Nationwide FlexPlus Travel Insurance Changes

[dbjhughes]

We have been using Nationwide’s FlexPlus travel insurance policy for a few years. This was previously underwritten by UK Insurance Ltd, but Aviva have just taken over the underwriting. We were on a ~100-day world voyage earlier this year, and UK Insurance Ltd charged us £156 for trip extension cover for the year. We are on a 78-day South America circumnavigation early next year, for which Aviva are charging us ~£900 for trip extension cover! Has anyone else had a similar experience? Do we just have to suck up this new cost, or has anyone found a cheaper alternative? Many thanks.

[Selbourne]

23 minutes ago, dbjhughes said:

We have been using Nationwide’s FlexPlus travel insurance policy for a few years. This was previously underwritten by UK Insurance Ltd, but Aviva have just taken over the underwriting. We were on a ~100-day world voyage earlier this year, and UK Insurance Ltd charged us £156 for trip extension cover for the year. We are on a 78-day South America circumnavigation early next year, for which Aviva are charging us ~£900 for trip extension cover! Has anyone else had a similar experience? Do we just have to suck up this new cost, or has anyone found a cheaper alternative? Many thanks.

It will vary enormously by customer due to differing factors (age, health issues etc) so I certainly wouldn’t just accept a quote like that without shopping around. Keeping in mind that the basic cover is £156 (£13 pcm) plus add ons (age, cruise cover, missed ports, health issues etc) you are looking at a total premium of well into four figures if they want £900. It would be madness not to see how that compares to other providers IMO. 

[babs135]

If you are with Nationwide please be very careful. We have banked with them for years and still do but in the summer of 2018 DH woke up with the symptoms of a mild stroke. The hospital did various tests and later the SAME day discharged him home with NO follow-up and NO medication. They were not convinced that it was a stroke but advised us that we should inform our insurance company and tell them what had happened.  Nationwide's response was to say that they wouldn't cover him for any complications that may arise from the 'stroke'. To rub salt into the wound they suddenly decided that they would no longer cover him for his diabetes (longstanding). This effectively left him without any cover.  

If we hadn't rung them (only because the hospital told us to) we wouldn't have known! Fortunately we found cover which was just as well as DH became unwell (totally unrelated to previous problems) and we had to cancel our cruise less than 6 weeks before sailing.

[southwestie]

On 2/20/2024 at 4:35 PM, jeanlyon said:

Yes, I am deliberately renewing mine on March 25th, so I stay with UK Insurance for one more year.  Already spoken to them.

I just renewed and fully covered for all I need, it was 40% cheaper than UK ins and seems a good policy

[southwestie]

On 6/1/2024 at 11:59 PM, Selbourne said:

It will vary enormously by customer due to differing factors (age, health issues etc) so I certainly wouldn’t just accept a quote like that without shopping around. Keeping in mind that the basic cover is £156 (£13 pcm) plus add ons (age, cruise cover, missed ports, health issues etc) you are looking at a total premium of well into four figures if they want £900. It would be madness not to see how that compares to other providers IMO. 

I would have another insurer, my husband had a heart attact and UK ins  would not cover him, we tried another and had a great deal,  since Uk have now added him on . the cost for the extension of days inc full travel cover was under £400 . we both 70 +

 

 

[Hils62]

30 minutes ago, southwestie said:

I would have another insurer, my husband had a heart attact and UK ins  would not cover him, we tried another and had a great deal,  since Uk have now added him on . the cost for the extension of days inc full travel cover was under £400 . we both 70 +

 

 

We have looked elsewhere, my husband has stents fitted plus psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. We opened an account with Co-op and pay £15/ month for travel insurance with Axa. They will cover him at a very low cost plus offer cover up to the age of 80 and up to 45 days at no extra cost. They cover cruises but do not offer missed ports and confinement to cabin due to illness insurance but we can live with that.

[southwestie]

3 hours ago, Hils62 said:

We have looked elsewhere, my husband has stents fitted plus psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. We opened an account with Co-op and pay £15/ month for travel insurance with Axa. They will cover him at a very low cost plus offer cover up to the age of 80 and up to 45 days at no extra cost. They cover cruises but do not offer missed ports and confinement to cabin due to illness insurance but we can live with that.

Mine has a Stent. Psoriasis. Arthritis.  2 hip replaces. And others. Knee replacement.  Aviva  covered us both £141 inc cruise cover

[Yorky67]

In 2023 we booked an expensive cruise for January 2025. Nationwide (UK) were informed and the deposit is covered. We are due to renew with Nationwide (Aviva now) in November but the remainder of the cruise cost is due October. We have new health issues which we will be declaring at screening, when renewing the policy. 
Wondering if people think Aviva have an obligation to cover us, with new health issues, (at an increased premium) as the cruise was booked when covered under UK Insurance terms. 

[GeezerCouple]

1 hour ago, Yorky67 said:

In 2023 we booked an expensive cruise for January 2025. Nationwide (UK) were informed and the deposit is covered. We are due to renew with Nationwide (Aviva now) in November but the remainder of the cruise cost is due October. We have new health issues which we will be declaring at screening, when renewing the policy. 
Wondering if people think Aviva have an obligation to cover us, with new health issues, (at an increased premium) as the cruise was booked when covered under UK Insurance terms. 

 

I'm not familiar with the UK travel insurance policies, but the key question should be:

"What doe AVIVA say about this situation?"

Either in their policy wording or call them (and then get a name, and ask for the specific sentences in the policy that are what the rep is saying).

 

It doesn't matter at all what "people think" in cases like this, and I can't emphasize this enough.

I do know that with our apparently similar policy here in the USA, once we get that coverage, if new health issues arise, that alone isn't a problem.  Indeed, that was the purpose of the initial deadline to get coverage that did *not* exclude pre-existing condtions.  However, one would still need to be "fit to travel", which is a related, but different issue.

 

GC

[Yorky67]

Thankyou for your helpful response. 
 

However, as I understand it, we will be covered by the terms of UK Insurance until we are medically screened by Aviva in November at renewal. We will be ‘fit to travel’. Without going into detail.. the condition is not going to suddenly take off.. but can be declined by insurers. 
In October we will have to pay a substantial amount for the long cruise. UK insurance would cover us under their terms (as they said they cover new or changed  conditions from the date you are screened and become insured ) but Aviva may not. So I suppose the question is..do we pay the balance and risk losing it? …. Or do people in the UK insured by Nationwide have similar experiences during this changeover period?