Medical Travel Compared Review 2026: Pre-Existing Conditions Comparison Service

Medical Travel Compared is a UK comparison service positioned specifically for the pre-existing medical conditions segment of the travel insurance market. Understanding what Medical Travel Compared is and how it differs from both direct specialist insurers and mainstream comparison platforms clarifies when it adds value and when direct insurer screening is the more appropriate route.

What Medical Travel Compared Is

Medical Travel Compared is an insurance intermediary authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. It operates as a comparison and distribution platform rather than as an underwriter or insurer. The service allows travellers to declare their pre-existing conditions once through a single questionnaire and receive comparison quotes from multiple specialist travel insurance providers simultaneously, rather than completing separate screening processes with each individual insurer. The FCA's Consumer Duty framework applies to Medical Travel Compared as an intermediary: the service is required to deliver good outcomes for retail customers including those with characteristics of vulnerability such as health conditions.

How the Service Works

Travellers use the Medical Travel Compared platform by entering their trip details and completing the pre-existing condition declaration questionnaire. The questionnaire collects information about each declared condition through structured questions covering diagnosis, treatment, medication and recent medical history. The platform then generates comparison quotes from the specialist providers in its panel based on the individual declaration, displaying available options alongside key terms and premiums. The traveller selects and purchases the chosen policy through the platform. The policy is issued by the underlying insurer rather than by Medical Travel Compared. Claims are handled by the individual insurer, not by the comparison platform. The Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012 applies to declarations made through Medical Travel Compared in exactly the same way as declarations made directly to individual insurers.

Panel Providers

The specific specialist providers included in the Medical Travel Compared panel vary and are confirmed on the platform at the point of use. The panel composition determines the range of quotes available through a single comparison process. Travellers should check whether the providers most relevant to their specific condition profile are included in the panel before relying solely on the Medical Travel Compared output. If key providers such as GoodToGo or iAmInsured for complex profiles are not in the panel, supplementary direct screening with those providers may be necessary alongside the comparison platform results. Medical Travel Compared's panel focuses on the specialist pre-existing conditions segment rather than mainstream comparison-site providers, making it more relevant for pre-existing condition travellers than standard aggregators like comparethemarket.com or GoCompare.

When Medical Travel Compared Adds Value

Medical Travel Compared is most useful for travellers who want to compare multiple specialist options through a single declaration process without repeating the same screening questions multiple times. It is also useful for travellers unfamiliar with the specialist market who want a guided introduction to available providers rather than independently identifying and screening with each. For travellers with very complex profiles who need the most specialised providers including GoodToGo's telephone screening or iAmInsured's high-risk model, direct engagement with those providers may be more effective than comparison platform screening, which may not fully capture the nuance that telephone-based individual assessment can accommodate. Medical Travel Compared is most effective for the mainstream end of the specialist market where automated screening can generate representative quotes across multiple providers from a single declaration.

Regulatory Position

As an FCA-regulated intermediary, Medical Travel Compared is subject to Financial Ombudsman Service complaint jurisdiction. Complaints about the comparison process or the service provided by Medical Travel Compared as intermediary can be referred to the FOS after the firm's eight-week internal complaints period. Complaints about the underlying policy and claims handling are directed to the individual underwriting insurer rather than to the comparison platform. The FSCS does not typically cover comparison services unless the firm is also acting as an insurer or underwriter.

Who Medical Travel Compared Suits

Travellers with pre-existing conditions who want to compare multiple specialist quotes efficiently through a single declaration rather than completing individual screening processes with each provider separately. Also useful for travellers new to the specialist market who want guidance through the available options. Not the ideal route for the most complex profiles requiring specialist telephone-assessment providers at the highest-risk end of the market, where direct engagement with those providers produces better outcomes than platform-based screening.

UK Regulatory Framework for Travel Insurance

All UK travel insurance policies sold to UK residents are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Insurance Conduct of Business sourcebook, known as ICOBS. ICOBS sets out requirements for product disclosure, fair treatment of customers and the handling of claims and complaints. Any insurer or distributor that breaches ICOBS is subject to FCA enforcement action including financial penalties, public censure and in serious cases prohibition from regulated activities.

The Consumer Duty, which came into force on 31 July 2023 under Policy Statement PS22/9, adds a cross-cutting standard requiring all FCA-regulated firms to deliver good outcomes for retail customers. For travel insurance specifically, the Consumer Duty places obligations on insurers to ensure that products are accessible and fair for customers with characteristics of vulnerability. Older travellers and those with pre-existing medical conditions are explicitly identified in the FCA's guidance as groups that face systematic disadvantage in the standard insurance market and that require particular consideration under the Consumer Duty framework. The four outcome areas of the Consumer Duty are products and services, price and value, consumer understanding, and consumer support. Each area has specific application to the specialist pre-existing conditions travel insurance market.

The Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012 governs the disclosure obligations of all UK travel insurance policyholders. Under this Act, policyholders must take reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation when answering an insurer's screening questions. A deliberate or reckless misrepresentation entitles the insurer to avoid the policy in full and deny all claims regardless of whether the specific claim relates to the undisclosed condition. An inadvertent misrepresentation results in a proportionate remedy: if the insurer would not have written the policy at all, it may avoid but must return the premium; if it would have written at a higher premium, it may reduce the claim proportionately to reflect the premium difference.

The Financial Ombudsman Service is the statutory alternative dispute resolution body for all UK travel insurance complaints. The FOS can award compensation of up to £430,000 per complaint and its decisions are binding on all FCA-regulated firms. Travellers who disagree with any claim decision from any FCA-regulated travel insurer have the right to refer their complaint to the FOS free of charge after the insurer has had eight weeks to respond to the formal complaint. The FOS publishes biannual complaint data covering complaint volumes and uphold rates for named firms, providing an independent public benchmark of claims handling quality across the travel insurance market that is not dependent on provider marketing claims.

The Association of British Insurers publishes guidance on travel insurance best practice, including recommended minimum emergency medical cover limits. The ABI recommends a minimum of £2 million for European travel and at least £5 million for long-haul destinations. For travel to the United States specifically, where private hospital costs can frequently exceed £10,000 per day before surgical intervention or repatriation costs, the ABI guidance points to higher limits of £10 million or more for extended stays. The ABI also notes that cancellation underinsurance is one of the most common causes of partial claim settlements in the travel insurance market, and recommends that travellers ensure their cancellation cover is sufficient to cover the full prepaid cost of their trip including flights, accommodation and pre-booked excursions.

The Global Health Insurance Card, the GHIC, replaced the European Health Insurance Card for UK travellers after the Brexit transition period ended on 31 December 2020. The GHIC provides access to state healthcare in participating European Economic Area countries on the same terms as local residents. It does not cover private treatment, emergency repatriation, trip cancellation, baggage loss, personal liability or any other component of a comprehensive travel insurance policy. The FCA and ABI both advise UK travellers to carry both a valid GHIC and a comprehensive travel insurance policy when travelling in Europe. The two instruments are complementary rather than interchangeable, and holding a GHIC does not reduce the need for travel insurance in any European destination.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Medical Travel Compared?

Medical Travel Compared is a UK FCA-regulated insurance intermediary and comparison service for travellers with pre-existing medical conditions. It allows travellers to complete a single condition declaration and receive comparison quotes from multiple specialist travel insurance providers, rather than screening separately with each insurer.

Is Medical Travel Compared regulated?

Medical Travel Compared is authorised and regulated by the FCA as an insurance intermediary. FCA registration can be confirmed at register.fca.org.uk.

Does Medical Travel Compared sell insurance?

Medical Travel Compared is a comparison and distribution intermediary. All policies are underwritten by the specialist providers in its panel. Claims are handled by the individual underwriting insurer rather than by Medical Travel Compared.

Is Medical Travel Compared better than going direct?

For travellers wanting to compare multiple specialist quotes through a single declaration, the comparison platform adds value. For travellers with very complex profiles requiring specialist telephone-assessment providers, direct engagement with those providers may be more effective than platform-based screening.