Best travel insurance 2026: compare cover, prices and plans from £3.53 a day
A. FruchardLast updated: 27 July 2026What is the best travel insurance in 2026?
The best travel insurance in 2026 covers at least £250,000 of medical expenses, repatriation at actual cost and 24/7 assistance with no money upfront. In our UK comparison, WorldSecure Platinum from MGEN stands out at £46.98 for 8 days.
Comparing policies every day, I see too many travellers pick their travel insurance on price alone, then discover a medical limit far too low when a hospital bill lands abroad. A good travel insurance policy is judged not on its premium, but on the ratio between its real limits and its price.
Across the six policies sold to UK residents that we compared, the price runs from £28.20 to £62.19 for the same 8-day trip. The rule is simple: set your essential cover first (medical expenses, repatriation, cancellation), then keep the cheapest policy that respects it.
Every year, our experts audit each plan against its binding policy wording: cover, limits and exclusions, cross-checked with real customer feedback and live market prices. The analysis is fully independent, with zero paid placements and no insurer able to pay to influence a rating. We compare travel insurance across every country and currency, using the plans, prices and cover actually offered in your country, not a single guide translated.
Learn moreWhich are the best travel insurance policies right now?
The best travel insurance policies right now pair a high medical limit, repatriation at actual cost and a contained price. Our comparison puts WorldSecure Platinum (MGEN), Go Explore + (MGEN) and World Travel (Mutuaide) at the top, from the best all-rounder to the highest medical cover.
My number one pick
If I had to keep a single travel insurance this year, it would be WorldSecure Platinum from MGEN: in the set sold to UK residents, it is the only policy that combines cancellation cover (up to about £7,500), leisure and adventure sports and trips of up to 365 days, with around £250,000 of medical expenses and no upfront hospital costs, at £46.98 for 8 days. For the highest medical limit, Go Explore + reaches about £420,000. World Travel accepts travellers up to age 84, the widest in this set, and WorldSecure Basic is the cheapest at £28.20, though only up to age 39 and without cancellation.
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Price for 1 traveller aged 34, 8 days abroad (Thailand), departing from the UK. Prices calculated by HelloSafe, July 2026. Cover amounts are shown as sterling equivalents of euro-denominated policies; your price depends on age, trip length and destination.
HelloSafe is available as an app inside ChatGPT. Install it from ChatGPT’s Apps tab, then type @HelloSafe followed by your destination and dates to compare travel insurance.
How much does the best travel insurance cost for your profile?
Travel insurance costs from £3.53 a day for a single traveller up to around £481 a year for a student abroad. The price depends mainly on age, trip length and the number of travellers, as our profile-by-profile analysis shows.
These figures are real prices calculated on hellosafe.com in July 2026, for a trip departing from the UK. Cover amounts are sterling equivalents of euro-denominated policies.
Profile | Budget | Average | Premium | Key point |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Short trip 1 traveller, 7 days | £15.79 (WorldSecure Basic) | £49.27 | £62.19 (Go Explore +) | Medical cover up to about £420,000 |
Family 2 adults + 2 children, 7 days | £63.10 (WorldSecure Basic) | £137.69 | £150.11 (Go Explore +) | Whole family on one policy, no upfront hospital costs |
Senior 65 years, 7 days | £31.35 (WorldSecure Platinum) | £59.32 | £85.15 (Go Explore +) | World Travel accepts travellers up to age 84 |
Backpacker, long trip 25 years, 30 days, several countries | £53.06 (WorldSecure Basic) | £87.00 | £93.97 (WorldSecure Platinum) | Valid up to 365 days, cancellation and sports |
How do you choose the best travel insurance?
To choose the best travel insurance, check five guarantees before the price: the medical expenses limit, repatriation, cancellation, assistance and personal liability. A cheap policy capped at £80,000 leaves you exposed at the first hospital admission in the United States or Asia.
- Medical expenses of £250,000 or more: the floor for travelling outside Europe. Aim for £400,000 and above for the United States, Canada or Asia.
- Repatriation at actual cost: with no fixed cap; a medical repatriation can run to tens of thousands of pounds.
- 24/7 assistance with no money upfront: the insurer settles the hospital directly, so you pay nothing on the spot.
- Cancellation if your trip is expensive: covered up to about £7,500 by WorldSecure Platinum, and it must be taken out before or at the time of booking.
- Personal liability abroad: up to several million pounds on our best policies, essential if you cause damage to someone else.
Conversely, a few signals should make you rule out a policy, even a cheap one:
- Medical limit below £150,000: insufficient outside Europe for a long-haul trip.
- Age limit too low: WorldSecure Basic stops at 39 and WorldSecure Platinum at 65; only Go Explore (80) and World Travel (84) suit older travellers.
- Sports not covered: diving, high-altitude trekking or skiing need an option or a policy that includes sports, such as WorldSecure Platinum.
- Cancellation missing or bought too late: cancellation cannot be added once the trip has started, and most policies in this set do not include it at all.
What does good travel insurance cover, and what is excluded?
Travel insurance is a policy that covers your medical expenses, assistance and repatriation while you are abroad and, depending on the plan, cancellation, baggage and personal liability. It steps in exactly where the NHS stops once you leave the UK.
The NHS does not cover you abroad, and your UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) only gives access to state healthcare inside the EU, at local rates: it never covers repatriation, private treatment or countries outside the EU. The government itself states a GHIC is not a substitute for travel insurance (source: GOV.UK). A medical flight home would come out of your own pocket.
The cover in a complete travel insurance policy falls into four families: health (medical expenses, hospitalisation, emergency dental), assistance (repatriation, early return, cash advance), financial protection (cancellation, baggage, delays) and personal liability. The best policies reach around £420,000 of medical expenses and cover baggage up to about £1,700.
Usually excluded are: undeclared pre-existing conditions, sports practised professionally, events already known before departure and expenses incurred without the prior agreement of the assistance line. These exclusions are set out in each policy's terms, which we read line by line. Note that these plans are underwritten in euros, so the sterling figures shown here are indicative equivalents.
What conditions should you check before buying travel insurance?
Before buying travel insurance, three conditions decide whether you are actually covered: the age limit, the maximum trip length and the booking window. They are what turn a policy that looks perfect on paper into one that turns you down.
The age limit is the first trap: WorldSecure Basic stops at 39 and WorldSecure Platinum at 65, while Safe Start runs to 69, Go Explore and Go Explore + to 80, and World Travel to 84. For an older traveller, this single criterion narrows the choice sharply.
Trip length matters just as much: Safe Start covers up to 184 days, while WorldSecure Platinum, World Travel and Go Explore + run to 365 days. Finally, cancellation must be taken out before or at the time of booking, and it is scarce in this set: only WorldSecure Platinum (about £7,500) and World Travel (about £1,300) include it. WorldSecure Platinum handles these conditions best, with cancellation from purchase and cover up to a full year.
Is a bank card enough as travel insurance?
A bank card or packaged bank account does not replace a full travel insurance policy for a long-haul trip. Premium cards typically limit cover to around 90 days per trip, cover fewer cancellation reasons and apply lower medical limits than a dedicated policy.
Protection | Premium bank card | Dedicated travel insurance |
|---|---|---|
Medical expenses abroad | Reduced limit, often no direct billing | About £250,000 to £420,000 |
Length covered per trip | 90 days maximum | Up to 365 days |
Cancellation | Few reasons covered | Up to about £7,500, before or at booking |
Repatriation | Variable, often not included | At actual cost |
To know exactly what your card covers, always check its policy terms before you travel. A card is a useful add-on for a short trip close to home, not a substitute outside Europe or for a family holiday.
Which travel insurance is best for your situation?
The best travel insurance depends on your traveller profile. For a family, Go Explore + or World Travel put everyone on a single policy with no upfront hospital costs. For an older traveller, prioritise World Travel (up to age 84) or Go Explore (up to 80). For a study trip, a dedicated student policy such as World Student starts at about £481 a year.
For a long trip or a round-the-world route, WorldSecure Platinum covers up to a year and several destinations. Before you go, it is also worth checking your baggage cover, and if you are driving, our guide to road trip travel insurance. For a specific destination such as travel insurance for Thailand, the recommended medical floor rises with local healthcare costs.
Frequently asked questions about the best travel insurance
WorldSecure Platinum from MGEN offers the best all-round value for UK travellers, at £46.98 for 8 days, with around £250,000 of medical cover, cancellation up to about £7,500 and repatriation at actual cost. For the highest medical limit, Go Explore + reaches about £420,000.
The cheapest in our comparison is WorldSecure Basic, about £3.53 a day for a traveller under 40. The lowest price only matters if the medical limit is still enough, meaning at least £250,000.
Aim for at least £250,000 to travel worldwide, and £400,000 or more for the United States, Canada or Asia, where a hospital stay is very expensive.
No. The NHS does not cover you abroad, and a UK GHIC only gives access to state healthcare inside the EU, never repatriation. Travel insurance is therefore essential.
Not for a long-haul trip: premium cards limit cover to around 90 days per trip and apply low medical limits, against about £250,000 to £420,000 and up to a year for a dedicated policy.
Set your essential cover first (medical expenses, repatriation, cancellation), then compare real prices on hellosafe.com or with the @HelloSafe app inside ChatGPT.
From the moment you book if you want cancellation cover. For medical assistance alone, you can buy up to the day before departure, or even the same day with some policies.
WorldSecure Platinum includes leisure and adventure sports. For diving, high-altitude trekking or intensive practice, check the policy wording carefully, as most plans in this set exclude sports.
World Travel accepts travellers up to age 84 and Go Explore up to 80, while most policies stop at 65 to 69. WorldSecure Basic, capped at 39, is not an option for older travellers.
Yes: Go Explore + and World Travel cover a family on a single policy, from £63.10 for two adults and two children on a one-week trip with WorldSecure Basic.
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