Money Guide Ireland

Is there really that much difference in the price of travel insurance in Ireland? Is it worth shopping around to save money?

We obtained some online quotes for a  single 1 week  trip in Europe for a group  of 6 (4 adults and 2 children aged 16 and 7).
The insurance quotes we obtained all include cover  for cancellation, missed departure, baggage loss, personal belongings as well as medical cover

Insurancebookers.ie €54.75
AA €66.66
Getcover.ie €77.50
Gosure €78.76
123.ie €83.80

One thing we did discover – is that the level of insurance cover varies drastically between the various policies. So our advice is be sure before you buy a travel insurance policy that you know what the policy covers you for . Don’t just buy the cheapest option and assume it will be OK  – because you may not have the cover you thought you had.

For example -  if we had selected the  €52.46 “Bronze” option with 123.ie  – it would not pay out anything at all for cancellation,  curtailment or  loss of baggage .
We could have got a cheaper single trip policy for just €44.75 from Insurancebookers – (Silver)  which had  cover of up to, €1500 for cancellation, €700 for baggage and €450 for missed departure

The cheapest travel insurance we found online – with the level of cover that we wanted was from InsuranceBookers at €54.75 . The  policy included cover of up to €7000 for cancellation or curtailment, €3000 for baggage, €1000 for missed departure  as well as  €10 million Medical expenses.

The AA Travel policy ( €66.66) included cover of upto €6000 for cancellation or curtailment, €3000 for baggage, €800 for missed departure , €11 million Medical expenses.

Getcover insurance (€77.50) would cover upto  €7000 for cancellation € 5000 for abandonment , €2500 for baggage, €2000 for missed departure , €10 million Medical expenses.

Gosure policy cover (€78.76) includes up to €6000 for cancellation or abandonment , €1800 for baggage, €360 for missed departure , €60 million Medical expenses.

123.ie policy  cover  (€83.80) includes  upto  €7000 for cancellation or abandonment , €3000 for baggage, €1000 for missed departure , €10 million Medical expenses.

We were also quoted the following prices online for annual travel cover (Europe No Ski)  – so it would only be worth this group getting annual cover if they were having more than 4 trips abroad in a year.

Insurancebookers.ie €225
123.ie  €229.83
Getcover.ie  €230
AA  €240.34
Gosure  €297.90

All prices quoted  online on July 27th 2010

Read here about Volcanic Ash and Travel Insurance

Ryanair now allow bags with weights of up to 20kg to be checked in on flights. Previously – the Ryanair baggage limit was 15kg per bag with a excess charge of  €20 per kilo if the bag weighed more than 15kg.
Of course – this optional extra baggage allowance does not come free – the extra 5kg allowance will cost passengers an extra €10 Euro per one way flight. (Optional)
There are now two options for checked in baggage with Ryanair (booking on their website)
Bags up to 15kg cost €15 per flight (€30 for a return journey)
Bags up to 20Kg cost €25 per flight (€50 per return journey)
Both of these charges rise by €5 per flight  during July and August.

A passenger’s second bag can only be a max of 15KG – and the fee for a second bag is €35 (€40 in July or August)
All Ryanair baggage charges are more expensive if you book the bags at the airport or via the call centre.
In comparison – for baggage items up to 20kg  Aer Lingus charge just €12 Euro per one way flight  – a saving of €36 on a return flight with Ryanair in July and August . The baggage charges are something people may not think about when comparing the prices of flights – but for a family with 4 bags – a price difference of €144 is not to be ignored.

You could avoid baggage charges by using the Ferries instead. (No worries about volcanic ash either on the ferry !)  See Irish Ferries or Stena

Another zero baggage charge option is to stay in Ireland – there is plenty of good self catering accommodation available at  Accommodation Ireland

After the volcanic ash disruptions earlier in 2010 – many  “do it yourself” travellers discovered that they were not covered by their insurance. Package holiday bookings will probably see a rise this year – because the tour operators will refund holiday costs if it has to be cancelled – and if travellers are stranded abroad the operators have to accommodate them for free until flights are available.

It’s not too late to book a package deal abroad for Summer 2010 – Try James Villas for self catering deals .  For flight and hotel packages try  Expedia or Ebookers

There is a form of Volcanic Ash Insurance available if you haven’t yet booked a package holiday. Might be worth a gamble?

Many air passengers from Ireland and other countries had flights cancelled because of the recent volcanic ash cloud from Iceland.  Some travel insurance companies paid out for cancelled accommodation bookings and other costs incurred as a result of flight cancellations. Some insurance companies paid out as an act of goodwill – even though they strictly didn’t have to.
In Britain – the British Insurance Brokers Association estimates that around half of insurance companies decided to pay out on travel and accommodation costs under  “adverse weather” clauses.
Many  travel insurance policies specificlly exclude pay-outs when flights are cancelled on the instructions of the local aviation authority – which is what happened with the ash cloud.

The Icelandic volcano eruption appears to have calmed down just now – but it could start up again at any time. Summer holidays this year may well be disrupted by volcanic ash.
It is very unlikely that any new travel insurance policies taken out since the eruption began will pay out on claims caused by the ash cloud.  This means that even insurance companies that  paid out to travellers affected by April’s  disruptions won’t do the same for people who have bought a policy since the first eruption.
Holidaymakers who have booked a package holiday can appeal to their tour operator or travel agency in the event of disruption. If their flight is cancelled they will be offered an alternative holiday, or if the alternative is a significant change (generally a change of more than 12 hours on a 14-night holiday is considered to be a significant change) then the customer must also be offered the choice of a refund on the full holiday cost.
For the do-it-yourself holidaymakers Paddy Power is offering an alternative  form of  “insurance” against cancelled holidays due to volcanic ash. Volcanic Betting :You can place bets on certain airports having an unscheduled closure (no flights allowed to land or depart) for at least one hour on a specific date.

Volcanic Betting - example -. Your holiday accommodation costs €2000. The odds of your departure airport being closed for more than an hour due to volcanic ash on your departure date is 25 to 1. If  you bet €80 -  you will get €2080 back if ash causes  closure.
It’s seems like a  good idea – and in the absence of any other form of volcanic ash travel insurance – it could be a bet that will put some people’s minds at rest.

The airports available for the Volcanic Betting are currently limited to Belfast, Dublin, Cork, Shannon, Heathrow, Manchester, Glasgow, Stansted, Gatwick, Birmingham, Barcelona El Prat, Madrid Barajas.

Visit this page for a  Comparison of Travel Insurance in Ireland