OMG - What have I done?

[jh1809]

28 minutes ago, Waju said:

I think it has to be a FlexPlus account.

Thanks - and to the other responders. I'll search for the correct account this time.

[sandancer]

We have banked with Nationwide for 40 years and have used the insurance cover for several years. Last year we changed to a Flex Plus account as insurance was no longer offered with a Flex account. This year they have refused to cover my husband due to his medical conditions. We have had to go with Staysure at a eye watering premium. Every company we contacted were willing to offer cover but UK Insurance who are the company used by Nationwide were not willing to even discuss the situation. 

Edited November 4, 2023 by sandancer

[terrierjohn]

2 hours ago, jh1809 said:

Getting free travel insurance by opening a Nationwide FlexAccount sounded like a good idea, so I did a web search and turned up this on Nationwide's website:

 

https://www.nationwide.co.uk/current-accounts/help/travel-insurance-flexaccount/

 

According to the first two paragraphs, they no longer provide travel insurance as part of their FlexAccount package.

That is true, you have to open a Flex Plus account.

[Megabear2]

9 hours ago, sandancer said:

We have banked with Nationwide for 40 years and have used the insurance cover for several years. Last year we changed to a Flex Plus account as insurance was no longer offered with a Flex account. This year they have refused to cover my husband due to his medical conditions. We have had to go with Staysure at a eye watering premium. Every company we contacted were willing to offer cover but UK Insurance who are the company used by Nationwide were not willing to even discuss the situation. 

Is that due to it being a new condition or simply because it's complex?  Interestingly my OH's medical.conditions which were always refused by our bank.insurance suddenly became coverable last year for the first time due to new underwriter.

 

His insurance has always been well.in.excess of £800 on his own but the bank cover reduced it to £300.

[sandancer]

A new condition but not life threatening or life limiting.  Maybe this is also a new underwriter and it’s worked the other way for him. 

[Selbourne]

9 hours ago, sandancer said:

We have banked with Nationwide for 40 years and have used the insurance cover for several years. Last year we changed to a Flex Plus account as insurance was no longer offered with a Flex account. This year they have refused to cover my husband due to his medical conditions. We have had to go with Staysure at an eye watering premium. Every company we contacted were willing to offer cover but UK Insurance who are the company used by Nationwide were not willing to even discuss the situation. 

I’m so sorry to hear about this. When we booked this 65 night cruise we did so on a Late Saver which, as you will know, means that you pay the full amount at the time of booking and it’s non-refundable. Within 24 hours of booking, any excitement that we had turned almost to panic when people started flagging that we might be in for a major shock with insurance running in to many thousands of pounds due to my wife’s medical condition and the length of the cruise. I’d completely forgotten that I had reduced our annual travel insurance to Europe only a few years before on the assumption that we wouldn’t be going any further in future. 
 

My anxiety certainly wasn’t assisted by the fact that the first few companies and comparison sites that I tried wouldn’t even offer a quote. As I was beginning to wonder what on earth we had done and that we might end up having to write off the cruise and lose the money, @terrierjohn rode in on his white charger and saved the day by telling me about the Nationwide Flex Account. Fearing that this might still prove problematic, I called their insurers to check if my wife could be covered and much to my surprise, they gave me a bespoke quote for my wife’s medical condition, cruise cover and long trip (up to 71 days) cover for a combined additional premium of just £250 (in addition to the £156 annual cost of the FlexPlus account), prior to me even committing to opening the account. Truly impressive. 
 

The thought has since crossed my mind that there must be people who book an expensive, non-refundable, holiday at short notice and then cannot get insurance cover and lose the lot. Certainly a lesson learned in my case!

[sandancer]

I am so pleased that you were able to get the cover you need at such a reasonable cost. In all the years we were covered by Nationwide we were able to extend the length of cover, get excellent cruise cover and were very happy with the product. 

[Megabear2]

3 hours ago, Selbourne said:

I’m so sorry to hear about this. When we booked this 65 night cruise we did so on a Late Saver which, as you will know, means that you pay the full amount at the time of booking and it’s non-refundable. Within 24 hours of booking, any excitement that we had turned almost to panic when people started flagging that we might be in for a major shock with insurance running in to many thousands of pounds due to my wife’s medical condition and the length of the cruise. I’d completely forgotten that I had reduced our annual travel insurance to Europe only a few years before on the assumption that we wouldn’t be going any further in future. 
 

My anxiety certainly wasn’t assisted by the fact that the first few companies and comparison sites that I tried wouldn’t even offer a quote. As I was beginning to wonder what on earth we had done and that we might end up having to write off the cruise and lose the money, @terrierjohn rode in on his white charger and saved the day by telling me about the Nationwide Flex Account. Fearing that this might still prove problematic, I called their insurers to check if my wife could be covered and much to my surprise, they gave me a bespoke quote for my wife’s medical condition, cruise cover and long trip (up to 71 days) cover for a combined additional premium of just £250 (in addition to the £156 annual cost of the FlexPlus account), prior to me even committing to opening the account. Truly impressive. 
 

The thought has since crossed my mind that there must be people who book an expensive, non-refundable, holiday at short notice and then cannot get insurance cover and lose the lot. Certainly a lesson learned in my case!

New conditions affect cover, not so much "existing" ones which are managed.  If the condition is controlled for a period you will find the number of insurers willing to cover increases.  My husband's problems although extremely serious and life threatening were diagnosed at the age of 60.  At age 65 with no change to medication and just check ups he became eligible with more insurers albeit at a high cost.  The basis for this is he was born with the myocardial bridge and has had the two tubes and valves missing since birth and he should have been dead as a child.  A very cheery man at Avanti told me congratulations he's dodged the bullet for so long we think he's worth the risk!

 

The control without change of medication is the important factor. When/if your medicines start to change that's when the underwriters get difficult. Not advising of medication changes when you are already insured frequently gets people spooked as not only can your insurer cancel you insurance they normally increase the premiums even if they continue cover.

Edited November 5, 2023 by Megabear2

[yorkshirephil]

Insurance is such a minefield and you never know how good or bad it is until you try and claim. I have been with Staysure since retirement and never had to make a claim, we have worldwide insurance which has almost doubled since covid. When I was scheduled to have my hip replaced I called and explained the situation and what did I need to do. They told me I wouldn't be covered for the hip, which wasn't that big a deal as once fitted and healed I should have improved health, however they did send me a new exclusion sheet with the following listed;

• Chest infection • Fracture • Osteonecrosis • Pneumonia

I rang back and asked them where they had dug up Osteonecrosis from as my hip issue is caused by Osteoporosis which I had clearly explained. Fracture was also added so I rang back to see what that actually mean't, the person I spoke to didn't seem to have much idea so I asked her to get someone to call me back or to explain why I wouldn't be covered for any fracture. She tried to fob me off so eventually I gave up and rang Nationwide insurance and explained to them my situation, the would cover me for £35 extra on top of the £13 per month so now I am with Nationwide.

[Scriv]

On 10/14/2023 at 9:31 AM, terrierjohn said:

Be prepared for a shock when you start looking for insurance quotes. I was astounded that Free Spirit wanted over £5000 for their super duper policy, which includes cruise cover for missed ports, and that was limited to 31 days and there are hefty add ons for extending. How NW manage to quote so low is a mystery, but I have not seen any horror stories from claimants, so I hope it will prove a good buy, and you also get free breakdown cover and free mobile cover as well.

We have been with NW for many years now and we have claimed twice for two cancelled holidays, one due to a serious medical event. NW were excellent on both occasions.  You do however have to answer all their medical questions fully and honestly, especially relating to pre-existing medical conditions and medical updates or investigations as they are very hot on that. I also wonder how they manage to quote so low and like you, have not seen any horror stories - in fact only praise for how claims are handled.