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What is excess and how do I waive it?
If you make a claim on your travel insurance, you may need to pay an ‘excess’ before we pay out your claim.
The excess depends on the cover level you take out with us. For economy policies it’s £125. On our standard cover it’s £99. And with our premier cover it’s just £50. Or you could waive any excess altogether with our excess waiver option. Just pay an extra premium upfront instead.
Not all claims come with an excess. Check the policy wording for details.
Choose a travel insurance cover level
We can offer you a choice of economy, standard and premier cover levels
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Economy £125 excess Insurance Product Information Document (IPID) Emergency medical expenses and getting you back home Up to £5 million Cancellation and cutting short your trip £1,000 Baggage (personal possessions) £1,500 Money Up to £250 Travel delay and missed departure N/A |
Standard £99 excess Insurance Product Information Document (IPID) Emergency medical expenses and getting you back home Up to £10 million Cancellation and cutting short your trip £3,000 Baggage (personal possessions) £2,000 Money Up to £350 Travel delay and missed departure Up to £750 |
Premier £50 excess 
Insurance Product Information Document (IPID) Emergency medical expenses and getting you back home Up to £15 million Cancellation and cutting short your trip £5,000 Baggage (personal possessions) £3,000 Money Up to £500 (1) Travel delay and missed departure Up to £1,500 |
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Insurance Product Information Document (IPID) |
Insurance Product Information Document (IPID) |
Insurance Product Information Document (IPID) |
Insurance Product Information Document (IPID) |
|
Emergency medical expenses and getting you back home |
Emergency medical expenses and getting you back home Up to £5 million |
Emergency medical expenses and getting you back home Up to £10 million |
Emergency medical expenses and getting you back home Up to £15 million |
|
Cancellation and cutting short your trip |
Cancellation and cutting short your trip £1,000 |
Cancellation and cutting short your trip £3,000 |
Cancellation and cutting short your trip £5,000 |
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Baggage (personal possessions) |
Baggage (personal possessions) £1,500 |
Baggage (personal possessions) £2,000 |
Baggage (personal possessions) £3,000 |
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Money |
Money Up to £250 |
Money Up to £350 |
Money Up to £500 (1) |
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Travel delay and missed departure |
Travel delay and missed departure N/A |
Travel delay and missed departure Up to £750 |
Travel delay and missed departure Up to £1,500 |
An award-winning provider
Best Travel Insurance Provider
Post Office won a ‘Best Travel Insurance Provider’ award at the Your Money Awards in 2021, 2022 and 2023
Best Travel Insurance Provider
Post Office won a “Best Travel Insurance Provider” award at the British Travel Awards in 2023
Defaqto 5-star rated cover
Our travel insurance policies with premier level cover are Defaqto 5-star rated
Common questions
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Travel insurance excess is the amount you’ll need to pay towards a claim before the cover on your policy pays out. It’s a way for insurers to share the risk with policyholders.
With Post Office Travel Insurance, there’s an excess to pay on certain claims. You can find full details in the policy wording.
The amount of excess to pay differs by cover level:
- Economy cover level £125
- Standard cover level £99.
- Premier cover level £50
We also offer an optional excess waiver add-on. You pay a little more upfront for your travel insurance policy premium and it removes any excess you need to pay per claim.
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If you make a claim on your travel insurance policy, you'll need to cover the excess amount first. If your claim is approved, your insurance policy will then cover the rest, up to the policy limits.
The excess helps keep insurance premiums lower. Paying the first part of a claim yourself encourages responsible use and prevents small claims that can increase overall costs.
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Yes, it’s easy to add our excess waiver option to new or existing travel insurance policies. This means you won’t have to contribute anything towards a claim. But it will increase your premium.
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We offer the excess waiver option on all our travel insurance policies. This includes single-trip, annual multi-trip and backpacker policies, as well as our economy, standard and premier levels of cover.
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When you take out your Post Office Travel Insurance policy, we’ll offer you some add-on cover options. You can pick from these depending on the cover you’ll need for your travels. One of these options is the excess waiver. Just select it, and we’ll calculate a premium for your cover with it included.
If you already have a Post Office Travel Insurance policy or you’re not sure if you need the excess waiver, it’s easy to add later. You can manage your policy, including any add-ons, through our self-service portal.
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Whether or not you take out the excess waiver option depends on your risk tolerance and budget. If you prefer not to pay anything in the event of a claim, and the extra premium cost is acceptable, you may want to add it.
- Read all travel insurance Covid-19 FAQs
Travel insurance policy types
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Single-trip cover
- Cover for a one-off trip in the UK or abroad
- Perfect for one-off trips or longer holidays of up to 365 days (2)
- No age limit
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Annual multi-trip cover
- Cover for multiple-trips for a 12-month period
- 31-day trip limit, with extensions available up to 45 and 60 days
- Available for everyone aged up to 75 years
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Backpacker cover
- Cover for a one-off trip up to 18 months
- Option to return home for up to 7 days on 3 occasions.
- For people aged 18 – 60 wanting to travel the world for a gap year or career break
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About our travel insurance
Post Office® Travel Insurance is arranged by Post Office Limited and Post Office Management Services Limited.
Post Office Limited is an appointed representative of Post Office Management Services Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, FRN 630318. Post Office Limited and Post Office Management Services Limited are registered in England and Wales. Registered numbers 2154540 and 08459718 respectively. Registered Office: Finsbury Dials, 20 Finsbury Street, London EC2Y 9AQ. Post Office and the Post Office logo are registered trademarks of Post Office Limited.
The above details can be checked on the Financial Services Register by visiting the Financial Conduct Authority website and searching by Firm Reference Number (FRN).
Things you need to know
(2) For economy, standard and premier policies, the single-trip policy will cover you for one trip up to:
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365 days for those aged up to and including 70 years
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90 days for those aged between 71 and 75
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31 days for those aged 76 years and above