Do silver travellers pay more than they should for travel insurance? New research suggests there may be some validsity in complaints of continual price increases to reflect pre-existing conditions, for example. The reearch found that while 36 to 40 year olds claimed an average of £518 last year, those aged 71 to 75 claimed £1,830 – 3.5 time as much. But when it came to the average single trip policy premiums of £38 for the former group and £190 for the latter, the older group paid five times as much. Of course, averages in this case can conceal differences that are difficult to quantify. Leaving aside health claims, which amounted to 27% of total claims across all age groups, some older travellers take more expensive trips than younger people, increasing the cost of cancellation claims, and they are likely to carry more valuable items in their luggage. So the arithmetic that prompted our opening question is admittedly crude – but it is nonetheless worth asking,
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