Travel question: How can we get a fair deal on our travel insurance?

Have a question? Ask our expert Simon Calder

New Zealand offers British visitors the benefits of a reciprocal health care scheme (Getty)

Q We are 64 and 66, and have had the same annual travel insurance for years – with no claims. But now the price has gone up by nearly £200 from £264 to £450.

Obviously, we need to find a different company to insure us. We are planning a big trip to New Zealand next year so need more than the standard 31 days per trip.

Can you recommend a good company to insure us? In addition to our big trip, we will be taking other trips as well, so we need annual travel insurance.

Sue H

A It looks to me as though the 66th birthday has triggered the sharp rise in the premium: some insurance companies just put the price up automatically, regardless of your status as loyal (and lucrative) customers. It is worth having a word with a human being to see if you can negotiate the premium downwards.

On the basis that the computer will probably say “no”, then you can look at companies such as Saga, Staysure and All Clear Travel. They all specialise in insurance for older people or those with pre-existing medical conditions (often, the two go together).

But before you sign up, consider the best option for your New Zealand trip. If you are planning a two-month stay, you might find that the policy costs almost as much as the airfare. Yet New Zealand offers British visitors the benefits of an extremely generous reciprocal health care scheme. It covers pre-existing medical conditions, if that is a concern for you. Treatment is provided under the same basis as for local people, which means free or very low cost.

Since medical cover is the main reason for a travel insurance policy, you might conclude that it is rational not to insure for New Zealand. If that is the case, and your other trips are within Europe, then you will find that the cost of a premium falls sharply.

Every day, our travel correspondent, Simon Calder, tackles a reader’s question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder