I have just been diagnosed with this illness, and I wonder can I fly, and will my travel insurance be much higher to pay. Life expectance

[taxigirl]

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[Beancounter Volunteer]

Hi taxigirl, understand those questions very well, having been there myself.

Can you fly? check with the doctor but the answer is probably yes. If it's a long flight you might wish to make a small investment in those compression socks just to be careful.

Will your travel insurance cost more? Yep, almost certainly, I shopped around and got some truly awful quotes, anything up to £250 for a 2 week holiday, so from my experiences a couple of things to bear in mind.

i) Never use the online calculators, they just don't seem to take the real questions into account.

2) Ring the company and speak to them, then you can accurately describe your symptoms, and most importantly ensure that you have disclosed properly and are insured.

3) Check out the freebies, I bank with Nat West and my account give me free travel insurance with my monthly fee. Does it cover me for AF? Nope, until I rang them and paid an additional premium which was £80 FOR A YEAR. Now that I am more than happy with.

Of course every quote is different and you may not have exactly the same symptoms, but that made me very happy

Hope this helps

Ian

[taxigirl in reply to Beancounter]

Thankyou Ian. I have a travel insurance with Natwest, but was reluctant to enquire because I thought it would be astronomical, but now I will contact them and would be quite happy to pay that amount or near it. Sylvia

[SRMGrandma Volunteer]

I fly frequently and on occasion in the midst of an AF episode. It is really important to stay very well hydrated and move frequently to avoid the increased risk of blood clots. I would absolutely consider compression hose for long flights. Of course clear it with your doc first.

[elmbury]

wrt insurance Beancounter's advice is very good. Insurance companies usually base their fees on what medication/treatment the doctor is prescribing as well as any conditions you have. You will usually have to pay a fee but it's best to shop around.

I also fly long distances frequently and I have permanent AF. I suppose it depends on how the AF affects your circulation as to whether it causes any increased risk - I must admit it never worries me, but doing the exercises and keeping hydrated is always good advice.

Incidentally I did once find a chart used by the British Insurance industry for establishing life insurance quotes - I wondered if anyone else had seen it. In it the life expectancy of a person with AF was reduced by two years. I am not sure this has any medical validity (and we all know that you could still live to 100 with AF) but it just seemed to be the figure they used for calculating premiums.

[morrisdancer]

Hi, I have a Barclays account which includes travel insurance. I spoke to a member of their ins team and explained that I was on Flecainide and aspirin and because I wasn't on wharfarin they didn't require a charge or make any exclusions.

[taxigirl in reply to morrisdancer]

Thankyou so much for your reply, unfortunately I have to go on warfarin, so I expect to be hit. I appreciate your reply. Sylvia

[AFAssociation1]

Here is some travel advice you should consider before and during your holiday. Also some insurance providers we recommend:

atrialfibrillation.org.uk/p...

[mumknowsbest Volunteer]

Hi

Am also on warfarin and have a pacemaker, my travel insurance remained the same providing I didn;t go anywhere near ie visit or fly over America, when I wanted to go to the USA it went up by neaarly £100

[Hidden]

If you have purchased your flights and holidays and insurance prior to diagnosis you are covered, depending on what country you are in will depend on insurance. Australia do not cover pre existing conditions however one of the posts here did say if your in England you can purchase travel insurance at a cost. I am flying without insurance for my condition, however I am on blood thinners and verapamil and taking digoxin on the trip with me to cover any mild mishaps.

[Hidden]

Where are you flying to? We have pre-existing cover with SAGA, £250 p.a. for 2 of us, but that's for Europe. US and Canada was mega-bucks. I think worldwide excluding US and Canada was OK, can't remember but went for Europe only.

Koll

[Hidden]

PS. I just got a warning saying my post was inappropriate !!! Can't see why unless SAGA means something else in other countries ?

[Mrspat in reply to Hidden]

They probably thought it was an advert Koll, though it didn't strike me as such. But note that AFA has made its own recommendations above......!!!!