Following the report from Macmillan Cancer Support that forecasts the number of people in the UK who will get cancer during their lifetime will increase to nearly half the population by 2020, life insurance specialist and managing director of payingtoomuch.com, Michael Ward predicts demand for critical illness insurance is surely also set to rise.

"Critical illness cover is there to provide peace of mind and cover current financial commitments. But when choosing a policy, conditions covered should be more important than the price. For example men should ensure testicular cancer and prostate cancer is covered and women breast cancer lumpectomy or cervical cancer."

"Banana boat rides and pedaloes are covered by most travel insurance policies but not all will cover other popular activities such as water or jet skiing and parasailing," says travel insurance expert, Beth Macer from payingtoomuch.com.

"It's getting to the time of year where people take off for their summer holidays and beach breaks. And while away, thousands of Brits will partake in many activities without giving a second thought to their insurance cover.

"But it is really important to check your travel policy booklet to ensure you are covered for any activities you'll be doing. It is also equally important you are aware of any clauses or special terms relating to activities under your policy, for example claims relating to covered activities only being valid if you are wearing appropriate safety equipment such as protective head gear and life jackets. Note some policies won't pay claims for personal liability if a claim occurs while you are using a boat or other watercraft, or motorised leisure equipment such as a jet ski."

Following stories that some hospitals in Spain have been refusing the E-HIC (European Health Insurance Card - formally the E1-11), travel insurance expert Beth Macer from payingtoomuch.com reminds people to ensure they have both travel insurance policy,AND the E-HIC.

She says, "When travelling within the EEA (European Economic Area), it is not sufficient just to rely on the E-HIC to cover you. People have the misconception that the E-HIC will cover all eventualities and that it is an alternative to travel insurance.

"However please bear in mind that the E-HIC should/will ONLY cover necessary medical treatment from state healthcare providers (which may not always be free). It will not cover repatriation should you need to be flown home, and will not cover baggage or cancellation."

With the housing market starting to move again, demand for life insurance to cover the mortgage will also rise. To help consumers find the cheapest life insurance, comparison website www.payingtoomuch.com has produced a simple six point checklist.

When shopping for term life insurance:

1. Apply sooner rather than later as life insurance gets more expensive with age, some insurers even recalculate premiums on years and months.
2. Buy the right policy by considering carefully at the outset how long you will need the cover.
3. Term life insurance is always cheaper than whole of life assurance.
4. Buy premiums that are guaranteed, not reviewable.
5. If a smoker, give up smoking, it could almost half your life insurance costs.
6. Avoid cash back or gimmicky gifts as special offers need to be paid for in the long run.

Life insurance specialist and managing director of payingtoomuch.com, Michael Ward said, "Almost all families need some life insurance to cover mortgage repayment on death or to help support children if there were an early death of Mum as well as Dad.

"However, think carefully before buying life insurance direct from your bank, building society or an insurance company as premiums are rarely cheaper. Look at the price comparison websites that compare prices from all the leading UK life insurance companies as only an environment of competitive commercial competition produces the cheapest premiums.

"The impact of smoking on premiums may also sound obvious. If you have smoked in the last 12 months you must own up to this and buy a smoker rated policy at the outset. But did you know, if you buy a policy where the premiums can be dropped to the non smoker rate without having to reapply you will receive the savings immediately you pass the 12 months without smoking threshold providing you let the insurer know."

"The most common reason holidays get cancelled is people being too unwell to travel. This is usually covered by travel insurance, provided at the time the insurance was purchased you are not expecting to have to cancel because of a known medical condition deteriorating or a new condition being diagnosed," says travel insurance expert, Beth Macer from payingtoomuch.com.

"Cancellation cover is designed to cover unforeseen events. Many insurers do not cover if investigations are pending for an undiagnosed condition, as they cannot assess the risk of a condition without a diagnosis. As with all insurance, it's really important to read the key facts for the policy before purchasing, to make sure you know exactly what you can and can't claim for."

Cancellation cover is designed to pay back the cost of anything paid for in advance such as flights or accommodation.

Many people mistakenly think they do not need travel insurance within Europe, as they believe an E-HIC will cover all eventualities; however this is unfortunately, not the case.

The European Health Insurance Card will cover you for necessary medical treatment such as treatment due to illness or injury, within the European economic area, including Switzerland. You will be entitled to the same treatment as a resident of the country you are visiting, however this will not always be free. The card entitles you to treatment from state healthcare providers at a reduced cost.

The E-HIC card should not be used as an alternative to travel insurance. It will not cover any private medical healthcare costs such as mountain rescue in ski resorts, it will not cover you for repatriation should you need to be flown home, and you will not be covered for baggage or cancellation, therefore it is important you have both an E-HIC and a valid travel insurance policy.

Most insurance providers now insist upon travellers having an E-HIC in conjunction with their insurance policy, and will waive the excess on the policy if you have one.

A lot of people have the misconception that once they hit 60, their travel insurance premium will sky rocket, however many are surprised to find that this isn't actually the case.

By shopping around many will find that there are companies out there who don't rate on age until you get to 70 or over.

Unfortunately, sometimes people of a certain age go to specific companies with names they recognise and they are then charged an extra premium by said companies for the name, because people recognise it, however I think people need to take the time to shop around because there are certainly better deals to be had out there, by less well-known companies, who can certainly offer just as competitive polices.

The 2 main things to take into account when you are an older traveller, are that some companies increase the excesses on their policies (usually once you are over age 65), so make sure you are aware of what the excess will be before you purchase. Secondly, make sure you have declared to the insurer any pre-existing medical conditions that you may have. A lot of people over the age of 60 are usually put on certain medications by their GP - such as blood pressure or cholesterol tablets, or may have been treated in the past for specific conditions, so it is important to make sure these conditions are declared to the insurers to ensure that a policy is valid and covers any eventuality.

"Some insurance companies will pay the cost of advertising a reward for the return of your lost or stolen pet and the cost of the reward itself up to a certain amount if your pet is found or recovered", says pet and travel insurance expert, Beth Macer from payingtoomuch.com.

"Other companies will cover the cost of looking after your pet if you have to go into hospital for emergency medical treatment, and some policies will also cover the cost of your holiday if you have to cancel it because your pet needs emergency surgery close to departure."

Most people assume that when purchasing pet insurance, they are just insuring against accidents and medical treatment for their pet, however it really is worth shopping around and looking at the additional cover included under some policies, as you may get some benefits you wouldn't expect. This is why it's really important to read through the policy benefits and key features before you purchase, to ensure you are aware of exactly what you are paying and covered for!

For further detail or comment on pet insurance in general contact:

Beth Macer, pet and travel insurance expert, payingtoomuch.com

"I think it's really important to make sure people have adequate cover in place for any trip, purely because of the cost involved if something does go wrong", says Travel Insurance Expert Beth Macer from payingtoomuch.com.

A lot of people don't understand exactly how costly medical treatment can be if they are not properly covered. A comprehensive policy for medical expenses, covers not only the cost of the actual treatment abroad, but also the cost of transportation to hospital - be it in an ambulance or by airlift (helicopter) - in the event of an emergency, it covers additional accommodation and travelling expenses should you have to stay abroad longer than your booked trip, and it also covers re-patriation should you need to be flown home.

People don't seem to be aware of how much it can cost if they are not covered, for example if you need to be flown home in an air ambulance from somewhere like Spain, the cost of the air ambulance alone can be £12-£16,000 - not including any treatment needed on board.

The cost of just getting an ambulance out to you again (by road) even before any treatment has been given can be between £500-£1000 - and a lot of places won't send one out or treat you if you cannot prove that you have the means of paying for the treatment - so it's really important to make sure you have a valid policy in place to cover these eventualities, as a lot of people don't have easy access to the sums of money needed if they are not covered by insurance!

For more information just call our travel team on 01243 784000 or quote online at 

Travel insurance for certain parts of Europe will be more expensive than for other parts. It is mainly because the cost of medical treatment in certain countries is more expensive and insurance companies add extra premiums to their policies to cover this.

These places are referred to as 'toxic' countries, and within Europe include Spain and the Canaries, Turkey, Cyprus, Switzerland and Malta.

So, if you travelled to France for a week last year, and this year go to Spain for the same time, this should explain the difference in the premium you will see.

Most people have known that travel insurance for the USA is much more expensive than for Europe. However, what most people didn't know is that certain insurers also increase premiums to cover what they refer to as 'toxic' countries within each region, for example within Europe.