Now that we are all (almost) vaccinated, and frontiers are opened again, why not look at going away again and enjoy travelling and holidays!! But before you go, you better make sure you look at how you can be covered in case of emergencies!! So, here is all you need to know about travel insurance.
- You are retired and covered via the S1: The UK government will NOT cover you outside Europe, but you are covered inside Europe via the European Health Insurance card. It is a free card that gives you access to healthcare during a temporary stay in any of the 28 EU countries plus Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland, under the same conditions and at the same cost (free in some countries and not in others) as people insured in that country.
Cards are issued by your national health provider (Newcastle for UK) and you can apply for it online. Some CPAM office also provide it. Check your ameli account (Cpam web site) before you ask the UK.
It is NOT an alternative to travel insurance as it does not cover costs such as return flights, repatriation, stolen goods and it does not guarantee free service as each countries’ healthcare system is different. What is free/covered in France might not be elsewhere.
Bad news is: You are NOT covered outside Europe.
- You are working in France or early retiree and covered by the French system: The same will apply inside Europe but you have to ask for the European Health Insurance Card to the French healthcare system and not to the one of your native country.
Good news is: You are covered outside Europe (everywhere in the world) as long as it is emergency treatment and you will have to pay the cost up front and then get reimbursed once you are back in France. You will be reimbursed only up to the amount the French healthcare system would have paid if you were in France. This is why it is important to take out travel insurance if you travel to countries where the health system is expensive (USA, Japan, etc)
- The cover from your car insurance: This will come as a surprise to you and this is why most French people don’t actually bother with travel insurance. You are automatically covered everywhere in the world for health issues and repatriation via a majority of French car insurances as long as you are a French resident. It should be written on your contract under “Garantie Assistance”. You don’t need to be with your car so you can take the plane to Turkey and if you break your leg belly dancing, your French car insurance pays for your repatriation and health expenses. Do note that the insurance will only pay up to a certain amount. For instance, Allianz pays up to 7600 euro on top of what the French health system will pay. Check your contract to see what is the exact cover you get. And remember, if you are retired and covered by the S1, it will be 7600 euro in total as you will get nothing from the UK health system if you are outside Europe. 7600 euro is enough in countries like India or Morocco but it is nowhere near enough if you go to the States! In any case the repatriation is covered.
- The cover from your house insurance: You have private public liability with your house insurance. So, if you break anything abroad while on holiday, it is covered by your house insurance. Less the excess you have on your contract. In fact, it works everywhere, so if you visit some friends ‘house and break their TV or else, your house insurance will cover that.
- Debit/credit card: With some Visa or Mastercard (especially Visa Premier), you get free travel insurance when you purchase your trip using this card. Check with your bank or go online on the website of your card to check.
- Why take out travel insurance: For the reason I stated above and especially if you are going to a country with expensive health system (USA for instance!).
We work with 2 companies: Mondial and Assurever.
Mondial does not cover Covid or pandemic. Assurever does cover Pandemic situations.
With Mondial, we have an all year round travel insurance“Solution Multirique Voyages Annuelle” , a one for one off trip and cancellation insurance.
With Assurever, we have 2 contracts: Assurever Ulysse Assistance and Assurever Ulysse cancellation (only for below 75 years old).
Mondial Assistance contracts are a little bit cheaper but, in my view, not as thorough. They are OK if you only want medical cover and repatriation.
Here they are in details below:
MONDIAL ASSISTANCE
Solution Multirisque Voyages Annuelle covers for :
- All your belongings (up to 1200€).
- Funeral cost up to 2 300€.
- Public liability
- Medical assistance and repatriation (as much as 150 000€ for medical).
- Cancellation up to 6500€ (excess of 30€)- Not Pandemic
- Emergency dental treatment up to 300€
- Search and rescue fees (up to 15 000€)
- Legal cover
- Lots more options
This cover cost 137.50€ for a person below 60 years old and 231.25€ for a person above 60 years old. Pre-existing condition are covered but not medical treatment related to an operation you had 6 Months prior the trip.
The one-off travel insurance It covers trip up to 3 months and the cost does not depends on age but the country where you are going to and how long. There is no health questionnaire! Why should someone unhealthy be deprived of holiday!! For example, a trip to the USA for 3 weeks would cost around 178€ for 2 people. This would cover medical up to 150 000€, repatriation and luggage up to 1200€. It does not cover Covid.
Cancellation insurance: This is a one-off insurance to cover the cancellation of your trip/holiday. Cost depends on how much is your trip! And this insurance must be taken within 48 hours of buying or booking your holiday. It does not cover Covid or Strikes.
It covers cancellation due to an accident or illness, death in your family, damages to your property, car or professional office, accident or broken down of the transport taking you to your trip, theft of your official document, refusal of visa, loss of employment, modification of your holiday from your employer.
You must phone them before you undertake any medical expenses otherwise you take the risk of not being reimbursed.
ASSUREVER:
ASSUREVER ULYSSE ASSISTANCE
MEDICAL, RAPATRIATION AND HELP:
| Transport/ Repatriation | Whatever it costs |
| Return of family members or 2 companions | Taxi + return ticket |
| Presence in hospital | Ticket there and back + 80€ / day max 10 days |
| Extension trip | 80€ / day max 10 days |
| Child support | Ticket there and back |
| Medical cost | 150 000€ or 300 000€ with excess of 30€ |
| Teeth emergency | 150€ per person with excess of 30€ |
| Body repatriation | Whatever it costs |
| Funeral cost | 2 500€ per person |
EARLY RETURN
| For death/hospitalisation of a family member, a work replacement or keeping of a child | Taxi + return ticket |
| In case of a terrorist attack | Taxi + return ticket |
| In case of a damaged to your main residence |
Taxi + return ticket |
HOLIDAY ASSISTANCE
| Advance bail | 10 000€ / person |
| Attorney fees | 3 000€ / person |
| Search and rescue fees at sea and mountain | 5 000€ / person |
| Advance of money in case of theft, loss, or destruction of official documents | 1 500€ / person |
| Mailing of medicines | Cost of mail |
PANDEMIC PROTECTION
| Advise before trip | 1 call |
| Medical repatriation for Pandemic or outbreak | Whatever it costs |
| Impossible return | 1 000€ max per person/50 000€ max per group |
| Hotel fees following quarantine | 150€ / night max 14 nights |
| Medical cost following outbreak or pandemic | 150 000€ or 300 000€ |
| Psychological help following quarantine | 6 appointments per events |
COST
| Destination | Europe and around the Mediterranean sea | USA, Australia and Thailand | Rest of the World |
| Cost per person/ day | 4.70€ | 6.20€ | 5.20€ |
| Extension medical cost to 300 000€/ person/day | +0.80€ | +1.30€ | +1€ |
You must be French resident and have a carte vitale. Group of maximum 9 persons. Trip of 92 days maximum.
ASSUREVER ULYSSE VACANCES
This insurance has 3 level of cover. The Multirisque, the cancellation and an option called Sport which can be added to Multirisque. Multirisque is in black and red, Cancellation in Red and Sport in blue. Multiriques includes cancellation. You can take cancellation on its own.
CANCELLATION OF THE HOLIDAY
| Maximum amount given for cancellation | 16 000€/ person and 40 000€/event |
| Disease, accident or death | excess of 5% of the cost, min 20€ |
| For any justified causes | Excess of 10% of the cost, min 50€ / person |
| For Terrorism or natural disaster | Excess of 10% of the cost, min 50€ / person |
| Bankruptcy or strike of the airline | Excess of 10% of the cost, min 50€ / person |
| Disease due to pandemic or outbreak | Excess of 5% of the cost, min 20€ / person |
| Cannot take the plane due to high temperature | Excess of 10% of the cost, min 50€ / person |
| Missing your plane | Cost of new ticket |
| Excess or lack of snow | Excess of 10% of the cost, min 50€ / person |
| Medical counter indication to do an activity | Excess of 10% of the cost, min 50€ / person |
OTHER
| Delay of the plane >4 hours | 10% of the cost 250€ max |
| Interruption of the sport activity | Prorata temporis |
| Interruption of the holiday | Prorata temporis |
| Interruption of the holiday due to medical repatriation | Value of the holiday |
| Private Public liability | 1 000 000€ max/ event. Excess 75€ |
| Private Public liability Sport | 3 000 000€ max/ event. Excess 150€ |
| Accidents | 7 500€ max/ person and 70 000€ max / event |
LUGGAGES AND PERSONAL EFFECTS
| Theft, destruction total or partial and loss | 2 000€ /person and 10 000€ /event, excess 50€ |
| Cost of redoing lost ID paperwork | 150€/ person |
| Delay of delivery of luggage> 12 hours | 150€ / person |
| Accidental damages or theft of sport or leisure equipements | 1 000€ / person excess of 10% (50€ minimum) |
| Breakage of theft of sport equipment (cost of rental of new equipment) | 150€ / person, 8 days max |
| Reimbursement for loss/theft of activity pass | 300€/ person, excess of 1 day |
MEDICAL, RAPATRIATION AND HELP :
| Transport/ Repatriation | Whatever it costs |
| Return of family members or 2 companions | Taxi + return ticket |
| Presence in hospital | Ticket there and back + 80€ / day max 10 days |
| Extension trip | 80€ / day max 10 days |
| Child support | Ticket there and back |
| Medical cost | 150 000€ with excess of 30€ |
| Teeth emergency | 160€ per person with excess of 30€ |
| Body repatriation | Whatever it costs |
| Funeral cost | 2 500€ per person |
| Medical repatriation for Pandemic or outbreak | Whatever it costs |
| Impossible return | 10% of cost (min 50€) of trip / night/ person max 5 nights. Excess 1 night |
| Hotel fees following quarantine | 150€ / night max 14 nights |
EARLY RETURN
| For death/hospitalisation of a family member, a work replacement or keeping of a child | Taxi + return ticket |
| In case of a terrorist attack | Taxi + return ticket |
HOLIDAY ASSISTANCE
| Advance bail | 15 000€ / person |
| Search fees on official ski resort | Whatever it costs |
| Search and rescue fees at sea and mountain | 7 500€ / person |
| Search and rescue fees at sea and mountain | 15 000€ / person |
| Cost of diving decompression chamber | Up to 150 000€ |
PUBLIC LIABILITY
| Private public liability | 1 000 000€ per claim with 75€ excess |
| Sport private liability | 300 000€ per claim with 150€ excess |
COST
| Cost of the trip per person | Basic | Cancellation |
| Up to 350€ | 39€ | 16€ |
| From 351 to 700€ | 55€ | 27€ |
| From 701 to 1 200€ | 79€ | 40€ |
| From 1 201 to 2 000€ | 109€ | 60€ |
| From 2 001 to 16 000€ | 7.50% of cost of trip | 4% of cost of trip |
| Extension Sport & Leisure | +25€ |
If the trip is above 31 days, there is an extra per person and per day:
| France | +1€ |
| Europe and Mediterranean Sea | +2€ |
| Rest of the world | +4€ |
Egg: A cancellation cover for one person with a trip of 10 days to Egypt costing 1 000€ would cost 40€. Multirisque cover would cost 79€. Add 25€ if you also want the Sport &Leisure option.
If the trip was 45 days, it would be 79€+25€+14 days x2€= 162€
You must be French resident and have a carte vitale.Group of maximum 9 persons. Trip of 92 days maximum. Must be aged below 75 years old. You can take Multirisque on its own or Cancellation on its own. Sport & Leisure is added to Multirisque only.