Travel insurance you don't need
Nearly two-thirds of companies selling holidays in Britain are adding cancellation cover, even though many people don't need it.
Cancel it: concellation cover may be necessary as your existing policy may suffice.
Those with an annual travel insurance policy are already covered and even those without one could buy it far cheaper.
Research by InsureandGo shows some holiday companies are charging as much as £45 in cancellation cover for a family taking a break in Britain - that's more than three times dearer than the price of a week's travel insurance.
More than half of them charge £20, far more than normal travel insurance, which includes cover for lost or stolen luggage, medical claims and travel delay.
For instance, travel insurance covering a week's break in August for a family of four costs £6.62 with Essential Cover - including £3,000 cancellation cover - and £9.54 from TwoPointFive with £1,000 cover.
Cancellation cover typically enables customers to claim refunds on their holiday if they have to cancel due to sickness, jury service or redundancy - an increasing risk as unemployment rises.
'We think these holiday companies should ask if their customers already have travel insurance before they try to sell them these products,' says Perry Wilson, the founder of InsureandGo.
Travel insurance can be useful even for British holidays because after an accident or illness, it will pay for someone to be moved to a hospital close to home.
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