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:
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Holiday Extras has been selling travel insurance for over 40 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 which are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
Holiday Extras travel insurance is underwritten by Great Lakes Insurance UK Limited.
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 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 sports cover.
Annual multi-trip travel insurance will cover multiple trips throughout a policy year but there is a limit of up to 45 days per trip 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 85.
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.
| Bronze | Silver | Gold | |
| Policy excess | £150 | £99 | £50 |
| Single-trip policy individual trip length | 365 days | 365 days | 365 days |
| Annual multi-trip policy individual trip length | 22 days | 31 days | 45 days |
| Emergency medical and repatriation cover | £10m | £10m | Unlimited ^ |
| Cancellation/Curtailment | £1,000^ | £2,500^ | £5,000^ |
| Personal possessions | £500 | £1,500 | £2,000 |
| Baggage delay (outward journey) | £100 | £150 | £300 |
| Passport and personal documents | £150 | £250 | £350 |
| Personal accident | £5,000 | £10,000 | £15,000 |
| Personal money | £300 | £500 | £750 |
| Missed departure/connection | £500 each | £500 each | £1,000 each |
| Sporting Equipment (optional extra) | £1,000 | £1,000 | £1,000 |
| Pet care | £500 | ||
| Wedding cover (optional extra) | £1,500 | £1,500 | £1,500 |
| Legal expenses | £25,000 | £25,000 | £25,000 |
| Personal liability | £2m | £2m | £2m |
^ Or as specified on your schedule
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) |
| Winter sports 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 |
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.
| Bronze | Silver | Gold | |
| Cabin confinement | up to £500 | up to £750 | Up to £1,000 |
| Missed port | Up to £1,000 | Up to £1,500 | Up to £2,000 |
| Unused excursions | £500 | £500 | £500 |
| Evening wear | £100 | £100 | £150 |
| Increased personal baggage limits | £2,500 | £2,500 | £2,500 |
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. Gold policies include up to £750 of cover for gadgets as standard.
This insurance is arranged, and claims administered by Taurus Insurance Services Limited.
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 |
| Misfuelling | £500 |
| Vehicle key cover | £500 |
| Breakdown recovery | £500 |
If you are travelling abroad for a wedding it is possible to purchase enhanced cover for specific items related to the wedding. The following table highlights the cover you can expect:
| Loss/theft/damage of ceremonial items (individual limits apply) | up to £1,500 |
| Restaging photographs, video and digital media | £750 |
| Replacing photographs, video and digital media | £750 |
It is possible to purchase additional cover for golf or sporting equipment for your holiday. In the below table, we explain the level of cover that you can expect:
| Repair/replacement | £1,000 (£500 single item limit) |
| Replacement equipment hire | £100 (£50 daily limit) |
| Green fees/unable to take part in sporting activity | £375 (£50 daily limit) |
| Hole in one | £50 |
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:
You will not be covered for any coronavirus related claims if you contract covid-19 and have not had the recommended vaccinations (unless medically exempt)
Holiday Extras travel insurance is committed to finding a policy that will suit your pre-existing medical condition and it is listed on the Money Helper website as a medical insurance specialist. Holiday Extras says "we cover the majority of pre-existing medical conditions, and all medical conditions will be considered."
Holiday Extras defines a pre-existing medical condition as "any kind of medical condition (or symptoms) for which medical advice, diagnosis or treatment has been given or recommended by someone of the medical practitioner at any time prior to the point of departure for your chosen trip".
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.
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:
There is no age limit on a Holiday Extras single trip travel insurance policy however, Holiday Extras annual multi-trip travel insurance has an upper age limit of 85 years old. If you are looking to take part in winter sports, there is an upper age limit of 65 years old and additional age limits could apply for all policies depending on the type of policy you choose and whether you have any pre-existing conditions.
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.
| Bronze | Silver | Gold | |
| Policy excess | £150 | £99 | £50 |
| Emergency medical cover | £10m | £10m | Unlimited |
| Cancellation/Curtailment | £1,000 | £2,500 | £5,000 |
| Personal belongings | £500 | £1,500 | £2,000 |
| 7-day single trip policy cost to Europe (20-year-old) | £10.71 | £14.36 | £23.35 |
| 7-day single trip policy cost to Europe (30-year-old) | £12.28 | £16.46 | £26.17 |
| 7-day single trip policy cost to Europe (40-year-old) | £14.56 | £19.51 | £30.25 |
| 7-day single trip policy cost to Europe (50-year-old) | £15.03 | £20.14 | £31.09 |
| 7-day single trip policy cost to Europe (60-year-old) | £19.31 | £25.88 | £38.76 |
| 7-day single trip policy cost to Europe (70-year-old) | £34.79 | £46.62 | £66.51 |
(Quotes correct as of 24/01/24)
| Bronze | Silver | Gold | |
| Policy excess | £150 | £99 | £50 |
| Emergency medical cover | £10m | £10m | Unlimited |
| Cancellation/Curtailment | £1,000 | £2,500 | £5,000 |
| Personal belongings | £500 | £1,500 | £2,000 |
| Annual multi-trip policy cost to Europe (20-year-old) | £23.63 | £30.32 | £49.05 |
| Annual multi-trip policy cost to Europe (30-year-old) | £23.63 | £30.32 | £49.05 |
| Annual multi-trip policy cost to Europe (40-year-old) | £23.31 | £29.92 | £48.46 |
| Annual multi-trip policy cost to Europe (50-year-old) | £26.09 | £33.48 | £53.67 |
| Annual multi-trip policy cost to Europe (60-year-old) | £39.19 | £50.30 | £78.24 |
| Annual multi-trip policy cost to Europe (70-year-old) | £76.63 | £98.34 | £148.45 |
(Quotes correct as of 24/01/24)
An excess is payable per person per claim with Holiday Extras travel insurance. The excess is £150 for Bronze policyholders, £99 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.
If you need to make a claim on a Holiday Extras travel insurance policy, you can register your claim online at www.submitaclaim.co.uk/holidayextras or you can register your claim over the phone by calling 01403 286547 between 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday.
In an emergency, you can call the following emergency helplines 24 hours a day, 7 days a week:
The number you need to call varies depending on where you are travelling to so check your policy documents carefully.
Gadget claims can be registered by emailing [email protected] or calling 0330 880 1753 (local rate call).
Holiday Extras has a customer rating of 4.4 out of 5.0 stars on the consumer website Trustpilot from over 37,000 reviews. 73% of customers have rated it as ‘Excellent’ and 14% 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.
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 Quotezone* 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 | Staysure* | |
| Policy name | Gold | Signature |
| Excess | £50 | £0 |
| Emergency medical cover | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Cancellation cover | £5,000 | £10,000 |
| Lost or stolen baggage | £2,000 | £5,000 |
| 7-night single trip European travel insurance policy cost (30-year-old) | £26.17 | £34.99 |
(Quotes correct as of 24/01/24)
| Holiday Extras | Coverwise | |
| Policy name | Gold | Gold |
| Excess | £50 | £50 |
| Emergency medical cover | Unlimited | £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) | £26.17 | £12.55 |
(Quotes correct as of 24/01/24)
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 most pre-existing medical conditions and is recognised as a medical insurance specialist by Money Helper. As with all travel insurance policies it is best to shop around to ensure you're getting the best deal and always read your travel insurance documents carefully so you know exactly what you are covered for.
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