After a lifetime of paying into the system and building up your pension savings, many people want to spend their retirement relaxing at home and going on holidays abroad.
When travelling abroad, however, it is important to make sure that you are covered if something goes awry.
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Can you get travel insurance for over 70s?
Yes, broadly speaking, over 70s can get travel insurance in the usual way through insurance brokers.
However, getting a travel insurance quote when you are older can be more difficult than for those who are younger.
When agreeing to an insurance policy, insurers carefully weigh up how likely you are to make a claim and then price your policy accordingly – premiums tend to be higher when you are a higher “risk” to the insurer.
People over the age of 70 tend to be of higher risk to insurers because it is more common for them to have pre-existing medical conditions.
If a claim seems more likely, insurers will hike prices to accommodate. Other providers also have upper age limits on certain policies.
What does travel insurance for over 70s cover?
As over 70s are more likely to have pre-existing medical conditions and therefore at higher risk of needing medical assistance, travel insurance for this age group tends to be centred around medical and health cover.
A typical policy for an older traveller could include cover for any hospital fees, repatriation fees, and other emergency medical costs.
If you do have a pre-existing medical condition, it may also be a good idea to make sure any medical equipment that you need to travel with is covered by your insurance in case it is lost, stolen, or damaged.
You should also ensure your travel insurance covers the usual things that you’d expect, like lost or stolen belongings/luggage, trip delays, and cancellations.
Alicia Hempsted, insurance expert at MoneySuperMarket told MoneyWeek that over 70s insurance is “designed with the needs of older travellers in mind,” meaning policies often offer “benefits such as comprehensive medical cover, prescription protection, luggage insurance, and emergency assistance costs less than you expect”.
Alongside the usual areas of cover, it is wise to make sure that your insurance covers you for last-minute cancellations if you wake up on the day of your trip and find you are no longer able to go.
We look at eight things to check in your travel insurance in a separate article.
How much does over 70s travel insurance cost?
In general, getting travel insurance if you are over 70 tends to be quite a bit more expensive than getting insured when you are younger as insurers take on more risk.
The average premium for single trip travel insurance is significantly higher for people in their 70s, at £107.56, more than double the average premiums for those in their 60s (£52.93), data from MoneySuperMarket shows.
The table below shows the average travel insurance premiums for single trips, divided by age group.
Decade of the main traveller | Average premium for single trip cover |
|---|---|
50 | £42.15 |
60 | £52.93 |
70 | £107.56 |
Source: MoneySuperMarket, figures based on data gathered in the 12 months before 12/08/2025. Ages 80+ are excluded due to insufficient data.
After seeing how much premiums increase as you get older and become more likely to have a pre-existing medical condition, it may be tempting not to disclose these to your insurer, but it is incredibly important that you do.
Hempsted told MoneyWeek: “It is always important to disclose any pre-existing medical conditions, even if you are awaiting test results, as failure to do so could mean that should you need to make a claim, it may be denied.”
How to get cheaper travel insurance for over 70s
With travel insurance premiums being so much higher for people in their 70s, you might want to try to bring these costs down.
One way you can do this is by offering to pay a higher excess (the amount you pay if you make a successful claim) as the insurer may provide a cheaper quote if you do this.
However, make sure you can afford to pay the excess if you need to make a claim.
If you are a frequent traveller, you might find annual travel insurance cover is cheaper over the course of a year compared to multiple single-trip policies.
It may also be a good idea to find the best deal on your travel by using a comparison website, such as go.compare, MoneySuperMarket, and CompareTheMarket.
These work by taking your details then comparing quotes from hundreds of insurers to provide you with a list of the cheapest deals.
Hempsted at MoneySuperMarket told MoneyWeek: “If you’re over 70 and looking for travel insurance, you might find that a higher likelihood of pre-existing medical conditions or a higher risk of trip cancellations can influence policy costs, so it’s important to shop around to get the right cover at the best price.”
Things to bear in mind when buying over 70s travel insurance
To make sure you are getting a travel insurance policy that best fits your needs, Hempsted shared a list of questions to ask yourself before taking out a policy.
- Do you have enough medical cover for the countries you’ll visit?
- Have you declared any pre-existing medical conditions?
- Do you have enough cancellation cover for the total cost of your trip?
- Have you included any activities you’ll be doing, such as winter sports?
- Is the single-item limit on personal possessions enough to replace your valuables?
- Will you be able to afford your excess payment if you need to claim?
- Check if you need to have booked your return ticket before you travel.
Once you have made sure the policy accommodates all of your needs and provides you with the right amount of cover, you should be all set to enjoy your holiday without worry.
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