Zurich Travel Insurance Review: A Good Option for You?

Zurich Travel Insurance Review: A Good Option for You?

Attractive prices and solid cover, but there's no option for extended Gadget cover.

Good for

  • Attractive prices
  • Can buy Direct or from Comparison Site
  • Emergency Medical, Cancellation, Baggage on all plans

Bad for

  • No extended Gadget cover option

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.

Compare Cheap Travel Insurance

Protect your holiday today. Quick quotes from 20 insurers.

{"applyCallToAction":"Get Quotes","defaultSelectedItem":"travel","description":"Protect your holiday today. Quick quotes from 20 insurers.","formType":"Insurance","onCurrent":true,"options":[{"label":"Car Insurance","url":"https:\/\/quote.nimblefins.co.uk\/car-insurance?id=76f4ecd6e1ca7c2f442633593566fdaa","value":"car"},{"label":"Home Insurance","url":"https:\/\/quote.nimblefins.co.uk\/home-insurance?id=76f4ecd6e1ca7c2f442633593566fdaa","value":"home"},{"label":"Motorbike Insurance","url":"https:\/\/quote.nimblefins.co.uk\/bike-insurance?id=76f4ecd6e1ca7c2f442633593566fdaa","value":"motorbike"},{"label":"Pet Insurance","url":"https:\/\/quote.nimblefins.co.uk\/pet-insurance?id=76f4ecd6e1ca7c2f442633593566fdaa","value":"pet"},{"label":"Travel Insurance","url":"https:\/\/quote.nimblefins.co.uk\/travel-insurance?id=76f4ecd6e1ca7c2f442633593566fdaa","value":"travel"}],"title":"Compare Cheap Travel Insurance"}

UPDATE: Zurich is currently unable to offer new Travel insurance quotes or policies. Read more here. This review is being kept up for historical purposes.

Is Zurich travel insurance any good—and should you get a quote from a comparison site or direct from them? Read our review to learn more and to find out about the features they offer and what's missing.

Choosing the best travel insurance for you will depend on factors like price points and features that you might find valuable. Please use the information in this review to help you understand the nuances of various plans to help you narrow down your options.

Zurich Travel Insurance Review: What You Need to Know

Zurich offers a pretty solid set of travel insurance options, with Emergency Medical, Baggage and Cancellation are included on all plans, and mid- and top-tier plans also include some cover for Travel Delay and Scheduled Airline Failure.

You can buy low-, mid- and top-tier plans both direct from their website and from some comparison sites. Prices and some cover limits are generally lower when you buy through the comparison site, as discussed in more detail below in the sections on Price Comparison and Where to Buy. All plans offer £10 million of Emergency Medical cover; here's a quick overview of how their plans compare at a high level:

Key Benefits (up to)BasicStandardExtraEssentialsEnhancedUltimate
Available From Where?DirectComparison site
Loss, theft or damage to baggage£1,000£1,500£2,500£1,000£1,500£2,500
Cancellation and cutting short a trip£1,000£5,000£7,500£1,000£3,000£5,000

We think the comparison site's "Ultimate" offers the most interesting mix of cover levels, excess and price, for those who need around £5k of Cancellation Cover and £2.5k of Baggage (Emergency Medical is the same across all plans). Ultimate provides higher cover levels for Baggage, Travel Delay and Missed Departure than the "Standard" plan you can buy direct, but for 20% less premium on Annual, Multi-Trip policies (or 6% less on Single Trips). Details of cover limits can be found in the policies section.

Depending on your needs, one potential flaw we see with Zurich travel cover is the lack of extra/extended Gadget cover. Items like mobile phones, iPhones, etc. are only protected through standard Valuables cover. This may not be enough for you.

What's Missing

Gadget cover: If you want higher limits to protect your mobile phones, laptop, iPad, etc., you many want to consider a travel insurance plan that offers the ability to pay for additional Gadget cover, such as Admiral for £1,000 of total gadget cover, Travelinsurance.co.uk for £1,000 or £2,000 of total gadget cover or CoverForYou for £1,000, £2,000 or £3,000 of total gadget cover—quotes for these policies can be found through the blue "Get Quotes" button above.

How Much Cover for Gadgets from Zurich?Low TierMid TierTop Tier
Plans Direct from Zurich:"Essentials""Enhanced""Ultimate"
Single article limit£150£250£350
Valuables limit£200£300£500
Plans from Compare Cover comparison site:"Basic""Standard""Extra"
Single article limit£150£200£250
Valuables limit£150£300£350

How do Zurich Travel Insurance Prices Compare

According to our data analysis, Zurich is not a "budget" brand so their prices will not be the cheapest in the market. However their policies offer some attractive features for the price and can be considered to be in line with the average cost of travel insurance for the cover.

Policies bought from a comparison site generally cost less than those bought direct—but there are coverage differences to keep in mind, as discussed in the following section. This holds true whether your travel plans will take to you Europe, America or elsewhere.

Cost of Zurich Travel Insurance with Winter Sports

You can add Winter Sports cover to the Standard and Extra plans when you buy direct, but it's not available as an add on to plans bought on a comparison site. The Winter Sports add on will cost roughly an additional £40 - £70 when added to a plan with worldwide cover or £15 - £30 when added to a Europe-only policy.

Cost of Zurich Travel Insurance with Cruise

Cruise cover can be added to all but the lowest tier policies (Essential and Basic) for an additional cost in the region of £13 - £20 for annual policies and £11 - £17 for single trip policies.

Where to Buy: Direct vs Comparison Site

Generally speaking, buying from a comparison site it cheaper but you may get less coverage than buying direct. Read more about the differences here.

The cheapest Zurich holiday cover plans are available through comparison sites (e.g., as little as £25 for Worldwide, Annual, Multi-Trip cover with £10,000,000 Emergency Medical, £1,000 Cancellation and £1,000 Baggage), whereas the plan with the highest cover is available direct from the Zurich website (e.g., £116 for Worldwide, Annual, Multi-Trip cover with £10,000,000 Emergency Medical, £7,500 Cancellation and £2,500 Baggage).

Beyond that, there are pros and cons to both sources in terms of features and price points. We'll try to explain some of the differences to help you decide whether buying direct or through an aggregator comparison site better suits your particular needs. Below, you'll find a table detailing the differences in Standard excess, upper age limits and maximum trip lengths. You'll notice that these details are generally more favourable on plans bought direct rather than from a comparison site—depending on your needs and situation, these details may or may not be worth the added cost of buying direct to you.

Standard Excess: How Much You'll Pay Towards Most Claims

The excess is typically higher on comparison sites (£50 to £145) than on policies bought direct (£50 to £100):

Zurich Travel Insurance ExcessBasic StandardExtraEssentialsEnhancedUltimate
Available From Where?DirectComparison Site
Standard Excess£100£75£50£145£95£50

Trip duration: Maximum Number of Days each Trip

The maximum trip length is longer on annual policies bought direct than from a comparison site. Also, the upper age limits are higher on direct policies. As a result, older travellers in particular might be better off buying direct. Take a look at the trip lengths allowed, at the age cutoffs, in the table below to see which suits your individual situation and travel plans.

Zurich Travel Insurance Trip LengthsBasic StandardExtraEssentialsEnhancedUltimate
Available From Where?DirectComparison Site
Single trip
Up to age 70909090Up to age 60909090
Age 71 and over313131Up to age 65313131
Annual multi-trip
Up to age 70454562Up to age 59313145
Age 71 and over313131
Winter sport optional covern/a2231n/a2231

Differences between Direct and Comparison Site Policies

Broadly speaking, the three tiers of travel insurance plans bought directly from Zurich are similar in many ways to the three tiers you can buy through a comparison site —but in some categories the limits are higher when you buy direct. If you're interested in the finer details, look through the policies section below. As a trade off, the prices are a bit lower when you buy Zurich travel cover through a comparison site.

Buying Zurich Travel Insurance Direct

Buying direct, you'll get slightly higher cover for Cancellation, Personal Accident, Scheduled Airline Failure, etc. than going through a comparison site, for otherwise similar plans that offer the same limits for Emergency Medical, Baggage and Missed Connection cover.

In addition, for an extra cost you can add travel insurance add-ons like winter sports, golf, cruise or business cover to plans bought direct. These add ons are not always available from comparison sites.

There are higher age limits on direct plans—there is no upper age limit, although there is a shorter trip length of 31 days for those age 71 or older.

Buying Zurich Travel Insurance via Comparison Site

Generally speaking, the best deals on Zurich travel insurance can be found at a comparison site.

In fact, Annual, Multi-Trip plans from the comparison ("Essentials", "Enhanced", "Ultimate") average 35% cheaper than the lowest-priced direct plan ("Basic")—less so for Single trips, however. If price is your priority, then buying from a comparison site will likely secure you the lowest premium on a Zurich travel plan.

Despite the comparison plans coming in at cheaper prices, they still include some level of cover for Baggage Delay, Abandoning your Trip, Scheduled Airline Failure and (except Essential plans) Missed Departure. However the excess is a bit higher on policies from the comparison site on all but the top-tier plans—meaning you have to pay a bit more should you need to claim.

Bottom Line: If you're looking for a budget plan, Zurich may be out of your budget. But check prices with a comparison site to find out what kind of price you'll get. Those looking to insure more valuable holidays worth up to £7,500 might find a more suitable policy buying direct from Zurich, but expect prices to be significantly higher for the top-tier direct "Extra" plan (versus the top-tier comparison site "Ultimate" plan).

Types of Zurich Travel Insurance Policies

Direct from their website, Zurich offers three tiers of travel insurance—Basic, Standard and Extra. From comparison sites they offer three different plans—Essentials, Enhanced and Ultimate—which for the most part provide lower levels of cover (that is, when comparing lowest tier Basic vs. lowest tier Essentials, and so on), as you can see in the following table. All plans are available for Single Trips or as Annual, Multi-Trip policies.

Zurich Travel Insurance Cover Limits

Key Benefits (up to)BasicStandardExtraEssentialsEnhancedUltimate
Available From Where?DirectCompareCover
Emergency medical assistance and expenses£10,000,000£10,000,000£10,000,000£10,000,000£10,000,000£10,000,000
Hospital benefit£500 (£10 per 24 hours)£1,000 (£20 per 24 hours)£1,500 (£30 per 24 hours)n/a£1,000 (£20 per 24 hours)£1,500 (£30 per 24 hours)
Dental treatment£250£500£750£250£500£500
Personal accident
Death - age 16 and over£5,000£15,000£30,000n/a£10,000£20,000
Loss of limbs/sight - age 69 and under£10,000£25,000£50,000n/a£10,000£20,000
Loss of limbs/sight - age 70 and over£5,000£12,500£25,000n/a£10,000£20,000
Permanent total disablement - age 69 and under£10,000£25,000£50,000n/a£10,000£20,000
Permanent total disablement - age 70 and over£5,000£12,500£25,000n/a£10,000£20,000
Loss, theft or damage to baggage£1,000£1,500£2,500£1,000£1,500£2,500
Baggage - single article limit£150£250£350£150£200£250
Baggage - valuables limit£200£300£500£150£300£350
Cancellation and cutting short a trip£1,000£5,000£7,500£1,000£3,000£5,000
Excursions£50£100£250£50£100£150
Travel delay
Travel delay section limitn/a£300£500n/a£100£500
Limit first 12 hoursn/a£20£40n/a£20£40
Limit subsequent 12 hoursn/a£10£20n/a£10£20
Missed departure£100£500£1,000n/a£500£1,000
Missed connectionn/a£250£500n/a£250£500
Loss, theft or damage of passport, driving licence or travel documents£250£250£500£150£250£500
Loss, theft or damage of personal money (including pre-paid currency cards and traveller's cheques)£200£500£500£200£500£500
Cash limit - age 16 and over£100£300£300£100£300£300
Cash limit - age 15 and under£50£100£100£50£100£100
Personal liability£1,000,000£2,000,000£2,000,000£1,000,000£2,000,000£2,000,000
Legal expenses and advice£25,000£25,000£50,000£20,000£25,000£25,000
Baggage delayn/a£100£300n/a£100£300
Hijackn/a£500 (£25 per 24 hours)£1,000 (£50 per 24 hours)n/a£500 (£25 per 24 hours)
£1,000 (£50 per 24 hours)
Change in health£1,000£5,000£7,500
Scheduled airline failuren/a£1,000£2,500n/a£1,500£2,500
Catastrophe, natural disaster and airspace closure
Additional accommodation and/or transport costsn/an/a£1,000n/an/a£1,000
Cancellation and cutting short a tripn/an/a£7,500n/an/a£5,000 (limited as section 4 in policy)
Missed departure/missed connectionn/an/a£1,000/£500n/an/aLimited per Travel Delay section 5
End supplier failuren/a£1,000£2,500n/a£1,500£2,500
Excursionsn/an/a£250n/an/an/a
Winter sportsn/aOptionalOptionaln/aOptionalOptional
Golfn/aOptionalOptionaln/an/an/a
Cruisen/aOptionalOptionaln/aOptionalOptional
Businessn/aOptionalOptionaln/an/an/a

FAQs

Yes, upper age limits depend on the policy you buy. Click here to learn more.
If you have a medical condition, Zurich may be able to offer cover for some pre-existing medical conditions, for which you'll probably be required to pay a higher premium. As part of the online application you'll be asked a series of brief medical questions. Pre-existing conditions are only covered if they've been fully declared, accepted and paid for.
You can contact Zurich directly to request policy documents, or see our section with links to current Zurich Policy Wording for travel insurance.
With a Zurich travel insurance policy you are covered for driving any car or motorcycle, moped or scooter, for which you are licensed to drive in the UK. There are exclusions, however, such as no motor rallies or racing. Also, you must wear a crash helmet and appropriate protective clothing. There's no cover for personal liability.
Roughly speaking, complications of pregnancy or childbirth are covered but a normal pregnancy or childbirth, without any accompanying injury, illness, disease or complications, would not be covered.
You can buy Zurich travel insurance direct from their website (Basic, Standard and Extra plans) or from a comparison site (Essentials, Enhanced and Ultimate plans).
Mobile phones are covered (from £150 to £350, depending on the plan) on all Zurich plans, through Baggage cover. Unfortunately, however, at the time of writing Zurich doesn't offer any sort of extended Gadget cover.
Holidays in the UK are covered under Zurich Annual, Multi-trip policies, so long as your trip includes two or more consecutive nights’ stay in accommodation which has been booked prior to departure (includes a pre-booked tent or caravan pitch).
According to the Policy Wordings, pandemics are covered under the “Catastrophe” section of cover, which is included on top-tier Ultimate and Extra policies only, subject to the conditions and terms.

Other Useful Information: Policy Wording

How does Zurich Travel Insurance Compare to Competitors?

To better understand the value of Zurich 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.

Zurich Travel Insurance vs CoverForYou Travel Insurance

CoverForYou is a travel cover specialist offering not only Emergency Medical, Cancellation and Baggage on all plans, but also extras like Scheduled Airline Failure, Delayed Departure, Personal Liability, Mugging, Hijacking and Legal Expenses. Those wanting higher levels of protection for their phones, iPads, laptops, etc. can buy Extended Gadget Cover for £1,000, £2,00 or £3,000 of cover for £11.75 to £69, depending on the level of cover and the type of plan.

Bottom Line: If you want more gadget cover than offered through Zurich's standard Valuables cover (£150 to £500), which is further subject to Single Article limits (£150 to £350), then CoverForYou might be an interesting option to consider.

Zurich Travel Insurance vs Saga Travel Insurance

Saga travel insurance is offered as one, simple travel insurance plan to those over 50 years of age—with no upper age limit. We like that Saga includes cover for Catastrophe and a higher level of Personal Belongings/Baggage cover on all policies, plus Golf. Another perk is that travellers whose international flight is delayed more than 2 hours can benefit from access to a LoungeKey airport lounge, as part of Trip Delay cover. While travellers can be covered of any age, prices do rise steadily for older customers.

Bottom Line: If you are an older traveller, especially in your 70s or 80s, Saga may be a more viable travel insurance option for you, as they specialize in "mature" travellers.

Zurich Travel Insurance vs Admiral Travel Insurance

Admiral travel insurance offers three tiers of travel insurance cover, all for very competitive prices and including Personal Belongings protection. Those looking for cover for catastrophes (e.g., volcanic ash cloud and storms) should consider one of Admiral's top two tiers—Gold or Platinum. If your plans include a cruise in the next year, then Admiral offers comprehensive Cruise cover for an added cost (included on Platinum), which includes Missed Port Departure, Cabin Confinement, Unused Excursions and Cruise Interruption. Insolvency is not covered on Admiral plans. £1,000 of Gadget cover can be added for £13.92 (Single Trip) or £49.92 (Annual, Multi-Trip).

Bottom Line: If you want more Gadget cover, Admiral can be another alternative to Zurich travel insurance.

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.

Comments

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.

Travel Insurance

Get Quotes

  • 4.8 out of 5 stars**
  • Quotes from 20 providers