Cover Built for the Long Haul to Britain
Go Insurance provides Australian travel insurance for trips to England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — with overseas medical cover, 24/7 emergency assistance and cancellation protection built in. Add the United Kingdom to your destinations when you start a quote at goinsurance.com.au.
A UK trip usually means 24 hours or more in the air, at least one connection, and a lot of money committed before you leave. Cover is always subject to the PDS, including its limits, conditions and exclusions.
Your UK Trip at a Glance
A Long Way to Go, a Lot Booked in Advance
Britain is one of the great Australian trips — London and the home counties, the Welsh coast, the Scottish Highlands, Belfast’s shipyards and the Giant’s Causeway. It’s also one of the most heavily pre-booked. Flights, rail passes, cottages, theatre tickets and tours are usually paid for months out, and the journey itself involves connections through Asia or the Middle East where a single delay can unravel the rest.
Add a northern winter, storm season and a health system that’s generous to visitors but stops well short of flying you home, and the gaps become clear. Go Insurance cover is designed to sit across all of it — the medical side, the money you’ve already spent, and the practical help you need at 3am on the other side of the world.
What Your Cover Can Include on a UK Trip
A Go Insurance policy brings together the sections Australian travellers most often need in the UK. Benefits, limits and sub-limits vary by level of cover and are set out in full in the PDS.
Which Level of Cover Suits Your Trip?
Go Insurance lets you build the policy around the trip rather than the other way round. For a UK holiday, the choice usually comes down to how much you’ve prepaid and how long you’re away.
How the Reciprocal Health Care Agreement Works
Australia has a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) with the United Kingdom. It means Australians visiting the UK can access medically necessary treatment through the National Health Service — care that can’t wait until you get home.
To use it, ask to be treated as an NHS patient and be ready to show your Australian passport and Medicare card. Most NHS services are free at the point of care, though you’ll still pay for some things such as prescriptions, and health care arrangements vary a little between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The Australian Government is explicit that the agreement is not a replacement for travel insurance — Smartraveller specifically recommends holding a policy that covers medical evacuation.
What the RHCA Doesn’t Cover
The agreement covers urgent treatment inside the UK public system. It stops there.
How to Get Covered for the UK
Four steps from quote to Certificate of Insurance — most travellers are done in a few minutes.
Add Your Destinations
Start your quote at goinsurance.com.au and add every country you’ll visit. The United Kingdom sits within the Europe region of travel, so a UK trip is quoted as Europe unless your itinerary reaches further afield.
Enter Your Trip Details
Add your travel dates, travellers and the total value of what you’ve prepaid, so your cancellation cover matches what’s actually at risk.
Declare and Add
Declare any pre-existing medical conditions for assessment, and add optional extensions such as snow sports cover if you’re heading for the Scottish slopes.
Check Your Certificate
Complete your purchase, check every option you selected appears on your Certificate of Insurance, and save our emergency contact details to your phone before you fly.
Things to Know Before You Fly
Like all travel insurance, your policy has limits, conditions and exclusions. The ones that most often catch UK travellers out:
Your UK Pre-Travel Checklist
UK Travel Insurance — Frequently Asked Questions
What Australian travellers most often ask before booking a trip to Britain.
Do I need travel insurance for the UK if I have Medicare?
Yes. Medicare doesn’t cover you overseas. The Reciprocal Health Care Agreement between Australia and the UK lets you access medically necessary NHS treatment, but it won’t pay to fly you home, cover private treatment, or replace a cancelled trip. Travel insurance covers the parts the agreement doesn’t reach.
Which region of travel applies to a UK trip?
Europe. Add the United Kingdom to your destinations when you quote and it falls within the Europe region of travel, along with Ireland and the rest of the continent. You can check which region applies to every country on your itinerary on our regions and destinations page.
Does UK travel insurance cover side trips to Ireland or Europe?
Yes, as long as those countries are on your policy. Ireland and continental Europe fall within the same Europe region as the UK, so adding them doesn’t change your region of travel. If your trip also takes in Asia, the Middle East or North America on the way through, add those destinations too so the whole itinerary is covered.
Can I get cover for pre-existing medical conditions on a UK trip?
Often, yes — but the condition must be declared during the quote process and accepted by us. Some conditions are automatically covered, others need assessment and may attract an additional premium. See our medical conditions page for how the assessment works before you buy.
Am I covered if my flight to the UK is delayed or cancelled?
Travel delay and missed connection benefits apply for covered reasons, subject to the delay periods, limits and conditions in the PDS. On a route to Britain with one or two stopovers this is one of the more commonly used sections of the policy, so it’s worth reading how it works before you fly.
Does my policy cover skiing in Scotland?
Only if you add the Snow Sports extension during your quote. Skiing, snowboarding and similar snow activities in the Cairngorms, Glencoe or Nevis Range aren’t covered as standard, and the extension can’t be added after purchase. See snow sports travel insurance for what it includes.
When should I buy travel insurance for a UK trip?
As soon as you’ve paid your first deposit. Cancellation cover starts from the date you buy your policy, so buying early protects the money you’ve already committed to flights, tours and accommodation in the months before you leave.
How do I make a claim while I’m in the UK?
For anything urgent or medical, call our 24/7 emergency assistance team on +61 7 3481 9880 or email sos@goinsurance.com.au before you incur major expenses. For everything else, lodge your claim through our claims support page and keep all receipts, reports and booking confirmations.