"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.

Figures released by the AA have revealed a drop in average car insurance premiums, with the trend expected to continue over the course of this year.

Over the first three months of 2013, a typical premium quoted for a yearly comprehensive car insurance policy stood at £746.75, representing a quarterly fall of 1.4%. Over the past year, car insurance premiums have dropped by 4.1%.

According to the insurer, drivers have faced massive increases to their insurance premiums over the past three years.

Premiums are anticipated to drop even further going forward as the initial points of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) take effect.

Principals under the reform include a £4,000 increase to the limit for personal injury claims cases in small claims courts where legal costs can't be recovered, as well as a ban on the payment and receipt of referral fees for claims that include a personal injury.

The AA welcomed the reform and said it hopes it will prompt further crackdowns to curb the number of whip-lash injury claims. The insurer believes around 70% of motor incidents result in an injury claim, even in the event of no injury being suffered, totaling about 570,000 claims each year at a cost of £2 billion.

Simon Douglas, director of AA Insurance, said: "Car insurance has not been far from the headlines for all the wrong reasons as insurers struggled to balance premiums against claims costs.

"Sharp hikes in personal injury claims, fraud and uninsured drivers, to say nothing of last year's gender directive and changing regulations, have all helped to pile on the pounds," he said.

Consumers can get online quotes for the income their pension will provide for them in retirement, taking into account their health and lifestyle.

Highlights

·         Fully online service, free of charge to use, but help is available to guide through medical screens if required.

·         Single or joint annuities available.

·         Enhanced annuities can increase retirement income by up to 160⁺ per cent

·         Every quote is fully underwritten covering over 3100 medical conditions.

·         Annuities quoted are payable monthly in advance as opposed to in arrears.

·         Annuity rates are monitored from initial quote to retirement date.

·         Annuities available from pension pots of £1,000 (minimum is usually £5,000) - average is £28,000

·         Help available to complete application paperwork and ensure medical disclosures are accurate and as complete as possible for those wishing to proceed.

+ see notes to editors

www.payingtoomuch.com, the independent comparison website, has launched a fully online, personalised, consumer annuity quote calculator for retirement incomes (annuities), which factors in an individual's health and lifestyle (like smoking and being overweight), taking into consideration over 3100 medical conditions. The service shows individuals approaching retirement the best annuity income they could receive from a panel of different insurance companies which could increase their retirement income by up to 160⁺ per cent.

payingtoomuch aims to underwrite every individual as experience shows many people believe they are perfectly fit and healthy, but from an underwriting point of view they may qualify for a better quote based on conditions that are well under control such as high blood pressure.  Also, the customer's postcode and marital status can play a part too, increasing the retirement income for otherwise-healthy people.

To access the quotes, an individual must know the value of their pension (or savings) pot available to purchase an annuity which can be as low as £1,000, their planned retirement date, whether they want a single or joint (with partner*) annuity. They will need to provide details about their medical conditions and answer a couple of basic lifestyle questions. Those with medical conditions or who smoke could receive higher retirement annuities as their life expectancy is lower, so it is important to disclose everything.

The payingtoomuch annuity journey asks about height, weight, smoking status and alcohol consumption, and for individuals to consider whether they have suffered from any of the major medical conditions, before offering the customer an annuity result of any kind.

Multiple personalised quotes are produced showing the best retirement incomes for a level paying annuity, an annuity linking income payments to the RPI, and an income with a guaranteed payment period after death.  These quotes are guaranteed^# for a limited period of time and once a customer proceeds to the application stage the payingtoomuch team deals with all the paperwork to make the process as simple as possible for them.

payingtoomuch offer a non-advised service and cap their commissions at 2.25% (lower at 1.35% where there are no medical conditions) with an absolute monetary limit of £1,600.  This compares to a maximum commission charge of 3.5% charged by some firms.

Ali Richards, payingtoomuch's Head of Annuitiessaid, "Our experience from travel insurance shows that customers that take (for example) a tablet for high blood pressure don't think they're ill. Yet our research shows that for travel insurance there's about a 30 per cent under-disclosure rate. 

"Paying annuities monthly in advance makes them fractionally lower on paper but it means there is no delay in the first payment which is what most people want.  By our calculations an individual may need to claim the pension for up to 20 years before they become worse off than taking an annuity payable monthly in arrears which may appear fractionally better but obviously starts a month after the plan is set up."

For most individuals getting a quote this will be their first port of call, and they may be weeks, if not months, from retirement.  Because annuity rates can change in the period from quote stage to a customer's retirement date, payingtoomuch re-calculates each quote between the initial quote date and the stated retirement date and communicates changes by email which includes charting of the annuity changes over that time.  This is done monthly, then weekly then daily in the run-up to retirement and helps the individual manage their way into retirement.

If an individual wishes to proceed, payingtoomuch will allocate a personal representative to handle the administration and to ensure everything runs smoothly.  This will include assistance in completing the application paperwork and ensuring the medical disclosures are as accurate and complete as possible.

Ali Richards, continued, "Selecting a retirement income is a very important decision that affects the rest of your life. Once the annuity has started the benefits cannot be changed. Yet surprisingly people are more reluctant to shop around than they are for their insurances.

"Our new calculator makes annuity comparison much simpler as it can all be done online from start to finish without the need to speak to anyone, including consideration of medical conditions. For someone who is fit and healthy, getting the quotes could only take 2 minutes. For someone with medical conditions it could take longer depending on the complexity of the details being disclosed.

"Too many people lose out financially by significant amounts when they retire, simply because they accept the annuity offered by their current insurance company. They don't bother to check if they can get a better deal elsewhere, which they usually can.

"Our personal representatives can also help guide consumers though the medical question screens if needed, which can potentially increase their annuity rate further.  Our staff are trained and experienced in gathering details about the various conditions and medications which the insurers need to know about." 

The average individual pension pot in the UK is £28,000 providing few alternatives to purchasing an annuity.

Additional comments:

John Pollock, CEO for Legal & General's Protection and Annuities businessessaid, "As a leading annuity provider and a very customer focused organisation, we understand just how important it is that people are aware of all the annuity options available to them. I was very impressed with the transparency of payingtoomuch's user friendly annuity service. Customers are able to easily check the annuity options and income available for their personal circumstances, which is what people need when making this life-time decision."

Philip Brown Head of Retirement Propositions at LV=said, "I see this as a great opportunity to work with Mike Ward who has a proven track record of designing consumer friendly online journeys. This new service coincides with the launch of payingtoomuch.com's 'Find an Adviser' service which enables those customers who do want advice, something that LV= advocates when retirement decisions are being taken, to find a qualified adviser close to their home to assist them.

Paul Yates, Product Development Director, Avelosaid "The payingtoomuch annuity looks to be a class leading customer journey, geared to delivering great client outcomes."

* 'partner' includes married or unmarried including same sex couples, and financially dependent children.

⁺ a table of medical conditions and possible annuity improvements is attached.

^# most providers guarantee their quotes for a minimum of 14 days, but sometimes certain medical conditions require further underwriting.  Where this is the case, the payingtoomuch team of Annuity Specialists will liaise with the providers to ensure that the best rates are secured for the customer.

"People assume that once they get to age 60 or 65, the price they have to pay for their travel insurance will sky rocket and they will need specialist insurance.

But most insurance companies don't actually start adding an 'age rating' until over 70, and even then, if you are in good health, the rating itself is usually much lower than expected," says travel insurance expert, Beth Macer from payingtoomuch.com.

"The most important thing to bear in mind with travel insurance for the over 70s, is that you may have to pay a slightly higher excess on your policy. This is unfortunately the case with most insurance companies, so always make sure you read the small print before purchasing so you are aware of any costs you may have to pay."

Note: There are some insurance companies that won't offer cover to people over 70, however payingtoomuch.com, can provide travel insurance to people, regardless of age.

For more information just call our travel team on 01243 784000

Well with all this snow aroundits easy to understand why many people may now be considering a last minute break for some sunshine over Easter.

Anyway, It's not only last minute holidays that come at reduced prices for travellers, but also 'last minute' travel insurance.

The closer you get to your departure date, usually, the cheaper the premiums become, as there is less chance of you having to claim on the cancellation element of the policy.

So if you're planning a last minute trip, then check out last minute travel insurance - we can even cover you on the day you are due to travel, as the documentation can be sent immediately via email.

You're welcome!

- Percy