Direct Line Travel Insurance Review: The Best Plan for You?

Direct Line Travel Insurance Review: The Best Plan for You?

Not the cheapest cover, but you get End Supplier Failure and Natural Disaster cover, plus replacement of unused frequent flier miles.

Good for

  • Cover for natural disasters & End Supplier Failure
  • Trip Delay/Cancellation/Curtailment
  • Cover for replacement cost of used points/miles
  • Older travellers

Bad for

  • Personal Belongings/Baggage (costs extra)
  • High limits on Valuables
  • Delayed departure cover

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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According to our analysis, Direct Line travel insurance can be a bit expensive, especially since you have to pay extra for Personal Belongings/Baggage cover (it's not included as standard); but we like that all policies 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. Read through our analysis of Direct Line travel insurance to help decide if it's right for your needs.

In This Review

Direct Line Travel Insurance Review: What You Need to Know

Direct Line offers one tier of Travel Insurance that includes Trip Cancellation/Curtailment, Emergency Medical, Trip Delay/Missed Departure, Legal Assistance and Personal Liability—generally speaking the policy has a really solid set of features, with a few exceptions like baggage costing extra.

In addition, Winter Sports and Personal Belongings/Baggage cover can be added to Direct Line travel insurance policies for an additional cost. Winter Sports cover will cost start roughly from £9 to £50 for a healthy, young individual traveller or from £20 to £115 for a family of four. Expect baggage cover to cost in the range of from £3.50 to £7.50 extra for the individual or £8 to £15 for a family.

Direct Line policies cover trips up to 42 days (Single trip policies for those aged 60+ and Annual, Multi-Trip policies for all ages) or up to 90 days (Single trip policies for those under 60 years of age).

Does Direct Line Travel Insurance Cover Trips in the UK? Holidays in the UK are covered under Direct Line policies, so long as you stay in pre-booked, commercially-operated accommodation for at least 2 consecutive nights.

Pre-Existing Conditions: You must declare any pre-existing conditions. Direct Line will either cover your medical condition without any extra premium, cover your condition with an extra premium or exclude cover for that condition.

Over 65s: The maximum Single Trip duration is shorter at 42 days for those aged 60+ (vs. 90 days for travellers under 60 years of age).

Covid cover: Direct Line offers pretty good cover for medical and cancellation costs related to Covid, such as:

  • Medical expenses if you catch COVID-19 while you’re away.
  • Additional accommodation and transport costs if you have to quarantine because you catch COVID-19 while you’re away.
  • Cancellation costs if you or a close relative are diagnosed with COVID-19 before you go, you have to quarantine or the FCDO change their advice after you booked your trip.
  • Cover to cut short your trip if the FCDO change their advice unexpectedly regarding the country you’re visiting.

Direct Line Travel Insurance Key Points

  • Annual, Multi-Trip: trips up to 42 days each
  • Single Trip: trips up to 90 days (except those aged 60+ have a 42-day trip limit), no upper age limit
  • Optional extras: Winter Sports and Baggage
  • End Supplier Failure cover
  • Natural disasters cover
  • Trip Delay/Cancellation/Curtailment
  • Cover for replacement cost of used points/miles
  • Personal Belongings/Baggage not included as standard
  • Lower-than-average limits on Valuables
  • Delayed departure cover only kicks in after a 12-hour delay

Direct Line Travel Insurance Prices

Data analysis showed that Direct Line prices may be roughly 10% more expensive than average without inclusion of Direct Line’ Baggage extra; if Baggage is included then Direct Line prices may be around 20% more expensive than the average cost of travel insurance, but as you can see in the following charts there is a difference between Single and Annual Multi-Trip policies. We gathered sample quotes of Direct Line Travel Insurance for a sample healthy, 30-year-old individual traveller, to quantify the value found in Direct Line travel insurance policies.

chart showing Direct Line multi-trip travel insurance prices and value compared to the market
Direct Line Multi-Trip Travel Insurance Sample Prices by Geography
chart showing Direct Line single-trip travel insurance prices and value compared to the market
Direct Line Single Trip Travel Insurance Prices by Geography

Insurance quotes can vary significantly from day to day and according to your individual details, so please use this data for general educational purposes only; your quotes may reflect a large degree of variation to quotes listed here. When deciding upon the best travel insurance policy for you, don’t just look at price—features, benefits and exclusions potentially have a much larger impact than the premium you pay.

Direct Line Travel Insurance for a Family

Travelling with a family of four will more than double the cost of an individual travel insurance policy with Direct Line. To get an idea of what you might pay, we’ve gathered sample quotes for parents and children aged 8 and 10 across geographical locations like Europe and America.

How Expensive is Direct Line Travel Insurance for a Family?

Geographical CoverBasic PremiumWinter Sports Add On CostBaggage Add On CostPremium, including BaggagePremium, including Winter Sports and Baggage
Multi-TripEurope£98£20£11£109£130
Worldwide ex USA, Canada, S. & Central Amer., Mexico & Carib.£119£18£13£133£151
Worldwide£127£35£14£141£176
Single TripFrance£75£74£8£83£157
South Africa£93£93£10£103£196
USA£114£114£12£127£240

Cost of Direct Line Winter Sports and Baggage Add-Ons

We've also gathered quotes across geographies to give you an idea of Winter Sports and Baggage travel insurance add-on costs for a healthy, 30-year-old individual traveller.

How Expensive are Direct Line Winter Sports & Baggage Add-On Costs?

Geographical CoverBaggage/Personal BelongingsWinter Sports
Multi-TripEurope£4.83£9.00
Worldwide ex USA, Canada, S. & Central Amer., Mexico & Carib.£7.02£9.56
Worldwide£7.49£18.62
Single TripFrance£3.57£32.50
South Africa£4.45£40.51
USA£5.45£49.63

Notable Features

Here are some highlights of features available on Direct Line travel insurance policies. Standard features like Medical and Personal Liability are also included on Direct Line policies, limits for which can be found below in the limits section. For complete details like inner limits and exclusions, please refer to the policy documents.

Direct Line Travel Insurance Features
Winter SportsOPTIONAL extra cover available for up to 22 days of cover on Annual, Multi-Trip policies or up to the duration of your Single Trip
Scuba DivingCovered up to a depth of 18 metres (where you are a qualified diver and accompanied at all times by another qualified diver OR where you are accompanied by a qualified diving instructor)
Natural DisastersCover for fire, storm, lightning, avalanche, explosion, hurricane, earthquake, flood, tidal wave, medical epidemic or pandemic for unused accommodation and travel or additional accommodation and travel if you want to continue, cancel or cut short your trip.
End Supplier FailureUp to £5,000 per insured person for covering irrecoverable sums prior to departure, for travel arrangements that aren’t part of an inclusive holiday; after departure, cover for replacement travel arrangements or if curtailment is unavoidable, return transportation
Personal Belongings/BaggageOPTIONAL extra cover for Personal belongings and baggage up to £1,500; limit on single items of £300; £300 total valuables cover (e.g., mobile phones); up to £100 consumable items
Trip Cancellation/CurtailmentCover up to £5,000 for irrecoverable unused travel and accommodation expenses (including £150 for excursions) if you have to cancel the trip before you leave home or cut the trip short in case of unexpected emergency/circumstances outside your control; the cost to replace used points or miles (e.g., Avios) you used to book your flight or accommodation
Delayed BaggageUp to £200 per insured person to replace essential toiletries, medication and clothing or hire replacement sports equipment if your belongings are delayed at least 12 hours after you arrive at your destination
Missed DepartureUp to £600 per insured person (£200 for UK trips) for reasonable additional accommodation and travel expenses if you miss your plane, ship or train due to your scheduled public transport (not a taxi) or connecting flight running late or your vehicle being stuck in traffic, involved in an accident, breaking down or delayed due to road closures
Delayed DepartureCover up to £200 per insured person for additional travel, accommodation and refreshment costs if your plane, ship or train is delayed more than 12 hours; £500 per insured person for unused accommodation and travel expenses (£150 for excursions) if you’re late arriving at your destination due to a delay of more than 12 hours
Points/MilesIncludes cover for the cost of replacing used points/miles if you booked your flight or accommodation using a scheme like Avios, in the case of Delayed or Missed Departure, Trip Cancellation or Curtailment.

Types of Direct Line Travel Insurance Policies

Direct Line offers one tier of Annual, Multi-Trip or Single Trip cover, plus "Discoverer Trip" backpacker/long stay cover for longer journeys up to 18 months long.

Direct Line Single Trip: Direct Line Single Trip travel insurance covers trips up to 90 days abroad. There is no upper age limit, however those aged 60 or older are limited to a 42-day maximum trip length.

Direct Line Annual Multi-Trip: Direct Line Annual, Multi-Trip policies cover trips up to 42 days in length. Within each policy year, you can travel as many time as you want provided your total time abroad doesn’t exceed 90 days.

Direct Line Discoverer Trip Cover: Cover for backpackers, gap years and those going on longer journeys from 3 months up to 18 months long. Trip Abandonment and Delayed or Missed Departure are not covered on Discoverer policies, but Baggage cover is included as standard up to £1,500. Winter Sports cover is NOT available as an add on.

Here are some Direct Line cover limits (Single & Annual Multi-Trip Policies)

Cover FeaturePolicy limits for each insured person
Cancellation/ CurtailmentUp to £5,000
Missed departureUp to £600 (£200 for UK trips)
Delayed departureFor delays beyond 12 hours, up to £200 max per person for additional accommodation, travel, etc. and up to £500 for each insured person for any unused accommodation and travel expenses at the destination
Delayed baggageUp to £200 per person for 12+ hour delays
Medical EmergencyUp to £10,000,000 abroad (£10,000 for UK trips)
Personal accidentUp to £25,000 (£10,000 if fatal or loss of sight or limb)
Loss of passportUp to £500
Personal liabilityUp to £2,000,000
Legal assistanceUp to £50,000
Disaster coverUp to £1,000
End Supplier FailureUp to £5,000

Cover Limits for OPTIONAL Winter Sports Travel Insurance

Cover FeaturePolicy limits for each insured person per trip
Ski equipmentUp to £500

Replacement hire
Up to £300 (£25 per day)

Ski pass and fees
Up to £250 (£20 per day)

Piste closure
Up to £200 (£20 per day)

Limits for OPTIONAL Personal Belongings/Baggage Cover

Cover FeaturePolicy limits for each insured person per trip
Lost, stolen or damaged baggageUp to £1,500

Single article limit
Up to £300

Total valuables limit
Up to £300

Total for consumable items (e.g., tobacco, food, drink, etc.)
Up to £100

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.

How does Direct Line Travel Insurance Compare to Competitors?

To better understand the value of Direct Line 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.

Direct Line Travel Insurance vs AXA Travel Insurance

AXA travel insurance offers good value for money, with all plans including Insolvency, Baggage, Cancellation/Delay/Curtailment and Catastrophe. Those who ski or snowboard will get longer Winter Sports cover with AXA (over 30 days, depending on the plan).

Bottom Line: If you really want cover for End Supplier Failure and Baggage included as standard, or you spend more than 22 on Winter Sports trips per year, then AXA might be a more comprehensive travel insurance option for you.

Direct Line Travel Insurance vs AA Travel Insurance

AA travel insurance is another provider offering good value. In particular, we like their higher-tier Standard plan as it offers higher limits plus includes Abandonment and Financial Failure, may cover pre-existing conditions and you can add extended Travel Disruption protection. Personal Belongings and baggage are covered on all policies, although cover limits may be too low for some travellers. When purchased online, customers can lock in a 20% online discount for the first year.

Bottom Line: If you want Baggage included and an online discount, AA offers 20% off to new customers.

Direct Line Travel Insurance vs Holidaysafe Travel Insurance

Holidaysafe offers travellers a vast array of Annual and Single Trip travel insurance plans, with varying cover limits to suit most needs. Prices are very competitive and solid value can be found amongst plans that can be customized to cover your particular activities, such as Sailing, Scuba, Mountain Biking, Motorcycling, Golf, Running & Triathlon, Cycling, Marathon and Winter Sports. The Premier Plus plans come in at market average prices, and include financial failure and natural disaster cover.

Bottom Line: If you're looking for customizable travel insurance cover, Holidaysafe offers many options to get the cover you need.

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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