JS Insurance blog

As of the 1st April 2009, anyone travelling to The Channel Islands (Geurnsey, Jersey, Alderney, Sark and Herm) will need to have travel insurance to cover medical emergencies and treatment.

UK residents travelling to The Channel Islands will no longer be covered for medical treatment after the government has decided to stop the reciprocal health agreement between the UK and the Islands.

The Department of Health, is advising travellers that they must have adequate travel insurance before travelling to The Channel Islands.

More than 550,000 Britons travelled to The Channel Islands last year and in the current economic climate, this will certainly increase this year.  Searches on travel related websites for The Channel Islands have doubled over the last year.

The islands, which are Crown Dependencies of the UK, are not part of the EU and are there for not covered by the EHIC card (European Health Insurance Card).

The EHIC card was introduced in January 2006  and replaced the E111 card, which is no longer available.

This card is easily obtained by filling in a simple form on the website. It is usually sent out within two weeks of completing the online form. Each person travelling would need to have a card and you cannot obtain a family or couple card. You can also call 0845 606 2030 or pick up a leaflet at a UK Post Office or by calling them on 08701 555 455.

The Departement of Health is also urging everyone to check the validity of their EHIC cards as many are out of date and need to be renewed.  Anyone travelling within an expired EHIC card, unless they have travel insurance, is putting themselves at risk.

EHIC stands for European Health Insurance Card and is available to UK residents and persons who are aged 16 years or older. There  may be some restrictions as to the cover it provides depending on your nationality, this can be checked at the Department of Health website. If you are a resident of the Channel Islands or Isle of Man you cannot obtain an EHIC card.

The EHIC card is issued so that if you have an accident or are suddenly taken ill, whilst abroad in the EEA (European Economic Area, which is made up of 27 members of the European Union plus Iceland, Leichtenstein and Norway) or Switzerland, you’ll receive the necessary state provided medical healthcare for free or at a reduced cost. You’ll be treated as if you were a resident in the country that you are visiting. It is important that you carry the card at all times whilst travelling so that if you need medical treatment this can be provided quickly and without hassle.

A word of warning however, this does not mean you are insured. It may not cover all your medical costs and would not cover any private treatment and probably the most importnat point is that it does not cover you for repatriation back to the UK. Unlike the NHS, where medical treatment is free; few Eurpean countries pay for your full medical treatment, even under the European Union’s healthcare arrangements.

You will still need to purchase travel insurnace to ensure you are fully covered for any and all eventualities. Many people think if they have an EHIC card with them that they do not need to take out travel insurance. They regret this when they have to pay for repatriation for example by air ambulance back to the UK or if they are skiing, they need to pay for mountain rescue.

JS Insurance  is now offering mobile phone insurance for Apple iPhones. It has in the past been difficult to find insurance for iPhones, but as now more and more people are purchasing them and as they are now also available as pay as you go as well as on a contract bases, it seems sensible to now offer the same type of cover as a standard mobile phone.

There are a few differences relating to this type of mobile phone insurance compared to the insurance already offered by us.

There is a specific contract between Apple and 02, when you purchase an iPhone. If you need to make a claim, we would not be able to replace the phone itself, but would let you purchase a replacement iPhone and then we would reimburse you for the cost of a new phone. This would only be the case if the phone was beyond repair or had been stolen.

Our dedicated repair centres would be able to repair the iPhone as would be the case with any mobile phone repair.

If you wished to have a look at the policy details and purchase the insurance, please go to our mobile phone insurance page or call us on 0844 848 1500 and we will be happy to arrange the cover.