- FlexPlus is a packaged current account costing 18 pounds a month, with travel cover bundled alongside mobile phone and vehicle breakdown insurance.
- The travel insurance is underwritten by Aviva Insurance Limited, FCA Firm Reference Number 202153. Nationwide Building Society itself is registered under 106078.
- Emergency medical cover runs up to 10 million pounds including repatriation; cancellation and curtailment up to 5,000 pounds; baggage up to 1,500 pounds.
- Trips are covered up to 31 days as standard, with a paid upgrade required for longer trips.
- Cover for the account holder and partner runs to their 70th birthday; an Age Upgrade (65 pounds at the time of review) extends it beyond that point.
What Nationwide FlexPlus is
FlexPlus is a packaged current account from Nationwide Building Society, not a standalone travel insurance product. The travel cover only exists as one of three insurances bundled into the account, the others being mobile phone insurance and vehicle breakdown cover. That distinction matters: the cover continues only while the account stays open and the monthly fee is paid, and it is governed by Nationwide's account terms rather than a policy you buy directly from an insurer.
The headline cost is 18 pounds a month, charged whether or not the travel element is used. Nationwide Building Society is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority under registration number 106078.
Who underwrites the cover
The travel insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance Limited, which carries FCA Firm Reference Number 202153 and is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. This is a relevant point for anyone comparing packaged-account cover against a directly bought policy: the underwriter behind the FlexPlus travel benefit is a mainstream UK insurer, and claims are handled through Aviva rather than by Nationwide branch staff.
The other bundled insurances sit with different providers. Mobile phone insurance is provided by Assurant and breakdown cover by the AA. Each carries its own terms, so the FlexPlus account is best read as three separate insurance arrangements sharing one monthly fee.
What policies FlexPlus offers
The travel element is described as worldwide family travel insurance. It is designed to cover the account holder, a partner, and dependent children who are under 23 on the start date of the trip. Cover is structured around the standard travel risks: emergency medical treatment abroad, cancellation and curtailment, baggage, and personal liability. Winter sports cover is included as standard, which is not universal across packaged accounts and removes the need for a separate add-on for a typical ski trip.
Because it is family cover attached to the account, eligible relatives are insured without each needing a separate policy, subject to the age and dependency rules. Anyone needing a single longer trip than the standard limit allows must buy a paid extension rather than relying on the bundled benefit alone.
Pricing structure
There is no separate premium for the travel cover; it is funded by the 18 pounds a month account fee that also pays for the mobile and breakdown benefits. The structure means the value depends heavily on whether all three insurances are used. A household that travels, insures phones, and wants European breakdown cover sees a different cost picture from one that travels rarely.
Two upgrades carry their own charges. Cover for travellers past their 70th birthday requires an Age Upgrade, priced at 65 pounds at the time of review, and trips longer than 31 days require a longer-trip upgrade. These are additional to the monthly fee, so the effective annual cost for an older traveller or a long-trip traveller is higher than the bundled headline suggests.
What is covered and excluded
The core limits are: emergency medical expenses up to 10 million pounds, including the cost of bringing the traveller home; cancellation and cutting a trip short up to 5,000 pounds; and baggage up to 1,500 pounds. A 50 pounds excess applies per insured person, per incident, per trip, so a multi-person claim can attract the excess several times over.
Pre-existing medical conditions are the main exclusion to scrutinise. They are not covered automatically. Aviva's agreement is required, and an additional premium may apply, before relying on the cover for any condition for which a person has been prescribed medicine or has received, or is waiting to receive, treatment in the months before travel. The FCDO's general guidance reinforces the wider point that failing to declare an existing condition can invalidate a policy, which makes the declaration step central rather than optional.
The 31-day standard trip cap is the other structural limit. It suits short holidays and ski weeks but not extended travel, and the cap applies per trip rather than to total days travelled in a year.
How FlexPlus compares
Against a standalone annual multi-trip policy, the FlexPlus arithmetic turns on the bundle. The 18 pounds monthly fee buys travel, mobile, and breakdown cover together, so judging the travel element in isolation overstates its cost if the other benefits are used and understates the saving available from buying travel cover alone if they are not.
On cover depth, the 10 million pounds medical limit is generous in absolute terms and sits well above the kind of figure that real claims reach. Industry data published by the ABI for 2024 put the average travel medical claim at 1,528 pounds, with one member paying over 1 million pounds for a single USA hospitalisation and repatriation, so a 10 million pounds ceiling leaves substantial headroom. Where FlexPlus is more restrictive than some specialist policies is on age: cover runs only to the 70th birthday before a paid upgrade is needed, whereas some standalone insurers impose no upper age limit at all.
How to make a claim
Claims on the travel cover are handled through Aviva, the underwriter, rather than settled by Nationwide directly. Nationwide routes account holders to the correct claims channel through its FlexPlus insurance claims help, where selecting the travel option directs the claimant to the relevant process, which can be started online or by phone. For an emergency abroad, the assistance and medical-claims function sits with the insurer's operation rather than a branch.
Keeping the account open and the fee paid is a precondition: because the cover is tied to the packaged account, closing the account or falling behind on the fee can end the benefit. Declaring any pre-existing condition and securing Aviva's agreement in advance is the step most likely to affect whether a medical claim is paid.
Who FlexPlus might suit
FlexPlus is structured for a household that values bundling. A family that travels within the 31-day window, wants winter sports included, and also uses mobile and breakdown cover concentrates three insurances behind one 18 pounds monthly fee and a single mainstream underwriter for travel claims. The 10 million pounds medical limit and 5,000 pounds cancellation ceiling are adequate for typical European and worldwide holidays.
It fits less neatly for travellers past 70 who must factor in the Age Upgrade, for long-trip travellers who exceed 31 days, and for anyone with a pre-existing condition who must clear Aviva's agreement first. For those groups, the bundled benefit may need paid extensions or closer comparison with specialist standalone cover before the packaged-account route settles the question.
