Barclays travel pack for overseas

Rufs
Rufs Club Member Posts: 4,072 ✭✭✭✭✭
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Has anybody any experiences they would like to share re this package, it looks very similar to the package NationWide have on offer and i think both are underwritten by AVIVA, i did notice that the general policy is only for 30 days but an upgrade to 90 days is possible, on paper it looks to be much more cost effect than Red Pennant.

Have done several searches to see if this topic has been covered before, but the search engine on this site is rubbishyell

Comments

  • Burgundy
    Burgundy Forum Participant Posts: 313
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    edited July 2022 #2

    Doesn’t appear to cover the caravan, no good for me

  • Rufs
    Rufs Club Member Posts: 4,072 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited July 2022 #3

    Thanks reply, this is a grey area, have checked with Barclays and they say yes but only caravans up to 7 mtrs but according to another source Nationwide use the same service provider within Europe and they cover caravans of an unpsecified length, but cannot not find anything official that says this  

  • eurortraveller
    eurortraveller Club Member Posts: 6,829 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2022 #4

    Seven metres is the maximum legal length of caravan in the UK.

  • Rufs
    Rufs Club Member Posts: 4,072 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited July 2022 #5

    think we have had this dis cussion before

    Coachman Amara 550 5 2008 Caravan Specifications
    Coachman
    |
    Amara
    |
    2008
    Berths: 5
    Axles: S
    Awning size: 1,006.00 cm
    or 396.06 inches
    Shipping length: 7.38 m
    or 24.21 ft
    Internal length: 5.62 m
    or 18.44 ft
    Width: 2.26 m
    or 7.42 ft

  • eurortraveller
    eurortraveller Club Member Posts: 6,829 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2022 #6

    But now you are including the draw bar. 7 metres is the legal maximum length of the caravan otself.

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,135 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2022 #7

    "think we have had this dis cussion before"

    We have and the same reasoning was also explained to you then, Rufs.

  • Rufs
    Rufs Club Member Posts: 4,072 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited July 2022 #8

    yes but i am 75 now and a lot of water has passed under the bridge, if we had a decent search engine on this site, people would not ask repeat questions, but alas the search engine is steam driven at best, along with most other aspects, that is why i use this site less and less laughing 

    p.s. do you know the answer to my question ???

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,135 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2022 #9

    No, I don’t but, by agreeing with Euro, I’ve helped you establish that your cvan is an acceptable length👍🏻

    I'm 73, btw, so not much difference in our water under the bridge experience😄

  • Rufs
    Rufs Club Member Posts: 4,072 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited July 2022 #10

    "No, I don’t but, by agreeing with Euro, I’ve helped you establish that your cvan is an acceptable length👍🏻"

    oh!! good, no need to sue coachman then laughing

    quote from terms

    "Your vehicle must be UK registered and less than:
    • 3.5 tonnes.
    • 5.5 metres long (including a tow bar)."

    not much hope for my caravan then undecided

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,135 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2022 #11

    Are they not referring to a tow car or MH by describing it as a vehicle and by saying "UK registered"? 

    A tow bar is the fitting on the vehicle (which might increase its length) for towing a trailer whilst the A-frame, or draw bar, is the bit on the front of the caravan/trailer. I don’t think they are talking about a caravan at all, Rufs.🤷🏻‍♂️

  • Burgundy
    Burgundy Forum Participant Posts: 313
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    edited July 2022 #12

    I'd assumed that referred to the car

     

  • Rufs
    Rufs Club Member Posts: 4,072 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited July 2022 #13

    Yes indeed, but was reading this re Barclays Travel Plus Pack

    "Travel Plus Pack
    Holiday cover with extras for £18 a month" minimum 6 months

    "Worldwide travel insurance from Aviva combined with comprehensive RAC breakdown cover (in the UK and Europe)"

    "Comprehensive breakdown cover
    Roadside and at-home rescue with national recovery, onward travel and cover in the UK and Europe"

    the only down side I see is that it is only for 30 days but you can get an upgrade to 90 days, not sure how much this would cost, but if you compare this with RP, there is a vast differance, ok RP is a bit more generous with what it pays out, but Aviva/RAC benefits would fit with most situations if needed.

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,135 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2022 #14

    Perhaps it would help to know what the "extras" are. There’s no mention of caravan in your quote, Rufs.

  • Rufs
    Rufs Club Member Posts: 4,072 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited July 2022 #15

    RAC comprehensive breakdown cover includes caravans , or at least that is what it says on the RAC website, would like to speak to a person at Barclays, but as is the norm now, queue for 3 days on the phone and then get somebody who cannot answer your questions, undecided

  • Tammygirl
    Tammygirl Club Member Posts: 7,957 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2022 #16

    We are with Nationwide and have been using them for our breakdown and holiday insurance for quite sometime now. 

    As you said 30 days cover worldwide is standard, 70 and above pay a £65 supplement (only 1 per couple) extra days work out around £1 a day. Based on what we paid last year.

    Unless it's changed this year it was underwritten by UK insurance and the breakdown changed this year from Brittania to AA.

    Don't know if that helps at all. 

  • con
    con Club Member Posts: 16
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    edited July 2022 #17

    I looked into this travel pack a while back & although it looks good value for money be aware of the full length of your caravan. The maximum length of a caravan in the UK for recovery is 7.6m (including tow frame)

    However it's different when abroad.

    Go through the terms and conditions and eventualy under the heading

    "General terms and conditions of European Breakdown Cover"

     the last sentence of point 2 says, 

    "Caravans and trailers must not be more than overall dimensions as follows: length including tow bar 7m; height 3m; width 2.55m.

    "https://www.barclays.co.uk/insurance/travel-insurance/travel-pack/terms/#RACComprehensiveBreakdownCover

    Hope the link works!

    Good luck.

  • Rufs
    Rufs Club Member Posts: 4,072 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited July 2022 #18

    great help, have  been getting info via chat from Barclays as telephone just useless and nobody could tell me what the suplement would be for 90 days, they just said i would have to phone, so my guess is that Barclays will be pretty much in line with NW, which is still far cheaper than RP. thank you 

  • Rufs
    Rufs Club Member Posts: 4,072 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited July 2022 #19

    tks, was aware of dimensions, mine just about fits in with the rules, but i have seen tow trucks in Spain picking up twin axel units, and as most of them use the same Spanish breakdown companies I dont think i would have a problem, I think we paid £500 approx for RP this year for single trip & thought that was a rip off, but have to say their payouts are much higher and as we were still in the grips of Covid i paid up , just in case undecided

  • hitchglitch
    hitchglitch Forum Participant Posts: 3,007
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    edited July 2022 #20

    Barclays Travel Pack is astonishingly good value (£12.50 per month?) and highly rated by Which but be aware that if you try and extend the time away beyond 30 days it’s treated like a new premium and quite expensive. I think over £90 for three days so we reduced our planned stay from 33 days to 30 days to accommodate this. As breakdown cover was included for all vehicles I now have two concurrent covers on my car until one expires.
    Still need separate European breakdown for the Motorhome because I don’t believe Barclays fully covers repatriation.

  • iansoady
    iansoady Club Member Posts: 419 ✭✭✭
    edited July 2022 #21

    Not as good value as Nationwide Flexplus which also includes worldwide travel insurance etc for £13.50 / month.

  • Rufs
    Rufs Club Member Posts: 4,072 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited July 2022 #22

    Barclays do a Travel Pack Plus which covers much the same as RP admittedly with some lower payouts in the event of problems but sufficient to meet most needs, it is £18 per month, have not looked much at the Nationwide package as it means opening yet another bank account, easy to do but have problems managing finances as it is without more bank accounts.

  • Tammygirl
    Tammygirl Club Member Posts: 7,957 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2022 #23

    Switch one of your current accounts to Nationwide then, easy to do as long as you have 2 direct debits. It's worth the hassle to get access to all their insurance packages. Another benefit is that you can do the holiday cover online should you so wish, no need to make phone calls. Breakdown cover is for all motor vehicle you own, great savings on using RP and Mayday. 

  • Rufs
    Rufs Club Member Posts: 4,072 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited July 2022 #24

    once again tks your help, but as with all things, getting insurance is never easy and reading all the small print is a nightmare e.g. our pup died whilst in Spain last trip, we forked out £1500 in vets bills etc, when we claimed on our return we were pointed to a clause that said your pet is not covered for accidental death outside the UK yell, and look what i found on the Nationwide offer

    "Are you or your partner aged 70 or over?
    If yes, then remember to buy an Age Upgrade before you book a trip. Details on how to do this are on page 6. You will not be covered by the policy if you have not purchased this upgrade."

    we are both over 70 undecidedfor Barclays the limit is 80

     

  • allanandjean
    allanandjean Forum Participant Posts: 2,401
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    edited July 2022 #25

    The age supplement had already been mentioned, it’s £65 but that’s for a couple nor per person.

    All the info re Flex Plus is on website, so should be relatively easy to compare, but as you say not easiest task in the world.

     

  • Rufs
    Rufs Club Member Posts: 4,072 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited July 2022 #26

    Thanks, i think it is a case of "swings and roundabouts", you can get cover via Barclays, which is much the same as NW for £12.50 per month, you can also have the plus package for £18 per month. The plus package only seems to offer good access to airport lounges etc  as an additional benefit, which does not interest me.

    My only hang up at present is the length of the caravqan 7.3 mtrs vs 7 mtrs allowed, i cannot find this restriction on the RP offering, might have to wing it. undecided  

  • Tammygirl
    Tammygirl Club Member Posts: 7,957 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2022 #27

    Rufs, sorry to hear about your wee pup 😞

  • Rufs
    Rufs Club Member Posts: 4,072 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited July 2022 #28

    "My only hang up at present is the length of the caravqan 7.3 mtrs vs 7 mtrs allowed, i cannot find this restriction on the RP offering, might have to wing it"

    well i was 3/4 way through applying for the Barclays travel pack to cover personal and breakdown which is a mixture of Aviva and the RAC for overseas and the UK and came across a clause that says

    "Limitations on breakdown cover"

    "We can't cover a caravan or trailer that's more than 3.5 tonnes, 5.5m long (with a tow bar) and 2.55m wide"

     I wonder how many people are out there with this insurance and are not aware of this clause, and i wonder how this affects MH's ?

    p.s. do Nationwide not have similar restrictions, from what i can see the offerings are both using Aviva and the RAC ???

  • Rufs
    Rufs Club Member Posts: 4,072 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited July 2022 #29

    It would seem there is some ambiguity in the Barclays info and what they have told me is

    "Cover vehicle type

    caravan/trailers

    Max Weight (gross) 3.5 tonnes

    Max Length 7 metres (22ft) inc tow bar Max width 2.55 metres 8ft 4ins)"

    this is RAC Comprehensive Breakdown Cover applies to European cover

    it is £12.50 per month but there is a suplement for 90 days cover, very much like NationWide but much cheaper than Red Pennant

  • iansoady
    iansoady Club Member Posts: 419 ✭✭✭
    edited July 2022 #30

    Nationwide Flexplus uses the AA not RAC.

  • Rufs
    Rufs Club Member Posts: 4,072 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited July 2022 #31

    correct, dont think there is a lot of differance between them, it is the conflicting terms and conditions that exist between the travel pack you get from Barclays and the RAC comprehensive breakdown T&C's that are confusing, not read the Nationwide T&C's in any great depth.

    Have now got written confirmation from Barclays that my caravan will be covered so I will stay with Barclays, although i have to say the NW current account benefits are very tempting laughing

    even Red Pennant put all sorts of obstacles in your way, e.g. if you go for multi trip you can only stay out for 66 days unless you get an upgrade, single trip is for i think 122 days, not much use now, and then there is the annual, not read much about this or what the cost differance is between the three options.