an age limit on Virgin Money travel insurance?
- Virgin Money travel insurance policy exclusions
- How much does Virgin Money travel insurance cost?
- Virgin Money travel insurance policy excess
- How to claim on Virgin Money travel insurance
- Virgin Money travel insurance customer reviews
- Virgin Money travel insurance pros and cons
- Alternatives to Virgin Money travel insurance
- Summary
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What is Virgin Money travel insurance?
Virgin Money travel insurance policies are available in three tiers, ranging from Red to Gold, with Gold being the most comprehensive, providing £15m medical expense cover. The core elements of Virgin Money travel insurance are underwritten by ERGO Travel Insurance Services Ltd on behalf of Great Lakes Insurance SE.
Virgin Money travel insurance key features
- Cover if your baggage is lost, stolen or delayed
- Trip cancellation cover
- Coronavirus cover
- Gadget cover as standard but enhanced options are available
- Pre-existing conditions cover (some serious conditions may not be covered)
- 24/7 emergency medical helpline
- Online portal
- 5-star Defaqto rating for its Silver & Gold policies
- Cater your policy with additional cover for winter sports, cruises, additional gadget cover and car hire excess
Virgin Money travel insurance policies
Virgin Money offers single or annual multi-trip travel insurance and you can choose between three different levels of cover to suit your trip. There is also the ability to enhance your cover with winter sports or cruise cover. Virgin Money's travel insurance policies also include cover for trips within the UK with at least 2 nights of pre-booked accommodation.
You can purchase Virgin Money travel insurance as an individual, couple (two people living at the same address), family (up to two adults and five children under 18) or a group (a mix of up to 7 adults and children).
We explain each of Virgin Money's policies in more detail below.
Virgin Money single trip travel insurance
Single trip travel insurance insures you for one trip and can be taken out by an individual, couple, family or a group. A family is considered as two adults and up to 5 children under the age of 18. A group is a mix of up to 7 adults and children. With Virgin Money's single trip travel insurance, there is no upper age limit but travellers can only be covered for a single trip of up to 90 days.
Virgin Money annual multi-trip travel insurance
Annual multi-trip travel insurance insures an individual, family or couple for multiple trips in any 365 day period but there are some limits on the individual trip lengths. A Virgin Money Red policy insures travellers for a maximum of 31 days, a Silver policy insures travellers for a maximum of 45 days and a Gold policy insures travellers for a maximum of 94 days. There is an upper age limit of 80 years old if you have bought the policy directly with Virgin Money.
A Virgin Money Annual policy will automatically renew when it runs out so you will need to cancel the policy if you do not want it to auto-renew (you will be notified 30 days prior to renewal). If you have a pre-existing medical condition you will need to contact Virgin Money if you wish to renew your policy.
Virgin Money travel insurance optional extras
Virgin Money allows you to cater your travel insurance policy to suit your trip and there is a variety of add ons for your policy which we summarise in more detail below.
Winter Sports cover
Winter sports cover can be added as an additional feature to single trip and annual multi-trip policies. Winter sports cover includes cover for winter sports activities such as skiing and snowboarding, as well as cover for ski equipment should it get lost or stolen. You may also be able to get cover for piste closure and travel and accommodation costs due to an avalanche.
Cruise cover
You will need to select cruise cover as an add-on to your policy if you are going on a cruise on your trip. Whilst you are covered for emergency medical expenses and cancellation, cruise cover also means that you can get protection in the event of specific cruise-related claims such as cabin confinement, missed port departure and unused excursions.
Enhanced gadget cover
There is gadget cover as standard on Virgin Money travel insurance policies but you can increase the amount you are covered for with Virgin Money's enhanced gadget cover.
Rental vehicle excess waiver
If the rental vehicle you are driving gets damaged you can get reimbursed for the cost of the excess or deposit amount if you purchase the rental vehicle excess waiver at an additional cost.
What does Virgin Money travel insurance cover?
Below, we share the levels of cover you can expect to get when you purchase a Virgin Money travel insurance policy as well as the optional add ons.
Virgin Money travel insurance policy comparison
In the below comparison table we highlight how much cover you can expect with a Virgin Money travel insurance policy.
| Red | Silver | Gold | |
| Excess | £100 | £75 | £50 |
| Medical Expenses | £10million | £12.5million | £15million |
| Trip cancellation | £3,000 | £5,000 | £7,500 |
| Trip cut short | £3,000 | £5,000 | £7,500 |
| Personal belongings & baggage | £1,250 | £2,000 | £3,000 |
| Standard gadget cover | £500 | £500 | £750 |
| Delay & abandonment | £3,000 | £5,000 | £7,500 |
| Personal money | £500 | £750 | £1,000 |
| Missed departure | £500 | £1,000 | £1,500 |
| Personal liability | £2m | £2m | £2m |
| Legal costs and expenses | £25,000 | £25,000 | £25,000 |
Virgin Money travel insurance optional cover
In the below comparison tables, we highlight the optional add-ons that can be added to a Virgin Money travel insurance policy, as well as the level of cover you can expect.
Virgin Money Winter Sports Cover
In the below comparison table, we show how much cover you can expect with the Winter Sports add-on. The amount of cover varies depending on the policy type you choose with Red being the least comprehensive and Gold being the most comprehensive policy.
| Red | Silver | Gold | |
| Winter sports equipment | £500 | £750 | £1,000 |
| Equipment hire | £300 (max £20 per day) | £450 (max £30 per day) | £600 (max £40 per day) |
| Ski pass loss or theft | £200 | £250 | £300 |
| Ski pack illness or injury | £300 (max £20 per day) | £450 (max £30 per day) | £600 (max £40 per day) |
| Piste closure | £300 (max £20 per day) | £450 (max £30 per day) | £600 (max £40 per day) |
| Avalanche cover | £300 (max £15 per day) | £400 (max £20 per day) | £500 (max £25 per day) |
^The exact winter sports covered under this policy can be found in your policy documents
Virgin Money Cruise Cover
| Red | Silver | Gold | |
| Missed port departure | £500 | £750 | £1,000 |
| Cabin confinement | £500 (max £50 per day) | £750 (max £75 per day) | £1000 (max £100 per day) |
| Unused excursions | £300 | £500 | £750 |
| Increased personal possessions (single item and valuables limit) | £2,500 | £3,000 | £3,500 |
| Evening wear |  |
£100 | £150 |
Virgin Money Rental Vehicle Excess Waiver Cover
| Red | Silver | Gold | |
| Rental Excess/deposit (limits apply see policy docs for details) | £2,000 | £2,000 | £2,000 |
Virgin Money Gadgets Cover
| Red | Silver | Gold | |
| Accidental/malicious damage, loss or theft Cover 1 | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 |
| Accidental/malicious damage, loss or theft Cover 2 | £2,000 | £2,000 | £2,000 |
| Accidental/malicious damage, loss or theft Cover 3 | £3,000 | £3,000 | £3,000 |
Does Virgin Money travel insurance cover covid-19?
If you take out a new Virgin Money travel insurance policy you will be covered for coronavirus-related claims for the following:
- Medical expenses if you require treatment whilst abroad for covid-19
- Cancelling or cutting your trip short (curtailment) due to you, a friend or a member of your family or travelling party testing positive for covid-19 within 14 days of the departure date
- Cancellation if you are denied boarding due to contracting covid-19 or having a temperature above 38 degrees Celsius
- Cutting short your trip due to the death or hospitalisation of a family member or member of your household living in the UK due to covid-19
- Cover for a pre-booked excursion due to self-isolation guidance due to covid-19 enforced by a government authority
For more information on the exact covid-19 cover on your travel insurance policy read your policy documents carefully.
For more information on travelling abroad and coronavirus, read our articles:
Virgin Money travel insurance will not cover any coronavirus related claims for those who contract covid-19 and are not fully vaccinated (medical exemption may be considered).
Does Virgin Money travel insurance cover pre-existing medical conditions?
Virgin Money says it tries to insure most pre-existing medical conditions and these must be declared at the time of taking out a policy. If Virgin Money is unable to cover your pre-existing medical condition it will exclude it from your policy which means that you will not be covered for any claim for or related to the condition but the rest of your insurance will not be affected. In this instance, you may wish to look at travel insurance with a specialist provider to cover your existing condition. More information on these providers can be found on the Money Helper website (formerly known as the Money Advice Service).
Is there an age limit on Virgin Money travel insurance?
If you are buying your Virgin Money travel insurance directly via the website there is no upper age limit on its single trip policies but an upper age limit of 80 years old on its annual multi-trip policies. If you are purchasing a Virgin Money travel insurance policy via a comparison site such as Quotezone* or MoneySuperMarket* the upper age limit may differ.
For the duration of a trip, children aged 17 and under need to be accompanied by an adult over the age of 18 that is named on the insurance policy.
Virgin Money travel insurance policy exclusions
Below, we highlight some of the key exclusions on a Virgin Money travel insurance policy. This list is not exhaustive so you would need to check your policy documents carefully so you know exactly what is and isn't covered.
A Virgin Money travel insurance policy will not insure you for the following:
- The policy excess (unless you have purchased the excess waiver)
- Any treatment received in relation to a medical condition you knew about and did not declare
- Lost or stolen items that were not reported to the police
- Travel against medical advice
- Travel against FCDO advice
- Claims related to excessive alcohol consumption
- Claims related to swimming pool use out of hours
- Winter sports participation for those over 64 years old
How much does Virgin Money travel insurance cost?
In this section of the review, we compare the cost of Virgin Money travel insurance policies. How much you will pay will vary on your age, the policy type, your holiday destination and if you have any pre-existing medical conditions. For the purpose of this review, we are comparing the cost of an individual traveller aged 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80. There are no underlying health conditions and the quotes are based on travelling to Europe for 1 week.
Virgin Money single trip policy cost comparison
The following comparison table compares the cost of Virgin Money's single trip travel insurance policies. The costs are based on an individual with no underlying health conditions travelling to Europe on a Saturday and returning the following Saturday.
| Red | Silver | Gold | |
| Policy excess | £100 | £75 | £50 |
| Medical expenses | £10million | £12.5million | £15million |
| Cancellation cover | £3,000 | £5,000 | £7,500 |
| Baggage cover | £1,250 | £2,000 | £3,000 |
| Single trip policy cost - Europe (20-year-old) | £11.16 | £12.41 | £14.65 |
| Single trip policy cost - Europe (30-year-old) | £12.24 | £13.65 | £16.06 |
| Single trip policy cost - Europe (40-year-old) | £14.35 | £16.06 | £18.81 |
| Single trip policy cost - Europe (50-year-old) | £14.69 | £16.45 | £19.25 |
| Single trip policy cost - Europe (60-year-old) | £17.81 | £20.02 | £23.32 |
| Single trip policy cost - Europe (70-year-old) | £29.11 | £32.94 | £38.03 |
| Single trip policy cost - Europe (80-year-old) | £51.84 | £58.93 | £67.64 |
(Quotes correct as of 08/02/24)
Virgin Money annual multi-trip policy cost comparison
In the below comparison table, we compare the cost of Virgin Money's annual multi-trip policies. The costs are based on an individual with no underlying health conditions travelling to Europe multiple times in a 12 month period. There is an upper age limit of 80 years old on a Virgin Money annual multi-trip policy.
| Red | Silver | Gold | |
| Policy excess | £100 | £75 | £50 |
| Medical expenses | £10million | £12.5million | £15million |
| Cancellation cover | £3,000 | £5,000 | £7,500 |
| Baggage cover | £1,250 | £2,000 | £3,000 |
| Annual multi-trip policy cost - Europe (20-year-old) | £32.23 | £37.71 | £54.82 |
| Annual multi-trip policy cost - Europe (30-year-old) | £32.23 | £37.71 | £54.82 |
| Annual multi-trip policy cost - Europe (40-year-old) | £28.98 | £33.91 | £49.30 |
| Annual multi-trip policy cost - Europe (50-year-old) | £31.96 | £37.38 | £54.20 |
| Annual multi-trip policy cost - Europe (60-year-old) | £41.42 | £48.40 | £69.79 |
| Annual multi-trip policy cost - Europe (70-year-old) | £74.22 | £86.62 | £123.82 |
| Annual multi-trip policy cost - Europe (80-year-old) | £174.78 | £203.76 | £289.45 |
(Quotes correct as of 08/02/24)
Virgin Money travel insurance policy excess
The excess is the amount you will have to pay if you need to make a claim on your policy. How much you have to pay varies depending on the policy you choose and what you are claiming for. Below we share the policy excesses for each of the Virgin Money policies. When purchasing a policy you can choose to not pay any excess at all with the excess waiver add on but this comes at an additional cost.
Virgin Money travel insurance policy excess comparison
| Virgin Money Red policy | Virgin Money Silver policy | Virgin Money Gold policy | |
| Standard Policy excess | £100 | £75 | £50 |
How to claim on Virgin Money travel insurance
If you need to submit a claim on your Virgin Money travel insurance policy, you can do so by submitting the claim online. You will need to register if you have not made a claim via the claims portal before. You will need to provide evidence to support your claims in the form of receipts and any other relevant documentation.
Alternatively, you can call +44 (0) 1403 788 701, 9am - 5pm, Monday to Friday or email: [email protected]
If you need to make a claim for a medical emergency you can call the emergency claim line for the country you are in which can be found in your policy documents.
Virgin Money travel insurance customer reviews
Virgin Money has a rating of 'Poor' on the independent customer review site Trustpilot. It currently has a score of 2.5 out of 5 stars from over 8,000 reviews. 13% of customers have rated it as 'Excellent' with 80% of customers rating it as 'Bad'. It is however worth noting that the majority of these reviews do not relate specifically to Virgin Money travel insurance policies, a large proportion of the reviews are related to customer service experiences and problems with its banking services such as its credit card and mobile banking app.
Virgin Money travel insurance is also reviewed on reviewcentre.com where it also has a low rating of 1.6 out of 5 stars. Some users on this site comment on problems with the travel insurance claim process but it is worth considering that most of the reviews written aren't very recent.
Virgin Money travel insurance pros and cons
Virgin Money travel insurance pros
- 3 levels of cover to suit each budget
- Up to £15m of emergency medical cover
- 24/7 emergency medical helpline
- Online portal
Virgin Money travel insurance cons
- Annual policy automatically renews unless you cancel
- Not all pre-existing conditions can be covered
Alternatives to Virgin Money travel insurance
In this section of the review, we compare Virgin Money's single trip travel insurance to other travel insurers. Another great way to compare travel insurance policies is via a comparison site such as Quotezone* or MoneySuperMarket*. Comparison sites allow you to easily compare multiple travel insurance providers at once to help you find the best deal for your situation. Remember that not all comparison sites are whole of market, however, so it is possible that you may get a better deal elsewhere.
Virgin Money travel insurance vs Post Office travel insurance
In the below comparison table, we compare the cost of the most comprehensive Virgin Money travel insurance policy to the most comprehensive Post Office policy. The quotes are based on a 30-year-old individual with no underlying health conditions travelling to Europe.
For more information on Post Office travel insurance, read our 'Post Office travel insurance review'.
| Virgin Money | Post Office | |
| Excess | £50 | £50 |
| Medical cover | £15m | £10million |
| Cancellation cover | £7,500 | £5,000 |
| Baggage | £3,000 | £3,000 |
| Single trip policy cost - Europe (30-year-old) | £16.06 | £44.66 |
(Quotes correct as of 08/02/24)
Virgin Money travel insurance vs Staysure travel insurance
In the below comparison table we compare the most comprehensive Virgin Money single trip policy to Staysure's most comprehensive single trip policy. The quotes are based on a single trip policy to Europe for a 30-year-old individual that has no underlying health conditions.
For more information on Staysure travel insurance, read our 'Staysure travel insurance review'.
| Virgin Money | Staysure* | |
| Excess | £50 | £0 |
| Medical cover | £15m | Unlimited |
| Cancellation cover | £7,500 | £10,000 |
| Baggage | £3,000 | £5,000 |
| Single trip policy cost - Europe (30-year-old) | £16.06 | £34.99 |
(Quotes correct as of 08/02/24)
Summary
Overall, Virgin Money travel insurance offers a great range of emergency medical cover and covers covid-19 as standard on its policies. Virgin Money travel insurance also has a choice of add-ons to cater your travel insurance policy to suit your trip and more information on these can be found in the article above. As with all travel insurance policies, however, it is worth shopping around as you may be able to get similar cover at a better price.
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