No trip cancellation. This benefit is not included with this card. Prepaid flights, hotels and package holidays are not reimbursable if illness or a family emergency forces you to cancel.
Does the Zilch Card include travel insurance?
Zilch·£0/year·Visa
0,0/5Independent review · verified November 2026
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Our Verdict · Travel Insurance
Our take on travel insurance for the Zilch Card
Expert review · Pauline LauroreAuthor of HelloSafe's card insurance reviews
Cheap to spend abroad. Insures nothing. That is the Zilch Card in two lines. So, you pay for dinner in Paris with Zilch's Pay now at the Visa exchange rate, with nothing added by Zilch, then a fall on the Métro stairs ends in a private clinic: the bill is yours, because no medical, cancellation or baggage cover sits behind the card or any Zilch plan. The NHS pays nothing abroad, and the GHIC (the UK Global Health Insurance Card) only opens state healthcare in the EU and a few other countries, with no repatriation. Most users assume a card that can spread the cost of a holiday also protects it. It doesn't: Zilch only lets you spread the cost of insurance bought elsewhere and compare quotes. Use the card for spending if it suits you; for the trip itself, a standalone travel policy bought the day you book is the cover you need.
What works on travel
- Pay now abroad at the card scheme's exchange rate, with no extra costs added by Zilch
- Pay over 6 weeks or 3 months on a Zilch credit line
- Rewards on Pay now spending, higher on the paid Zilch Plus plan
- Standard plan has no monthly fee, and a virtual card comes free
- In-app support 24/7 by chat
Where travel breaks down
- No travel insurance: no emergency medical, cancellation or baggage cover
- No repatriation: the NHS pays nothing abroad and the GHIC is not travel insurance
- Pay now transactions are not eligible for Section 75, per Zilch's terms
- The physical card costs £4.99 unless you pay for Zilch Plus at £4.99 a month
- Only for UK residents with a UK debit card to repay from
Our methodology
Every score is derived from official bank documents: terms and conditions, benefit guides, and claim procedures. No commercial relationship influences our ratings.
Travel Insurance · 16 guarantees
What does Zilch Card Travel Insurance actually cover?
What's not covered
- No insurance policy is attached to the Zilch Card or any Zilch plan
No emergency medical cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Treatment abroad is your own bill: the NHS pays nothing overseas, the GHIC (the UK Global Health Insurance Card) only gives access to state healthcare in the EU and a few other countries, so a private hospital bill in Antalya or the US is yours to pay.
What's not covered
- No insurance policy is attached to the Zilch Card or any Zilch plan
No repatriation or medical assistance. This benefit is not included with this card. Flying home on a stretcher or with a medical escort is out of pocket.
What's not covered
- No insurance policy is attached to the Zilch Card or any Zilch plan
No emergency dental cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Emergency dental pain relief abroad is paid by you, and the GHIC only helps at state dentists in the countries where it is accepted.
What's not covered
- No insurance policy is attached to the Zilch Card or any Zilch plan
No curtailment cover. This benefit is not included with this card. If you have to cut a holiday short, the unused prepaid nights and the extra cost of getting home early are not reimbursed.
What's not covered
- No insurance policy is attached to the Zilch Card or any Zilch plan
No travel delay cover. This benefit is not included with this card. A long flight delay out of Málaga pays nothing back beyond what the airline owes you under UK261 rules, and meals or a hotel night while you wait are yours to cover if the airline does not.
What's not covered
- No insurance policy is attached to the Zilch Card or any Zilch plan
No missed departure cover. This benefit is not included with this card. If a motorway accident or a cancelled train makes you miss your flight, the cost of new tickets to catch up with the trip is out of pocket.
What's not covered
- No insurance policy is attached to the Zilch Card or any Zilch plan
No early return cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Flying home after a close relative falls seriously ill or dies is paid by you, and a last-minute one-way flight is rarely cheap.
What's not covered
- No insurance policy is attached to the Zilch Card or any Zilch plan
No delayed baggage cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Clothes and toiletries bought while your suitcase is stuck at another airport are out of pocket, beyond what the airline agrees to repay.
What's not covered
- No insurance policy is attached to the Zilch Card or any Zilch plan
No baggage cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Lost, stolen or damaged luggage and belongings are not replaced, apart from the limited compensation an airline may pay for a bag it loses.
What's not covered
- No insurance policy is attached to the Zilch Card or any Zilch plan
No passport or money cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Replacing a stolen passport abroad, including the emergency travel document fee and the extra trip to the embassy, is out of pocket.
What's not covered
- No insurance policy is attached to the Zilch Card or any Zilch plan
No personal liability cover. This benefit is not included with this card. If you accidentally injure someone or damage property on holiday, the claim against you is uninsured.
What's not covered
- No insurance policy is attached to the Zilch Card or any Zilch plan
No personal accident cover. This benefit is not included with this card. No lump sum is paid to you or your family if an accident on the trip causes death or permanent disability.
What's not covered
- No insurance policy is attached to the Zilch Card or any Zilch plan
No UK trip cancellation. This benefit is not included with this card. A prepaid cottage in Cornwall or a city break in Edinburgh is not reimbursed if you have to cancel.
What's not covered
- No insurance policy is attached to the Zilch Card or any Zilch plan
No UK trip disruption cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Extra accommodation and travel costs when a UK trip goes wrong, such as a storm cancelling the ferry back from the Isle of Wight, are out of pocket.
What's not covered
- No insurance policy is attached to the Zilch Card or any Zilch plan
No UK luggage cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Belongings lost or stolen on a trip within the UK are not reimbursed, unless your home contents policy covers them away from home.
What's not covered
- No insurance policy is attached to the Zilch Card or any Zilch plan
We source benefits from official card guides, but PDFs are sometimes hard to obtain or update. Spotted something off?
Coverage Radar
Where the Zilch Card wins, where it loses
Coverage snapshot for this tab — click any layer to highlight its scores.
Trip cancellation: not covered by this card
Medical fees abroad: not covered by this card
Medical repatriation: not covered by this card
Compare
CardThis card0.0/5?
£0/yrWith travel insuranceIdeal
Complete coverage · 5.0 / 5Click a layer to highlight its scores on the radar.
Side-by-side comparison
How the Zilch Card stacks up against the alternatives
Same 5 coverage dimensions, ranked head-to-head against the cards most Card shoppers also consider.
| Card | This card Card Zilch · £0/yr 0.0/5? | Clubcard Credit Card Tesco Bank · £0/yr 0.0/5? | Debit Card Starling Bank · £0/yr 0.0/5? | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Trip cancellation Per person, per trip cap | Not covered Cover this gap → | Not covered | Not covered | |
Emergency medical Hospital bills abroad | Not covered Cover this gap → | Not covered | Not covered | |
Emergency evacuation Air ambulance + repatriation | Not covered Cover this gap → | Not covered | Not covered | |
Trip delay trigger Hours before benefits kick in | Not covered Cover this gap → | Not covered | Not covered | |
Trip interruption Covered amount | Not covered Cover this gap → | Not covered | Not covered |
StrongLimited / misleadingNot covered
Data verified against each card's Guide to Benefits, May 2026.
Cardholder reviews
What cardholders say about the Zilch Card
Real experiences of paying with Zilch 3 reviews
FC
u/Front-Cloud7143 (r/UKPersonalFinance)
Rewards still paid on spending abroad
They pay rewards abroad. Was using it in Canada for a couple of months
AN
u/anonymous362884 (r/UKPersonalFinance)
An unrecognised charge was sent back to the merchant
I noticed money coming out of my bank for zilch every 2 weeks so went to look, and yep, unrecognised charge, their live chat agents keep telling me to “contact the company and try to get a refund from them for my purchase” but I keep trying to tell them I didn’t make a purchase
TR
u/trek123 (r/UKPersonalFinance)
Kept for the rewards despite a confusing app
App is pretty poor and unclear, plus the support is not great (if you are very persistent, they will eventually do what you want though I've found). I keep it around purely for the rewards.
Emergency · Card assistance line
How to contact Zilch Card assistance?
No insurer, policy wording or emergency medical line sits behind the Zilch Card or any Zilch plan. The number below is Zilch's own support line, including for a lost or stolen card. For medical, cancellation and baggage cover abroad, buy a standalone travel policy and save its 24-hour emergency number in your phone.
Zilch customer support
020 3405 9775
Phone 9am to 5pm, seven days a week; chat in the app 24/7
Zilch from abroad (lost, stolen or compromised card)
+44 20 3405 9775
Cost of calling the UK from abroad varies by network · Phone 9am to 5pm (UK time), seven days a week; chat in the app 24/7
What to do if something goes wrong abroad with a Zilch Card
1
Step 1: Buy a standalone travel policy when you book
The Zilch Card includes no travel insurance, so arrange a standalone policy whose policy wording (the insurer's full policy document) sets out its emergency medical, cancellation and baggage limits. Cancellation cover only runs from the day the policy starts, so buy it when you pay the deposit rather than the week you fly, and save the insurer's 24-hour emergency number in your phone.
2
Step 2: Card lost or stolen? Tell Zilch straight away
Zilch's terms say you must contact it immediately if your card, username or password is lost, stolen or compromised. Use the chat in the Zilch app, available 24/7, or call +44 20 3405 9775 between 9am and 5pm, seven days a week. For a purchase that goes wrong, contact the merchant first; Zilch may be able to raise a chargeback for you.
3
Step 3: Complain to Zilch, then to the Financial Ombudsman Service
If Zilch does not resolve a complaint, ask for its final response, which its terms say comes within 15 business days in most cases and up to 35 in exceptional circumstances. You can then take it to the Financial Ombudsman Service for free, within 6 months of that response, on 0800 023 4567. This is a complaint about a credit or payment service, not an insurance claim.
FAQ
What people ask about the Zilch Card
- You can't, because there is none to activate. The Zilch Card comes with no travel insurance on the free Standard plan or on the paid Zilch Extra and Zilch Plus plans, and paying for flights or a hotel with it switches on no cover. There is no registration step to look for. Zilch does let you spread the cost of an insurance policy you buy elsewhere and compare quotes, but that is not cover from Zilch. If you want the trip covered, buy a standalone travel policy when you book.
- Nobody, since the Zilch Card carries no insurance. That goes for you, a partner and any children travelling with you, whoever paid for the bookings. Zilch itself is only open to UK residents aged 18 or over, excluding the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, with a UK debit card to repay from. Every traveller in your group needs to be named on a travel policy of their own, so check its age limit for children and how it treats pre-existing medical conditions before you pay.
- No. The Zilch Card has no car hire excess cover, abroad or in the UK, and no breakdown cover. The excess is the amount the hire company charges you after damage to or theft of the car. Rental desks also tend to ask for a traditional credit card for the deposit. The desk's own excess waiver or a standalone car hire excess policy bought before you travel closes the gap.
- There is no insurance claim to make: the Zilch Card includes no travel, purchase or phone insurance. If something goes wrong on a trip, you claim from the standalone travel insurer you bought a policy from, with itemised medical bills, a police report for theft or the airline's Property Irregularity Report for a lost bag. Card problems go to Zilch through the app chat, 24/7, or on +44 20 3405 9775 from 9am to 5pm. If Zilch does not resolve a complaint, the Financial Ombudsman Service reviews it for free, within 6 months of Zilch's final response.
- The Zilch Card carries no travel insurance, so there is no emergency medical, cancellation or baggage cover, and no mobile phone insurance. In practice that means no hospital bills or repatriation abroad, where the NHS pays nothing and the GHIC only gives access to state healthcare in some countries. There is no trip cancellation, delay or lost luggage cover, no car hire excess, no winter sports cover, no personal liability and no purchase protection. Zilch's terms also say Pay now transactions are not eligible for Section 75.
- Yes, for spending. When you pay with Pay now in a foreign currency, Zilch converts it at the card scheme's exchange rate, shows you the exchange fee in the app before you confirm, and adds no other costs. The physical Zilch Card, a Visa, costs £4.99 unless you are on Zilch Plus at £4.99 a month, and every customer gets a virtual card for phone payments. Choose the local currency when a card machine offers to charge you in pounds, because the merchant's conversion is usually worse.
- No, because the card has no medical cover of any kind. If you have a medical condition, look for a standalone travel policy and declare every condition before you travel, and again if your health changes before the trip. Some insurers cover declared conditions for an extra premium; others exclude them. If an insurer declines a condition, excludes it or charges a significant medical premium, it must point you to the MoneyHelper travel insurance directory, the government-backed list of specialist insurers for people with medical conditions.
- No. The Zilch Card has no winter sports cover: no ski injury medical costs, no piste rescue, no cover for your own or hired equipment and no refund of an unused lift pass. There is no add-on to buy either, because there is no policy to extend. A fracture treated in a private resort clinic in the Alps is yours to pay, and the GHIC does not pay for mountain rescue. Buy a travel policy with winter sports cover before you leave.
- Yes. Spreading the cost of a holiday over 6 weeks or 3 months helps your budget, but it protects nothing if the trip goes wrong. A hospital bill abroad, a flight home on a stretcher or a cancelled villa you cannot get refunded are all yours to pay, and the NHS pays nothing overseas. A standalone travel policy covers emergency medical treatment, cancellation and baggage, whichever card paid for the trip. Buy it when you book, because cancellation cover only starts on the policy's start date.
Not just Zilch
Other cards worth considering
Card is a strong choice — but depending on what you prioritize, one of these may suit you better.
Clubcard Credit Card
Tesco Bank
Debit Card
Starling Bank
Pay in 4
Clearpay
Not sure how card insurance works? Read our guide to credit card travel insurance