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The financial guru told viewers of ITV1’s Martin Lewis Money Show that is really important to get cover as soon as you book your trip
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Money saving guru Martin Lewis had one big message for holidaymakers on tonight's episode (January 24) of The Martin Lewis Money Show Live on ITV1. His tip is to purchase travel insurance ASAB – 'As Soon As You Book' – to mitigate the risk of losing money in case of emergencies that occur before going abroad.
He went on to state that he regularly receives "heartbreaking" messages from people each spring of serious health issues or medical emergencies that prevent them from going on a holiday they had previously booked. Due to the fact they had not booked travel insurance beforehand, it meant they lost all of their money that had been paid towards their holidays.
The biggest mistake people make, Martin said, is waiting until just before leaving to book travel insurance, as the Daily Record also reported. He urged people again to get it ASAB, adding: "Please, do not be that person who sends me that heartbreaking email this year. If you’ve booked a holiday, travel insurance can be as little as £9.
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"The big point that as soon as you book, it's half the point of travel insurance is that it covers you for things that may happen before you go on holiday; heaven forbid you got seriously ill and you need treatment in a months time so you couldn't go.
"[And] most people by booking late – you lose that part of what you're paying for. So book it now – you get your travel insurance the day you book."
Martin told viewers: "This is a warning. There are millions booking holidays at the moment and you need to understand travel insurance isn't just to protect you when you go away. I want you to get your travel insurance ASAB; As Soon As you Book.”
He went on to say: "Every spring, I get one or more emails from someone who says something like, ‘I’ve just been diagnosed with a very serious form of cancer’, or another equally severe illness – ‘I’ve booked my summer holiday, I’ll be having my chemo in the summer so I won’t be able to go, I’ve spoken to the airline, they won’t refund me, I’ve spoken to the hotel, they won’t refund me because I didn’t book it flexibly – what can I do?’."
One user called Cocoa contacted Martin to say: "I booked a holiday for Christmas last year but I was then medically advised not to fly. The holiday was already paid for and I hadn’t taken out any travel insurance.
"I’m now being told I’ve lost all the money for the holiday! Is there anything that can be done?"
Unfortunately, as per Martin's warning, she "had no consumer rights" due to the fact she had not purchased any travel insurance beforehand.
His reply was: "What I would say is speak to the travel agent or the hotel or the flight company, tell them your situation and ask if there’s anything they can do. Legally though, it is very unlikely that you have any rights.”
The Martin Lewis Money Show Live is available to view online on ITVX, and is on ITV1 every Tuesday evening at 8pm.
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