- Monzo Max costs from 17 pounds a month; Nationwide FlexPlus carries an 18 pounds monthly account fee.
- Monzo Max travel cover is underwritten by Zurich Insurance Company Ltd (FCA FRN 959113), with claims handled by Qover (FCA FRN 988985). FlexPlus is underwritten by Aviva Insurance Limited (FCA FRN 202153).
- Both policies provide emergency medical cover up to 10 million pounds and cancellation up to 5,000 pounds.
- Monzo Max stops covering you once you pass 70; the FlexPlus policy sets no upper age limit for the account holder or their partner.
- Monzo Max allows trips up to 45 consecutive days as standard; FlexPlus caps standard trips at 31 days, extendable to 120 days for an extra charge.
- Neither policy covers pre-existing medical conditions automatically: Monzo Max excludes them outright, while FlexPlus offers a paid pre-existing conditions upgrade.
Monzo Max and Nationwide FlexPlus at a glance
Both products are packaged bank accounts where travel insurance is one benefit inside a monthly fee, rather than a standalone policy bought on its own merits. The travel cover follows the account: hold the account, hold the cover, and the insurance ends when the account does.
Monzo Max is the upper tier of Monzo's paid plans, priced from 17 pounds a month, with family members added for 5 pounds a month more. The travel insurance inside it is underwritten by Zurich Insurance Company Ltd, with day to day administration and claims handled by Qover. Monzo Bank Limited itself is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority (FCA FRN 730427).
Nationwide FlexPlus is a packaged current account carrying an 18 pounds monthly fee. Its worldwide family travel insurance is underwritten by Aviva Insurance Limited, registered in Scotland (number SC002116) and authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority under FCA FRN 202153.
On price the two sit close together, just a pound apart each month. The meaningful differences are not in the headline fee but in who can be covered, for how long, and on what terms.
Cover limits compared
On the largest figures the two policies are closely matched. Both cap emergency medical and associated expenses at 10 million pounds, and both cap cancellation at 5,000 pounds. The Association of British Insurers reported that members paid 262 million pounds in travel medical claims in 2024, with the average medical claim at 1,528 pounds, so a multi-million pound emergency medical limit on either policy sits well above the typical claim while leaving room for the rare catastrophic case.
Baggage cover is where the policies diverge. Monzo Max covers personal belongings and valuables up to 750 pounds each. FlexPlus covers personal belongings up to 1,500 pounds. Both apply per-item and excess conditions, so the single-article limit inside each policy matters as much as the overall cap.
Winter sports treatment also differs in detail. Monzo Max includes winter sports cover with skiing and snowboarding equipment and ski hire up to 750 pounds, subject to a 50 pounds excess. FlexPlus includes winter sports equipment cover up to 500 pounds, with winter sports cover itself limited to 31 days. On cruises, FlexPlus offers an optional extended cruise upgrade adding cover such as missed-port and cruise-related delay benefits, reflecting the FCDO guidance that cruises generally require an additional level of cover.
Age limits and eligibility
This is the sharpest structural difference between the two. Monzo Max sets a maximum age for all benefits of 70 years inclusive. Applicants must be aged 18 to 69 to take out the plan, and the account holder or their partner has to be 70 or younger. Once a covered person passes 70, the travel benefit no longer applies to them.
The Aviva FlexPlus policy contains no upper age limit for the account holder or their partner. The only age restriction in the eligibility wording applies to children, who must be dependent and aged under 23 when the trip starts to be covered. All insured persons must be UK residents with their main home in the UK, living in the UK for more than six months a year and registered with a UK doctor.
For an older traveller, that contrast is decisive. A 72 year old cannot rely on Monzo Max for travel cover at all, whereas the FlexPlus core travel policy continues to apply regardless of age, subject to its pre-existing conditions rules.
Pricing structure
Both products bundle the insurance into a single account fee rather than charging a separate premium, so the cost does not flex with destination, trip cost or traveller age in the way a standalone policy would.
Monzo Max is priced from 17 pounds a month, with family cover added for 5 pounds a month. FlexPlus is a flat 18 pounds a month covering the account holder, a partner living at the same address and dependent children under 23 as standard, without a separate family add-on.
The figures that move the real cost are the upgrades. FlexPlus charges extra for a longer trip upgrade (extending standard 31 day trips up to 120 days), for the pre-existing conditions upgrade, and for the extended cruise upgrade. Monzo Max does not offer a pre-existing conditions route at all, so for travellers with declared conditions the comparison is not price against price but cover against no cover.
Claims handling
The claims journeys reflect the different operating models. Monzo Max routes everything through Qover: claims are submitted in the Monzo app or via Qover's online form, with a UK contact line, and Qover handles non-emergency claims administration while Zurich Assist handles emergencies and in-patient hospital cases. Complaints go first to Qover and escalate to Zurich if unresolved. Policyholders must notify Qover or Zurich Assist within 30 days of a trip ending of any occurrence likely to lead to a claim.
FlexPlus claims are administered by Aviva, with policy and claims management available online through MyAccount or by phone, and a 24 hour medical assistance line for emergencies abroad. In both cases the underwriter carries the regulatory responsibility for the cover, while the bank is the distributor packaging it into the account.
Which traveller each suits
The two policies are built for different traveller profiles despite their similar monthly cost. Monzo Max suits travellers under 70 who take frequent shorter trips: its 45 day standard trip length is longer than the FlexPlus standard 31 days, and it folds skiing and snowboarding into the core cover. Its firm cut-off at 70 and its outright exclusion of pre-existing conditions narrow who it works for.
FlexPlus suits travellers who value continuity of cover into later life and those who need a route to insure declared medical conditions through the paid pre-existing conditions upgrade. Its standard 31 day trip cap is shorter, but the longer trip upgrade extends a single trip up to 120 days, and the absence of an upper age limit on the core cover is its defining feature.
The FCDO advises declaring existing conditions or pending treatment, because failing to declare may invalidate insurance, and notes that some activities need specialist cover or an add-on. Whichever account is held, reading the policy wording against the actual trip, traveller ages and any medical history is what determines whether the bundled cover is fit for purpose.
Sources
- Monzo Max worldwide travel insurance product page
- Monzo Max travel insurance terms and conditions (Zurich)
- Monzo help: making a travel insurance claim
- Nationwide FlexPlus account page
- Nationwide FlexPlus Aviva travel insurance policy document
- Nationwide FlexPlus Aviva travel insurance IPID
- Association of British Insurers: 2024 travel claims figures
- FCDO foreign travel insurance guidance
