Staysure travel insurance: cover levels, medical screening and claims

Staysure is a UK travel insurance brand aimed squarely at two groups the mainstream market often handles badly: older travellers and people with pre-existing medical conditions. It sells single-trip and annual multi-trip policies at three levels of cover, Basic, Comprehensive and Signature, and it states that it covers more than 1,300 pre-existing medical conditions and all ages, subject to screening¹.

The brand is best known for medical screening that starts from your health rather than from a tick box, and for age limits that run well past the point where many insurers stop. It also sells long-stay cover for trips lasting between 3 and 18 months, depending on your age and plans³.

This page covers what each policy level includes, how the screening works, the trip length limits by age and region, the add-ons, what is excluded, how to buy, change, cancel and claim, and where to take a complaint. It does not quote prices or rates: those depend on your age, health, destination and trip, and are shown on Staysure's own site when you get a quote.

What Staysure travel insurance covers: three levels of cover

Staysure sells travel insurance at three levels: Basic, Comprehensive and Signature¹. The differences matter most in two places, medical expenses and cancellation.

Basic is described as essential cover, generally suitable for shorter trips with fewer valuables⁴. Comprehensive and Signature policies carry unlimited medical cover and emergency expenses, and it is on these two levels that winter sports cover is available as an add-on¹. Signature policies add up to £15,000 cancellation cover¹.

For UK holidays, Staysure covers up to £10,000 for extra transport and accommodation if you cannot continue your trip for medical reasons¹.

The practical point is that the level you choose decides whether medical costs are capped or unlimited, and whether cancellation is covered to a lower or higher ceiling. If you have significant health conditions or an expensive trip booked, the difference between levels is the difference between a capped and an uncapped medical claim.

Single-trip, annual multi-trip, family and group policies

Staysure offers two main policy shapes: single trip cover and annual multi-trip cover⁵. Single-trip cancellation cover begins the moment you buy, so a trip cancelled soon after booking is protected¹. Annual multi-trip policies work differently: you choose the start date, and it can be delayed for up to 90 days¹. Cancellation cover on an annual policy takes effect from the policy start date or when the policy becomes active, so delaying the start date means no cover for cancelling a trip in the meantime⁷.

Trip length limits on annual policies depend on age. For ages 0 to 70, the maximum is 50 days in any one trip and 183 days in total across the year⁵. For ages 71 and over, the maximum is 35 days in any one trip⁶. Staysure also states that annual policies cover up to 183 days of travel across 12 months².

Group and family arrangements are common across the travel market: Post Office, for example, sells group travel insurance with optional extras available for an additional premium⁸. Staysure's own family and group terms are set out at the point of quote.

Pre-existing medical conditions: how the health screening works

This is the core of what Staysure does. The brand states that it specialises in cover for 1,300 pre-existing medical conditions and all ages, subject to screening¹, and that 97% of customers can get cover for their pre-existing medical conditions².

The screening starts from a definition. Staysure treats a pre-existing condition as any health issue in the last two years involving symptoms, treatment or medication, investigations or surgery, or medical appointments². Its own guidance is blunter: think back over the last two years and consider any health issue, big or small². Elsewhere it says you need to declare any pre-existing condition that has led to symptoms, tests, appointments, medication or treatments in the last two years⁹.

The questions asked vary by condition. For some, screening asks whether the condition has affected daily life in the last two years, whether there have been hospital admissions in the last 12 months, and whether there is any back or neck pain. For others, such as HIV, the questions cover antiviral drug history, CD4 counts and viral load after three or more months of treatment. The documents do not resolve these into a single list, so expect the questions to follow your condition rather than a fixed script.

The disclosure rule is not a Staysure invention. Diagnosed medical conditions of any kind need to be disclosed to your insurance provider, including mental health conditions¹⁰. Failure to declare pre-existing medical conditions can void your policy, or mean a claim is not settled or not settled in full¹¹. Other insurers take the same approach: Post Office considers all medical conditions but requires them to be declared when the policy is taken out¹², and HSBC's private banking travel cover requires notification before booking in a range of circumstances¹³.

Who can get cover: age, pregnancy and awaiting a diagnosis

Staysure covers all ages¹. It markets separately to over 50s, over 70s and over 80s, and states that it provides specialist holiday cover for more than 1,300 pre-existing medical conditions and all ages¹⁴. The over-80 page repeats the same 1,300 condition figure, subject to screening¹⁴.

The important limit is not age but timing. Staysure states that where you are awaiting tests or results for a diagnosed condition, travel insurance for the trip can be offered, but cover for pre-existing medical conditions cannot be included in that situation². In practice that means you can still buy a policy, but the condition under investigation is not covered.

The same timing rule applies to buying at all. Staysure states that you cannot buy or activate a policy if you have already departed⁴. Cover has to be arranged before you leave the UK.

Pregnancy is not singled out in the material here beyond the general screening and the exclusion for travelling against your doctor's advice⁹. If you are pregnant, the screening questions and the policy wording are where the position on your trip will be set out.

Trip length limits and travel regions

Staysure's single-trip limits are set by age band and by region, and the differences are large. For ages 0 to 65 in Regions 1 and 2, the maximum is 550 days⁶. For ages 66 to 70, it is 366 days in Regions 1 and 2, 276 days in Region 3 and 184 days in Region 4⁶. For ages 71 to 75 in Regions 1 and 2, it is 123 days⁶. For ages 76 and over, it is 104 days⁶.

Long-stay cover is sold separately for trips lasting between 3 and 18 months, depending on your age and plans, with up to 18 months (550 days) available for ages 0 to 65 in Region 1³.

Single-trip maximum durations by age and region⁶. Where a cell says not stated, the material does not give a figure.

The region you are travelling to therefore changes both the price and the maximum trip length, and the age band changes it again. A 68-year-old travelling to Region 4 has a materially shorter maximum trip than the same person travelling to Region 1 or 2.

Add-ons for cruises, winter sports, golf and gadgets

Staysure sells optional add-ons including Cruise Plus, winter sports, a Travel Disruption Extension, golf cover and an excess waiver¹. The senior range lists Cruise Plus cover, winter sports and ski cover, golf cover, gadget cover and travel disruption cover⁴, and the over-70 range lists gadgets, winter sports, golf holidays, cruise holidays, excess waiver and travel disruption⁵.

Winter sports cover is available on Comprehensive and Signature policies, and is included as standard on Signature and Comprehensive annual multi-trip policies¹. Cruises are excluded unless Cruise Plus is added⁴.

The add-on model is standard across the market. Post Office offers cruise cover, excess waiver, gadget cover and trip extension cover as optional extras¹², and its group product adds winter sports and trip disruption cover for an additional premium⁸. Tesco offers Cruise Cover, Gadget Cover and Winter Sports Cover as optional extras¹⁶, and Santander offers winter sports, cruise, golf and business extensions at extra cost on both single trip and annual policies¹⁷. Sainsbury's lists cruise cover, winter sports cover, backpacker cover, family cover and cover for travelling over 55 among its extras¹⁹.

The consumer point is that a cruise or a ski trip is not automatically covered by a standard policy. Winter sports cover is typically added to a single or annual holiday policy rather than sold alone¹⁶, and the same is true of cruise cover.

What Staysure does not cover

Staysure lists a set of exclusions that apply across its travel policies. You are not covered for travelling against your doctor's advice; claims for pre-existing medical conditions you have not told it about; routine check-ups, planned treatment or non-emergency care; travel for medical procedures abroad; reimbursement for lost, damaged or stolen medicines or equipment; incidents related to alcohol or controlled substances; strike action that was common knowledge at the time of booking; choosing private treatment when suitable public facilities are available; or choosing not to travel⁹.

Two of these catch people out. The first is undeclared conditions: the exclusion and the disclosure rule work together, so a condition you did not mention is a condition that is not covered⁹. The second is the medicines exclusion. The replacement benefit is the route to a payout, not a general reimbursement.

Working holidays are also restricted. Staysure states that because a role involving heavy lifting and tools counts as manual work, it cannot insure that trip, while bar shifts, acoustic sets and ground-level fruit picking may be covered³.

How to buy, change or cancel a policy

Quotes are available online or over the phone. Staysure describes the process as filling in your travel plans, finalising your medical screening and choosing your policy level¹. Changes to a policy can be made through the My Staysure online account, and only before you are meant to travel¹.

The timing rules differ by policy type. Single-trip cancellation cover begins the moment you buy¹. Annual multi-trip cover start dates can be delayed for up to 90 days, but cancellation cover on an annual policy takes effect from the policy start date or when the policy becomes active, so a delayed start means no cancellation cover in the interim¹.

If your circumstances change, tell the insurer. The general insurance position is that a policyholder must tell the insurer immediately when anything changes, otherwise the policy may not be valid²⁰. For travel cover that includes changes to your health, your medication and your trip.

Paying monthly generally costs more than paying upfront because it is arranged as a credit agreement, so the total paid over the year is higher than a single annual payment²¹. Post Office sets out the same structure for its car insurance: monthly instalments are a credit agreement charged at an APR, making the total annual cost higher than paying up front²².

Making a claim and getting help abroad

Staysure runs a 24/7 medical emergency helpline⁷. The numbers are:

• Calling from the UK: 01403 288 414²
• Calling from outside the UK: +44 1403 288 414²
• Calling from the USA or Canada: +1 844 780 0639²
• Calling from Mexico: +1 819 780 0639²

The helpline is the first call for a medical emergency abroad, and it is the route to authorising treatment. Staysure's Comprehensive and Signature policies carry unlimited medical emergency expenses¹, and the Travel Doctor service, powered by Air Doctor, offers up to 3 appointments per insured person, per policy, with geographical restrictions and terms and conditions applying¹.

For non-emergency help, Staysure's own account area handles policy changes and renewals¹. If you are travelling and need to manage money at the same time, Nationwide's travel help covers preparing to go away, making an insurance claim and managing banking if you go to live and work abroad²³.

Reviews, complaints and where to turn if you are refused cover

Staysure's own site reports 550,058 reviews with an Excellent 4.7 rating, and separately states that over 13 million people have been given peace of mind and that over 12 million people have trusted it with their travel insurance since 2005¹. Those two customer figures do not agree, so treat both as the provider's own marketing claims rather than a verified count.

If something goes wrong, the route is the insurer's own complaints procedure first. Where an application is refused, the institution must inform the consumer in writing and free of charge of the reason if lawful, advise of its complaints procedure, the right to complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service, and its contact details⁸. If the complaint is not resolved, it can be referred to the Financial Ombudsman Service²⁴.

Travel insurance generates a large volume of complaints. The Financial Ombudsman Service recorded 4,451 travel insurance complaints in 2025/26²⁵, and 996 in the first quarter of 2025/26 alone²⁶.

If you are refused cover because of a medical condition, the practical options are to go back through screening with fuller information, to approach a specialist provider, or to use a broker. Avanti, which sits within the same group as Staysure, provides travel insurance for people with pre-existing medical conditions, including mental health conditions²⁴. Other insurers take the same all-conditions approach: Post Office considers all pre-existing medical conditions as part of its screening and will refer you to another insurer if it cannot cover you for medical reasons¹².

Who provides the cover and how money with Staysure is protected

Staysure is a trading name of Howserv Limited, which is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority with firm reference number 599282, effective from 04/09/2013²⁷. The company is registered in England with company number 03882026 and was incorporated on 1999-11-24²⁸. Its other trading names include Staysure Expat, Petgevity, Insureme4.com, Insureme4.co.uk, Avanti Travel Insurance and travelinsurancemedical.co.uk²⁷.

Staysure is a broker rather than the underwriter of the policies it sells, so the insurer named on your policy documents is the firm that pays claims. Check that name and its status before you buy.

Travel insurance is not a deposit product, so the Financial Services Compensation Scheme does not protect it in the way it protects money in a bank. The protections that matter are the FCA authorisation of the firm selling the policy, the terms of the policy itself, and the right to take an unresolved complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service⁸. For the wider picture on how insurance is regulated and what happens when a firm fails, see Insurance: a complete guide and Consumer protection in UK financial services.