AA Travel Insurance Review: Looking for Good Value?

AA Travel Insurance Review: Looking for Good Value?

AA travel insurance Standard Plan is comprehensive and good value for money.

Good for

  • Including Personal Belongings/Baggage on all plans
  • Giving extra perks to AA members
  • Including kids for free
  • Securing a 20% online discount

Bad for

  • Covering high-value baggage
  • Covering tickets bought with frequent flier miles
  • Covering trips that exceed the maximum length

Editor's Rating

4.0/5.0

The guidance on this site is based on our own analysis and is meant to help you identify options and narrow down your choices. We do not advise or tell you which product to buy; undertake your own due diligence before entering into any agreement. Read our full disclosure here.

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While AA's higher-tier Travel Insurance plans offer some desirable features and good value, and cover for pre-existing conditions, cover limits and features on lower-level policies may be too low for some travellers. And customer complaints about the claims process leave something to be desired. Let's take a look at what AA travel insurance does well, and where they could improve.

In This Review

AA Travel Insurance Review: What You Need to Know

Is AA Travel Insurance any good? We think that higher-tier Silver/Silver Essential and Gold/Gold Essential travel insurance plans produce good value, but their lower-tier Bronze/Bronze Essential plans are lacking in features.

We particularly like that the Silver/Silver Essential and Gold/Gold Essential policies offer a "Travel Disruption" benefit, which provides for reasonable additional accommodation and public transport travel expenses (up to the standard of your original booking) so that you may continue your trip if it's disrupted by:

  • Catastrophe (e.g., fire, earthquake, volcanic eruption, hurricane, an outbreak of food poisoning or an infectious disease, flood, explosion, storm or civil commotion)
  • Insolvency of the accommodation provider, transport provider or their booking agents
  • The public transport on which you were booked to travel being cancelled or delayed for at least 12 hours, diverted or redirected after take-off; or
  • Being involuntarily denied boarding and offered no suitable alternative

AA's lower tier Bronze/Bronze Essential plans are really quite basic and cover amounts may not be sufficient in the case of travel disaster. For example, cancellation cover is only £1,000. However you do still get a decent amount of emergency medical cover on these plans (£5 million on Bronze/£10 million on Bronze Essential). This is really only suitable for those needing to protect very inexpensive holidays/those who primarily want travel insurance for the emergency health cover.

In our opinion, some of the most noteworthy limitations of the Essential plan beyond lower overall limits are the lack of Travel Disruption to cover unforeseen events like storms or volcanic eruption, lack of Hospital Benefit and lack of Delayed Arrival benefit. For a side-by-side analysis of the features, see our Policies section below.

However, customer reviews are questionable.

If you go with AA, be sure to keep your trips shorter than the maximum trip length, or else any claims will be invalid. Longer trips can be accommodated, with direct policies providing the option of 30, 44 or 61 days.

Does AA Travel Insurance Cover Trips in the UK? AA policies cover UK travel so long as you pre-booked at least 2 consecutive nights in paid accommodation such as a hotel, motel, holiday park, holiday camp, bed and breakfast or holiday cottage, or pre-booked transport at least 50 miles from your home (Isle of Man and Channel Islands treated separately).

Pre-Existing Conditions: AA can consider cover for pre-existing medical conditions, but your premium is likely to increase.

Over 65s: The policy documents list no upper age limits.

What are the 'Essential' plans? AA 'Essential' policies are those sold via comparison sites. They have slightly different terms, features and limits when compared to buying direct from AA. Broadly speaking, the 'Essential' policies have slightly less in terms of coverage and options, but may be a bit cheaper to buy. We advise you to look at both before deciding.

COVID-19 Cover

AA will not cover any trips to a destination where the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) have advised against all non-essential travel.

AA will cover:

  • any medical claims because of Coronavirus if you are travelling to an area where no FCO advice against travel exists
  • if you have to cancel your trip because you, your travelling companion, close relative or colleague has fallen ill with COVID-19
  • if you have to cancel your trip because you or your travelling companion has to self-isolate due to COVID-19 symptoms or orders from NHS Test and Trace
  • if you're denied boarding at an airport because you have symptoms of COVID-19. In such an event, you'll need to be tested for COVID-19 in line with government guidance.

AA Travel Insurance Key Facts

  • Three levels of cover available direct: Bronze, Silver, Gold
  • Three levels of cover available from comparison sites: Bronze Essential, Silver Essential, Gold Essential
  • Travel Disruption available on Silver/Silver Essential and Gold/Gold Essential policies
  • Max trip length, annual policies: Option to choose between 30, 44 and 61 nights when buying direct
  • Extra perks for AA members: £1,000 UK Rehabilitation and £50 of prescription cover on Silver and Gold plans

AA Travel Insurance Customer Reviews and Ratings

AA Travel Insurance Ratings & Customer Reviews
Trustpilot customer service rating4.3 out of 5

Is AA Travel Insurance any good? AA Insurance gets high ratings for the features provided by AA travel insurance. While we agree that AA travel insurance has policies that rate well for features, their customer reviews are a mixed bag. Please keep in mind that the Trustpilot and Reviews.co.uk ratings are based on AA insurance as a whole, which includes car insurance, home insurance, breakdown cover, and more. We've read through hundreds of reviews to see what real customers have to say about AA travel insurance specifically. Here's what we found:

AA Travel Insurance Trustpilot

Overall, AA insurance has earned 4.3 out of 5 stars by over 20,000 customers at Trustpilot, with 65% having a 5-star, "Excellent" experience and 12% of customers leaving just 1 star indicating a bad experience. We noticed also that their Trustpilot review has increased from 3.5 to 4.3 in the past few years, leading us to believe they're working on improving their customer experience, which is always a good thing. Here is a sample of the more common complaints and praise:

"I have my car insurance, home insurance and travel insurance with the AA. Their rates seem comparable and it is easy to renew on-line."

"Trust the AA totally. They are very helpful & professional. I have breakdown cover, car & travel insurance. Always very competitive."

"I used to obtain my annual travel insurance directly from AXA. However they stopped selling under their own name but a list of other insurers underwritten by AXA was published. The AA one was both the best price and had the option of adding in pre-existing medical conditions (relevant in my case) in online rather than phone up.

Hopefully I won't need to claim, but AXA handled two previous claims very efficiently which was my reason for searching for one underwritten by them."

"Trying to claim for a cancelled holiday due to COVID - a situation entirely covered within my annual travel insurance (we actually purchased the insurance as it was recommended by Money Saving Expert). The process of making the claim has been utterly awful. I first logged the claim in March and, after several calls and emails to them, I was told by AA to go straight to the Axa underwriters. I finally received a claims back at the end of June. I submitted by evidence quickly and waited the 30 working days (6 weeks!) in which they tell you not to chase. Having heard nothing, I got back in touch and, eventually, was told they'd not received my evidence (I'd had an automated email confirming receipt originally). Having re-submitted my evidence, i've received a number of back and forth emails asking the same questions and requesting evidence I've already provided. Clearly delay tactics. An awful, awful experience with AA abdicating their responsibility to their awful underwriters. I'll be referring them to the Ombudsman and FCA - would suggest others with similar grievances do too. People are losing life-changing amounts of money and it is despicable behaviour from established and (previously) well-thought of companies."

"Travel claim now ongoing for almost 4 months. Spent hours on phone chasing.Unhelpful information, incomplete and misleading. Finally submitted all evidence they eventually requested over 1 month ago. Told not to enquire for 30 days. Rang today - taken message and they should give me update in 10 days! Probably my worst ever customer experience."

"Very poor customer service. Submitted a claim in April and have heard nothing from AA. Called 5 times only to be told we will call you back and still absolutely nothing. I made a complaint and still heard nothing back. It's been more than 2 months and nobody at AA had even acknowledged they have the claim."

"Put in a claim from my travel insurance policy via the online claim form (as directed) in mid April 2020. Never received a confirmation, called and never got through, two months on, no one has ever got in touch with me. Understandably the volume of claims have rocketed due to COVID 19, but you cannot justify 2 months with absolutely no response to policyholders! I contacted AAtravelinsurance @ axa-insurance.co.uk. on 15 May and they told me to go back to the claims team, which never responded to me for 2 months in the first place. AA is sending me around in circles."

Unfortunately we did not come across any positive reviews of AA travel insurance on Trustpilot to offset these negative reviews. We appreciate that travel insurance companies have had a spectacularly difficult time during the pandemic, but we would expect a higher level of customer service nonetheless.

AA Price Comparison

According to our data research, AA travel insurance sample quotes we gathered were generally competitive against the average cost of travel insurance in the UK. We've gathered some sample quotes so you can see roughly how much our test travellers would need to pay, looking at two age groups (35 and 65 years old). You can see how prices change across geographical locations like Europe and America

chart showing AA multi-trip travel insurance prices
AA Multi-Trip Travel Insurance Prices

Insurance quotes can vary significantly from day to day and according to your individual details, so please just use the following data for educational purposes only; your quotes may reflect a large degree of variation. As you can see in the table below, there can be a significant premium for travelling with pre-existing medical conditions.

How much is AA Travel Insurance (annual policy)?Geographic CoverageBronzeSilverGold
65 year oldEurope£56£69£81
Worldwide ex USA£92£114£133
Worldwide£137£163£186
Worldwide with High Blood Pressure£193£229£261
35 year oldEurope£23£30£38
Worldwide ex USA£37£50£61
Worldwide£53£66£79

A family of four can generally expect to pay on average 2X the cost of an individual policy, meaning kids go free. and policy types for a family of four, with and without Winter Sports cover.

Types of AA Travel Insurance Policies

AA offers 3 tiers of Single and Multi-Trip travel insurance through their website: Bronze (less cover), Silver (more cover) and Gold (the highest tier). AA also sells three tiers of travel insurance through comparison sites: Bronze Essential, Silver Essential and Gold Essential.

AA Travel Insurance Cover Limits (Single Trip and Annual, Multi-Trip)

AA Cover LimitsBronzeSilverGoldBronze EssentialSilver EssentialGold Essential
Excess£150£80£50£150£95£50
Cancellation/Curtailment£1,000£3,000£5,000£1,000£3,000£5,000
Baggage (Single Article)£500 (£225)£1,500 (£300)£2,500 (£400)£500 (£225)£1,500 (£300)£2,500 (£400)
Medical Emergency£5 Million£10 Million£15 Million£10 Million£10 Million£10 Million
Emergency Dental£350£400£500£200£300£400
Hospital Benefit (Total)No Cover£300 (£15/day)£600 (£25/day)No Cover£200 (£10/day)£300 (£15/day)
UK RehabilitationNo CoverNo Cover (AA member £1,000)No Cover (AA member £1,000)No CoverNo CoverNo Cover
PrescriptionsNo CoverNo Cover (AA member £50)No Cover (AA member £50)No CoverNo CoverNo Cover
Missed Departure£500£750£1,000£300£500£750
Delayed Arrival (Total)No Cover£100 (£30 first 12 hrs; then £10/12 hrs)£100 (£30 first 12 hrs; then £10/12 hrs)No Cover£100 (£20 first 12 hrs; then £10/12 hrs)£100 (£20 first 12 hrs; then £10/12 hrs)
Travel DisruptionNo Cover£3,000£5,000No Cover£3,000£5,000
Total Valuables£300£400£750£250£300£500
Delayed Baggage£150£250£300£150£200£250
Loss of Passport and Personal Money£225£500£750£225£250£400
Cash (£50 if under 16)£175£200£300£175£200£300
Legal expenses£25,000£50,000£50,000£10,000£25,000£25,000
Personal Liability£1 Million£2 Million£2 Million£1 Million£2 Million£2 Million

Those heading off on a Winter Sports holiday can get the following levels of cover under AA’s Winter Sports add on.

Cover Limits for AA Winter Sports Cover

AA Cover LimitsBronzeSilverGoldBronze EssentialSilver EssentialGold Essential
Ski Equipment (owned)£500£750£1,000£500£600£750
Ski equipment (hired)£250£250£250£200£200£200
Ski equipment single article limit£225£300£400£225£300£400
Hire of ski equipment£200£300£300£150£200£200

Note, AA travel insurance does not off any cover for piste closure, for instance if there is no snow—or too much snow!

Please read some of our Travel Insurance Guides if you're trying to decide between Single Trip or Multi-Trip policies, learn about What May Not be Covered by Travel Insurance or decide if you Need Travel Insurance or Not.

Pre-Existing Conditions

You will need to declare the following types of condition, if the person to be covered has had any medical advice, treatment (including surgery, tests or investigations) or been prescribed medication for any of the following in the past 5 years:

on_current="true" Any cancer condition (including leukaemia, non Hodgkin's lymphoma and any type of skin cancer) Any heart-related or blood circulatory condition (including high blood pressure and high cholesterol) Any diabetic condition Any neurological condition (including stroke, brain haemorrhage, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and dementia) Any breathing condition (including asthma, bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) Any renal, kidney or liver condition Any psychiatric or psychological condition (including anxiety, stress and depression) Any chronic condition that can be controlled but not cured (including back pain, Crohn’s, diverticular and coeliac disease and ulcerative colitis) And/or in the last 12 months, been referred to or seen by a hospital doctor for any other medical condition

As shown above in the cost section, travellers with pre-exiting conditions should expect to pay more for their travel insurance.

FAQs

AA travel insurance is underwritten, sold and administered by AXA Insurance UK plc.

How does AA Travel Insurance Compare to Competitors?

To better understand the value of AA travel insurance you need to look at it in the context of other available options. We compared it to other plans in the market so you can see which may be more suitable for you.

AA Travel Insurance vs Direct Line Travel Insurance

Direct Line travel insurance plans include cover for End Supplier Failure and Natural Disasters, plus cover for the replacement cost of used points or miles in case of Cancellation/Curtailment for a trip bought with air miles or another rewards structure. While prices are a bit higher than average, according to our analysis, you are getting these extra cover features. One surprising extra is Baggage—you'll need to pay extra to cover your personal belongings as they're not included as standard.

Bottom Line: If you really want cover for End Supplier Failure or Natural Disasters, or if you book trips with miles, then Direct Line might provide more comprehensive travel insurance for you. AA only covers travel tickets paid for using any reward scheme (e.g., Avios or supermarket loyalty points) if evidence of specific monetary value can be provided.

AA Travel Insurance vs AXA Travel Insurance

We found that AXA travel insurance offers solid cover for reasonable prices, offering good value for money. Insolvency, Baggage, Cancellation/Delay/Curtailment and Catastrophe are included on all plans. AXA under

Bottom Line: AXA underwrites AA travel insurance, so if you'd rather work directly with the underwriter you might prefer buying an AXA policy.

Other Useful Information

Erin Yurday

Erin Yurday is the Founder and Editor of NimbleFins. Prior to NimbleFins, she worked as an investment professional and as the finance expert in Stanford University's Graduate School of Business case writing team. Read more on LinkedIn.

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The guidance on this site is based on our own analysis and is meant to help you identify options and narrow down your choices. We do not advise or tell you which product to buy; undertake your own due diligence before entering into any agreement. Read our full disclosure here.

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