Important Disclosure: The content provided does not consider your particular circumstances and does not constitute personal advice. Some of the products promoted are from our affiliate partners from whom we receive compensation.
If you require any personal advice, please seek such advice from an independently qualified financial advisor. While we aim to feature some of the best products available, this does not include all available products from across the market. Although the information provided is believed to be accurate at the date of publication, you should always check with the product provider to ensure that information provided is the most up to date.
Who are the Post Office?
The Post Office is among the most widely-recognised brands in the UK having been serving customers for more than 350 years. Today it is one of the country’s largest financial services providers, with travel insurance as part of its range of product offerings.
Travel insurance provided by the Post Office is underwritten by Great Lakes Insurance SE and administered on its behalf by Collinson Insurance Services Limited.
What does Post Office travel insurance cover?
As standard, Post Office travel insurance includes cover for:
- Emergency medical treatment: should the policyholder fall ill or get injured while away
- Trip cancellation and curtailment: in the event the policyholder needs to cancel or cut short their holiday due to illness or bereavement, for example
- Baggage and belongings: compensating for items that are lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed
- Delayed departure: for each four hours to a maximum cover limit
- Missed departure: when leaving the UK and outside of the UK (i.e. return/connecting flight)
- Low-risk sports and activities: such as fishing, surfing and jogging
- ‘End supplier’ failure: for non-refundable holiday costs due to the airline/train operator/ accommodation provider going bust
- Personal accident: paying out if the policyholder is permanently injured or dies
- Personal liability: paying out if the policyholder injures someone else or damages another’s property.
Post Office travel insurance also offers enhanced golf cover and insurance for gadgets, high-risk sports and activities, winter sports, cruise trips and holiday disruption (as a result of terrorism or a natural disaster, for example). However, these are add-ons to your policy which will result in paying a higher premium.
Post Office travel insurance pros and cons
Pros
- Discounts for students and graduates
- No upper age limit on single trip policies
- Cover for one-off long-stay trips of up to 365 days for travellers up to age 70
- Option to waive excess for additional premium
- ‘Kids go free’ on all family policies.
Cons
- Upper age limits of 75 on annual multi-trip cover and 60 on backpacker cover
- Additional cost for gadget cover (such as smartphones, laptops and tablets).
Why should I consider the Post Office?
The Post Office offers single trip, annual multi-trips and backpacker travel insurance for individuals and groups.
Single trip policies at the Post Office include cover for cancellation and curtailment, emergency medical costs and repatriation and missed departure. There is no upper age limit on policyholders, with all medical conditions considered.
For those aged 75 and under who take multiple trips a year, the annual multi-trip policy offers delayed departure (after four hours or more), emergency medical costs, and end-supplier failure. Note there are limits to the length of time you can spend away on any individual trip according to your age.
Policyholders also have the option of extending cover to winter sports, cruises, trip disruption, enhanced Covid protection and gadgets for an additional premium. The Post Office will also consider travellers with pre-existing medical conditions for extra cost.
How to contact the Post Office
For general enquiries about any policy, customers can call 0330 123 3690 from Monday to Friday between 9am and 6.30pm, and on Saturdays between 9am and 5.30pm.
How to find the best travel cover
A price comparison service is a sensible way to ensure you get the right cover at the cheapest premium. However, bear in mind that price is only half the story when it comes to travel insurance. A cheap policy could prove to be a false economy if it doesn’t provide the level of protection you need. And it could present problems if you come to make a claim and find yourself underinsured.
Always read the policy wording carefully to make sure the cover is appropriate for your circumstances and the nature of your trip.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Post Office travel insurance good?
A good policy is one that suits the requirements of the traveller. However, the Post Office is a trusted brand with a transparent travel insurance offering and gets a star rating of 4.5/5 in Forbes Advisor’s Best Single Trip Travel Insurance.
The Post Office also won Best Travel Insurance Provider at the British Travel Awards in 2022 and at the Your Money Awards in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Its Premier policies are Defaqto 5-star rated while independent data provider, Fairer Finance also awards the provider 5/5 stars.
What extras does Post Office travel insurance offer?
The Post Office offers a number of cover ‘upgrades’, including for gadgets, cruises, high-risk and winter sports and trip disruption which covers natural catastrophe and air space disruption.
While golf is covered as standard in terms of its medical, personal accident and personal liability cover, you can choose to add on the golf upgrade, which offers more tailored protection including for equipment.
Does Post Office travel insurance cover Covid?
Post Office policies include automatic cover for Covid-related risks such as falling ill with the virus before planned departure and needing to cancel the trip, or contracting the virus while away and needing treatment.
For an additional premium, travellers can choose to bolt on extra cover which extends to cutting a trip short due to a travel companion, or someone they planned to stay with, falling ill with the virus.
How can a traveller make a claim on a Post Office travel insurance policy?
The Post Office allows policyholders to submit claims online at postoffice.claimhere.co.uk or by telephone. For claims on policies that begin with TA or TC, policyholders can call 0333 333 9702. For policies that begin with TE, policyholders should call 01403 330 233.
Policyholders must have all related evidence and documents, such as receipts, invoices and policy documents to hand. It’s best to keep copies of any evidence sent to the insurer, for personal reference.
For 24-hour medical assistance, customers with policies starting TA or TC should call 0203 865 3074, while those with policies starting TE should call +44 (0) 1403 289 163 outside of the US, Canada and Mexico, +1 877 324 0460 from the US and Canada or +1 819 780 0644 from Mexico.
It’s a good idea to add the relevant contacts into your phone before departing.
