Our Pick Of The Best Travel Insurance For Ireland

The rankings below are based on key factors such as price and the excess, which is the fixed amount that must be paid on each accepted claim. We also considered whether a policy offers the option to waive the excess by payment of an additional premium. You can find more information on how we scored the policies in the methodology section, below.

We used data (November 2023) from our travel insurance partner to review single trip travel insurance policies for a family of four (two adults, both aged in their 40s and two teenagers) who are travelling to the Republic of Ireland for seven days.

We’ve assumed no members of the family have any pre-existing medical conditions.

All policies include at least £2 million in medical and repatriation cover and £2,000 in cancellation cover, as well as £1,500 in baggage and belongings cover.

We awarded policies points on a scale of one to five based on the following criteria:

• Premium: More competitive premium prices earned more points
• Excess: Policies with a lower excess (the amount that must be paid towards the cost of any accepted claim) on medical claims earned more points
• Excess waiver: More points were awarded to policies that came with the option to waive the excess (although this means higher premiums).

Scores for each policy were totalled, and converted to Forbes Advisor star ratings. Policies with matching scores were ranked based on price.

As you might expect, a travel insurance policy for a trip to the Republic of Ireland (ROI) covers medical costs should you be injured or fall ill while away.

Although UK residents can normally get ‘necessary healthcare’ – care that can’t wait until you get home – from state healthcare services when in the ROI, this isn’t always free. This is where your travel insurance policy comes into play (see section below on the Global Health Insurance Card).

Your policy should also provide essential cover for the cancellation or curtailment of your holiday due to an emergency, such as illness, losing your job, or a family member dying.

Policies will also cover you for the loss or theft of your baggage. Liability cover will also be included in case you are held financially responsible for injury or death of others, or for damage to their property or belongings.

When comparing policies, it’s best to check the small print for details on limitations and exclusions in cover. This is where you’ll find information such as acceptable scenarios for making a cancellation claim, and how much you can claim per lost or stolen item of baggage.

Depending on your personal requirements and travel plans, you may need to add extra cover on to your policy, to ensure it fits your needs.

Travel insurance for Ireland will usually offer extras such as the following, if they are not already included as standard:

• Missed departure: compensates you if an emergency such as your car breaking down causes you to miss, depending on the policy, either, or both, your outward and inward journey.
• Travel delay: pays out a set amount if your flight is delayed by 12 hours, and an additional sum for every 12 hours after that.
• End supplier failure: pays out should a company you booked with go into administration.

If you are planning to undertake any sporting activity while in Ireland, you may need to buy additional protection if the activity is deemed ‘hazardous’. Each policy will have its own list of high-risk sports, so you should check.

You might typically find that horse-riding, rugby and mountaineering/climbing are among the activities that may require the payment of additional premium.

Regardless of the country you are travelling to, your policy is highly unlikely to cover any claim arising from drunk and disorderly behaviour. That means, if you injure yourself or others after consuming alcohol or drugs, you will not be able to claim.

When it comes to the cancellation section of your policy, you won’t be covered if you decide that you don’t want to travel. This is called ‘disinclination to travel’ and isn’t considered a valid reason to cancel your trip.

If you’re travelling to the ROI, you should carry a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC), available from the NHS (or its predecessor, the European Health Insurance Card, if it is still in date).

These documents give you access to emergency or necessary state care on the same terms as a local. However, they are not a replacement for travel insurance as they do not cover all medical costs, such as repatriation to the UK, or the other types of cover provided, such as theft.