 Poster: A snowHead
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Just starting a thread on this. My usual annual insurance has long lapsed due to the nogetawayathon and that was with a TIF brand who are all without underwriters at present. So I thought a latest intel thread of who is insuring what might be useful and if anyone has any pointers on worthwhile bank accounts to be looking at as a hedge or even Fintech offerings?
Cheers
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Dave of the Marmottes, great, thanks. I really don't know where to start, what with being old and having a 'pre-existing condition'. 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@Hurtle, Me neither being over 80. Grossly unfair how seniors are not only loaded but also totally refused by many insurance companies. I need annual cover for Europe and heliskiing in Canada. If annual is refused, taking separate weeks will be the price of a week in Europe. Any suggestions very welcome.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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reminds me..
I swapped banks & with 4 trips overseas booked over the next 9 months, I need to start lookin
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I did quite a lot of looking in the year preceding Covid because MPI became so expensive.
I was thinking about using multitrip.com or Insure & Go but both have claims handled by Travel Claims Services and their google and trust pilot reviews for claim handling are shockingly bad.
Same old dilemma I guess. Pay big for something you'll probably not use or skimp and risk a nightmare claim.
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Wed 18-08-21 22:09; edited 1 time in total
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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+1 on the ‘unfair’ bit.
Coincidentally I was discussing this very matter this morning with another senior sH.
I told him him how I had insured myself as usual for a season starting December, and was on a ski holiday a couple of months later when my birthday occurred - 65th.
After a few cheery drinks and well-wishes, a guy pulled me aside and said ‘Don’t want to put a dampener on it, but check to see if your insurance is still valid.’
Guess what.
I emailed and phoned, results of which were:
Yup, it’s invalid.
Nope, you can’t extend or pay a supplement.
Yes, we knew you were 64 when you paid for the year, and no, the fact that you were only covered for 2 months of that is your problem and not ours.
No, we don’t insure anybody 65 and over, so we won’t give you a new policy at any price.
No, you can’t have a refund for the rest of the period.
Thing is, you can’t cancel the policy ‘cos it’s invalid, so none of those sorts of conditions apply now. It’s in the small print.
Yes, if you’d cancelled the day before your birthday, you would have got a refund, but you didn’t, so you can’t have one.
Bye.
I did get cover from elsewhere the following day, but I would have been completely unaware of being without cover if not for the thoughts of a kind stranger.
Read the small print.
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@Fat George, c*nts, the lot of em.
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@Fat George, 
It seems you not only have to read the small print, you have to read between the lines as well. Like others, I'm currently uninsured and hoping that I'll be able to find something suitable before my first trip.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I'm with LV= and am 68 this year and have the usual 'pre existing conditions' (none serious) and have just renewed cover for me an my wife, and am out in the Alps at the moment. Firstly, their single-trip price was more than the multi-trip (£175): the rep pointed this out by themselves. I didn't bother to ask 'why?', because I know that the reps don't see the actuarial/commercial metrics so they aren't in a position to explain. The price for my wife and I was cheaper than last time (I didn't renew due to Covid then 'resurrected' the policy a few weeks ago) but this would be down to not taking out the extra winter cover. This despite a £7K claim arising from her breaking an arm on holiday while the last policy was operating. What they said was that winter sports cover would be a similar addition to the premium as before (~+£75), so if we do go, I'll extend it, but otherwise, keep it as a standard travel cover. The maximum duration uses a Schengen-like formula (90 days in one year). The Covid exclusions are reasonable and come down to cover being excluded if you knew you were covid positive before you travelled, yet still go, plus the usual 'FCDO recommends against' exclusion. They make it clear that you really need to be sure about the FCDO thing, as it can change without it being obvious: they recommend calling LV= just before you go and confirming you are definitely still covered. This may all be irrelevant for a new customer, of course, because you don't know how they weight the risk (of a new customer) against someone who's had a policy with them for some time (as we have). But their claims partner CEGA were great when my wife broke her arm - in contrast to our previous, well-known travel insurer, who outsourced their claims handling to a bunch of underpaid incompetents.
Last edited by You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net. on Sun 31-10-21 18:11; edited 4 times in total
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We have house and car insurance with LV.
Just done a quote and came up with £70.34 (Essentials) which isn't bad.
Think I might inquire about the specifics off piste.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Pardon my total ignorance on this subject, but: what are you talking about? It sounds like some of you obtain seasonal insurance in order to ski. I'm guessing that skiing is an excluded activity from your NHS coverage, so some of you wish to cover that risk? This is not a thing over here.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@Scooter in Seattle, If we ski in uk and injure ourselves then the NHS will treat us no probs. The problem arises with skiing outside of UK. You need insurance to cover you for injury, hospitalisation, treatment, medicines, repatriation.
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Thanks @LaForet for your post!
From LV=’s website, it looks like one option can give ski cover similar to what I want, and I imagine some of the others on here from UK need similar too, i.e.:
- Europe multi-trip;
- 90 days cover; (edit: that’s just for travel apparently. The number of serial days skiing, and the total number of days skied per annum seems to be the major variable/restriction - unsurprising really. Looks like needing a phone call to sort it for those longer trips/bigger numbers.)
- <80 yo stated as insurable (so maybe they’d refuse you I guess, @skilegs?;
- off-piste ski within bounds.
Last edited by So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much  on Wed 18-08-21 23:38; edited 1 time in total
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You know it makes sense.
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@halfhand, thanks
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| Quote: |
off-piste ski within bounds.
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Does that condition actually mean anything in relation to off-piste in Europe? That could be an issue though couldn't it?
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Poster: A snowHead
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| halfhand wrote: |
| Quote: |
off-piste ski within bounds.
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Does that condition actually mean anything in relation to off-piste in Europe? That could be an issue though couldn't it? |
Yeah, I'm going to ask them about that... you see it in a lot of policies.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hope this helps: Off-piste, fom LV= website https://www.lv.com/travel-insurance/winter-sports-and-ski-insurance today.
Frequently asked questions
If I buy travel insurance with LV=, will I be covered to ski off-piste?
Yes, if you have added winter sports cover to your travel insurance policy, you will be covered to ski or snowboard off piste, as long as you stay within the ski area boundaries of a recognised ski resort and follow the ski patrol guidelines.
For more information about our winter sports cover, please refer to the Document of Insurance.
To add winter sports cover to an existing policy, call us on 0800 707 6966 - we'll be happy to help.
Lines are open:
8am - 8pm Monday to Friday
9am - 5pm Saturday and Bank Holidays
10am - 4pm Sunday
Calls will be recorded. For Text Phone: dial 18001 first.
Plus, from elsewhere on the site:
(A)
Winter sports activities (optional cover)
You're covered for:
Skiing
Big-foot skiing
Cross-country skiing
Mono-skiing
Glacier skiing
Indoor skiing
Sledging and tobogganing
Snowboarding
Snowblading
Snowmobiling / skidooing, but there's no personal liability cover for this activity
(B)
You're NOT covered for:
• Bobsleighing or skeleton bobsleighing
• Luging
• Heli-skiing
• Ski acrobatics
• Ski flying
• Ski-jumping
• Ski stunting
• Ski mountaineering
• Ski randonee
• Ski touring
• Ski racing
• Snowcat skiing
I’m going to try to get hold of the policy wording itself - so I can read the small print, obvs.!
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Thu 19-08-21 10:16; edited 3 times in total
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@Fat George, I'd take the case of your insurers to the Ombudsman. You would have probably been talking to someone in a call centre who was reading from a script. They won't actually know all the legal aspects, only what they are told to say.
(I have often had similar problems with Companies over the Sale of Goods Act and their "warranties" not being compatible.)
I can understand them not accepting a new policy after you are 65, but if they accepted a 12 month policy, then it should be valid for the full 12 months, otherwise they took the full premium under false pretenses as they knew how old you were when they accepted the policy.
A broker might have spotted this. If the shortcomings were their online or Computerised systems, then if is their fault and you should not be disadvantaged by it.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Thanks, @brianatab. You make a good point.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only problem I’ve had with insurance over the years, and b.t.w. I’m well past 65 now . . .
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| brianatab wrote: |
| ... I can understand them not accepting a new policy after you are 65, but if they accepted a 12 month policy, then it should be valid for the full 12 months, otherwise they took the full premium under false pretenses as they knew how old you were when they accepted the policy. ... |
Yes, clearly mis-sold and on them not the customer.
It's not reasonable of them to require customers to take legal advice on their small print. The big print says "annual policy", and
they sold it, so they need to stand by it. They'd never get as far as court on it as they'd lose expensively.
Their scripts are probably worth complaining about if they're giving out incorrect information which may result in fraud in their favour.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Fat George wrote: |
+1 on the ‘unfair’ bit.
Coincidentally I was discussing this very matter this morning with another senior sH.
I told him him how I had insured myself as usual for a season starting December, and was on a ski holiday a couple of months later when my birthday occurred - 65th.
After a few cheery drinks and well-wishes, a guy pulled me aside and said ‘Don’t want to put a dampener on it, but check to see if your insurance is still valid.’
Guess what.
I emailed and phoned, results of which were:
Yup, it’s invalid.
etc etc |
Whoever told you that over the phone was just plain 100% wrong.
Also, buying replacement cover while you were already abroad may make that new policy invalid unless you specifically advised them you had already travelled.
| brianatab wrote: |
@Fat George, I'd take the case of your insurers to the Ombudsman. You would have probably been talking to someone in a call centre who was reading from a script. They won't actually know all the legal aspects, only what they are told to say.
(I have often had similar problems with Companies over the Sale of Goods Act and their "warranties" not being compatible.)
I can understand them not accepting a new policy after you are 65, but if they accepted a 12 month policy, then it should be valid for the full 12 months, otherwise they took the full premium under false pretenses as they knew how old you were when they accepted the policy.
A broker might have spotted this. If the shortcomings were their online or Computerised systems, then if is their fault and you should not be disadvantaged by it. |
Yes, it's an annual contract, the Ombudsman and the FCA would have a field day with this.
| skilegs wrote: |
| @Hurtle, Me neither being over 80. Grossly unfair how seniors are not only loaded but also totally refused by many insurance companies. I need annual cover for Europe and heliskiing in Canada. If annual is refused, taking separate weeks will be the price of a week in Europe. Any suggestions very welcome. |
Is it also grossly unfair for an 18 year old new driver to pay £3k a year on a 1.1 VW Polo when their grandad pays £500 on his 5.0 supercharged Jaaaag? Age is probably the biggest risk factor in personal insurance (especially life, critical illness, private medical, travel) and the rates will reflect the risks based on claims data going back yonks. Sometimes they deliberately overload certain age bands because they don't want the business at all. For Canada, the costs of rescue, medical treatment and repatriation would be simply astonishing. Then add in other factors like altitude and activity and you get 'computer says no'. If a heliski operator is selling you the trip, perhaps it's worth asking them who they can suggest, perhaps a US or Canadian insurer, as they must have been asked the question before.
I'm fast approaching the 'age is a problem' zone myself and I'm still hunting around. One massive issue is that two big underwriters have departed the UK market - Ageas (who have left MPI without an underwriter since March) and URV who were underwriting all of the TIF brands, who claim to be the biggest in the UK. This means the remaining insurers can be more picky and can tweak their rates skywards.
Like others I'll report back with what I can find.
Just noticed that Staysure say this in their FAQs so I'll try it:
| Quote: |
| Does Staysure have an age limit? We have no upper age limit on both our Single Trip Travel Insurance and Annual Multi-Trip Travel Insurance policies. We don’t see age as a barrier for enjoying your holiday with confidence. |
and they offer wintersports cover.
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@Fat George, it would be good to know who the insurance company were, so the rest of us can avoid them. 
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| Fat George wrote: |
Thanks, @brianatab. You make a good point.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only problem I’ve had with insurance over the years, and b.t.w. I’m well past 65 now . . . |
You can probably bring a case providing it is within 6 years
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I have just been recommended these people, who apparently specialize in oldies with pre-existing conditions: https://www.allcleartravel.co.uk/ I haven't gone for a quote yet, or indeed checked all the T&Cs, but have checked the off-piste condition which is that - unlike with MPI - it has to be "under the supervision of a qualified guide/instructor." Because I'm a bit anal about small print, I would even hesitate to play on the side of a piste by myself with that condition.
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| Quote: |
I’m going to try to get hold of the policy wording itself - so I can read the small print, obvs.!
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I just ran through the LV quote process and got the policy wording document. It's still the same wording:
"You are covered to ski and snowboard off piste and at a snow park provided you are within the ski area boundaries of a recognised ski resort and following ski patrol guidelines."
and
"mountain search and rescue services within the ski area boundaries of a recognised ski resort..."
The price is good, but I'm not really sure how to interpret that wording with respect to boundaries... (In Europe)
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@PaulO78, Will not cover over 80s
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Posted this last year but for the under 65's https://www.coverwise.co.uk seem to be a reasonable bet as they quoted a competitive premium for me, winter sports cover is for 31 days total or max 17 days in a single trip which probably covers most people and includes Off Piste skiing without a guide and Heli-skiing in the winter sports premium among other things.
COVID cover is fairly standard so you are covered if you are ill or self isolate and have to cancel and I note that it does cover travel against FCO advice for aspects of the trip not relating to the advice (so if the advice was due to COVID numbers, wouldn't cover you for COVID but would cover you if you broke your arm...). However no cover for cancellation or curtailment due to FCO advice changes which seems to be fairly standard. Haven't explored cover with medical conditions but they do advertise an option for that so presumably offer cover for a range of things.
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If you are covered by BUPA, they have now excluded over 80s 
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You know it makes sense.
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Our big problem is the combinatin of age (my husband will be 73 when we next go) and maximum number of days skiing which seem to be limited to 28 or 35. We have 5 weeks in the Alps and 4 weeks in Canada booked, so we are going to have to take out two separate annual policies. I declared all of the details and they told me that it would be ok, as once we went over the limit on one it would be invalid for the second trip so paying another premium and taking out another policy for the second trip would work. We are potentially talking c£800 for EACH policy, but I just see it as the cost of wanting to do things in 70's. We are waiting to see what happens with MPI before we finally decide as we have always found someting in their offering to meet our requirements. Anyone heard any updates on whether they will be writing business this season?
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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I have a Nationwide flexiplus account. £13 per month but including car breakdown, holiday (inc winter sports) and phone cover. Have used it for my daughter when she was under 18, paid quickly.
Also no charge when using an AMT abroad.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I have heard that MPI and the previous owner of Dog Tag had hoped to be back in the business again before the end of this year ready for the ski season - we will have to wait and see I guess.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@lynnecha, have you considered an annual policy for Europe to cover the Alps and a short winter sports for Canada or vice versa? Might reduce the overall cost of your travel insurance.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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One thing I'd say is to watch out for some of the 'free with' cover.
When my wife broke her arm LV= gave advice while she was still at the hospital, saying she needed to get a formal discharge report for her own good (to make sure they weren't just trying to bundle her off with inadequate treatment). They then translated the report as soon as we sent it to them to check she was really fit to travel and contacted the airline with the Fitness to Fly Certificate. They also organised for a helper (me) to fly over and a hire car and for the two of us to fly home, getting her three adjacent seats on a busy flight. Plus transfers to/from the Gatwick.
The guy with us at the invalids section of GVA had 'free with' cover form his bank and he got nothing. No useful advice at the time; no checking of the discharge report (he didn't get one); no helper option; no transfers. Just reimbursement of his return flight cost. And he had to arrange everything himself.
All I'm saying is that when you do have an accident, you may be glad you spent that extra. Certainly it's worth checking the small print if a policy looks surprisingly cheap.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@LaForet, my 'free with' has been excellent on both incidents. Smashed knee (me) head injury (him). Got everything we could have wished for and needed...everythingyou list and more. Lloyds gold account
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| lynnecha wrote: |
| We are waiting to see what happens with MPI before we finally decide as we have always found someting in their offering to meet our requirements. Anyone heard any updates on whether they will be writing business this season? |
They appear to have been without an underwriter for about 6 months and I would suggest that isn't a good sign. Normally firms like MPI start doing the rounds of underwriters a good number of months before scheme expiry, so it feels to me like nobody wants the business at a time when there are less players in the underwriting market. Could be wrong but don't hold your breath.
The age issue is very frustrating for many - The ski population just seems to get older and nobody seems that enthusiastic to offer insurance and the pricing reflects that. It's not just age on its own either - you compound things if you declare pre-existing medical conditions and then there is another set of reasons why you might get declined or restricted as to where you can go (eg no cover for USA/Canada). So it's a problem. Some of the guys I go away with are mid or late 70s and I know for a fact they travel uninsured for skiing. However where we go is just up the road from a huge state hospital and they have EHIC/GHIC. That's not an ideal solution but at least it is something. They can afford to pay for extras but a full-on repatriation via air ambulance might be a bit pricey and of course GHIC doesn't cater for that. Someone told me that Carte/Carre Neige does include repatriation but I'm not sure if that's true or what age restrictions there might be for that.
From what I can tell skiing in USA or Canada over a certain age is almost impossible to insure or economically unviable via UK insurers. Some US insurers will do it for UK citizens - I tried Squaremouth.com and insuremytrip.com - comparison websites over there. However the medical benefit over 70/80 is really restrictive, certainly not enough, and I don't think they cover pre-existing conditions at all.
I also learned it is possible to buy just the air ambulance cover from https://www.globalrescue.com/ up to age 85 but dependent on a medical declaration from your Doctor.
Scotland looks nice.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| holidayloverxx wrote: |
| @LaForet, my 'free with' has been excellent on both incidents. Smashed knee (me) head injury (him). Got everything we could have wished for and needed...everythingyou list and more. Lloyds gold account |
I'm definitely not saying they're poor by default, just that some are not what they seem, and some people seem to think they're getting better cover than they are. Actually, the comment I thought might crop up is that it'a good idea to check the small print on any policy, irrespective of price.
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How about joining the AAC. The included insurance seems exceptional for a very small joining fee or have I misread the benefits? I see no mention of age restrictions. Can this be combined with a simple annual travel policy, that doesn't cover winter sports, for other losses and trips?
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@tarrantd, you just beat me to it. I can see no age exclusions. Good enough cover for most in Europe for rescue, carting off to hospital, and some treatment. They will even ship back your corpse if the worst comes to the worst.
The only wrinkle in the cover is that for repatriation purposes 8 weeks is the longest duration for any single trip. I tend to nip home after 8 weeks on Jet2 for a long weekend and some Saltaire Blonde, then go back. Then the clock starts again.
And you get half price accommodation in most Alpine huts. This plus the EHIC has been sufficient for my Alpine seasonnaire gang for the last 7 years.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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This is a bit unconventional - but for under 80, the best overall travel insurance that I've found is the the AMEX Gold/Platinum International Currency Card.
This is NOT the normal Amex card obtained in local market (e.g.: UK, US, FR). This card is geared towards private bank clients with offshore banks, but existing AMEX users can apply. The service centre is based in the UK, and due to Brexit they now only accept new non-EU residents (But once you're a customer, you can switch your home location to an EU one). It has 2 options for currencies: USD or EUR.
The insurance, particularly the Platinum one, is very generous. There's no requirement to purchase your trip with the card. The coverage covers the card holder & their family (partner and under 25 children), supplemental cards and their families too. The policy covers up to 120 days per trip, and up to 240 days in a 12 month period. On-piste and off-piste with a guide are covered. Other bells and whistles such as luggage delay/cancellation/car hire/legal assistance are also covered.
A platinum cardmember can have 1 supplemental platinum and 4 supplemental gold cards at no additional charge. In my case, I added one of my parents as the supplemental platinum, and my siblings for gold card. The annual fee is US$550 / €550 - Minimum income is for gold is US$/€50,000, for Platinum is US$/€65,000
My insurance combo is this coverage, AAC and EHIC. Note that this coverage is secondary, so they will cover if you have no coverage, or the shortfall from other coverages.
To obtain the card, it's either via offshore bank (e.g.: Barclays International). The easier option is to open a local AMEX card, se it for 6 months and then apply for this one.
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I opened a Nationwide Flexplus to cover a North American trip when SCGB wanted more than the Nationwide annual fee to extend the European cover to NA. It's limited over here to on piste or off with a guide, but the overall package with EU breakdown with no age limit and motorhomes to 8m is a cracking deal.
Age limit is 70 but my booklet (~2020) gives an Age Upgrade at £65, although subject to med screening.
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FAQ
