A guide to Staysure’s travel insurance options, single trip, annual multi-trip, the three cover levels and medical conditions cover, and who each one suits.
Staysure built its reputation on insuring travellers other providers find awkward: older customers and people with pre-existing medical conditions who are either declined elsewhere or quoted absurd premiums. That specialism shapes the whole range, and it is the main reason to look here rather than at a comparison site’s cheapest result.
The range splits two ways. First by trip pattern, one holiday or a year of them. Then by cover level, across three named tiers. Add-ons layer on top for cruises, winter sports, gadgets and golf. This guide explains what each option is for and where the limits sit.
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The two policy shapes most people need, plus the top cover level for higher-value trips.
Staysure’s middle cover level on a single trip basis, the sensible default for one booked holiday, with substantially more cancellation cover than the Basic level and a route for declared conditions.
One policy covering every trip you take across twelve months, subject to limits on individual trip length and on total days spent abroad across the year.
Staysure’s highest cover level, with the largest cancellation provision in the range, unlimited emergency medical and repatriation cover, and the most generous personal liability section of the three levels.
Every option side by side, with the one thing that actually distinguishes it.
| Policy | Best for | Type | Key strength | Watch out for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Comprehensive single trip | One holiday | Single trip policy | Balanced cover at a sensible level | Only covers one trip | View |
| 2Annual multi-trip | Several trips a year | Annual policy | One policy covers the whole year | Trip length and day caps | View |
| 3Signature cover level | Expensive trips | Top cover level | Highest cancellation and medical cover | Overkill for short breaks | View |
| 4Medical conditions cover | Pre-existing conditions | Medical screening | Wide range of conditions covered | Must be declared in full | View |
| 5Basic cover level | Cheap short trips | Entry cover level | Lowest premium in the range | Limited cancellation cover | View |
| 6Cruise and activity add-ons | Cruises and skiing | Policy add-ons | Covers excluded activities | Each has its own limits | View |
← swipe the table to see all columns →
Three reasons it is worth a quote even if you usually use a comparison site.
Staysure’s medical questionnaire exists to get conditions declared and covered rather than to find a reason to decline. It states it covers thousands of conditions, from asthma and diabetes to high blood pressure. For travellers used to being quoted punitively or excluded, being assessed properly is the difference between having cover and only thinking you do.
Mainstream travel insurance prices rise steeply with age and some providers impose upper age limits outright. Staysure’s proposition is aimed squarely at that market, which means the quote process, the cover levels and the customer service are designed for it rather than treating older travellers as an awkward exception.
Rather than one policy and a price, Staysure separates Basic, Comprehensive and Signature, with clearly different cancellation and medical provisions. That lets you match the cover to what the trip is actually worth, instead of discovering after a claim that the cheap policy had a cancellation limit well below what you paid for the holiday.
How to buy travel insurance properly rather than quickly.
This is the whole game. Pre-existing conditions are generally only covered if they have been declared and accepted, and Staysure’s wording is explicit that symptoms of an undiagnosed condition present when you take out the policy are not covered for cancellation, cutting a trip short or emergency medical claims. Complete the medical questionnaire, include everything you are being investigated for, and keep the record. An undeclared condition is the most common reason a travel claim fails.
Cancellation cover starts from the day the policy is issued, so a single trip policy bought the week you book protects your deposits for the whole run-up to departure. Buy it a fortnight before you fly and you have paid for cancellation cover you were not holding during the months when something was most likely to go wrong. This is the cheapest improvement available to almost every traveller and it costs nothing extra.
Work out what you would actually lose if the holiday was cancelled, including flights, accommodation, transfers and any excursions paid in advance, then check the cancellation provision on the cover level you are considering. The lower tiers have materially smaller cancellation cover than the upper ones, with options to increase it. If your trip cost more than the policy would pay out, you are under-insured whatever the premium says.
This article is general information, not financial or insurance advice, and nothing here is a recommendation to buy any particular policy. Cover levels, monetary limits, excesses, exclusions, maximum trip durations and age limits all vary between Staysure’s products, between cover levels, between add-ons and between countries of residence, and they are revised regularly.
Pre-existing medical conditions are only covered where they have been declared and accepted, and the medical declaration you complete forms part of the contract. Before buying, read the policy wording and the insurance product information document for the exact policy you are being quoted, check that it covers your destination, trip length, activities and declared conditions, and satisfy yourself it is suitable. If you are unsure, speak to the provider or a regulated adviser rather than relying on a guide.
Ranked by how well each one delivers on what it promises – not by price.
For a single booked holiday this is the level most travellers should start from, not the cheapest one.
A single trip policy covers one holiday, with cancellation cover running from the day the policy is issued through to the day you return, which is why buying it when you book rather than before you fly matters so much. At the Comprehensive level the cancellation provision is substantially higher than Basic, with the option to increase it further, and emergency medical cover steps up as well. For most people insuring one holiday of reasonable value, this is the level where the policy is actually capable of paying out what the trip cost rather than a fraction of it.
It is the right starting point, not automatically the right answer. If you are taking an expensive trip, a long-haul holiday or one with a lot paid in advance, check the cancellation figure against your actual outlay and consider the Signature level or an increased cancellation option. Maximum trip duration applies and differs by policy and country of residence, so a long trip may not fit. Pre-existing conditions must be declared through the medical questionnaire and accepted, and symptoms of an undiagnosed condition present when you buy are excluded. Read the policy wording for the exact product you are quoted.
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Past two or three trips a year, buying annually stops being a saving and starts being obvious.
An annual multi-trip policy covers all the trips you take within a twelve-month period rather than being bought per holiday. The arithmetic is simple: if you take more than two or three trips a year, including short city breaks and weekends away, it is cheaper than buying individually, and it removes the single most common insurance failure — forgetting to buy cover for a trip booked at short notice. For anyone who travels in a pattern of several shorter holidays rather than one long one, it is the obvious shape of policy.
Two limits define it. There is a maximum duration for any individual trip, so a long holiday may exceed what the annual policy allows and need separate cover, and there is a cap on total days spent outside your country of residence across the year, the Irish product, for instance, specifies a total days limit. Both differ by policy, cover level and country, so check them against your travel pattern before buying. Cancellation cover applies per trip from the point each one is booked, so you still need the policy in force before you book. Cover levels and medical declarations work as they do on single trip policies.
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If the holiday cost more than the lower tiers would ever pay out, this is not an upgrade; it is the right policy.
Signature sits at the top of Staysure’s range and the differences are concentrated where they matter on a large claim. It carries the highest cancellation provision of the three levels, with the option to increase it further still, unlimited emergency medical and repatriation cover, and the most generous personal liability section. For an expensive holiday: a long-haul family trip, a tour with a lot paid upfront, a multi-stop itinerary: the question is not whether Signature is dearer but whether the lower levels could cover what you would actually lose. Frequently they could not.
For a modest European week it is more cover than the trip warrants and the premium is harder to justify, so match the level to the outlay rather than buying the top tier reflexively. It is still subject to the same fundamentals as every other policy in the range: pre-existing conditions must be declared and accepted, undiagnosed symptoms present at purchase are excluded, maximum trip durations apply, and specific activities such as winter sports or cruising need the relevant add-on. Availability and exact provisions differ by country of residence. Read the wording for the version you are quoted.
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Declaring a condition properly is what turns a cheap policy into one that will actually pay a medical claim.
This is why most people come to Staysure. Rather than treating medical conditions as a reason to decline, the quote process includes a short medical questionnaire designed to get conditions declared and priced, and Staysure states it covers thousands of conditions, from asthma and diabetes to high blood pressure. Its Irish range lists conditions including kidney conditions, fibromyalgia, thyroid disorders, mental health conditions and awaiting surgery, and notes the list is not exhaustive. For travellers who have been declined or quoted punitively elsewhere, being assessed rather than refused is the entire value proposition.
The obligation runs both ways. Cover for a pre-existing condition depends entirely on it having been declared and accepted, and Staysure’s wording is explicit that symptoms of an undiagnosed condition present when you take out the policy are not covered for cancellation, cutting a trip short or emergency medical claims. The Basic cover level excludes pre-existing conditions unless specifically agreed, so the level you choose matters. Declaring a condition will usually affect the premium. Complete the questionnaire in full, include anything you are being investigated for, and keep your own record of what you declared.
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Basic is a real policy, not a token one – but check the cancellation figure against what your trip actually cost.
Basic exists for trips where the financial exposure is small and there is nothing complicated to declare: a cheap European break, a short trip booked late with little paid in advance, travel where the main concern is emergency medical cover rather than protecting a large deposit. It still carries substantial emergency medical provision, which is the part of a travel policy that protects you from genuine catastrophe, and the premium is the lowest in the range. There is an option to increase the cancellation cover if that is the only element you find short.
The two things to be clear about are cancellation and medical history. The cancellation provision at this level is materially smaller than on Comprehensive or Signature, so for anything beyond an inexpensive trip you can easily be under-insured on the element most likely to be claimed. And Basic excludes pre-existing conditions unless specifically agreed, which rules it out for most of Staysure’s core customers. The UK Basic product is also restricted to residents of the United Kingdom, Channel Islands and Isle of Man. Check the document date on the version you are shown and read the current wording.
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A standard policy will not cover you on a piste or a cruise ship – the add-on is not optional in practice.
Staysure sells a set of optional extensions that attach to a base policy, covering cruises including a Cruise Plus option, winter sports, golf holidays, gadgets, an excess waiver and a Travel Disruption Extension. These are not upsells in any meaningful sense – standard travel policies routinely exclude skiing, cruising and high-value electronics, so if your trip involves any of them the add-on is the difference between being covered and not. Cruise cover in particular addresses risks a normal policy ignores entirely, such as missed port departures and cabin confinement, and the excess waiver removes the deductible on a claim.
Each add-on has its own terms, limits and exclusions, and they are not uniform across cover levels or countries of residence. Gadget cover typically has per-item and overall limits and may require proof of purchase. Winter sports cover has restrictions on activities and off-piste skiing. The excess waiver sounds simple but applies to specific sections rather than everything. Work out which add-ons your trip truly requires, then read the wording for each one rather than assuming the name describes the cover. Adding several can also change the economics against a different base level.
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As soon as you book the holiday. Cancellation cover runs from the day the policy is issued until you return, so buying early protects your deposits through the whole period before departure.
Buying shortly before you fly leaves the months when cancellation is most likely entirely uninsured, for no saving at all.
Often yes, but only if you declare it. You complete a medical questionnaire when getting a quote, and Staysure says it covers thousands of conditions including asthma, diabetes and high blood pressure. Acceptance, any additional premium and the exact terms depend on your declaration and the cover level.
If you take more than about two trips a year, usually yes. Annual cover insures all trips within a twelve-month period, subject to a maximum duration for any individual trip and a cap on total days abroad, which differs by policy and country of residence.
Exclusions vary by policy and cover level, but undeclared pre-existing conditions and symptoms of an undiagnosed condition present when you buy are consistently excluded for cancellation, cutting short and medical claims. Certain activities, destinations and trip lengths need add-ons or are excluded entirely – the policy wording is the authority.
Travel insurance is the one holiday purchase where the cheapest option can be worth nothing. Declare your conditions in full, buy it the day you book, and choose a cover level that matches what the trip actually cost you.
Check price General information only, not advice. Cover levels, limits and exclusions vary, read the policy wording before buying.
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