bank provided travel insurance

[Meg 50]

today we received a letter from the bank - Girobank, taken over by A&L , taken over by Santander to say that the free travel insurance supplied as part of our bank account will be discontinued as from 30 Sept 2014. Looks like a cost cutting exercise on their part.


We do at least have time to decide how to replace it - single trip or annual etc etc and which provider...


Is it just our bank or is this becoming prevalent.

[JenniC]

We still have or cover with Nat West's Black Account, for how long - who knows

[david63]

Nothing has been mentioned about Barclays but to be honest the cover is not that good and most of the time we end up taking out a separate policy as any changes tend to be prohibitive.

We basically kept it running as the upper age limit is 79 but there are more and more travel policies accepting up to that age and many well beyond and £3k of cancellation cover does not go very far these days.

[Boris+]

I think of all the so-called 'insurance' scams the banks have foisted on to people over the years, so my gut feeling is not to approach a bank for insurance for anything.

We use Insure & Go nowadays.

Em

[Meg 50]

the travel insurance was good and highly spoken of by those who had to claim - defo not a scam.

We didn't approach them - it was a perk with the account

[JenniC]

Our Nat West one was good too, when Mum was diagnosed with cancer and given 6-8 weeks to live we cancelled our cruise and as it was so close, we had paid in full, got £200 back from P&O, our insurance paid the rest apart from £100 excess. Mind you would have lost the lot rather than have missed those last days with her xxxx

[Capt Black]

the travel insurance was good and highly spoken of by those who had to claim - defo not a scam.

We didn't approach them - it was a perk with the account

We got the same letter from Santander this week as well. I also had to claim on it a few years when we had to cancel a holiday with less than a week to go. We got the appropriate paperwork sorted and the claim was paid without any fuss.

I might look around and see what other banks can offer between now and when the insurance ceases.

[Andrea S]

I get insurance with Lloyds TSB as part of my bank account for which there is a monthly charge. Currently it covers up until the age of 82.

I did read in the paper where it was being looked at that all banks should be offering basic bank accounts without these payable fees.

My monthly charge covers various things including AA call out and mobile phone insurance.

It works out considerably cheaper that individual policies would cost.

One thing I do is notify them after I have had hospital appointments. You hear too many times where they don't pay out because of overlooking the fact that each visit goes against you.

[The Monocled Mutineer]

Nationwide: provided free to current a/c holders who pay in more than £750 pm

I've checked with them that they cover cruises - yes - and the scope of their policy.

Of course the real test is, if I ever have to, to claim. We are still both in our 50s, have no ongoing ailments and are fares are nearly always under £2k pp.

WeI first travelled with it on a cruise in 2011 and again in 2012, both in what is classed as Europe for travel insurance purposes. Again, if we to travel beyond "Europe" I would check out the policy.

All things being equal it saves us about £150 a year.

[Kendhni]

There was something I read a while back that said the regulator was stamping down on some of the 'extras' offered by bank accounts ... I honestly can't remember the reasons why.

[Manoverboard]

Barclays, just one example, provide a package of cover for £25pcm for their Premium Account holders. In the event of a claim you will discover that it will be dealt with by a highly reputatable Insurance / Assurance Company.

It is certainly NOT a SCAM.

[Not so ancient mariner]

We have insurance as part of our HSBC 'premier' account, and as yet have not heard anything about it being withdrawn. As for cover, it does not include my wife's pre-existing problems, but everything else is accepted. We had to claim last year when I broke my ankle 2 weeks before a cruise, and the amount claimed (minus the £50 per person excess) was refunded within 2 weeks of them receiving the required paperwork.

[GillD46]

We have travel insurance cover as part of our bank account and one of our credit cards. We have twice claimed on the CC cover( didn't have the same bank account then) when we had to cancel at the last minute due to illness, and both times it was paid within the week with no question. The cover provided with the Cc insurance, is far in excess of most policies we have seen. It covers us to age 75 so we will be more than happy to continue using it.

[royalprincess]

Nationwide for me too. Easy to set up - all they wanted to know about was which conditions you were taking medication for and the additional premium was only £60 for the year for europe only. Normally I have to declare everything and the premium is in the region of £200 for a single trip. Whether or not it is any good in a claim I hope I never have to find out. Far better than Amex who were a pain in the neck with all their additional questions when OH needed medical attention from the ship's doctor and by the time I worked out the excess and OH dr's fee it wasnt worth claiming to be out of pocket.

[CaroleF]

I had a quote for a Worldwide annual policy which was quite reasonable but later I discovered Worldwide did not include the Caribbean!! Apparently this is considered a risky area as far as local health care is concerned. So why use the word "Worldwide" then?

Carole

[david63]

Insurance policies use two "Worldwide" areas:

1. Worldwide exc. USA & Caribbean
2. Worldwide inc. USA & Caribbean

And you have to make sure that you choose the right option

[howard18]

I get insurance with Lloyds TSB as part of my bank account for which there is a monthly charge. Currently it covers up until the age of 82.

I did read in the paper where it was being looked at that all banks should be offering basic bank accounts without these payable fees.

My monthly charge covers various things including AA call out and mobile phone insurance.

It works out considerably cheaper that individual policies would cost.

One thing I do is notify them after I have had hospital appointments. You hear too many times where they don't pay out because of overlooking the fact that each visit goes against you.

I too get my travel cover from Lloyds. I pay an extra £20 per annum for no excess on any part of the cover.
As an additional point they even cover me for existing conditions; high blood pressure etc.

Howard

[sunsetsail2night]

I have travel insurance through my account at NatWest. Never had a problem with claims - always dealt with very quickly. When I had to be admitted to hospital in Tenerife in May, they waived the excess, re-arranged the return flight and arranged assistance for me at the airport. I pay a little extra when I go on the Caribbean cruises each January which are longer than 30 nights. I hope NatWest don't withdraw their travel insurance benefits. When my brother needed medical help on a cruise he had no problems with NatWest.

Brenda

[wolfie]

Another one here with a bank account that provides free worldwide travel insurance, mobile phone insurance, home emergency cover, AA breakdown insurance, identity theft protection and all credit and store card loss covered by Sentinel at no cost. If there was a fee then it would be worth it as opposed to paying individually for each.

When we did have to cancel a cruise in November 2011, with just a few days notice, our refund was processed quickly.

[Kendhni]

BTW, just be careful with some of these 'inclusive' insurance policies, they usually do not cover any existing medical conditions prior to going on holiday ... you must inform the insurance company who will then start adding on additional charges.

[Not so ancient mariner]

BTW, just be careful with some of these 'inclusive' insurance policies, they usually do not cover any existing medical conditions prior to going on holiday ... you must inform the insurance company who will then start adding on additional charges.

Indeed so. Also, the insurers are unlikely to pay up if you have any pre-existing condition you haven't told them about: - even if the presence of this condition is totally unrelated to your claim.

[GillD46]

BTW, just be careful with some of these 'inclusive' insurance policies, they usually do not cover any existing medical conditions prior to going on holiday ... you must inform the insurance company who will then start adding on additional charges.

Yes I'd agree with that. We disclosed ours and after a lengthy telephone call, all were recorded and covered at no charge.

[royalprincess]

The reason the regulator is clamping down on these policies that they are mis-sold and this is the next misselling scandal to emerge and the banks are anxious to avoid any liabilities again so they are cancelling these policies. In fact I remember listening to Radio 4 one day and a bank was taken to the Ombusdman for selling one of these premium accounts to an 80 year old who was ineligible and the bank had to foot the bill for medical expenses including an airlift.

As with everything there is "no free lunch".

[Quizzical Bob]

A salutary tale from our Christmas cruise on Aurora:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/holida ... ay-up.html

[Capt Black]

A friend of ours who works in the financial sector told us that the reasons for these policies being withdrawn was down to mis-selling, although he wouldn't go into depth about it.

We've just had our worldwide upgrade renewal notified to us, and I did a lot of checking of the policy wording. Luckily for us, the places we have booked to go to are defined as Europe. I only got a C for my geography O level, now I know why. So won't be buying the upgrade this year, and next year have to find a worldwide alternative. I did actually have to make a claim on this policy are few years ago, and everything was resolved smoothly.