OK To Travel Review: Is This the Holiday Cover for You?
OK To Travel Review: Is This the Holiday Cover for You?
Good for
- Travel insurance specialist for pre-existing conditions
- No age limits on trips up to 3 months
- Competitive rates
- Post-surgery cover including recuperation holiday, home help, etc.
Bad for
- Less appetite for severe medical conditions
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.
Note: OK to Travel has recently renamed their policies and adjusted some of the coverage and features.
OK To Travel is a specialist holiday insurance company that posts great customer experience reviews and competitive prices. They aim to cover most pre-existing medical conditions including Cancer, Heart Conditions, Diabetes, Stroke, Epilepsy and Mental Health Conditions. If your condition is very severe and OK To Travel cannot provide cover, you may have better luck with Fit2Travel or Free Spirit.
In This Review
- OK To Travel Travel Insurance Overall Review
- OK To Travel Travel Insurance Policy Limits and Coverage Options
- How does OK To Travel Compare to Competitors?
- OK To Travel Policy Wording and Claims
OK To Travel Insurance Review: What You Need to Know
As a medical-specialist travel insurance provider, OK To Travel will consider all medical conditions. It's quite easy to get a quote online, either from their website or from some comparison sites. As part of the quote process you’ll disclose your medical conditions and answer a series of multiple choice questions, such as past treatments, any upcoming, scheduled treatments and whether you had any hospital stays in the past year. You don’t need a doctor's certificate.
Unfortunately, they've recently removed cover for End Supplier Financial Failure and Catastrophe, but they do include these interesting features that can help cover niche medical-related expenses:
- Recuperation holiday (£300 limit)
- UK medical exam (£750 limit)
- Cosmetic surgery (£500 limit)
- Kennel and cattery (£300 to £500 limit)
- Repatriation (£10,000,000 limit)
- and more
OK To Travel typically has quite good rates, although perhaps less so for severe conditions. As always, you'll have to see how the different providers price your specific profile and risks.
What if I have a severe medical condition? If you're struggling to find Annual travel insurance to cover your medical conditions at a reasonable price, you may want to consider a single trip policy instead. Since those with a severe medical condition are riskier to insure, travel insurance providers are more comfortable providing cover for a known trip over a limited time, as discussed in our article on top tips for travel insurance with medical conditions. It's also worth considering providers that might have more appetite for severe or terminal conditions, such as Fit2Travel or Free Spirit.
Over 65s: OK To Travel has age restrictions for single trips of 184 days for those 74 and under and 90 days for those aged 75 - 84 years old. For annual multi-trip policies, the maximum trip length is 32 days.
Bottom Line: OK To Travel can typically provide travel insurance for most medical conditions, although those with a severe medical condition may be better served elsewhere. For most people, however, OK To Travel offers competitive rates for holiday insurance with cover for pre-existing conditions.
Covid Cover
OK to Travel covers a range of COVID-19 cover benefits such as cancellation, emergency medical expenses, denied boarding, accommodation closure, additional accommodation (room only) and travel expenses.
For the latest on their Covid cover, and a list of what is not covered, please see their COVID-19 Document, which can be found on their website.
How do OK To Travel Prices Compare?
According to our analysis for sample travellers, OK To Travel costs 4% to 20% less than average amongst medical-specialist travel insurers, depending on the condition and destination. But these rates are subject to change and will vary from situation to situation.
That said, holidaymakers pay a much lower rate for pre-existing medical conditions when travelling to Europe rather than Worldwide, due to the GHIC providing access to free or reduced-cost health care for Brits whilst on the continent.
While OK To Travel overall offered quite competitive rates for medical conditions, there was variation depending on the geography and condition. For example, OK To Travel didn't even offer cover for anxiety and depression for single trips to Europe, yet for travel Worldwide including America, they offered amongst the cheapest rates for the same condition. Here are some sample rates (note, these reflect their previous policy names).
Insurance quotes can vary significantly from day to day and according to each individual's details, so please just use this following data for general educational purposes only about the travel insurance market; your quotes may reflect a large degree of variation.
Types of OK To Travel Insurance Policies & Features
OK To Travel offers four tiers of travel insurance—Standard, Premier, Premier Extra (this is a new addition) and Premier Plus. All four plans get £10 million of emergency medical cover are available for Single Trips or as Annual, Multi-Trip policies.
OK To Travel Single Trip travel insurance covers trips up to 184 days abroad for those up to age 75; holidaymakers 75 years of age or more are limited to single trips of 90 days in length. There is no upper age limit of annual multi-trip policies. You may be able to extend the maximum trip duration for an extra charge, subject to the underwriter's approval. The following limits and plan details are consistent across policies purchased from the OK To Travel website and a comparison site.
OK To Travel Essential (similar to Premier)
A lower-tier offering, "Essential", provides £1,000 of cancellation/curtailment cover in case you can't go on or you need to cut short your holiday due to an event like falling ill.
OK To Travel Advanced (similar to Premier Extra)
Falling between Essential and Ultimate, OK to travel has introduced mid-tier offering, "Advanced". Not surprisingly, it covers a lot of the exact same things as the higher and lower tiers, with limits for cancellation, abandonment and curtailment in the middle, up to £3,000.
OK To Travel Ultimate (similar to Premier Plus)
The "Ultimate" is their top-tier holiday insurance plan, with £5,000 of cancellation/curtailment cover. Policyholders also get higher limits for personal possessions.
Cover Description (Excess) | Essential | Advanced | Ultimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancelling your trip | £1,000 | £3,000 | £5,000 |
| Medical & other expenses outside of the UK | £10,000,000 | £10,000,000 | £10,000,000 |
| Emergency dental treatment | £500 | £500 | £500 |
| Search and rescue costs | £500 | £500 | £500 |
| Cost of returning your body or ashes to the UK | £10,000 | £10,000 | £10,000 |
| Funeral and burial expenses in the country in which you die (if outside the UK) | £5,000 | £5,000 | £5,000 |
| Hospital benefit | £30 for each full 24-hour period up to £300 | £50 for each full 24-hour period up to £500 | £100 for each full 24-hour period up to £1,000 |
| Additional medical expenses on return to the UK: Recuperation holiday | £300 | £300 | £300 |
| UK medical examination costs | £750 | £750 | £750 |
| Home help or nanny | £500 | £500 | £500 |
| Cosmetic surgery | £500 | £500 | £500 |
| Cutting your trip short | £1,000 | £3,000 | £5,000 |
| Missed departure | £525 | £750 | £1,000 |
| Travel delay | £30 after each full 12-hour period of delay up to £150 | £50 after each full 12-hour period of delay up to £300 | £50 after each full 12-hour period of delay up to £300 |
| Abandoning your trip | £1,000 | £3,000 | £5,000 |
| Personal belongings and baggage | £1,000 | £1,500 | £2,500 |
| Including: One item/pair or set of items limit | £250 | £500 | £750 |
| Including: Valuables limit | £250 | £500 | £750 |
| Delayed baggage (after a min delay of 12 full hours) | £100 | £300 | £500 |
| Loss of prescribed medication | £250 | £500 | £750 |
| Mobility & disability equipment | £1,500 (£1,000 per item/pair) | £1,750 (£1,000 per item/pair) | £2,500 (£1,000 per item/pair) |
| Personal money | £500 | £750 | £1,000 |
| Passport (including visas) Emergency replacement costs | £300 | £400 | £500 |
| Personal accident | £10,000 | £10,000 | £10,000 |
| Personal liability | £2,000,000 | £2,000,000 | £2,000,000 |
| Legal expenses | £10,000 | £15,000 | £20,000 |
| Hijack | £50 after each full 24-hour period up to £250 | £100 after each full 24-hour period up to £500 | £150 after each full 24-hour period up to £750 |
| Kennel & cattery fees | £30 for each full 12-hour period of delay up to £300 | £40 for each full 12-hour period of delay up to £400 | £50 for each full 12-hour period of delay up to £500 |
Optional Extra Features
Those going on a skiing, cruise or golf holiday can buy extra cover to protect against events like lost equipment or inability to engage in your sport due to piste closure, adverse weather, etc. Note, you only get these covers if you pay an extra premium!
Winter Sports Cover
| Optional Extra: Winter Sports Cover | Essential | Advanced | Ultimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter sports equipment you own or hire Including: One item/pair or set of items limit | £500 (£200 per item/pair) | £750 (£400 per item/pair) | £1,000 (£500 per item/pair) |
| Winter sports equipment hire | £150 | £150 | £150 |
| Ski pack | £400 | £400 | £400 |
| Piste closure | "£35 after each full 24-hour period up to £350 | £50 after each full 24-hour period up to £500 | £70 after each full 24-hour period up to £700 |
| Avalanche cover | £300 | £400 | £500 |
And if you're going on a cruise...
| Optional Extra: Cruise Cover | Essential | Advanced | Ultimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Missed port departure | £500 | £750 | £1,000 |
| Cabin confinement | £50 for each full 24-hour period up to £500 | £75 for each full 24-hour period up to £750 | £100 for each full 24-hour period up to £1,000 |
| Cruise itinerary changes (amount per port) | £50 per port up to £500 | £75 per port up to £750 | £100 per port up to £1,000 |
| Unused cruise excursions | £500 | £750 | £1,000 |
How does OK To Travel Compare to Competitors?
To better understand the value of OK To Travel 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.
OK To Travel Insurance vs Fit2Travel Travel Insurance
Fit2Travel is another travel insurer specializing in offering cover to those with pre-existing medical conditions. Fit2Travel plans are also quite economical relative to others in the market for the level of cover and medical conditions, but you don't get perks like aftercare cover post hospitalization once you return home to the UK.
Bottom Line: If you want features like cover for aftercare (e.g., home help, cosmetic surgery, etc.) on your return home to the UK or a recuperation holiday post emergency surgery abroad, then OK To Travel might be more suitable for you, especially if OK To Travel prices are on par for your condition.
OK To Travel Insurance vs Free Spirit Travel Insurance
Another medical-specialist for those travelling with health conditions, Free Spirit also offers a host of optional extras like aftercare following hospitalisation abroad, which covers home help, cosmetic surgery, dental treatment, physiotherapy and UK convalescence. Prices are typically close to average, although can vary depending on the condition.
Bottom Line: Free Spirit provides slightly more robust aftercare once you return home to the UK (e.g., including physiotherapy) and more appetite for severe conditions, but OK To Travel might come in cheaper for your condition. It's worth checking both.
Other Useful Information: Claims and Policy Wording
To have your claim validated, you must contact OK To Travel's Travel Claim facilities 24-hour emergency service immediately on +44 (0) 203 829 6745 in the following circumstances:
- There is a medical emergency (e.g. you are hospitalised or have to return home early for medical reasons)
- You are not hospitalised, but wish to come home early for medical reasons
- You think your claim is likely to exceed £500
Further information such as non-emergency claims and claims forms can be found in the link below.