Red Pennant demise
So Red Pennant has ended... And been resurrected - in name only.
Anyone feel the CAMC is being really deceitful with their new offering? They are offering EU breakdown cover courtesy of Green Flag and now some bog standard travel insurance.
Such a con to keep using the Red Pennant name
With the old Red Pennant I felt that whatever the misfortune, we would be recovered. A medical emergency or accident would be sorted out and our partner, caravan and tow car, or motorhome would be repatriated.
None of this seems to be offered anymore...
Comments
-
It just shows what good value Red Pennant was. We have our 2026 holidays lined up with RP for multiple 30 day trips, car and caravan plus 2 adults cover at £330. I checked ealier today and the new health only insurance comes in at over £290. I'll let you come to your own conclusion, but for 2027 we will be looking at alternative covers.
Colin
1 -
Just had a quick look and compared to the simplicity of the medical screening questions on the old RP this one is vastly overcomplicated. That simplicity was what sold us the old RP and we never looked elsewhere. This year that will not be case.
1 -
Indeed. But it's not just about good value, it's about a top notch product. Am happy to pay more for quality and a product suited to us tourers.
1 -
I totally agree. It offered an excellent level of cover for an excellent price, hence the good value.
Colin
1 -
@eribaMotters totally agree with you, having had to use it it a few times it was well worth the money. I just accepted that if I was going to holiday abroad under my own steam it was worth the money so as not to have to worry about things.
David
1 -
Exactly so as Peedee says.
We were touring India, SE Asia and beyond when we were well into our seventies. Travel insurance was affordable because we accepted a big excess - In other words we were prepared to pay for smaller things ourselves (they included an overnight in an Indian private hospital, an outpatient visit and treatment at a New Zealand hospital, and a change of long haul flight home for no real reason at all) But we were covered for real big time emergencies in case they happened.
Moderator comment: Post edited
a change
0 -
Actually thinking through the RP offering, since Caravanning seems to be declining ever more rapidly, maybe the USP of RP isn't relevant anymore.
Folks with Motorhomes and Campervans don't need that integrated tow vehicle and caravan cover anymore....
I see Elddis is stopping Caravan production and Swift have made large losses recently and reduced manufacturing.
Would love some stats from CAMC about occupancy of sites over recent years - Caravan vs Motorhome / Campervan.
0 -
I’m not sure why those with Motorhomes and camper vans wouldn’t want integrated cover. Surely in the event of a medical emergency where the vehicle is also in need of recovery it would be far simpler to just have one organisation to deal with. However, as I put above the simplicity of medical screening with just the need to be able to say yes to a short list of questions was its big selling point. So far I have not found a replacement (for medical cover) like it. I did quite like the comfort cover though. The screening was relatively straight forward, with questions then tick boxes. Plus you could dial back cover for baggage and cancellation, as well as setting a higher excess to significantly reduce costs. As we have a fully flexible fare with BF and don’t book any sites, I was able to set cancellation at zero cover with no impact to ourselves.
2 -
We very much valued the combined medical and breakdown cover offered by the old Red Pennant! This change has made things so much more complicated, especially the inability to get a quote for breakdown cover until 30 days in advance of your trip. This means that one can't get a total cost of your insurance until the 30 days in advance for comparison with other companies. I also note that whilst annual insurance is available via Mayday the maximun trip length is 30 days. This will mean for many of us that we will need to purchase our breakdown cover for each trip individually! Yet, my quote fror medical cover is £100 more for single trip that for annual cover. I accept that these being dealt with separately isn't necessarily a deal breaker if they are competitive price wise but still far less convenient than the old policy.
3 -
My problem is that I cannot get a quote for my 3 month holiday starting in September 2026. On trying online the website is telling me that I cannot obtain a quote more than 3 months in advance of date of departure. Pretty bad considering that general advice is always to take out travel insurance as soon as you have booked your trip ,or is there a glitch in the system
0 -
Hopefully this thread is being monitored to pick up on early comments.
Colin
1 -
Puzzled . You don’t need breakdown/ recovery insurance so many months ahead. Nor personal medical /illness cover.
But if you have made a big outlay on ferries and site fees then a travel insurance to cover that might be sensible. Lots of insurance companies can provide that.
0 -
Have you rung them and asked?
0 -
I have now received a phone call from the brokers confirming that one cannot take out travel insurance thro the Red Pennant scheme more than 3 months in advance of your departure date. On top of the 79 yrs of age cut off and the maximum of 90 days ,including departure from and return to ones home in the UK this offer from the caravan club is as useful as no insurance ;.This is despite the caravan club and others recommending that travel insurance is taken out as soon as one books their holiday The advice of the caravan club is "
Cancellation cover begins as soon as you take out single trip cover. For annual multi-trip cover, cancellation cover begins from the start date or from the date you book your trip (whichever is later). For this reason, you should consider arranging your insurance as soon as you book, so you are protected against cancellation charges from the outset. Waiting until just before departure means you wouldn’t be covered if you had to cancel beforehand due to illness or another insured reason".
The problem is with the new Red pennant policy you CANNOT arrange your insurance with them as soon as you have booked your trip if your trip is more than three months away.
2 -
Is there really a need to book so far in advance? I can imagine that in peak season you might want to book a campsite well ahead but in the scheme of things you are likely only to have to pay an initial deposit. You would have to decide whether you were willing accept that risk? ? Most crossings can be amended or cancelled with a small charge.
David
0 -
Have you ever tried to book a pet friendly cabin with Brittany ferries? They are like hens teeth and if you want to guarantee a PF cabin you need to book early. Brittany ferries now want a minimum of 50% deposit up to full payment no refund if booking well in advance .I am not going to a campsite, I am renting a holiday rental in Portugal which entails paying a substantial deposit for the ferry and for the rental, total outlay around £2000 for the deposits so a substantial amount to lose if something happens/like an illness etc
1 -
@IanMcKillop
As far as Brittany Ferries is concerned, all except special offer fare types are amendable. We have always opted for the flexible fare and on one occasion amended it to a sailing the next year with no loss, although it did cost us a few pounds more due to price variations.
0 -
@IanMcKillop The trouble is no one can assume there are extra reasons why you need to book so early unless you tell us, which you have now done so we have a better understanding. I was just glad that I lived on a direct motorway route to the Channel Tunnel albeit 140 miles away when we went abroad.
David
0 -
No refund if you have to Cancel ,such as a serious illness when you do not know if you will be able to travel ever again.
0 -
Good advice ,one should never assume as you and several others did
0 -
On a positive note, I have just been speaking to May Day about European Cover.
I currently have May Day UK. I have a Red Pennant 31 days each multiple trip policy in place for this year, 2019 car, caravan and 2 adults = £334:15
I adjusted the dates [as they will only quote 30 days in advance] so I could get a quote for car and caravan in NL, Belgium and France. A years policy offering 90 days in total, no individual trip over 30 days.
I was pleased to receive a quote of £111, so things do look promising.
Colin
0 -
“No refund if you have to Cancel ,such as a serious illness when you do not know if you will be able to travel ever again.”
That is certainly the case. I suppose it’s just a case of what risk you want to cover yourself. For us we are prepared to cover it and as we don’t book anything but the ferry, don’t take out insurance until 2 / 3 weeks before. That way if we can’t go we don’t loose the cost of the insurance, which for us given pre existing conditions is significant.
0 -
I think it was a question more than an assumption😊
David
0 -
After Astrenska Underwriting Ltd. stopped underwriting the old Red Pennant product we were no longer able to offer the combined travel Insurance and European breakdown cover in a single product.
Red Pennant has always been the Club's travel insurance brand which is why this has remained with the new travel insurance.
We have now adopted the MAYDAY brand for our European Breakdown cover as this is now provided in partnership with Green Flag, who have supported MAYDAY UK for over 45 years.
We are working with both partners, PJ Hayman for Red Pennant travel insurance and Green Flag for European Breakdown cover to ensure appropriate levels of cover are in place for members' holidays and we will continue to enhance and develop these offerings.
For the launch of these two products — Travel Insurance and European Breakdown Cover — we’ve ensured both include returning your vehicle to the UK if an unexpected medical incident prevents the main driver from continuing the journey. In addition to this:
Red Pennant Travel Insurance also covers getting any passengers back to the UK by other means if needed.
In the event of a mechanical incident preventing your return to the UK:
MAYDAY European breakdown cover will arrange for you, your passengers and your vehicle to return to the UK, if the mechanical issue cannot be repaired before your planned departure.
Both products are designed to give members peace of mind that their party and their vehicles will be taken care of if something goes wrong.
Red Pennant single trip travel insurance is currently only available to purchase up to 90 days in advance of travel, however we recognise this is not ideal and are working with PJ Hayman to extend the purchase period to 180 days. We are aiming to have this updated shortly.
Annual multi-trip cover can be purchased 31 days in advance of it's start date, however if you have a trip already booked you can start the cover straight away and the trip will be covered for cancellation, as long as the cancellation meets the terms of the policy.
Red Pennant travel insurance is available up to the age of 79, for single trips up to 90 days or annual multi-trips up to 45 days per trip. It allows for both driving and flight holidays within Europe and protects UK holidays as well. PJ Hayman have developed an accepted medical conditions list for Red Pennant travel insurance, meaning if your medical condition is listed you will be automatically covered for that condition, without the need for any medical screening or additional premiums.
We have ensured that PJ Hayman has appropriate options for members who fall outside of this criteria. If you are aged 80 or above, are looking to be away for longer than 90 days, are travelling outside of Europe or have medical conditions Red Pennant can't automatically cover, PJ Hayman will be able to discuss alternative options to potentially meet your needs. If you give them a call they will happily discuss these with you.
For both Red Pennant travel insurance and Mayday European Breakdown cover, as with any insurance product, it is important you ensure the levels of cover being offered meet your needs.
1 -
Hi @SteveL
We would be interested to understand your experience of the new journey. The new travel insurance is offered on an 'accepted medical conditions' basis, meaning if your medical condition is listed you are automatically covered. This has allowed us to remove the need for any medical screening and should simplify the process.
0 -
For us the biggest disadvantage of the new Mayday Breakdown cover via the Annual Policy is the 30 day limit per trip and the 90 day limit per annum in total. We will have to take out single trip cover each trip, obviously we can't assess the impact of that on the cost until 30 days before our next trip! Another frustration I'm afraid, got the date highlighted on my calendar🤣! I must add that we have been with Mayday for many years and have been happy with the service when we have needed them, so reasonably confident that all will be well should we have a problem whilst abroad.
0 -
I think there are length limitations for mayday European that didn’t apply to RP. Also, just a question, the big advantage to us with RP was the ability for them to find you an English speaking doctor, or for repairs to be carried out at a campsite with RP liaising with the camp site where necessary. Do these facilities apply to the new policy?
0
