virgin money cruise cover

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Virgin Money Travel Insurance Review: Is it Right for You?

• All plans include Baggage and SAFI
• Can buy direct or through comparison sites
• No compensation for any air miles, cruise miles or holiday points used to pay any part of a trip
• No cruise specific cover (e.g., Cabin confinement, Emergency airlift to hospital, Missed port, Unused excursion)

Editor's Rating

The guidance on this site is based on our own analysis and is meant to help you identify options and narrow down your choices. We do not advise or tell you which product to buy; undertake your own due diligence before entering into any agreement. Read our full disclosure here .

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Virgin Money offers solid value across a number of travel insurance plans that cater to a range of needs, from those on a budget up through premium holiday cover. All plans include the three critical aspects of holiday cover: Cancellation, Emergency Medical and Baggage. Plus, you'll get cover for Delayed Departure and Scheduled Airline Failure on most plans, and Winter Sports included on most Annual, Multi-Trip policies. Read our review to learn about features and prices of Virgin Money travel insurance—plus we'll explain the main differences between buying direct from the Virgin Money site versus buying through a comparison site, to help you decide where to buy.

• Virgin Money Overall Review
• Virgin Money Price Comparison
• How Virgin Money Plans Differ on Comparison Sites
• Virgin Money Features, Policy Limits and Coverage Options

Virgin Money Policy Wording

There is no "best" travel insurance—the best for you will depend on factors like price points and features that you might find valuable. Please use the information in this review to help you narrow your choices.

Virgin Money Travel Insurance Review: What You Need to Know

Virgin Money offers a series of holiday cover plans for reasonable prices, to suit those wanting a budget plan with just £1,500 of Cancellation and £1,000 of Baggage all the way up to those with more luxury holidays needing up to £7,500 for Cancellation and £3,000 of Baggage cover per person.

The cheapest Virgin Money travel insurance is the "Economy" plan, which is only available through comparison sites . The top-tier plan is the "Gold" plan, and this is only available directly from Virgin Money. Here's a high-level overview of their plans:

What's included?

Trip Cancellation, Emergency Medical, Legal Assistance, Personal Accident and Personal Belongings/Baggage are included on all policies—as is Scheduled Airline Failure . But end supplier failure is only on Premium and Gold plans (the top tier from comparison sites and direct).

Even the lowest tier plan includes some Missed Departure and Baggage Delay cover. However, there's no protection against natural disasters such as tsunamis, earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions (including volcanic ash clouds), hurricanes, etc.

Like many other travel cover plans, kids basically go free (up to 3 children under the age of 18, per insured adult).

For those heading to the slopes, Winter Sports is optional now (they used to include it on annual plans). In terms of other travel insurance add-ons , cruise-specific cover is not an option on Virgin Money travel insurance, so if you're going on a cruise you may want to consider other holiday cover providers for access to features like Cabin Confinement, Unused Excursions and Missed Port.

Pre-Existing Conditions: As part of the online application you'll be asked a series of brief medical questions. If you have a medical condition, Virgin Money may be able to offer cover for some pre-existing medical conditions , for which you'll probably be required to pay a higher premium. Pre-existing conditions are only covered if they've been fully declared, accepted and paid for.

Covid: Virgin offers pretty good Covid benefits. Here's a sample of what's covered, extending Cancellation and Curtailment cover.

Cancellation:

• You, Your Relative, a member of Your household or travelling companion or a friend with whom You had arranged to stay has a diagnosis of COVID-19 within 14 days of Your booked departure date, as certified by a Medical Practitioner following a medically approved test showing a positive result for COVID-19.
• You being denied boarding on Your prebooked outbound travel due to You contracting COVID-19, as certified by a Medical Practitioner following a medically approved test showing a positive result for COVID-19 or having a confirmed temperature above 38 degrees Celsius.

Curtailment:

• Death of Your Relative or a member of Your household living in the United Kingdom contracting COVID-19, as certified by a Medical Practitioner following a medically approved test showing a positive result for COVID-19 or having a confirmed temperature above 38 degrees Celsius.
• The hospitalisation as a result of COVID-19 for treatment with mechanical ventilation, of Your Relative or a member of Your household living in the United Kingdom.

How do Virgin Money Travel Insurance Prices Compare?

Virgin Money travel insurance premiums are in line with market averages. Only Virgin's top-tier Black plans cost more than the average cost of holiday cover (shown by yellow bars in the charts below), whether you're travelling to geographies like Europe or America . Given that Baggage and Travel Delay are covered on all plans, we think Virgin Money offers solid value for money.

However, insurance quotes can vary significantly from day to day and according to each individual's details, so please just use this data for general educational purposes only about the travel insurance market; your quotes may reflect a large degree of variation.

Buying Direct vs Using a Comparison Site

There are two ways to buy a Virgin Money travel insurance policy: direct from Virgin Money or via a comparison site like MoneySuperMarket. Broadly speaking, the cheapest plan is Economy, which is only available from comparison sites; the plan with the highest cover is the Gold plan, only available from Virgin Money direct.

There are pros and cons to both sources in terms of features and price points. We'll try to explain the differences to help you understand whether buying direct or through an aggregator (e.g., a comparison site) better suits your individual needs.

If the lower limits of the Economy or Standard plan are good enough for your needs then you can probably save money buying through the comparison site because our research revealed that the cost of Virgin Money's "cheapest" cover from each source can easily be 40% to 50% cheaper when buying through the comparison site —that is, Economy plans are consistently cheaper than Red plans.

Benefits of Buying via Comparison Site

If you're after a budget travel insurance plan, the cheapest holiday cover from Virgin Money is the Essential Plus plan, which is available only on comparison sites. Depending on details like geographic cover, you'll probably find cheaper plans on comparison site, but for a given level of cancellation cover, you might get higher limits in some other areas. For example, Red (direct) has £3,000 of cancellation as does Premium (comparison site), but Premium has higher limits for emergency medical, personal accident, personal possessions, financial failure, missed departure and more. But Red has higher travel delay benefits. And the excess is twice as much on the Premium plan. Also, direct plans include some level of gadget cover (and you can buy more), but comparison site plans only cover gadgets if you buy the add on. So there are trade offs.

Types of Virgin Money Travel Insurance Policies

Virgin Money offers five tiers of travel insurance—Economy, Standard, Premium, Red, Silver and Gold. The first three (Economy, Standard, Premium) can be purchased on a comparison site; Red, Silver and Gold are available direct from Virgin Money. All policies include Emergency Medical, Baggage and Cancellation/Curtailment.

Winter Sports cover can be added to Single Trip plans for an additional cost but is INCLUDED in Annual, Multi-Trip plans.

The upper age limits vary depending on whether you buy direct or through an aggregator site. Plans bought from comparison sites have lower upper age limits, so people in their 70s or above may have better success buying direct.

Age Limits When You Take Out a Virgin Money Travel Insurance Policy

While you can take as many trips as you want each year with a Virgin Money Annual, Multi-Trip policy, there are limits on trip length, depending on your age.

Virgin Money Trip Lengths for Annual Policies Vary According to Policy Type

• Economy: 31 days
• Standard: 31 days
• Premium: 45 days
• Red: 31 days
• Silver: 45 days
• Gold: 94 days

Single trips are limited to 90 days, unless agreed by them in writing.

Cover Limits

Here is a quick, high-level recap of what's on offer from comparison sites and direct:

For further information, please review the policy documents. If you would like us to go into more depth here, please let us know in the comments section at the bottom of this review!

Gadget and Valuables Extension:

Direct plans receive some level of gadget cover (e.g. for loss up to £500 for Red and Silver and £750 for Gold); plans bought from a comparison site don't include gadget as standard. But prior to leaving your home area, if you pay the appropriate extra premium Virgin Money can extend your cover to:

Unauthorised usage is limited to £1,000 for all options.

Notable Features

Here are some highlights of features available on Virgin Money travel insurance policies. Standard features like Medical and Personal Liability are also included on Virgin Money policies, limits for which can be found below in the Policy Limits section . For more complete details like inner limits and exclusions, please refer to the policy documents .

Bottom Line: We like that all Virgin Money plans include Baggage, which is the most common reason to claim on holiday cover. A range of reasonably-priced plans mean there's cover for a variety of customer profiles, from those heading on a cheap and cheerful holiday in the sun to those who have more at risk for a premium holiday.

• Virgin Money Policy Wording for Comparison Sites
• Virgin Money Policy Wording for Direct Sales

Erin Yurday is the Founder and Editor of NimbleFins. Prior to NimbleFins, she worked as an investment professional and as the finance expert in Stanford University's Graduate School of Business case writing team. Read more on LinkedIn .

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Advertiser Disclosure : NimbleFins is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), FCA FRN 797621. NimbleFins is a research and data-driven personal finance site. Reviews that appear on this site are based on our own analysis and opinion, with a focus on product features and prices, not service. Some offers that appear on this website are from companies from which NimbleFins receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where offers appear on this site (for example, the order in which they appear). For more information please see our Advertiser Disclosure . The site may not review or include all companies or all available products. While we use our best endeavours to be comprehensive and up to date with product info, prices and terms may change after we publish, so always check details with the provider. Consumers should ensure they undertake their own due diligence before entering into any agreement.

Note regarding savings figures: *For information on the latest saving figures, pay-less-than figures, and pay-from figures used for promotional purposes, please click here .

**4.8 out of 5 stars on Reviews.co.uk is the rating for our insurance comparison partner, QuoteZone.

Virgin Money and Virgin Red offer exclusive Travel Insurance rewards for Virgin Red members

We know taking travel insurance out can be one of the least exciting ‘To Dos’ when planning for a trip, but that's all about to change with Virgin Red and Virgin Money . Virgin Red members will be rewarded for taking out travel insurance, so you can explore the world feeling safe and spoiled.

Virgin Money Annual Multi-trip Travel Insurance

If you’ve got a few trips coming up, Virgin Money’s annual multi-trip travel insurance will give you the peace of mind you need to truly relax.

What could be more relaxing than that? 3,500 Virgin Points that's what, from your friends at Virgin Red.

With Virgin Money’s Annual Multi-Trip insurance , you can choose up to 94 days’ worldwide cover per trip, with everything you care about covered – from your gadgets to your health.

Added benefits

Covid cover included - cancellation and medical expenses are covered by Virgin Money, as standard, if you’re diagnosed with Covid-19.*

Gadget cover as standard, plus optional extras​ - from Enhanced Gadget and Enhanced Covid Cover – to cover for winter sports, car hire excess, and more (fees apply).

On hand to help, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year - help is just a phone call away with Virgin Money’s worldwide medical emergency assistance helpline. ​

Your policy at your fingertips - looking after your policy is now a breeze, thanks to Virgin Money’s handy new online portal – from downloading docs to making a claim, all in one place.

*Please check your policy wording for full details and any exclusions.​

The Virgin Money travel insurance has three levels of cover : Red, Silver and Gold, so you can choose which suits you and your needs best.

Managing your travel insurance is a breeze. Simply register online then unwind knowing you can do anything from updating your personal details, to making a claim, all in one place. 

The fun part - spending your points

Virgin Red members are rewarded for everyday spending, and with everything from the biggest brands in retail, travel and entertainment to smaller treats or exciting new start-ups, there are so many different rewards which anyone would enjoy. Members can also use Virgin Points for good by supporting a number of different charities or helping develop technology to remove carbon from the atmosphere. 

What will you put your points towards? Your next flight, getaway or holiday? Navigating the world of Virgin Wines? Or another Virgin Red treat, experience or exclusive? Enjoy deciding.

Buy your travel insurance today with Virgin Red and Virgin Money and earn 3,500 Virgin Points.

Terms and conditions

Who can take up this offer? 

Virgin Red Members who are 18+ and resident in the UK. 

How do you take up this offer? 

It’s important that you follow these steps to make sure you are eligible for this offer. If you don’t, you might not get your points... and we don’t want that!

Buy a Virgin Money Annual Multi Trip Policy (the Policy) via the offer in the Virgin Red app or Virgin Red website.

You’ll see the offer listed in the “Earn Points” section of the Virgin Red app and website.

Just click on “Get Points” when you want to go ahead. This will link you to the offer page on the Virgin Money website.

From there, click on ‘Get a quote’ and fill in your policy requirements to receive a quote.

Make sure you choose the Annual Multi-trip Policy. The Policy start date must be within 45 days of buying the Policy.

When you’re happy to go ahead, pay for the Policy. o You will receive a confirmation email from Virgin Money.

You need to hold the Policy for at least 45 days to be eligible for the Offer before points are credited to your Virgin Red account. If you or Virgin Money cancel the Policy before 45 days, you won’t be eligible for points. 

This offer can’t be used in conjunction with any other offer. Points are only offered in year one of the policy. 

What is the offer?

If you meet the offer conditions, we’ll give you a Virgin Red promo code. You can redeem this code with our friends at Virgin Red to get 3,500 Virgin Points. 

We’ll send you an e-mail with your promo code within 28 days of you meeting the offer conditions. We’ll send your code to the e-mail you gave when you bought the Policy. The email will provide instructions on how to redeem the code within the Virgin Red app or website.

Your Virgin Red promo code can be used until 30 April 2023. Make sure to redeem your code before then.

Only one Virgin Red promo code will be generated per eligible Policy.

After you’ve redeemed your Virgin Red promo code, the points are added to your Virgin Red account. There is no specific expiry date for using the points. You’ll be free to use them in line with Virgin Red’s programme terms. You can find the terms here [ http://policies.red.virgin.com/terms ].

We thought we should highlight a few key things from Virgin Red’s terms: 

the points don’t have a cash value and they can’t be swapped for cash;

the available offers can change from time to time; and

the points cost for each offer can change too. 

Although we’ll be working closely with our friends at Virgin Red on this promotion, we aren't responsible for their terms, their marketing, or any of the offers available through their app. Just contact Virgin Red or the relevant offer provider if you have any questions about these topics. 

When can you take up the offer?

The offer will be available on an ongoing basis until we withdraw it. We can withdraw the offer without giving you any advance notice, but we’ll try to give some notice if we can.

The offer is subject to availability. This means we will definitely withdraw it when we’ve used up our stock of Virgin Red promo codes.

You don’t need to worry if we withdraw the offer when you’re part way through meeting the offer conditions. As long as you've bought the Policy before we withdraw the offer, you can still qualify. You’ll just need to continue to meet the rest of the conditions. 

What else do you need to know? 

You can only benefit from this offer once.

We’ll use your personal information to help us run the offer.

English law applies to the offer.

Standard Virgin Money Travel Insurance Policy conditions apply.

 If something goes wrong, we’ll try to fix it. If we can’t because it’s something we can’t control, or it’s not our fault, then we may have to change the offer. This includes suspending the offer or ending it early. We can make such changes without giving you notice. However, we’ll try our best to avoid making changes. And we’ll try to minimise any disappointment to you when we make changes. 

Who is the promoter?

We are Clydesdale Bank PLC trading as Virgin Money.

Our company number is SC001111.

Our registered office is 30 St Vincent Place, Glasgow, G1 2HL.

Virgin Red and Virgin Money give new customers 20,000 reasons to switch

Unlock Virgin Red: How to earn Virgin Points with a Virgin Money M Plus Account or Club M Account

Who wants to be a virgin points millionaire.

Compare Cruise Travel Insurance Cover

• Get to grips with cruise cover
• Compare cruise cover travel insurance
• Find the right deal for your cruise

Sail away with the best cruise travel insurance

Updated: Apr 29, 2024

This content has been independently collected by the Evening Standard team and is offered on a non-advised basis. Evening Standard may earn a commission on sales made from partner links on this page, but that doesn’t affect our editors’ opinions or evaluations

Going on a cruise is a great way to see a wealth of different sights without having to pack and unpack your suitcase between each destination.

You can glide around the Norwegian fjords, explore the islands of the Caribbean, tour the Mediterranean or even circumnavigate the globe if you’ve the time and the money.

But whatever the itinerary, a cruise can easily be disrupted by adverse weather conditions that delay your journey or prevent you from visiting one or more of the ports on the schedule.

That’s why cruise companies generally reserve the right to change their itineraries at any time. And it’s also one of the main reasons why it’s sensible to take out specialist cruise ship travel insurance before you sail off into the sunset.

Best cruise insurance deals

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Ocean cruise: £48.79 ; River cruise: £40.08

Cabin confinement cover

Missed port cover.

Priced at £48 for an ocean cruise and £40 for a river cruise, this policy provides high levels of cover for the most common risks associated with cruise holidays, and holidays generally.

For each claim you make, only £50 will be levied per person in excess. There’s also the option to waive the excess by paying an additional premium.

In addition to medical cover should you fall ill, the policy covers you, if you’re consequently confined to your cabin by a medical official, paying out £100 per 24 hours of your confinement up to a maximum £1,000. If the ship misses a port due to a change in itinerary, it will pay out £200 per port up to a limit of £2,000.

However, a relatively minimal £200 is provided if you’re taken ill or injured and need to cancel planned excursions.

For lost or stolen baggage, there’s £2,000 per person. You’re also protected before departure as there’s £3,000 per person if an emergency causes you to cancel your trip.

Unlike most travel insurance policies, £1,000 per person for lost, stolen or damaged devices is included as standard.

• £2,000 missed port cover
• £1,000 gadget cover
• £50 excess only
• No missed port departure cover
• No cruise interruption cover

CoverForYou: Standard

As well as covering emergency medical bills if you fall ill while out at sea, if you’re consequently confined to your cabin this policy provides a generous £50 per hour up to a maximum of £2,000, and another £2,000 for essentials, such as food and drink, if you’re hospitalised.

It also includes a vital £3,000 per person for trip cancellation, and £2,000 per person for lost or stolen belongings. A decent £500 per person covers unused excursions, if you’re forced to cancel for medical reasons. If planned destinations are removed from the ship’s itinerary, this policy pays out £50 per missed port, to a modest limit of £250 per person.

This policy costs £43. You can waive the minimal excess of £50 per person on each claim by paying an additional premium.

• £2,000 cabin confinement cover
• £2,000 hospital benefit
• Gadget cover costs extra

Virgin Money: Premium Single Trip Med

If you have excursions booked, it may be worth considering this policy, which allows you to claim up to £750 for cancellation of your plans, should you fall ill while away.

If a destination is removed from the itinerary, it provides £100 per missed port up to a limit of £1,000 per person, and if you’re confined to your cabin due to falling ill, £100 per 24 hours, up to a cap of £500. Cover for medical bills is teamed with £2,000 in hospital benefit to cover additional costs, if you are hospitalised.

Each traveller can also claim up to £3,000 for holiday cancellation, as well as a substantial £2,000 for lost or stolen baggage and belongings, £500 for a lost passport and £400 in compensation for travel delay.

At £46.76, the premium on this policy is quite expensive, but there’s only an excess of £50 per person to pay on each claim. Note that you cannot waive the excess by paying an extra premium.

• £750 unused excursion cover
• £400 travel delay cover

TravelTime: PremierPlus

For a competitive £38, this policy covers changes in itinerary, paying out £200 per port up to a maximum £800, and up to £1,500 should you miss a port departure or claim for cruise interruption due to an emergency.

If you fall ill and are confined to your cabin, you can claim £150 per 24 hours to a cap of £750. There’s also £750 included if you’re too ill to go on planned excursions.

A substantial £4,000 per person is provided in cancellation cover and £2,000 per person for lost baggage and belongings, and while the excess on claims is £99 for each traveller, it can be waived, should you prefer to pay an additional premium.

• £1,500 missed port departure cover
• £1,500 cruise interruption cover
• £750 unused excursions cover

Explorer Travel Insurance: Platinum

With a generous £5,000 per person to cover trip cancellation, this policy is worth considering.

It also covers medical costs and repatriation, if you are injured or fall ill while away, and £2,000 per person for lost or stolen baggage. If the captain confines you to your cabin for health and safety reasons, it pays out £50 per 24 hours up to a maximum £500, and £250 per if you’re forced to cancel pre-booked excursions.

If the captain changes the itinerary to miss a port, you can claim up to £1,000 per person. There’s also £1,000 for accomodation and travel expenses to get to the next dock if you miss a port departure, and £1,000 for travel expenses to re-join the cruise, if you fall ill.

At £45, this policy is on the pricier side. An excess of £75 per person is payable on each eligible claim, or you can choose to waive it by paying an additional premium.

• £5,000 cancellation cover

Puffin: Platinum Medical Single Trip

A large portion of this policy’s cruise cover goes towards cabin confinement. You can claim £100 per 24 hours up to a limit of £1,500. If you’re too ill to go on booked excursions, there’s also up to £500.

Another £500 is provided for ports that are removed from the itinerary. You can claim £100 for each. There’s also £2,000 for lost or stolen belongings, and £3,000 for trip cancellation.

This policy is on the pricier side at £48. An excess of £75 per person is levied on each claim and it cannot be waived.

• Good level of cover for cancellation
• Good level of cover for lost baggage

Oasis Insurance: Oasis Silver Single

While exploring various destinations and participating in activities on board, even the most careful of travellers can misplace their money.

On this policy, you can claim up to a substantial £750 per person if your cash, a bank card, or some other form of payment such as cheques or money orders, are lost or stolen. This cover also extends to lost or stolen prepaid phone cards.

Up to £1,000 per person is also automatically provided for the damage, loss or theft of your devices, £2,000 for your baggage and £3,000 for trip cancellation.

For each port removed from the schedule, you can claim £150 up to a cap of £1,500, and for cabin confinement due to illness, you can claim £750 per 24 hours, up to a maximum of £750. However, this policy may not be best for an excursion-filled trip. Only £200 per person is provided if you’re forced to cancel your excursions due to illness.

While the policy premium is decent, the excess per person on each claim is £99 unless you choose to waive it by paying an additional premium.

• £750 personal money cover
• Excess waiver available

Admiral: Admiral Gold

For little over £41, this policy provides impressive levels of cover for holiday essentials. This includes £3,000 for trip cancellation and £2,000 for baggage and belongings, in addition to medical cover.

There’s also up to £500 for a lost or stolen passport, and up to £3 million should you cause injury to someone else, or damage to another person’s property.

You can claim up to £500 of this sum if a planned destination is removed from the cruise schedule, capped at £100 per port. There’s also £500 if you’re confined to your cabin due to falling ill, capped at £50 per 24 hours, and £250 if you’re too ill to participate in pre-paid excursions. This policy also includes up to £750 for missed port departure and £500 for cruise interruption.

You can waive the excess of £99 per person on each claim by paying an extra premium.

• Inexpensive
• £400 loss of passport cover

Esure Classic Single Trip Med

This policy offers good levels of cover in essential areas. There’s £3,000 per person in cancellation cover and £1,500 per person for baggage and belongings, in addition to medical cover.

If your ship can no longer stop at a planned destination, due to unforeseen events such as bad weather, you can claim £75 for each missed port up to a limit of £750 per person. If you’re confined to your cabin due to illness, you can claim £75 per 24 hours up to £375. There’s also £250 person in cover if you’re too ill to go on pre-paid excursions.

Costing £48, this policy is expensive. An excess of £95 per person is also levied on each claim, without the option to waive it by paying an extra premium.

• Essential level of cover for cancellation
• Essential level of cover for lost baggage

Post Office Extra

For £43, this policy provides a minimal £1,300 in cruise cover.

There’s £1,000 per person for missed port departure and the same amount for cruise interruption. Up to £500 per person is provided in unused excursion cover, and for cabin confinement, £50 per 24 hours up to a cap of £500 per person. However, if the itinerary changes, there’s only £100 for each missed port, up to a cap of £300.

More impressively, you can claim up to £3,000 for trip cancellation, and £1,500 for lost baggage and belongings, in addition to medical cover.

A hefty excess of £125 per person is levied on eligible claims, unless you choose to waive it by paying an additional excess.

• Essential level of cover for cancellation Essential level of cover for lost baggage
• £125 excess

To identifiy our top cruise insurance policies we ran quotes using our online comparison tool, powered by our travel insurance partner CYTI.

We profiled a couple in their late-40s, taking an ocean cruise around the Western Mediterranean for seven days.

We ranked the policies based on price, excess (the set amount you will be expected to pay towards any claim you make), and levels of cover for common types of cruise insurance: cabin confinement, missed port and unused excursions.

All policies include at least £2 million in medical cover, £3,000 in cancellation cover and £1,500 for lost or stolen baggage and belongings, as well as cover for sports and activities.

Cruise – or cruise ship – insurance is a type of travel insurance designed to cover eventualities that, while unlikely to arise while on a single-destination trip, could occur when you’re on a cruise.

Examples might include:

• missing planned stops, for example due to weather conditions
• being unable to take an excursion you had booked and paid for
• having to be helicoptered to hospital for emergency medical treatment.

It’s possible to either get standalone cruise insurance or pay an extra premium to add cruise cover to a conventional travel insurance policy.

Some providers include cruise cover as standard, so if you already have an annual travel insurance policy  in place, check this first.

Going on a cruise involves certain risks that would not occur on standard hoiday.

Perhaps the best example is having to be airlifted to shore if you need hospital care due to an accident or sudden illness which may not be covered by a standard travel insurance policy.

In addition, many standard travel policies limit single trips to 31 days. Cruise insurance is designed to potentially last longer than this.

Cancellation cover offered by standard travel insurance can also be insufficient to cover the often greater cost of a cruise.

The extra benefits associated with cruise ship travel insurance include:

• hospital treatment: covers emergency helicopter transfers when required, as well as extra costs incurred getting home
• missed port: pays out if you have to miss one or more of the scheduled stops on your cruise
• unused excursions: offers compensation if you miss a pre-booked excursion due to accident, illness or injury (or because you never make it to the destination in question)
• cabin confinement: pays out if you’re told to stay in your cabin by the ship’s medical officer

However, the level of cover offered varies from one policy to the next. Cabin confinement payments, for example, can be as little as £15 or as much as £1,000 a day.

Check the protection provided meets your needs before you buy.

As with standard travel insurance , cruise insurance will only pay out on claims for events beyond your control. If, for example, your luggage is stolen because you left it unattended, you’re unlikely to be able to make a claim.

Other common cruise ship travel insurance exclusions include:

• incidents arising from reckless behaviour, such as excessive drinking
• travelling against government advice provided by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
• port stops that are cancelled due to political unrest
• medical treatment related to an undisclosed pre-existing condition.

Again, policy terms and conditions vary between insurers, so check the exclusions before taking out cruise insurance.

To compare cruise insurance, you will need to provide details of your destination. If it’s outside Europe, premiums tend to cost more, with the most expensive policies covering the US, Canada and the Caribbean, and sometimes Mexico and Greenland. This is because medical costs are usually higher at these locations.

Other features to look out for when booking cruise insurance include:

• cancellation cover: is the amount you can claim sufficient to cover the cost of your cruise?
• baggage: would the maximum amount cover all your baggage and valuable items?
• delays: how much can you claim if your trip is marred by delays?
• activities: are the activities you plan to do – both on board and on shore – covered?

Medical cover of at least £1 million within Europe or £2 million worldwide is good minimum to work with.

Cruises can be popular among older people with the time to sail around exploring the world at their leisure, so providers are accommodating travellers with pre-existing health problems .

However, these will need to be declared at the time of purchasing the policy. Any conditions that are not disclosed will fall outside of the cover.

Pre-existing medical conditions might include:

• high blood pressure
• heart disease

If you’re unsure whether or not a condition needs to be disclosed, tell your insurer about it anyway – it could save you thousands of pounds if you need related care while you’re away.

How much you have to pay for cruise insurance depends on a number of factors, including your age and state of health, as well as how long you’re travelling for and where you will visit.

Cruises that visit North America and the Caribbean, for example, often cost more to insure due to the high cost of medical treatment there.

If your cruise is deemed more likely to be affected by bad weather, for example because it’s in Arctic waters, premiums are likely to be higher.

It’s possible to take out cruise insurance that covers you, and your spouse or partner, your family, or a group of friends.

You’ll need their dates of birth and details of any pre-existing health conditions to hand.

Cruise policies do not generally impose an upper age limit. However, travellers over the age of 70 or 80 will push the cost of the policy up considerably. In this case, it may prove cheaper to buy separate cover for these individuals if you’re in a group.

You can reduce the cost of cruise insurance by shopping around for the best deal. Remember to take into account the level of cover provided – as well as the cost – when making your choice.

Things to check include:

• level of medical cover
• maximum cancellation payout
• amount you can claim for lost luggage and/or valuables
• amount you can claim per missed port call/cabin confinement day
• excess you’ll have to pay towards any claim.

This content has been independently collected by the Evening Standard team and is offered on a non-advised basis. This content is not part of a comparison service provided by our partners. Evening Standard may earn a commission on sales made from partner links on this page, but that doesn’t affect our editors’ opinions or evaluations.

The ES Money editorial team is independent and objective. To help support our reporting work, and to continue our ability to provide this content for free to our readers, we receive payment from the companies that advertise on the ES Money site. This comes from two main sources.

First, we provide paid placements to advertisers to present their offers. The payments we receive for those placements affects how and where advertisers’ offers appear on the site. This site does not include all companies or products available within the market.

Second, we also include links to advertisers’ offers in some of our articles. These “affiliate links” may generate income for our site when you click on them. The compensation we receive from advertisers does not influence the recommendations or advice our editorial team provides in our articles or otherwise impact any of the editorial content on ES Money.

While we work hard to provide accurate and up to date information that we think you will find relevant, ES Money does not and cannot guarantee that any information provided is complete and makes no representations or warranties in connection thereto, nor to the accuracy or applicability thereof.

For domestic energy, broadband and mobile, it is Comparison Technologies Limited. For business energy, our partner is Love Energy Saving, while our comparison journey for travel insurance is powered by CYTI Limited. More products and other comparison services partners may be added as ES Money expands.

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Virgin Voyages Travel Insurance - 2024 Review

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• Poor Medical And Evacuation Cover
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Virgin Voyages offers cruises to adults aged 18 and up (no children allowed) that feature high tech amenities, low environmental impact, and complimentary drinks and dining. Although Virgin Voyages offers a variety of cruises, cabin types, and dining options, they only offer a single option for travel insurance, which is their Voyage Protection plan.

Arch Insurance Company, a strong insurance partner, underwrites Virgin’s Voyage Protection plan, while Aon Affinity administers policy service and handles claims.

Like most major cruise lines, the Voyage Protection plan carries dangerously low limits for Medical Insurance and Medical Evacuation. It also lacks many of the important features of quality travel insurance policies found on the wider market, such as a Pre-Existing Medical Condition Waiver and a comprehensive list of reasons for Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption.

The one redeeming element of Virgin Voyages’ travel insurance is that you can easily purchase it at checkout when booking your cruise online. Before you buy, check out this review to find out if the Voyage Protection plan is right for you.

Our Cruise: French Daze & Ibiza Nights

For our review, we selected the French Daze & Ibiza Nights cruise. Our sample couple, ages 55 and 60, will be staying in The Insider suite, sailing from 5/22/22-5/29/22. The cruise begins and ends in Barcelona, with stops in Marseille, Cannes, Olbia, and Ibiza along the way. The total cost of the cruise comes to $2,600 after taxes and fees.

Conveniently, Virgin Voyages offers the option to purchase travel insurance at checkout.

To Virgin Voyages’ credit, their website is incredibly user friendly and easy to navigate. And obviously, it’s a simple click of “Yes” or “No” to purchase their travel insurance plan. But before you add it into your shopping cart, you need to know what your $192 is really buying - and what it’s not.

Virgin’s insurance provides travelers with $10k of medical coverage and $25k of medical evacuation coverage. Let’s see how this compares to other travel insurance in the wider travel insurance marketplace.

Comparison Quotes

When we review cruise line travel insurance plans, we always compare them to other options available on the wider travel insurance marketplace. This way, you can see what the cruise line offers, and determine whether it fits your needs or is a good value for your money.

We recommend all travelers leaving the US have ample emergency insurance in case of an overseas catastrophe. This saves you the headache and heartache of paying for medical treatment out of pocket, and a 6-figure transportation fee to return home in a worst-case scenario.

Therefore,  Cruise Insurance 101  advocates carrying a  minimum of $100k Medical Insurance, $250k Emergency Medical Evacuation, and a Waiver of Pre-Existing Medical Conditions whenever possible . This is the primary benchmark we use to determine if a cruise line’s travel insurance is suitable for travelers.

Using the details of the trip, we ran a sample quote to show you how Virgin Voyages’ travel insurance plan compares with two policies available at Cruise Insurance 101 .

First, we’ll compare it to Trawick First Class for $161.19, because this is the least expensive comprehensive trip insurance plan that includes our recommended minimums for Medical Insurance, Medical Evacuation and Pre-Existing Condition Waiver.

Then, we’ll compare it to the least expensive plan that meets our minimum recommendations, includes a Pre-Existing Condition Waiver, and also offers Cancel For Any Reason benefits, which happens to be the John Hancock Silver (CFAR 75%) for $262.50.

How Does Virgin Voyages Compare to the Competition?

As you can see, the Voyage Protection plan offers extremely limited coverage for the $192 cost. Like many cruise line travel insurance plans, the Medical Insurance and Medical Evacuation coverage have disappointingly low limits. Furthermore, the policy does not cover Pre-Existing Conditions nor provide a Cancel For Any Reason option.

In comparison, Trawick First Class costs $30.81 less than the Voyage Protection plan on our sample quote. While this is not a significant savings, Trawick First Class provides adequate coverage for travel outside of the US, with $150k in Medical Insurance and $1m in Medical Evacuation coverage. It also covers Pre-Existing Conditions if purchased within 14 days of your initial payment or deposit towards the trip.

Our sample couple could have Cancel For Any Reason protection by purchasing the John Hancock Silver (CFAR 75%) for $70.50 more than the Voyage Protection plan. In addition to the standard cancellation coverage, our two travelers would have the option to cancel their trip for any reason and still receive a significant portion of their trip cost back. They’d also be properly protected with $100k of Medical Insurance and $500k in Medical Evacuation coverage.

We’ll discuss the importance of these coverages further below.

Trip Cancellation Reimburses You If You Can’t Travel

Travelers value  Trip Cancellation  benefits because the coverage allows you to get a full reimbursement of your pre-paid, non-refundable trip costs in the event you must cancel your trip for a covered reason. Of course, the more covered reasons a policy has for cancellation, the better.

Disappointingly, Virgin’s cruise insurance covers a mere 6 cancellation reasons:

• Your, a Family Member’s, a Traveling Companion’s, or a Traveling Companion’s Family Member’s death, that occurs before departure on Your Trip; or
• Your, a Family Member’s, a Traveling Companion’s or a Traveling Companion’s Family Member’s covered Sickness or Injury, that: a) occurs before departure on Your Trip; b) requires Medical Treatment at the time of cancellation; and c) as certified by a Physician, results in medical restrictions so disabling as to cause Your Trip to be cancelled;
• You or Your Traveling Companion being hijacked, quarantined, required to serve on a jury (notice of jury duty must be received after Your Effective Date), served with a court order to appear as a witness in a legal action in which You or Your Traveling Companion is not a party (except law enforcement officers);
• Your or Your Traveling Companion’s primary place of residence is made Uninhabitable and remains Uninhabitable during Your scheduled Trip, by fire, flood, or other Natural Disaster, vandalism;
• You or Your Traveling Companion being directly involved in a traffic accident, substantiated by a police report, while en route to Your scheduled point of departure;
• You or Your Traveling Companion who are military, police or fire personnel being called into emergency service to provide aid or relief for a Natural Disaster.

While covered cancellation can vary by policy, most policies cover all the above reasons and more, including but not limited to:

• A documented theft of passports or visas
• Permanent transfer of employment of 250 miles or more
• Involuntary termination or layoff
• An unannounced strike causing a complete cessation of services
• Inclement weather causing a complete cessation of services
• Revocation of previously granted military leave due to war
• Bankruptcy or default of airline, cruise line, tour operator

By comparison, both Trawick First Class and John Hancock Silver (CFAR 75%) offer 14 covered cancellation scenarios. The John Hancock Silver (CFAR 75%) also includes Cancel For Any Reason, which allows you to cancel for any reason not otherwise covered by the policy and still receive a 75% reimbursement of your trip cost.

Another important factor to consider is that the Voyage Protection plan only covers travel arrangements booked through Virgin Voyages. Any travel arrangements booked elsewhere, such as independently booked airfare and accommodations for travel time ahead of or after the cruise, would not be covered. This is typical of cruise line travel insurance plans but leaves you at risk of losing those costs if you cancel your trip.

Alternatively, third-party travel insurance plans, like Trawick First Class and John Hancock Silver (CFAR 75%), insure all of your pre-paid and non-refundable trip costs, regardless of who your travel arrangements were booked through.

Cancel For Any Reason

Cancel For Any Reason coverage is exactly what it sounds like – it allows you to cancel for any reason that’s not covered under the policy and still receive a reimbursement of your trip cost.

Many major cruise lines offer Cancel For Any Reason , which assigns a future cruise credit to the travelers if they cancel their cruise for any reason not listed on the policy. Surprisingly, Virgin Voyages doesn’t offer anything of the sort. While a future cruise credit is far from preferable, it’s better than nothing.

On the other hand, some third-party travel insurance plans, like John Hancock Silver (CFAR 75%) have Cancel For Any Reason benefits built into the policy. Instead of offering future credit, the policy gives you a cash reimbursement for a portion of the trip cost.

However, Cancel For Any Reason has a few rules. The coverage reimburses 50% -75% (depending on policy) of your pre-paid and non-refundable trip costs, provided you:

• Purchase the policy within 10-21 days (depending on the policy) of your initial payment or deposit towards the trip. For the John Hancock Silver (CFAR 75%), this timeframe, called the Time Sensitive Period, is 14 days.
• Insure 100% of your pre-paid and non-refundable trip costs, and add any subsequent payments to the policy’s trip cost within the Time Sensitive Period
• Cancel your trip no later than 48 hours prior to departure

Trip Interruption Refunds the Unused Portion of Trip

Similar to Trip Cancellation,  Trip Interruption reimburses you for the missed portion of your trip if you have a covered disruption. Covered reasons for Trip Interruption mimic those of Trip Cancellation. For example, if you unexpectedly fell ill during your cruise and had to seek treatment off the ship for two days, that’s a covered Trip Interruption (along with a Medical Insurance claim).

In some cases, your Trip Interruption may allow you to return to the trip after missing a portion of it. Other times, you might have to go home early to tend to a family emergency. In the same fashion, a Trip Interruption could delay your arrival to the cruise.

In any event, travel insurance reimburses you up to your trip cost for the unused, pre-paid, non-refundable expenses for your travel arrangements, plus the additional transportation cost paid to either:

• Join your trip if you must depart after your scheduled departure date or travel via alternate route of travel; or
• Rejoin your trip from the point where your trip was interrupted or return home early

While Virgin’s barebones policy offers only 100% trip cost refund for a covered interruption, both Trawick First Class and John Hancock Silver (CFAR 75%) cover up to a 150% refund. The extra 50% helps cover the added cost of transportation.

Trip Interruption coverage that exceeds 100% is a hallmark of a robust and comprehensive travel insurance policy.

Medical Insurance When Traveling Overseas

Sometimes travelers are more focused on Trip Cancellation and overlook the risks of traveling overseas without proper  Medical Insurance .

American travelers often have the false impression that countries with socialized medicine will treat them for free, but this is not the case. In fact, countries with universal health care programs only offer those services to their residents, who pay taxes for this privilege, whereas travelers must pay full price for health care. Inpatient care at a hospital can run $3,000 to $4,000 per night, plus treatments and surgeries.

Also, Medicare does not pay for your treatment outside the US. In addition, many private healthcare plans only reimburse for emergencies. For example, although some Medicare supplements cover up to $50k of emergency treatment abroad, it’s a lifetime limit and you must pay a 20% co-pay out of pocket. These policies falsely lead you to believe you’re safely covered, but they leave your retirement savings exposed to the risk of a sudden, catastrophic financial loss.

Furthermore, the US State Department does not provide any medical support to Americans traveling overseas, which is why carrying adequate Medical Insurance is critical when leaving the country.

Thus Cruise Insurance 101 recommends each traveler carry at least $100k in Medical Insurance when leaving the US. This is enough coverage to assure you’re properly treated without paying off medical bills for years to come.

Getting back to Virgin Voyages’ travel insurance, the Voyage Protection plan includes only $10k of Medical Insurance. That’s simply not going to help you in an emergency.

On the other hand, Trawick First Class includes $150k Medical Insurance and John Hancock Silver (CFAR 75%) covers $100k. These levels of coverage are much better suited for  seniors cruising  outside of the US.

Emergency Medical Evacuation Brings You Home

Have you ever seen a helicopter land on a cruise ship to pick up a sick passenger, or heard of someone being flown home in a private medical jet? These things happen more frequently than you think.

Specifically, Medical Evacuation  coverage pays for transportation from the place of injury or illness to a local hospital. Once you’re stable and the physician treating you determines it’s necessary, Medical Evacuation returns you home. If your condition is critical and you require ongoing care by a medical team to return home, an air ambulance outfitted as a flying ICU might be most appropriate.

Private air transportation such as this can cost $15k to $25k per flight hour and coming back to the US from overseas can get very expensive, very quickly.

In addition, many travelers assume their private health insurance pays for Medical Evacuation so they can get home. In fact, private health insurance plans, including Medicare supplements, do not include Medical Evacuation benefits beyond a limited amount for a ground ambulance to the hospital. So, that medical flight cost comes out of your pocket and could cost as much as a house.

For these reasons Cruise Insurance 101 recommends all travelers leaving the US carry a minimum of $250k Emergency Medical Evacuation coverage. Travelers venturing even further from home, to destinations such as Africa, Asia, or beyond, should carry a minimum of $500k.

Virgin’s Voyage Protection plan only provides a minimal $25k Medical Evacuation benefit. Meanwhile, Trawick First Class has a benefit of $1m per person for Medical Evacuation and the John Hancock Silver (CFAR 75%) covers $500k per person.

Pre-Existing Medical Conditions

Pre-Existing Conditions are an understandable concern for many senior travelers.

In the world of travel insurance, a Pre-Existing Condition does not mean anything that’s ever happened to you in your entire medical history. Instead, travel insurance companies only concern themselves with your more recent medical history.

Most policies are only concerned about the 60-180 days prior to the day you purchased your policy. This means any conditions older than 60-180 days will be covered if none of the following has occurred within that timeframe:

• New conditions or change or worsening of previous conditions
• Treatment, testing, or examinations that have occurred or been recommended
• New or changes in medication, including dosage changes

If any of the above did occur during to 60-180-day window prior to purchasing travel insurance, it would be excluded from coverage.

Luckily, if you purchase your policy early in the booking process, within 14-21 days of making your initial payment or deposit towards your trip, many travel insurance policies include coverage for Pre-Existing Conditions with a Waiver. Once those 14-21 days pass, however, Pre-Existing Conditions aren’t covered. Instead, they’re subject to the Look Back period, the time between when you bought the policy and the 60-180 days prior.

To make life easier and give you peace of mind Cruise Insurance 101 recommends travelers buy travel insurance that includes a Pre-Existing Condition Waiver whenever possible. It’s simple to get, just by purchasing your travel insurance policy shortly after making a deposit. The Voyage Protection plan does not cover Pre-Existing Conditions at all. They do not offer a waiver, so regardless of when you buy their insurance, they won’t cover it. One good thing in Virgin Voyages’ favor is that their policy only looks back 60 days into your medical history, rather than 90 or 180 days.

Alternatively, both policies we compared from Cruise Insurance 101 to Virgin’s Voyage Protection plan offer a Waiver of Pre-Existing Conditions, if the policies are purchased within 14 days of your initial payment or deposit.

Virgin Voyages offers contemporary cruising experiences, but minimal travel insurance. Their policy is deficient in critical areas such as Trip Cancellation, Medical Insurance, Medical Evacuation and covering Pre-existing Conditions. It also lacks a Cancel For Any Reason option. Overall we rate it a 7 out of 10.

Trawick First Class is one of many  Cruise Insurance 101  policies that provides outstanding value for the money, with a savings of $30.81 over the Voyage Protection plan, for exponentially better coverage.

While a higher tiered plan like John Hancock Silver (CFAR 75%) costs $70.50 more than the Voyage Protection plan, it offers many of the features and flexibility anyone would want in a travel insurance policy and is a better value for your money.

In addition, you cannot insure your other travel arrangements with Virgin Voyages’ policy, but you can insure them under a policy purchased in the wider travel insurance marketplace. You’ll find more value for your money working with Cruise Insurance 101 .

Did you know you won’t find lower prices on the same policy anywhere else, not even with the insurance company directly? At Cruise Insurance 101 , we take the nation’s top travel insurance carriers and bring them in our marketplace where you can shop and compare different plans.

Visit Cruise Insurance 101 first to see your options before committing to the first travel insurance policy you’re offered. Stop by and have a chat,  send an email  or give us a call at +1(786) 751-2984 . Safe travels!

This article has been written for review purposes only and does not suggest sponsorship or endorsement of AARDY by the trademark owner.

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This cruise line will match your hotel and airline loyalty status – for 3 days only

Are you a sucker for a status match? If free coffee, a cocktail reception and free laundry service sound like perks you'd enjoy on your next vacation, listen up. For three days only, Virgin Voyages will extend its existing status match offer to include airline and hotel loyalty status matches.

Members of Virgin Voyages' Sailing Club loyalty program have been able to match with other cruise lines' loyalty programs for a while. However, if you have airline or hotel status, now could be the time to book that voyage you've been considering.

Here's all you need to know to take advantage of this offer.

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What's the deal?

Book one of several select cruises with Virgin Voyages from Wednesday to Friday, submit proof of your loyalty status on Virgin Voyages' website by Friday, and you'll be automatically moved to Blue Extras, the second tier of Virgin Voyages' three-tier Sailing Club program. You'll be awarded the corresponding perks, starting on your first cruise following the match. (Rates start at $149 per person, per night for four-night sailings.)

Perks include one free bag of laundry to be sent out and returned to your cabin, one free specialty coffee per day and a cocktail reception.

Which brands will Virgin Voyages match?

This promotion will take loyalty status match requests into account for the following major airline and hotel brands:

• United Airlines MileagePlus
• American Airlines AAdvantage
• Delta Air Lines SkyMiles
• Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
• Frontier Airlines Miles
• JetBlue TrueBlue
• Marriott Bonvoy
• Hilton Honors
• World of Hyatt
• Choice Privileges
• IHG One Rewards
• Wyndham Rewards
• Radisson Rewards
• Best Western Rewards

Virgin Voyages will also match your status if you are a loyal repeat traveler with another cruise line, but that offer is ongoing. The cruise line will continue to consider cruise line status matches after this deal ends.

What's the catch?

The obvious caveat is that you must book a cruise for your hotel or airline match to be considered.

You also can't be at the lowest tier within your airline's or hotel's loyalty program. Entry-level tiers don't qualify for the match. It's not enough to just be enrolled in a loyalty program. You must have earned some status within it first.

Additionally, this isn't a traditional type of match. Regardless of the level you've reached with your airline or hotel, you will only be awarded middle-tier status — Blue Extras — with Virgin Voyages. This promotion won't earn you the perks of Deep Blue Extras — the highest tier — no matter how elite you are elsewhere.

Which other cruise lines offer status matches?

Status matches are not common in the world of cruising. The only line that offers matches to cruise lines, hotels and airlines is MSC Cruises. MSC's matching program awards passengers status based on the loyalty level they submit for consideration. The drawbacks are that major U.S. airlines aren't yet part of the program, and if you don't cruise within three years of obtaining your status match, you'll lose it.

The only other megaship cruise lines that allow status matches are Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises — but only with one another since they're sister brands. If you have status with one, you can submit a request to have it matched with the other.

Bottom line

Virgin Voyages prides itself on being a bit of an outlier in the cruise industry. The line has refreshingly managed to turn cruising on its head by eliminating buffets, hiring a resident drag queen and installing tattoo parlors on its ships.

Its current Sailing Club loyalty program hotel and airline status match is a great way to earn status and perks with a cruise line that offers a different way to cruise.

Want to learn more about Virgin Voyages? We've got you covered:

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