Post Office Holiday Insurance: Cover, Medical & Quotes

If you’ve ever been turned away by a travel insurer for having a medical history, you know how frustrating it feels to pay for a policy that won’t actually protect you when it matters. Post Office holiday insurance takes a different approach—it explicitly considers pre-existing conditions, provided you disclose them upfront. Whether you’re wondering about coverage for something as common as high blood pressure or as specific as pancreatitis, here’s what the policy actually covers and where the gaps sit.

Single Trip Max Duration: 365 days · Multi Trip Max Per Trip: 30 days · Annual Multi Trip Max: 90 days · Medical Conditions Considered: All · Covid-19 Cover Included: Yes

These specifications come from provider documentation and independent review platforms.

Is the post office good for travel insurance?

Post Office travel insurance earned a 73% score in Which?’s independent review, placing it in the mid-range among UK providers. What sets it apart is the explicit commitment to consider all medical conditions—not just reject them outright. The Post Office website states that cover for pre-existing conditions requires a written agreement and may involve additional payment, but the option is there for travellers who would otherwise struggle to find coverage.

Policy levels: Economy, Standard, Premier

Three tiers shape what you’re covered for. Standard policies include medical expenses up to £5 million, emergency evacuation, and hospital transfers. The Premier tier lifts that to £15 million and adds dental treatment up to £500, personal liability cover of £2 million, cancellation cover of £5,000, travel abandonment cover of £5,000, missed departure cover of £1,500, and baggage cover of £3,000. Neither tier covers bankruptcy of your holiday supplier or airline—a gap worth noting if package holiday operator solvency worries you.

Single-trip vs annual multi-trip options

Single-trip policies serve travellers heading to one destination, with trip limits tied to age. Post Office’s comparison page confirms no upper age limit for 365-day cover for those aged 70 and under, 90-day limits for ages 71-75, and a 31-day ceiling for travellers over 76. Annual multi-trip policies allow up to 30 days per individual trip with a 90-day annual ceiling, and carry a 75-year upper age limit. Backpacker insurance—designed for long-term adventurers—restricts access to those under 60.

Will travel insurance cover kidney stones?

Kidney stones fall under the pre-existing condition disclosure requirement, meaning coverage depends entirely on whether you declare them. If you do declare a history of kidney stones, Post Office confirms that written agreement to cover the condition is possible and may require additional payment. Failure to disclose means any related claim—emergency treatment, evacuation, or hospital transfer—could be rejected on the basis of non-disclosure.

Pre-existing condition disclosure requirements

The disclosure process asks you to list all medical conditions, including resolved ones, within a defined lookback period. Industry-wide lookback periods typically span 60 to 180 days before the policy purchase date, according to Squaremouth’s pre-existing condition guide. For Post Office specifically, you’ll complete a health questionnaire during the quote process. Conditions disclosed here are assessed individually; a written agreement confirms they’re covered.

Is pregnancy covered by travel insurance?

Pregnancy itself isn’t a pre-existing condition, but it creates specific coverage considerations. The NHS advises against flying after 37 weeks of pregnancy, and most insurers—including Post Office—build in trip limitations around this threshold. Cancellation cover may apply if you need to cancel a pre-booked trip due to a diagnosed pregnancy complication, but standard pregnancy-related trip cancellations (such as choosing not to travel) typically fall outside covered events unless you’ve purchased enhanced cancellation cover.

Limits after 37 weeks

Post Office travel insurance doesn’t explicitly exclude pregnancy, but the practical constraint is the 37-week NHS guidance. Travelling late in pregnancy risks medical complications abroad, and insurers know it. If you’re planning travel before 37 weeks, declaration of pregnancy during the quote process ensures you’re not caught by a technical non-disclosure rejection later.

Cancellation options if pregnant

Cancellation cover under Post Office Premier extends to £5,000. This can include pregnancy-related cancellations where a medical professional has advised against travel or where a complication has been diagnosed. However, “changed my mind” cancellations—no medical basis—remain uncovered. If pregnancy-related cancellation protection matters to you, confirm the specific trigger events with Post Office before purchase.

Can you get travel insurance with pancreatitis?

Chronic conditions like pancreatitis fall squarely within Post Office’s pre-existing condition framework. Post Office’s policy page confirms that all medical conditions are considered, with written agreement required for coverage to apply. The key variable is whether additional premium is charged and what exclusions, if any, are attached to the condition. For chronic conditions with flare-up potential, insurers may apply specific clauses—but they don’t automatically exclude coverage.

Chronic condition policies

MoneySavingExpert’s guidance lists asthma, diabetes, arthritis, gout, Crohn’s disease, cardiovascular conditions, mental health conditions, and epilepsy as common pre-existing conditions requiring disclosure. Serious conditions including chronic pancreatitis fall into the same disclosure category. Prices and specific exclusions vary by condition and provider assessment, but many insurers can cover these on standard policies without specialist coverage.

What conditions are not covered by travel insurance?

The blanket exclusions in standard travel insurance policies are straightforward: war, terrorism in specified regions, self-inflicted injuries, and illegal activities. For pre-existing conditions specifically, the exclusion isn’t the condition itself—it’s non-disclosure. Conditions not declared at the time of purchase are treated as undeclared pre-existing conditions, meaning any claim arising from them can be denied on disclosure grounds alone, even if the condition is well-controlled and unrelated to the claim event.

Medical conditions and disabilities

Beyond the common conditions listed above, MoneySavingExpert notes that serious pre-existing conditions such as cancer, heart problems, and diabetes can be included in travel insurance but prices and exclusions vary. The Post Office states it can refer customers with serious pre-existing conditions to the Money and Pensions Scheme (MaPS) directory for alternative coverage options if its own policies cannot accommodate the customer’s needs.

Common exclusions

Post Office Premier travel insurance does not cover bankruptcy of holiday supplier or bankruptcy of airline. Winter sports and cruise cover require mandatory add-ons—standard policies won’t protect you for ski trips or cruise holidays without purchasing these extensions. If you have medical conditions that lead to frequent flare-ups, check whether the written agreement includes specific clauses about condition-related delays or cancellations.

Policy options vary considerably by age, trip type, and coverage tier.

Six Post Office policy configurations, one consistent pattern: medical cover scales with tier, but pre-existing condition eligibility hinges on declaration—not on the condition’s severity or type.

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After selecting Post Office holiday insurance that covers your medical conditions, use the Post Office insurance login guide to securely manage your policy online.

Frequently asked questions