Will a Best Buy travel insurance policy cost you more in 2025?

Many of us buy travel insurance by getting a quote from a comparison site, then picking from the three to four cheapest policies. But good luck finding a Best Buy policy among them.

Best Buy travel insurance provides a high level of cover, reducing the chances you'll have an expensive accident abroad that you won't be able to claim for.

Just 22 of the 153 policies we analysed earlier this year made the cut, with price not being considered.

Our recent analysis, however, found that Best Buy policies were, on average, more expensive than the cheapest policies in 2025, across the four scenarios we tested.  

But the price difference wasn't far off, in some scenarios, and you got far more for your money. Here we explain when it might make sense to push the boat out.

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Were any Best Buys among the cheapest policies?

To find out how much you really pay for quality, we gathered quotes for annual policies for a 35-year-old and a 65-year-old, both for European and worldwide travel, and compared them with the 10 lowest quotes from a major comparison site. 

None of the Best Buy policies we assessed made it into the 10 cheapest quotes in any of the four typical customer scenarios.

When comparing some of the Best Buy quotes with the cheapest 10 on a comparison site, the difference wasn’t always huge. 

For a 35-year-old travelling in Europe, the cheapest Best Buy, InsureandGo Gold at £24.96, was only around £11 more than the average of the cheapest 10, which was £14.30. That small difference could be worth paying for stronger cover.

• Find out more: best travel insurance companies and policies 2025 

The cheapest and most expensive Best Buys

We found big price differences between the cheapest and priciest Best Buy options in various scenarios, with quotes differing by hundreds of pounds depending on the customer’s age and destination.

Scenario A: Annual policy for a 35-year-old travelling in Europe

• Average of cheapest policies £14.30 
• Cheapest Best Buy InsureandGo – Gold (£24.96)
• Most expensive Best Buy Nationwide FlexPlus (£216.00)

Scenario B: Annual policy for a 35-year-old travelling worldwide

• Average of cheapest policies £39.57 
• Cheapest Best Buy InsureandGo – Gold (£62.85)
• Most expensive Best Buy Flexicover – Diamond (£277.00)

Scenario C: Annual policy for a 65-year-old travelling in Europe

• Average of cheapest policies £33.25
• Cheapest Best Buy AllClear – Gold Plus (£45.80)
• Most expensive Best Buy Nationwide FlexPlus (£216.00)

Scenario D: Annual policy for a 65-year-old travelling worldwide

• Average of cheapest policies £98.27 
• CheapestBest Buy InsureandGo – Gold (£136.45)
• Most expensive Best Buy Flexicover – Diamond (£580.52)

InsureandGo Gold stood out as the best-value option in three of the four scenarios. AllClear Gold Plus offered a competitive alternative for older travellers staying within Europe. 

On the other hand, policies like Nationwide FlexPlus, Flexicover Diamond and Insurancewith Platinum were consistently among the most expensive, sometimes costing several hundred pounds more than the cheapest options. 

Bear in mind Nationwide's policy is a packaged bank account, providing other perks, and travel insurance that covers an entire family, so it could still prove cheaper in some scenarios

Saga Plus offers our highest-scoring policy, but it wasn’t among the most expensive. It only covers people over 50, so we could include it in two scenarios. For a 65-year-old travelling in Europe, Saga Plus quoted £116.56 – nearly £100 less than the most expensive Best Buy. For worldwide cover, they quoted £357.11, well below the top price of £580.52.

It's important to note that we're looking at a specific type of customer without medical conditions, and we’re comparing annual policies rather than single-trip options. However, these costs could work out very differently depending on your personal circumstances. 

• Find out more: how to claim on your travel insurance

The cheapest and most expensive Best Buys

Which policies had the lowest excesses?

A low premium doesn’t always mean good value, especially if the excess you must pay when claiming is high.

This year’s data showed that Best Buys had much lower excesses than the cheapest 10 quotes found on comparison sites. For a 35-year-old travelling in Europe, the average excess among the cheapest policies was £135. For Best Buys, it was just £39.

The trend was similar in other scenarios. For a 65-year-old travelling worldwide, the cheapest quotes had an average excess of £129. Best Buys averaged £41.

Several Best Buys had no excess at all. These included AllClear Platinum, InsureandGo Black, Flexicover Diamond, Covered2Go Platinum and Insurancewith Platinum. 

Some of the cheapest policies had much higher excesses. AnnualTravelInsurance.com Economy, the fourth-cheapest quote for a 35-year-old in Europe, for example, costs just £12.15 but comes with a £250 excess for medical cover and a £195 excess for baggage and cancellation cover. That could easily cancel out any upfront savings.

But it’s not just excesses that matter. Best Buys often offer better overall value through stronger cover. For example, for a 65-year-old travelling worldwide, the cheapest Best Buy offered far more protection than the cheapest quote found on a comparison site.

The Best Buy, InsureandGo Gold, came with £7,500 cancellation cover and £2,500 baggage cover. In contrast, the comparison site’s cheapest policy, Coverwise Standard Plus, offered just £1,000 for each.

When looking for a travel insurance policy, it's important to look beyond the upfront price.

• Find out more: best travel insurance for over-65s

4 ways to get good cover without overspending

Following these steps ensures you get affordable travel insurance that meets your needs, saving money without compromising on essential coverage:

1. Compare before you commit When booking a package holiday, it's easy to choose the company's insurance, but it pays to shop around. Different insurers offer different prices and coverage levels.
   Use comparison websites such as Confused.com, Compare the Market, Go.Compare and Moneysupermarket.com to compare multiple quotes quickly. This helps you find the best price for the coverage you want.
   
   
2. Try specialist medical insurers If you have a medical condition, check insurers that specialise in covering such cases. They often offer better prices than mainstream options, especially if your condition increases premiums. Use directories such as the British Insurance Brokers Association (Biba) or MoneyHelper to find these insurers.
   
   
3. Consider buying annually Think about how often you travel to decide between annual and single-trip policies. Annual policies are likely to save you money if you travel more than two or three times a year, making them convenient and cost-effective for multiple trips.
   
   
4. Buy early for better value Getting travel insurance early has advantages. First, if you buy early, you're in less of a rush so can look more widely at the market. And second, it usually includes cancellation cover right away, protecting you financially if unexpected events force you to cancel your trip.