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Is flight insurance worth it? (2026)
Flight insurance is worth buying in two situations:
- When you're protecting an expensive, non-refundable trip, and
- When you're travelling internationally without emergency medical cover.
For everything else, the maths rarely works in your favour. But let’s look at what insurers actually pay out, the situations where a policy warrants its cost, and the ones where it doesn't.
(Already had a flight cancelled or delayed? The airline may owe you compensation separate from any insurance policy. You can check your eligibility in 3 minutes.)
In this article, you'll learn
- What flight insurance actually covers and what it doesn't
- The specific situations where insurance is worth buying
- The situations where it probably isn't
- Four questions to ask before you buy any policy
What flight insurance actually covers
"Flight insurance" isn't a product you can buy on its own. It's just the name used for a travel insurance policy that includes cover for flight disruptions, bundled together with medical cover, baggage cover, and trip cancellation in a single policy.
Most standard UK travel insurance policies include six types of cover:
- Trip cancellation reimburses non-refundable, prepaid costs if you cancel before you leave for a reason the policy lists as covered (e.g. sudden illness, bereavement, jury duty, and similar).
- Trip interruption covers your unused trip costs if something goes wrong after you've already departed and you have to cut your trip short.
- Flight delay cover reimburses documented out-of-pocket expenses when your flight is delayed beyond a set threshold, usually between 3 and 6 hours.
- Missed connection cover applies when the first leg of your journey is delayed and causes you to miss a connecting flight. This covers rebooking costs and accommodation if you aren’t eligible for UK261 or EU261 protection.
- Baggage cover reimburses you for essential expenses made when your bags are lost, delayed, or damaged in transit.
- Emergency medical cover pays for treatment abroad and, in most comprehensive policies, the cost of emergency medical evacuation back to the UK. The UK average for this is £1,528 per claim (ABI, 2024).
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Flight insurance is worth buying when . . .
1. Your trip is expensive and non-refundable
This is where trip cancellation cover pays for itself most reliably. If you have paid for a £5,000 holiday with multiple non-refundable bookings, and a serious covered event (sudden illness, a death in the family, jury service) forces you to cancel, your payout will easily exceed what you paid in premiums.
2. But the key word is covered.
Standard policies only pay out for specific listed reasons. If you cancel because you changed your mind, the policy pays nothing. This is why cancel-for-any-reason (CFAR) cover, which reimburses 50 to 75% of costs regardless of the reason, comes up so often in searches. But it is only available from insurers in the US and Canada as a policy add-on, at 40 to 50% above standard premium costs.
3. You are travelling internationally
On an international trip, getting seriously ill or injured can create a financial crisis. The NHS only covers you in the UK. Abroad, you pay for treatment yourself, and the bills can be enormous. The UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) helps in some countries, giving you access to treatment at the same rates locals pay, but it doesn't cover being flown home and it doesn't work everywhere.
If you need to be airlifted back to the UK, the cost alone can run between £50,000 and over £200,000, depending on where you are and how serious your condition is.
For international travel, emergency medical cover is the single strongest reason to buy a travel insurance policy. A £21 single-trip policy or a £53 annual policy looks very different next to a potential £100,000 evacuation bill.
4. Your itinerary is complex or high-risk
If your trip has a lot of moving parts, there’s a greater chance that something could go wrong. A direct flight to your destination is pretty low risk, but a trip involving two connecting flights on different airlines, a pre-booked transfer, a cruise departure, and a non-refundable villa rental is much more risky because one missed connection can unravel your plans entirely.
If your trip falls to pieces and you have no insurance, you absorb all the extra costs. But if you have insurance, the policy absorbs it. For complex trips like this, the premium is much cheaper than your out-of-pocket expenses would be.
This same logic also applies to higher-risk travel that involves adventure activities, remote destinations, or trips during peak disruption seasons like summer or school holidays. All these situations increase the likelihood that something could go wrong.
Flight insurance probably isn't worth it when . . .
1. Your flights and accommodation are already fully refundable.
Travel insurance protects you financially if you have to cancel and lose money on non-refundable bookings. If everything can be cancelled without penalty, there is little for the policy to protect. The exception is emergency medical cover. If you are travelling internationally, that remains relevant regardless of how flexible your bookings are.
2. Your trip is short and low-cost
For a weekend break costing £200 to £300, the potential insurance payout is negligible. A few hours' delay that costs you a meal and a taxi fare is unlikely to generate a payout large enough to cover the cost of the policy itself, and that's before factoring in the time it takes to document and submit the claim.
3. You may already have travel insurance through your bank
Many packaged current accounts include annual travel insurance as a built-in benefit at no extra cost. Before buying a separate policy, check your account's benefit guide. If you are already covered for medical emergencies, cancellations, and delays, a standalone policy is money spent on cover you already have.
If you paid for your flights on a credit card, you may also be protected under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act if the airline goes bankrupt. This applies to purchases over £100 and gives you the right to a full refund from your card provider. It is not insurance, but it is a legal right that often resolves faster than an insurance claim
4 questions to ask yourself before you buy a policy
1. What specifically am I protecting?
Be concrete. "I have paid £4,000 for a non-refundable holiday and I would lose it all if I had to cancel" is a clear reason to purchase travel insurance. But if you just want a safety net in case something happens, you’re likely to be disappointed because insurance only pays out for the specific reasons listed in your specific plan.
A single-trip travel insurance policy in the UK costs around £21 on average. Annual multi-trip cover, which protects you across all trips in a 12-month period, costs around £53. Whether that is money well spent depends entirely on what you are protecting.
2. Does my route already give me passenger rights?
Flights departing from the UK fall under UK261, and flights departing from EU airports fall under EU261. Both protect you against qualifying flight cancellations and delays. Look for an insurance policy to cover the gaps in these laws for things like when you need to cancel a flight or if you need extra protection for baggage loss or damage.
3. Have I read the exclusions, not just the benefits?
The benefits page tells you what the policy covers in ideal conditions. The exclusions page tells you when it won't pay out.
The three most common reasons claims are refused are:
- a pre-existing medical condition that wasn't declared when you bought the policy,
- a disruption that was already publicly known before your purchase date, and
- missing documentation.
Around 18 to 20% of travel insurance claims are refused (ITIJ, 2025), with some surveys putting that figure at 33%. Know the exclusions before you travel, not after something goes wrong.
4. Am I already covered elsewhere?
Check your bank account and credit card benefits first, because many packaged bank accounts include annual travel insurance as a built-in perk. If you are already covered for the main risks, buying a separate policy means paying twice.
What to do next
Check your flight itinerary to see if you will be protected by UK261 and EU261 before doing anything else, including filing an insurance claim. Depending on where you are travelling, you could already be entitled to fixed compensation that is entirely separate from any policy you hold.
Check your flight compensation in 3 minutes
If you are planning a trip and weighing up whether to buy insurance: Check the cancellation and medical evacuation limit of the policy you’re considering. If your non-refundable trip costs £4,000 and the policy caps cancellation cover at £1,500, you carry the £2,500 difference yourself. The medical evacuation limit matters most for long-haul and remote destinations.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance?
Trip cancellation covers you if something goes wrong before you depart, such as illness, bereavement, or jury duty, and you can't start the trip at all. Trip interruption covers you if something goes wrong after you've already left and you have to cut the trip short. Both are typically included in a standard policy, but they're triggered by different timing and need different documentation. A family emergency on day three of your holiday is a trip interruption claim, not a trip cancellation claim.
Does travel insurance cover airline insolvency?
Some policies include supplier default cover, which applies if an airline, hotel, or tour operator goes bust and you can't recover costs elsewhere. Not all policies include this benefit, so check the terms specifically for "scheduled airline failure" or "supplier default." If you booked on a credit card, Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act may also apply and is often faster to pursue.
How long does a travel insurance claim take?
A straightforward delay claim with complete documentation can be processed in two to four weeks, but complex claims involving medical emergencies or disputed exclusions can take several months. Well-documented claims process faster, which is why knowing what you will need to provide before something goes wrong matters.
Is an annual travel insurance policy worth it?
If you travel more than two or three times a year, an annual multi-trip policy typically costs less than buying cover for each trip individually. Annual policies usually cap each covered trip at 31 to 45 days, which matters for longer stays, and the medical coverage limits sometimes differ from single-trip options, so it is worth checking those specifically.
What can I do if my travel insurance claim is rejected?
Request a written explanation of the rejection and compare it against your exact policy wording. If you believe the decision is wrong, escalate through the insurer's formal complaints process, and if that doesn't resolve it, refer the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), which is free to use and whose decisions are binding on the insurer.
References
- Association of British Insurers. Travel insurance claims data 2024. https://www.abi.org.uk/news/news-articles/2025/8/eight-to-embark-travel-insurance-tips/
- ITIJ. Industry survey on travel insurance claim denial rates (2025).
- NimbleFins. How big is the average travel insurance claim? https://www.nimblefins.co.uk/average-cost-travel-insurance-claims
- NerdWallet. How does travel insurance work, and is it worth it? https://www.nerdwallet.com/travel/learn/flight-insurance-what-you-need-to-know
Author:
Joanna Teljeur
Job/Position: Senior Editor & Content Lead
Joanna Teljeur is a senior editor and writer with 15+ years of experience in editorial leadership, journalism, and content development, specialising in consumer rights, aviation law, and public-interest reporting. Her work focuses on transforming complex regulatory and legal topics into clear, accurate, and accessible content for international audiences.
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