- FCDO guidance states travellers should declare existing conditions or pending treatment or tests, because failing to declare something may invalidate travel insurance.
- ABI members paid 472 million pounds across more than 500,000 travel claims in 2024, with medical claims totalling 262 million pounds and averaging 1,528 pounds.
- A UK GHIC is free and lasts up to 5 years, but it does not cover repatriation back to the UK, private treatment, or ski and mountain rescue.
- Specialist providers including AllClear (FCA FRN 311244) and Staysure (FCA FRN 663617) screen cardiac conditions such as angina, heart attack history, stents and atrial fibrillation, and operate with no upper age limit.
Travel cover for a cardiac condition is priced and accepted on the strength of a medical declaration, not a tick box. Angina, a previous heart attack, fitted stents and atrial fibrillation each carry a distinct claims profile, and the insurer assesses that profile before a single premium figure appears. This guide sets out how cardiac cover differs from a standard policy, what the screening process asks, where stability periods bite, and what to do when mainstream pricing becomes unaffordable.
How heart condition cover differs
A standard annual or single-trip policy assumes a traveller with no material health history. A cardiac condition changes the underwriter's exposure, because the costs the policy guards against are concentrated in exactly the area where heart patients face elevated risk: emergency hospital treatment and repatriation. The Association of British Insurers reports that its members paid 262 million pounds in travel medical claims during 2024, with the average medical claim reaching 1,528 pounds and one member paying more than 1 million pounds for a customer admitted to hospital in the USA who then required repatriation to the UK.
That concentration of cost is why a heart condition cannot simply be omitted. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is explicit that travellers should declare existing conditions or pending treatment or tests so that they are covered if there are related complications during a trip, and warns that failing to declare something may invalidate travel insurance. A policy bought without disclosing a cardiac history may pay nothing on the one type of claim a heart patient is most likely to make.
What to look for
The decisive feature is medical screening that recognises cardiac detail rather than a generic health question. Specialist screening typically asks for the age at diagnosis, current medications and dosage, the level of breathlessness on exertion, any history of irregular heartbeat, and whether angioplasty, bypass surgery or a stent has been carried out. AllClear, for example, screens angina, atrial fibrillation, heart attack history, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valve disease and cardiomyopathy, asking about previous procedures and the timing of the last cardiac episode.
Emergency medical and repatriation limits matter more here than for an unconditioned traveller. Verified specialist tiers run high: AllClear lists emergency medical cover up to 10 million pounds on its Gold tier, up to 15 million pounds on Gold Plus and unlimited on Platinum, while Staysure offers unlimited emergency medical cover on its Comprehensive and Signature policies. Both operate with no upper age limit, which is relevant because cardiac conditions cluster in older travellers and many mainstream policies cap at a fixed age.
The FCDO also notes that some insurers may waive the medical excess if the traveller uses an EHIC or GHIC. A UK GHIC is free and lasts up to 5 years and covers medically necessary state healthcare in the European Economic Area and some other countries, but it does not replace travel insurance: it excludes repatriation, private treatment and mountain rescue. For a heart patient, the GHIC reduces front-line state treatment costs in Europe but leaves the largest exposure, the flight home under medical supervision, entirely to the travel policy.
Cover limits and exclusions
Three figures define a cardiac policy: the emergency medical limit, the cancellation limit and the excess. Cancellation cover ranges widely between providers and tiers; AllClear lists cancellation cover from 2,000 pounds up to 25,000 pounds depending on policy level, and Staysure lists cancellation cover up to 15,000 pounds. The relevance for heart patients is that a deterioration in a declared condition, or a new procedure scheduled before departure, can trigger a cancellation claim, so the cancellation limit should reflect the full trip cost rather than a notional minimum.
Exclusions concentrate on the undeclared and the unstable. Anything not disclosed at screening is unlikely to be covered if a claim relates to it. Recently changed circumstances also create gaps: a medication change, a new symptom, a pending test or a hospital admission after the policy was bought can sit outside the cover unless the insurer is told and re-screens the risk. Hazardous activity and high-altitude travel can carry separate exclusions that interact with a cardiac condition, and cruises generally require an additional level of cover, a point the FCDO makes for all travellers.
Stability periods and screening
A stability period is the window during which a declared condition must have remained unchanged: no new symptoms, no medication change, no fresh investigations and no hospital treatment. Where a provider applies one, a recent stent, a medication adjustment or a new diagnosis of atrial fibrillation can reset the clock and change both eligibility and price. Not every specialist publishes a fixed stability period on its public pages, so the requirement should be confirmed at the point of screening rather than assumed.
Screening is also the moment to be complete. Staysure's questionnaire covers the previous two years, including appointments, symptoms, tests, treatments, hospitalisations and medications, alongside specific heart and circulation history. The screening conversation is where the declaration the FCDO requires is actually made, and an incomplete answer at this stage is what later invalidates a claim.
Providers offering cover in this segment
Two FCA-traceable specialists screen cardiac conditions with no upper age limit. AllClear is a trading name of AllClear Insurance Services Limited, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under firm reference number 311244, and screens the full range of heart conditions described above across Gold, Gold Plus and Platinum tiers. Staysure is a trading name of TICORP Limited, registered in Gibraltar, which trades into the UK on a freedom of services basis under FCA FRN 663617; it states cover for more than 1,300 medical conditions and unlimited emergency medical cover on its higher tiers.
Beyond named specialists, the wider category includes medically screened brokers and providers that assess cardiac risk individually rather than declining it outright. The defining test for any provider in this segment is whether it screens the specific condition and confirms the emergency medical and repatriation limits in writing before purchase.
Common pitfalls
The recurring error is treating a heart condition as a detail rather than the core of the risk. Buying the cheapest policy that does not ask cardiac questions, assuming a GHIC removes the need for insurance, or omitting a recent medication change at screening each leave the largest claim type exposed. A second pitfall is under-insuring cancellation when a procedure is pending, and a third is ignoring stability rules after a recent cardiac event. Where mainstream pricing rises sharply or cover is refused, that is the signal to use the specialist route rather than to travel uninsured.
If you find it difficult to get cover because of a pre-existing condition, the Money and Pensions Service operates a travel insurance directory of specialist providers via its MoneyHelper service. Visit the MoneyHelper travel insurance directory or call the Money Helper Customer Contact Centre on 0800 138 7777 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm).
Do I have to declare a heart condition if I feel well?
Yes. The FCDO advises declaring existing conditions or pending treatment or tests regardless of how well a traveller feels, because failing to declare something may invalidate the policy. Being symptom-free does not remove the disclosure requirement.
Does a GHIC mean I do not need travel insurance for a heart condition?
No. A UK GHIC covers medically necessary state healthcare in the EEA and some other countries but does not cover repatriation, private treatment or mountain rescue. For a cardiac traveller the repatriation cost is usually the largest exposure, and that sits with the travel policy, not the GHIC.
What is a stability period?
It is the window during which a declared condition must have remained unchanged, with no new symptoms, medication changes, tests or hospital treatment. A recent stent or a medication adjustment can reset that window and affect both eligibility and price, so it should be confirmed at screening.
What happens if mainstream insurers refuse cover or quote a very high premium?
The Money and Pensions Service operates a travel insurance directory of specialist providers through its MoneyHelper service, reachable on 0800 138 7777. It is designed for travellers who find cover difficult to obtain because of a serious medical condition.
