Travel insurance for COPD.

Covering COPD on your travel insurance

Tell us about your chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and any other medical conditions, so we can personalise your travel insurance to protect you from the start.

Flexibility to change details online

When you buy a policy from us, you can manage it yourself by logging in to your My Avanti account. Here you can:

• access policy documents
• update traveller details
• change your single trip dates (limits apply)
• renew an annual policy if you have no changes to make
• and more.

If you have questions about Covid-19 and how it affects your holiday plans, visit our Covid-19 help page.

Why telling us about your health conditions is important

Liz¹ booked her cruise and travel insurance on the same day. Just before her trip, she was unfortunately admitted to hospital with a new health condition, Liz remembered to update her policy, so she gave us a call and we happily added her new condition to her cover.

Sadly, the day before travelling, Liz’s doctor advised her not to go away. She contacted us at once and we processed her cancellation claim as quickly as possible.

Liz was relieved to find the refunded money in her bank account three working days later.

With personalised travel insurance that’s up-to-date, you can relax, knowing that you’re protected when things go wrong, just like Liz.

Do I need to have had both my Covid jabs to be covered?

As long as you’ve had the vaccines you’ve been offered for Covid-19, you should be covered. If you haven’t been offered both doses yet or you’re medically exempt then you can also be covered.

If you’ve refused any doses of the vaccine or haven’t been able to have a dose you’ve been offered, you won’t be covered.

Do I need to tell you about my COPD when I buy travel insurance?

You’ll need to tell us about your COPD along with any other health conditions you have. With that information we’ll create a personalised policy that meets your needs, so you can go on holiday feeling protected against any mishaps when you’re away.

As health specialists, we understand that COPD along with other breathing conditions, vary from person to person. Your condition may be controlled by medication or perhaps you need oxygen to breathe more easily. Which is why we’ll take the time to get to know you and explain our policies to help you find one that suits you best.

I’m the only one in my family with COPD. Should we all be on the same travel insurance policy?

There are many advantages to having family travel insurance. It often works out cheaper, plus you’ll have the security of knowing that all of you are covered for the cost of your holiday if one of you has to cancel your trip due to a health emergency.

What sort of questions will you ask me about my COPD or other breathing conditions?

We will take you through a set of questions to help create a policy that’s personalised just for you. We appreciate talking about your health may be difficult, so we’ll talk you through things step-by-step and in your own time. We’ll never rush you.

Here are some of the questions we may ask:

• How many medicines are prescribed for your COPD?
• Apart from COPD, do you have any other respiratory conditions?
• How many times have you been admitted to hospital in the past year?
• When you walk on the flat, how out of breath do you get?
• How many episodes needing antibiotics have you had in the past year?
• Apart from when you’ve been in hospital, have you been prescribed oxygen?
• Have you ever been a smoker?
• Have you had pneumonia or a chest infection in the last 12 months?
• Have any infections been fully resolved?

Is my COPD covered by my Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC)?

If you’re planning a holiday to Europe, you’ll need to take a free GHIC (or an EHIC) as a condition of our travel insurance.

When the United Kingdom left the European Union, the GHIC replaced the EHIC as the means for accessing free or subsidised healthcare in selected European countries. Before you travel, make sure you check that your destination is covered by GHIC, just so you’re ready if you do need any emergency or necessary treatment for your COPD during your trip.

Remember, your GHIC is not the same as having good health conditions travel insurance. For example, it won’t cover you if you need to cancel your holiday.

Your GHIC helps reduce your medical costs where subsidised healthcare is available. If you can use your GHIC and have to pay a subsidised fee for your treatment, we’ll remove the excess fee on medical emergency claims for you.

I’ve bought travel insurance for my COPD already. Should I tell you if my condition changes?

Yes, it’s essential to keep us in the loop if your health changes or you’re diagnosed with something new. That way, your policy will be up-to-date with belts-and-braces cover – good to know, especially when you’re travelling with pre-existing health conditions.

If you forget to tell us about any changes, your policy could become invalid and any claims could be turned down if you need our help further down the line.