You may no longer require a visa to enter Russia for the Champions League final, but one thing you really mustn’t leave without is a travel insurance policy.
This will provide you with valuable peace of mind on your trip, and the intense competition in the insurance market means that it will cost you less than ever before. In fact, you can cover your trip for roughly the same price as two takeaway burgers in Moscow.
You can’t guarantee that your team will win on 21 May, but you can ensure that losing is the worst that can happen during your trip.
Massive difference in premiums
No doubt you have far too many football related issues on your mind at present to bother shopping around for cheap travel insurance, so we thought we’d do the legwork for you and compare prices at the main players.
Out of the nine insurers we applied for cover with, Columbus came out tops with a premium of just £5 for a single trip policy, followed closely by Travel Insurance Web on £5.25.
During our comparison, the most remarkable thing we found was the massive difference between the cheapest and most expensive policies: Both Churchill (£16.30) and Marks & Spencer (£16.04) were three times more expensive than the two most competitive offerings, as the table below shows.
This really highlights the importance of shopping around for any insurance policy you may need.
Of course the prices below are for a single trip only. If you’re planning more than two trips abroad in the next 12 months, you could save yourself a packet by opting for an annual multi-trip policy instead.
Cover for a 45-year old travelling between 20 May and 22 May. Includes baggage coverSpending on credit while abroad?
If you are going to pay your way in Moscow with your credit card, it’s important you choose the right plastic or you could be paying far more than you need to.
The most obvious charge you’ll want to avoid is interest, so make sure the card you take with offers a lengthy 0% on new purchases.
Another charge you should watch out for is the foreign transaction fee. Put simply, many lenders will penalise you for using your card while abroad, usually in the region of 2.75% of anything you spend.
Considering Moscow is the most expensive city in the world, it’s clear that this could work out to quite a hefty sum in no time.
Go for the Abbey Zero card
Only three providers don’t carry this charge at present: Nationwide, the Post Office and Abbey’s Zero card (the bank’s other cards still have this charge).
The problem with the Nationwide and Post Office deals is that you only get three months interest free on purchases, whereas Abbey’s Zero credit card offers six months, making it a far better option to take on your trip.
