A winter warning! – GoCompare research finds that less than 1 in 5 annual multi-trip travel insurance policies include winter sports cover as standard.

There are now more annual multi-trip travel insurance policies (1154*) to choose from than single trip policies (1119) and many are bundled with other products such as added value bank accounts. For regular travellers they can often make more financial sense than purchasing several single trip policies throughout the year.

However, with just 16% of the 1154 annual travel insurance policies looked at by GoCompare Travel Insurance offering Winter Sports cover as standard,  those heading for the snow this year may find that their annual multi-trip policy, or the travel cover they receive through their premium bank account, may not give them any protection for an accident on the slopes.

• 84% (970 of 1154) of annual multi-trip travel insurance policies do not include winter sports cover as standard.

• 41% (24 of 59) of annual multi-trip travel insurance policies provided by banks as part of packaged ‘added value’ or premier accounts, do not include winter sports cover as standard.

Annual multi-trip policies

 Researchers looked at 1154 annual multi-trip policies available to UK consumers offered by 234 providers and found that just 16% (184) included Winter Sports cover as standard and with a further 78% (904) of policies it was an optional extra. The remainder did not offer winter sports cover or the ability to upgrade.

Packaged bank accounts with annual travel cover

Gocompare.com also looked at 59 packaged bank accounts and found that just 35 (59%) offered Winter Sports cover as standard as part of the annual travel insurance cover provided as an added benefit of the account.

According to industry figures**

• The average cost for treatment of a winter sports injury is approximately £1,200
• The average cost of a mountain rescue is £2,350
• The average cost of an Air Ambulance flight from Europe to the UK is approximately £12,000

Example claims

1 - A man was accidentally hit by a snowboarder whilst skiing in France and suffered serious bruising. He was evacuated off the mountain by helicopter running up a bill of £5,425.

2 - A man suffered a spinal injury in a fall whilst skiing in France. He was airlifted off the mountain to the resort clinic and later transferred to a bigger hospital. The total bill was £8,978.

Sally Jaques, of GoCompare Travel Insurance, said: “Many travel insurance policies, both single trip, and annual multi-trip policies do not include winter sports cover as standard, so holidaymakers off to the slopes this winter must check the cover their annual policy provides. If they have an accident, they may find their policy doesn’t cover them for rescue or medical treatments and that may leave them or their families with hefty bills to pay.

“Some annual multi-trip policies do provide a prescribed number of days of winter sports cover per year, so holidaymakers should check the policy wording or contact their insurer if they are unsure. It may also be possible to extend cover to include winter sports by paying an additional premium but if not, they should seriously consider buying another standalone policy which provides the extra cover they need rather than taking a chance and hoping they have an incident-free holiday.

“Travel insurance can be a useful benefit of a packaged bank account. However, many people who take care of their travel insurance in this way would not be covered for an accident whilst skiing, or covered for the loss of any ski equipment or lift passes, etc. By paying a little more to upgrade the cover or buying an extra standalone policy just for the skiing trip, they’ll have the peace of mind of knowing they’re insured if they do have an accident or mishap.”

-Ends-

For further information please contact:

Anders Nilsson or Louisa Marsden at GoCompare on 01633 654 054 / 01633 655 132

Gordon, Jason or Liz at MAW Communications on 01603 505 845

Keep up-to-date with GoCompare on Twitter; @GoCompare

Notes to editors

*Defaqto Matrix research of 1154 annual multi-trip travel insurance policies (02 December 2019) - instant and unbiased market and competitor intelligence, from independent financial researcher Defaqto. Percentages are rounded up to the nearest whole number.

**Average claim figures and example claims supplied by travel insurance underwriters through GoCompare partners, The Idol.

GoCompare

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For more information visit www.gocompare.com and www.gocomparegroup.com