Brexit is currently due to occur on 31 October but much uncertainty still surrounds the thorny subject. Many Britons are concerned as to how Brexit will affect holidays after the set date. Travel insurance is the best way to protect your flights and holidays – but will Brexit affect your cover? MoneySuperMarket have shared their travel advice on how what it will mean for Britons’s travel insurance.
“Brexit remains the hottest of political hot potatoes, with uncertainty and controversy surrounding the UK’s proposed exit date of 31 October 2019,” Anna Sant, travel insurance expert at MoneySuperMarket, said.
“Given the turmoil, it’s challenging to predict what would happen post-Brexit.
“For the time being, anyone travelling to EU countries should make sure they’ve got the right travel insurance cover and know the rules about passports and driving abroad.
“Taking out travel insurance when you book your holiday also means you’re covered if you need to cancel – whether that’s due to illness or injury, a family bereavement or another emergency.”
It’s also vital to take your travel insurance out when you book the trip rather than just before you travel.
“A third of all travel insurance claims are from people cancelling before they go away, yet 38 percent of customers on MoneySuperMarket only buy their insurance on the day or the day before they travel,” said Sant.
Should Brexit spark travel disruption and trips and accommodation be cancelled – will travel insurance cover pay out?
The answer is that this depends on your provider and the level of cover you have within your policy.
Be sure to look out for extra benefits to your policy when you’re choosing your travel insurer.
“These can include scheduled airline failure (i.e. cover against the financial failure of any scheduled airline), end supplier failure (i.e. a travel company going into administration) or airspace closure,” said MoneySuperMarket.
“This provides compensation for the cost of unused travel or accommodation following the closure of airspace, airports or ports on the day of travel.”
Medical cover is also set to change after Brexit as the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is unlikely to be valid if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
“It will be even more important to have travel insurance to cover the cost of medical treatment abroad,” said MoneySuperMarket.
“Even if EHICs remain valid, it’s always best to take out travel insurance as well because this will cover you for a wider range of costs, including repatriation, which aren’t included in the EHIC arrangements.”
The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has issued advice on travel after Brexit. A spokesperson from the Foreign Office said: “If the UK leaves the European Union without a deal, visiting the EU will change.
“Check your passport, get travel insurance which covers your healthcare, check you have the right driving documents and organise pet travel.”
Britons should be aware that it takes up to three weeks to renew a passport – but the process could take longer should more information be needed or your application has not been filled in correctly.
It costs £75.50 to renew or replace your passport if you apply online or £85 if you fill out a paper form.
