Is TUI travel insurance worth it? The answer depends on one thing: whether you could cover a medical emergency abroad out of pocket. TUI sells its policy directly through the booking site, starting from £25.69 per person, administered by AWP Assistance UK Ltd trading as Allianz Partners (FCA reference 311909). It is a single base policy with optional add-ons, not a tiered product.
This article checks the cover limits, the weaknesses, and whether it represents good value for UK travellers booking TUI holidays.
What TUI travel insurance covers
The base policy includes emergency medical cover, cancellation, personal possessions, personal liability, and legal expenses. Over 100 sports and activities are included as standard, without needing to declare them separately.
| Cover | Limit (per person) | Excess |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency medical expenses | Up to £10 million | £95 |
| Cancellation or curtailment | Up to £1,500 * | £95 |
| Personal possessions | Up to £1,500 (single item £400) | £95 |
| Personal liability | Up to £3 million | £95 |
| Personal money | Up to £225 (cash £200) | £95 |
| Personal accident | Up to £10,000 (age 74 and under) | None |
| Missed departure | Up to £500 | £95 |
| Delayed departure (per 12 hrs) | £50, max £200 | None |
| Legal expenses | Up to £50,000 | None |
* The base cancellation limit of £1,500 per person can be upgraded to £3,000, £5,000, £7,500 or £10,000 at extra cost. For most TUI package holidays, the upgrade is worth considering.
What those limits mean in practice
The £10 million emergency medical limit matches or beats most comprehensive policies on the market. If you need emergency surgery or air ambulance repatriation from a TUI destination, the cover is substantial.
The £1,500 cancellation limit is where the base policy falls short. A two-week TUI package to the Canary Islands or Turkey for two adults regularly costs £2,500 to £4,000. If you cancel because of illness before departure, you could receive just £3,000 combined for a booking that cost significantly more. Upgrading the cancellation limit costs relatively little and closes that gap.
The £95 excess applies per person per claim. A family of four each making a claim for delayed luggage would pay four separate excesses. The excess waiver add-on eliminates this, but adds to the overall premium.
Where TUI travel insurance falls short
Pre-existing medical conditions are not covered unless you declare them and they are accepted by the insurer. If you have a condition that TUI’s underwriter will not cover, you need specialist medical travel insurance rather than relying on this policy.
The annual multi-trip option limits each individual trip to 21 days. That covers a standard fortnight’s package holiday, but it is not suitable for extended trips or long-haul travel involving multiple legs spread over several weeks.
Personal accident cover pays nothing if the traveller is aged 75 or over. TUI sells single-trip policies up to age 85, so there is a gap between what TUI will sell you and what the personal accident benefit actually pays.
Valuables are capped at £300 in total. If you travel with a laptop, camera or high-end phone, this is unlikely to cover replacement cost. Check your home contents insurance, which may cover valuables away from home.
Annual or single trip?
TUI offers both single-trip and annual multi-trip policies. The annual option makes sense if you take two or more holidays a year. For most UK families booking a single TUI summer package, single-trip cover is cheaper and there is no reason to pay for the annual product.
If you opt for annual cover, check the 21-day per-trip limit carefully. It covers a typical TUI fortnight, but anyone planning to extend a holiday or combine it with independent travel after the package ends needs to check whether those additional days fall within the limit.
Is TUI travel insurance worth it?
The Allianz Partners underwriting is a genuine quality signal. This is not a small, obscure insurer. It is one of the largest travel insurance providers globally, with a strong claims track record. Emergency medical at £10 million and personal liability at £3 million are competitive figures.
The main weakness is the £1,500 cancellation cap on the base policy. If your TUI package costs more than £1,500 per person, the base policy leaves you underinsured for cancellation. The upgrade is the logical fix, and the incremental cost is usually modest relative to the holiday price.
For complex or expensive trips, including Marella Cruises and long-haul TUI holidays, compare TUI’s premium against policies on mainstream comparison sites. The convenience of buying at checkout should not substitute for checking whether the cover is right for the trip.
For more information on the policy terms and to get a quote, visit TUI Travel Insurance.
Frequently asked questions
Who underwrites TUI travel insurance?
TUI travel insurance is underwritten by AWP P&C SA and administered by AWP Assistance UK Ltd trading as Allianz Partners (FCA reference 311909). Allianz Partners is one of the world’s largest travel insurance providers.
Does TUI travel insurance cover pre-existing medical conditions?
Not automatically. You must declare any pre-existing conditions when buying the policy. The insurer may cover them with no additional premium, cover them for an extra charge, or exclude them. If a condition is excluded, claims arising from it will not be paid.
What is the excess on TUI travel insurance?
The standard excess is £95 per person per claim. You can add an excess waiver to reduce this to zero. This is particularly cost-effective for family policies, where the £95 charge applies to each individual.
Does TUI travel insurance cover cruises?
Cruise cover is an optional add-on, not included in the standard policy. If you are booking a Marella Cruises holiday, check at the point of purchase whether the cruise extension is included or needs to be added separately.
Can I buy TUI travel insurance after booking?
Yes, but the sooner you buy, the sooner your cancellation cover starts. If you wait until close to departure, you lose the cancellation protection for the period between booking and buying, which is often when claims arise.
Is TUI travel insurance good for families?
TUI offers family policies covering children alongside adults. Because the £95 excess applies per person, a family of four could pay up to £380 in excess on a single claim. The excess waiver is more cost-effective for families than for solo travellers.
More on TUI and travel insurance
For a complete guide to flying with TUI, visit our flying with TUI hub. You can also find individual guides on TUI baggage allowance, TUI cancellation policy, and TUI seat selection. For comparisons with other airline policies, see our reviews of easyJet travel insurance and Ryanair travel insurance.
Kate Acaster is Chief Editor at Flight Tribe. She writes about practical travel planning, budget airlines, baggage rules, city breaks, beach holidays and good hotels that do not cost daft money.
Kate has travelled through Europe, South America and beyond, usually with a notebook, a half-formed plan and a strong opinion on airport snacks. At Flight Tribe, her work focuses on helping UK travellers understand what is included, what costs extra, and whether a trip is worth booking at the price shown.
How Kate works
Kate checks the details that can change the value of a trip, including cabin-bag rules, airline fees, hotel location, seasonality, travel dates and booking conditions. She is especially interested in offers that look useful on the surface but need a proper reader-first check before they are worth recommending.
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