Credit card travel insurance

Plenty of credit card companies offer travel insurance as one of the benefits for cardholders. Before you rely on credit cards for travel insurance, it's very important to read through the benefits. Here’s why:

• Not enough choice: Credit card travel insurance is an inflexible product that does not include options for things like winter sports or cover for large families. The insurance may be “free” but will it have the cover you need?
• Most of the benefits apply to the card holder only.
• Excesses can be high, which means “free” insurance really can actually cost you more than paid insurance.
• Fewer options: Credit card travel insurance may not include items like replacement of sporting equipment or travel insurance cover for laptops. Again, free could cost you more!
• Smaller support network: Credit card travel insurance rarely offers a Freecall number in multiple countries or reverse charges numbers to make a claim.
• Do you know what you are getting? Credit card travel insurance often starts the first time you use the card, at which time you are held to have agreed to all of its terms and conditions which are usually buried in the documentation that comes with your credit card. Unless you pay lots of attention to the documentation that comes with your credit card, you could find yourself agreeing to insurance that is not right for you.

Travel Insurance Direct vs. Credit Card travel insurance

Travel Insurance Direct is a travel insurance specialist. We offer wider cover than the products built into most credit cards and support it through our own teams that are trained to help you when you need it most. Our travel insurance products often feature lower excesses and cover more activities.

In many cases, we are also cheaper: compare our premiums to the fat fee you pay for the premium credit cards that offer “free” insurance!

Once you do the sums, you’ll see that buying insurance from a specialist when you need it is often cheaper than taking on a credit card – and the risk of additional debt – for the sake of “free” insurance.