The UK has enough bucket list attractions to compete with any travel destination around the world. With the historical magnificence of Buckingham Palace, the charming beauty of the English countryside, the prehistoric intrigue of Stonehenge and the raw wilderness of Scottish shores, it’s little wonder that thousands of Aussies explore the UK each year.

The UK is made up of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, and each region has its own identity, attractions and potential challenges for travellers. While some areas of the UK might feel like a home away from home for many Australians, your holiday still needs research, preparation and the right travel insurance for your journey. 

What should my travel insurance for the UK include?

Your travel insurance for the UK should provide cover for the unexpected. The level of cover should be right for you and your journey, so be sure to do your research before choosing your policy and provider.

Some Australians might assume that because of Australia’s close relationship with the UK, they don’t need travel insurance when visiting. However, while Australia and the UK share a reciprocal health agreement, that provides limited medical cover for Australians in the UK, this doesn’t include protection for emergency dental care, flight cancellations caused by injury, medical evacuation, or any treatment from a medical provider that isn’t part of the National Health Service Scheme.

What types of travel insurance could I get for the UK? 

Our travel insurance offers a range of cover options for your trip to the UK. 

International Comprehensive 

Our International Comprehensive travel insurance policy, can better protect you with a variety of benefits, generous policy limits and a supportive claims team. You’ll gain access to our worldwide emergency assistance team, who are there to help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  
 
Our International Comprehensive travel insurance includes cover for: 

• Unlimited medical and evacuation expenses that arise due to unexpected events while on your journey
• Cancellation fees and lost deposits – increase your cover depending on the cost of your journey
• Damaged or lost baggage
• Personal items if they are stolen or damaged
• Rental car excess should you have an accident
• Emergency dental treatment
• Funeral costs
• Optional add-ons for cruise, moped and ski cover. 

Annual Multi-trip

Heading overseas a few times this year? We know family visits, events and holidays can mean you’re not just taking one overseas trip per year! We offer an Annual Multi-trip policy that offers the same great benefits as our International Comprehensive policy, and means that you’re covered for an unlimited number of return journeys overseas, over a period of 12-months. You’re able to choose to have your journeys covered up to a maximum of 30, 60 or 90 days in length. This can make it easier to sort your travel insurance for all of your upcoming trips, and you can focus on what matters – the adventure!  

International Medical Only

This policy protects you against medical emergencies while overseas and provides a low-cost alternative to our International Comprehensive cover.  

Our International Medical Only policy can include cover for:  

• Medical expenses
• Evacuation and repatriation costs
• Emergency dental treatment
• Cash allowance while in hospital
• Accompanying person
• Funeral expenses or return of mortal remains
• Loss of life
• Personal liability

Planning to work in the UK? Check out our Working Overseas policy.

A popular spot for a gap year or overseas experience, we know how important it is to have cover during your stint in the UK. 

Things to consider with Travel insurance for the UK 

Does my insurance cover me for medical and hospital bills?

Whether it’s a slip and fall, a contaminated restaurant meal, or a bad bout of the flu, medical emergencies can be incredibly expensive. As well as the cost of medical treatment, you may need to pay for more spacious seats on the plane (to accommodate a broken leg, for example). Some injuries and illnesses might force you to extend your holiday, meaning you have to pay for extra accommodation and living expenses until you’re fit to fly.

We understand how upsetting medical emergencies can be while you’re on holiday, which is why our International Comprehensive, Working Overseas and International Medical Only travel insurance policy’s can cover you for unlimited medical and evacuation expenses that arise due to unexpected events while on your journey.
 

Am I covered for stolen or damaged valuables, like my phone, camera and laptop? 

The UK can feel like a second home for many Aussies, however that shouldn’t make them complacent with their valuables. Pickpocketing and petty theft is common in the UK. We understand how upsetting it can be to have your valuables stolen overseas, which is why our International Comprehensive, Annual Multi-trip and Working Overseas travel insurance policy can cover you for loss, damage or theft to valuables that occurs from an unexpected event.

What is an ‘unexpected event’? Your policy defines an unexpected event as something that was unforeseeable, sudden, unintended and out of your control. You can read more about your cover under our relevant travel insurance policy documents.

Does my cover include flight cancellations and delays? 

Whether it’s severe weather, volcanic ash clouds, or airline workers on strike, there are a number of ways your flight plans can be disrupted. For uninsured travellers, these disruptions can be costly and frustrating, especially when you need to extend your accommodation bookings.

Our International Comprehensive, Working Overseas and Annual Multi-trip travel insurance policy includes travel interruption cover, that can insure you for the additional costs of accommodation, transport and meals if your travel is interrupted for more than 12 hours. If you’re attending a special event (e.g. a wedding or concert) and your travel is disrupted by an unexpected event, we may also cover alternative transport costs to get you there on time.

We don’t offer any cover for changes to your journey (including flight delays and cancellations) under our International Medical Only policy. 

Am I insured if I rent a car in the UK? 

Heading beyond the city centres in a rental car is a great way to explore the charming UK countryside. Raw coastline, rolling hills and rustic villages can all be easily reached in a rental car.

But before hitting the open road in a rental car, travellers should ensure that they’re covered for unexpected accidents under their insurance. If your rental vehicle is damaged or stolen due to an unexpected event, our International Comprehensive, Annual Multi-trip and Working Overseas policies can cover non-refundable excess up to $5,000.

If you plan to hit the open road overseas, remember to:

• Obey all local driving laws
• Hire your vehicle from a licensed rental car agency
• Comply with the terms of the rental vehicle agreement
• Only drive on formed or paved roads and car parks
• Don’t drink or drive under any circumstances

Remember, if you take out our International Medical Only policy, rental vehicle excess is not included as part of your cover. 

Do I need to declare transit stops as destinations on my travel insurance policy? 

It’s a given that you’ll have at least one transit stop on your way over to Europe, so it’s important to know whether you need to declare transit stops as destinations on your travel insurance policy. 

Under our International Comprehensive, International Medical Only, Working Overseas, or Annual Multi-trip polices, you do not need to declare transit stops where you are there for less than 48 hours. 

Pre-Existing Medical Conditions 

Pre-existing medical conditions are not automatically covered under your travel insurance policy. We want to help you understand what a pre-existing medical condition is, and what you need to do if you have any, so that you know what you are covered for under your travel insurance policy for your Europe trip.  

What is a pre-existing medical condition?

We consider a pre-existing medical condition to be any illness, injury or health symptom to which all the following apply. 

• You know about it, or a reasonable person should have known about it before the date your insurance starts.
• In the 3 years before the date your insurance starts, any of the following applied:
  • You sought or received medical help
  • Someone recommended you seek or receive medical help
  • A reasonable person would have sought or received medical help
  • You were waiting for medical help

We’re with Aussies in the UK

What you need to know

This page includes some information about our products but, as with all insurance policies, terms and conditions apply. For our terms and conditions (including information about exclusions, excesses and sub limits) we recommend you read the relevant Financial Services Guide (FSG), Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Target Market Determination (TMD) to ensure our travel insurance products are right for you.  

You can find the relevant documents here: International Comprehensive, Annual Multi-trip, International Medical Only, Working Overseas, Domestic.

Need some help?

If you’d like to get in touch, check out the ways you can contact us. Our friendly insurance experts are happy to help!