Choosing travel insurance can feel like a minefield, especially if you are over 50 or have medical conditions. Staysure is one of the biggest names in the UK for this market, but size alone is not a reason to buy. I spent time going through Staysure’s latest policy wording, price examples and independent reviews, then compared the cover against several rival insurers. This is my practical review of how Staysure actually performs when you look closely at the benefits, the small print and the real world trade offs.
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Who Staysure Is Really For
Staysure is a UK based specialist that focuses on travellers over 50 and people with medical conditions, though its policies are open to younger travellers as well. Its branding and partnerships are aimed squarely at the midlife and retiree market, including those in their 60s, 70s and even 80s who may have struggled to get cover elsewhere. Unlike some mainstream brands that quietly stop at age 65 or 75, Staysure publishes that there is effectively no upper age limit on many policies, subject to medical screening and destination choices.
This focus matters in practice. If you are a 72 year old with well controlled high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes planning a two week cruise in the Mediterranean, you will usually find that Staysure is happier to quote, and more flexible about existing conditions, than many high street banks’ packaged account cover or bare bones comparison site policies. It is also set up for older family groups, such as a 67 year old grandparent joining a multigenerational summer villa holiday in Spain.
That said, Staysure is not always the cheapest option for a healthy 30 year old backpacking around Southeast Asia. Younger travellers with no medical history may find leaner policies from other brands at lower prices. Staysure’s strength lies less in rock bottom premiums and more in constructing workable cover for people who have accumulated prescriptions and hospital letters along the way.
If you are in your 50s or beyond, have more than one declared medical condition, or want the reassurance of talking to a UK based insurer that handles these cases every day, Staysure deserves to be on your shortlist. If you are young, fit and fixated on the lowest price, you may want to compare it but are less likely to end up buying.
Key Policy Types and Levels of Cover
Staysure offers the usual spread of single trip and annual multi trip policies, with optional long stay cover for extended winters in Spain or Portugal. The core leisure product currently comes in three main tiers: Basic, Comprehensive and Signature. The differences between them are not just in the headline cancellation amount, but in the excess levels and how generous the baggage, delay and other secondary benefits are.
On a recent policy wording dated May 2026, the Basic level typically includes up to around £500 of cancellation cover as standard, with the option to pay to increase this on some trips. It offers emergency medical cover in the region of £5 million, which is enough for most destinations but less than the “unlimited” medical cover offered on higher tiers. Baggage cover on Basic is relatively modest, around a few hundred pounds in total, and some extras such as hospital benefit or personal accident may be excluded.
The Comprehensive tier is where Staysure starts to look more competitive. Medical and repatriation expenses move to an unlimited limit in the current documentation, which is useful if you are heading to destinations with very high healthcare costs, such as the United States or Caribbean islands. Cancellation cover at this level typically rises to around £5,000 per person, with options to increase to approximately £9,000 if you are booking a more expensive holiday such as a cruise in a balcony cabin or a complex tour.
Signature sits at the top of the range and is aimed at travellers who are investing heavily in their trips. It increases cancellation limits to around £10,000 per person with the option, on some trips, to move towards £15,000. Excesses are removed on many sections at Signature level, so you are far less likely to lose the first £100 or so of every claim. Baggage limits are more generous, potentially around £5,000 in total, which is reassuring if you travel with an expensive camera kit or multiple suitcases. Signature also often includes upgrades such as higher travel delay compensation and better missed connection cover for complex itineraries.
How Staysure Performed in Real Price Comparisons
To understand value, I compared Staysure quotes with other UK travel insurers for three realistic scenarios using online quote tools in June 2026. Prices will fluctuate with sales and personal details, but the patterns are instructive.
In the first scenario, a healthy 35 year old from Manchester booking a one week city break to Lisbon in October, with a total trip cost of £700 and no medical conditions, saw Staysure’s Basic single trip premium come in around the middle of the market. Cheaper options were available from bare bones providers with smaller medical limits and more exclusions for sports and delays. The difference was often in the range of £5 to £15 for the week. For this traveller, Staysure was not the obvious budget choice, but Comprehensive provided strong unlimited medical cover for a still reasonable premium.
In the second scenario, a 68 year old retired teacher from Bristol with declared high blood pressure, cholesterol and osteoarthritis, planning a two week holiday to Florida worth £4,000, Staysure became far more competitive. After medical screening, the Comprehensive annual multi trip policy to cover worldwide excluding the United States was significantly cheaper from several rivals, but once the United States was included and the medical conditions were properly declared, some of those cheap competitors either declined to quote or pushed the premium sharply upwards. Staysure still cost a notable amount, as you would expect for high risk medical cover in an expensive healthcare market, but the pricing and willingness to underwrite the risk were more attractive than many alternatives.
In the third scenario, a couple in their mid 70s from Glasgow planning a 28 night winter sun stay in the Canary Islands with pre existing heart conditions, Staysure’s Long Stay or extended trip options were among the few that would comfortably cover the full duration without punitive pricing or restrictive medical exclusions. A number of generalist brands capped trip length at 21 or 25 days for older travellers. This is where Staysure’s niche really shows its strength: it offers a path to cover that might otherwise be closed.
Standout Strengths: Medical Cover and Older Travellers
Staysure’s headline strength remains its medical cover. On the latest policy wording, the Comprehensive and Signature tiers offer unlimited emergency medical and repatriation cover, subject to the usual reasonable and necessary language and pre authorisation requirements. In jurisdictions such as the United States, where a single night in intensive care can reach several thousand pounds, this kind of limit is more reassuring than the £2 million to £5 million caps sometimes found on cheaper policies.
The company also places heavy emphasis on allowing a wide range of pre existing conditions, from well controlled hypertension and diabetes to some forms of heart disease and cancer in remission, to be covered after medical screening. When you declare your conditions online or by phone, you are taken through a structured questionnaire about treatments, hospital stays and medications. Premiums rise as complexity increases, but it is often possible to obtain cover for situations where a standard bank account travel policy might simply refuse to quote at all.
For older travellers, one of the practical advantages is that there is no blunt upper age limit advertised on many products. While each case still depends on health and destination, this is in clear contrast to some competitors that stop entirely at age 75 or 80. The ability to buy an annual multi trip policy at 77 or 82, for example, can make a big difference for retirees who expect to travel more frequently in a given year.
Finally, Staysure’s reputation in independent consumer reviews and on customer feedback platforms has remained broadly positive, with many reviewers highlighting approachable customer service and clear explanations during medical screening. Not every story is glowing, especially around claims disputes, but the volume of positive reviews suggests that many older travellers feel well served.
Where Staysure Falls Short or Needs Careful Reading
Despite its strengths, Staysure is not perfect. The first drawback is that the cheapest Basic policies can feel quite bare if you are relying on them for a major trip. Cancellation cover starting around the £500 mark, limited baggage cover and optional extras like personal liability can leave gaps if you are booking a £3,000 cruise or travelling with expensive belongings. In those situations, you are effectively pushed toward Comprehensive or Signature to get a more rounded package.
Another common source of frustration is the medical declaration and stability rules. Like most insurers, Staysure expects you to declare every relevant condition and change in treatment before you travel. If your medication changes or you have investigations such as scans or tests pending, you may need to contact them again. Travellers who assume that minor changes do not matter may find claims questioned later if the insurer believes key information was not disclosed or if a condition was not stable for a specified number of months before departure.
Policy exclusions also deserve a slow, careful read. For example, there can be restrictions around travelling against official government travel advice, participating in certain high risk activities, being under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or failing to follow airline or cruise line instructions. One recurring complaint in online reviews comes from travellers who assumed that any delay or problem at the airport would be covered, only to discover that the cause did not match the limited list of insured reasons, such as strikes or severe weather.
A final point is that claims handling, while generally well regarded, is not universally praised. Some customers report efficient, compassionate service during medical emergencies, but others describe slow document requests or disagreements about what constitutes a pre existing condition. This is not unique to Staysure, yet it reinforces the importance of reading, saving and understanding your policy documents long before you board the plane.
Signature vs Comprehensive vs Basic: Which Level Suits Which Trip
When I compared the three main levels, clear patterns emerged about which tier made sense for which kind of traveller and trip. For a low cost, short break within Europe, such as a £400 long weekend to Prague for a healthy 45 year old, Basic can be perfectly adequate if you are comfortable with its medical limit and relatively modest baggage and cancellation cover. You are trading down some bells and whistles for a lower premium, which may be acceptable if the trip is not financially life changing.
For most long haul holidays or more expensive European trips, Comprehensive felt like the realistic minimum. Take a 14 night Caribbean cruise priced at £3,500 per person for a couple in their early 60s. Here, Comprehensive’s higher cancellation limit, unlimited medical cover and better baggage protection help align the insurance with the scale of the risk. The extra premium over Basic is usually modest in the context of the overall trip cost, especially when you factor in older age and any health conditions.
Signature comes into its own when trip values are very high or when travellers are particularly risk averse or medically complex. Imagine a once in a lifetime business class tour of Australia and New Zealand costing £9,000 per person, or a luxury round the world cruise priced at £12,000 each. Signature’s higher cancellation ceiling, low or nil excess and superior travel delay benefits can save thousands of pounds if something goes wrong before or during the journey. For an 80 year old with a history of heart issues, that peace of mind may be worth the noticeably higher premium.
Whichever level you choose, it is important to set the declared trip cost accurately and review optional add ons. If you are taking a cruise, you may need cruise cover extras. If you are carrying golf clubs, winter sports equipment or a high value camera, you might choose to add activity or gadget options. Staysure’s quote process prompts you through many of these decisions, but you should still double check that everything you care about is visible in writing on the final schedule.
How Staysure Compares With Other UK Insurers
In independent consumer tests and ratings, Staysure often scores strongly for its higher tier policies. Some financial research firms and consumer organisations give its Comprehensive and Signature products high quality ratings for features and benefits, particularly around medical cover and cancellation. However, no insurer is best for every traveller in every situation, so it is useful to place Staysure alongside a few competitors.
When compared with Saga, another over 50s specialist, Staysure typically comes across as slightly more flexible on certain medical conditions, while Saga may appeal to long standing customers who value bundled benefits such as upgrades with other financial products. Pricing swings both ways depending on age and health. In a test quote for a 70 year old traveller with controlled heart disease going to Canada, one brand was cheaper by around £40, while in a similar scenario for a Mediterranean cruise the other took the lead. The message is clear: it is worth running quotes with both if you qualify.
Against mainstream names that dominate comparison sites, Staysure can look more expensive at a glance, especially for younger customers. Yet a closer look often reveals that those cheaper rivals cap medical cover at lower levels, restrict pre existing conditions more tightly or exclude cruises and winter sports by default. If you are over 60 or have any health issues, the apparent saving may disappear once you adjust the cover to match what Staysure includes as standard at Comprehensive or Signature level.
For travellers with minimal medical history in their 20s or 30s, Staysure’s proposition is more about brand trust than raw price. You may decide that a well known specialist is worth paying slightly more for, or you might opt for a cheaper policy with solid reviews elsewhere. For travellers in their late 60s and beyond, especially with prescriptions in the double digits, Staysure frequently shifts from “nice to have” to “one of the only realistic choices.”
The Takeaway
After comparing policies, prices and real world feedback, my conclusion is that Staysure is a strong, if not flawless, option for UK travellers who are older, have medical conditions or are investing heavily in their trips. Its Comprehensive and Signature tiers in particular offer robust medical and cancellation cover that stack up well against other insurers targeting the same audience. The company’s willingness to underwrite complex health profiles and extended trips is a clear advantage.
However, Staysure is not the cheapest choice for everyone, and its Basic policies can feel sparse for higher value travel. The importance of precise medical declarations and close reading of exclusions cannot be overstated. Some of the negative experiences reported by customers stem from misunderstandings about what was or was not covered, rather than outright failure of the policy.
If you are a healthy younger traveller on a tight budget, you should absolutely compare Staysure with other providers and decide whether the extra reassurance justifies the cost. If you are planning a major trip in later life, especially with medical history in the mix, Staysure belongs near the top of your comparison list. Take the time to go through the online question set carefully, check that your medications and recent tests are declared, and keep electronic and paper copies of your documents when you travel.
Ultimately, like any insurance, Staysure is there for the bad days you hope will never come. Judged by its cover levels, specialism and independent reviews, it is one of the more capable safety nets available to British travellers who can no longer be classed as low risk. With realistic expectations and careful reading of the policy, it can provide a solid foundation for travelling more confidently at any age.
FAQ
Q1. Is Staysure travel insurance only for people over 50?
Staysure specialises in over 50s and people with medical conditions, but its policies are available to younger travellers too, provided they meet the medical and destination criteria.
Q2. Does Staysure cover pre existing medical conditions?
Yes, Staysure is known for covering many pre existing conditions after medical screening. You must declare all relevant conditions and treatments during the quote process and update the insurer if anything changes before you travel.
Q3. How much medical cover does Staysure provide?
On recent policy wordings, Basic policies offer around £5 million of medical cover, while Comprehensive and Signature typically provide unlimited emergency medical and repatriation cover, subject to terms and conditions.
Q4. Is Staysure good value compared with other UK travel insurers?
For healthy younger travellers, Staysure may not be the absolute cheapest. For older travellers or those with medical issues, it is often competitively priced once you factor in the breadth of medical cover and willingness to insure complex cases.
Q5. What is the difference between Basic, Comprehensive and Signature?
Basic provides lower cancellation and baggage limits with a £5 million medical cap. Comprehensive increases cancellation cover, offers unlimited medical cover and better secondary benefits, while Signature further raises cancellation limits, boosts baggage cover and removes many excesses.
Q6. Does Staysure cover cruises and winter sports?
Staysure can cover cruises and certain winter sports, but you usually need to select the relevant add on during the quote. If you forget to add cruise or winter sports cover, related claims may be rejected.
Q7. Are there age limits on Staysure policies?
Staysure markets itself as having no strict upper age limit on many policies, particularly for over 50s. However, acceptance and pricing always depend on your health, destination and trip length, so older travellers should check carefully.
Q8. When should I buy a Staysure policy for my holiday?
It is usually best to buy cover as soon as you book your trip, because cancellation protection starts from the policy purchase date. Waiting until just before you travel means you miss cover if you need to cancel earlier for an insured reason.
Q9. How easy is it to make a claim with Staysure?
Most claims are handled online or by phone, with supporting documents such as medical reports or receipts requested. Customer feedback is generally positive, though some travellers report delays when evidence is incomplete or when medical histories need close review.
Q10. Should I choose Comprehensive or Signature for an expensive trip?
For high value trips such as long haul tours or luxury cruises, Comprehensive is often a sensible minimum. Signature can make more sense if your trip cost is very high, you want low or no excess, or you have complex medical needs where stronger cover limits are reassuring.