littleknown

BRITS are being warned to check a vital travel document as it might soon be expiring and could cost you thousands if you don’t renew it.

Up to 1.3million Brits could be caught out when travelling abroad this year due to out-of-date travel documents.

A Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) is a free card that gives UK travellers access to state healthcare when on holiday.

New data collected by Compare the Market for the NHS has revealed that 1,299,484 UK GHIC cards are due to expire this year.

This means that if you needed emergency healthcare when on holiday, you could be faced with a nasty bill if your GHIC card is out of date.

Currently there are around 23.3 million GHIC cards in circulation in the UK but the cards only last five years.

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If your GHIC is due to expire soon and you are also due to travel soon, then apply for a new card for free via official NHS BSA Healthcare Cover Application, as soon as possible.

It usually takes around 15 working days for the card to arrive once your application is approved.

If you travel before your card arrives, then don’t worry – if you need medical treatment when abroad, then you or someone on your behalf can request a Provisional Replacement Certificate (PRC) online or by phone.

All you need to provide is your name, address, date of birth and your National Insurance Number.

The certificate can then be emailed directly to the hospital or medical centre you are seeking treatment at and gives you the exact same healthcare cover as a physical card.

It is worth remembering though that GHIC cards are not a substitute for travel insurance.

GHICs do not cover private medical care, mountain rescue, flight cancellations or being flown back to the UK – all things that you will need travel insurance for.

Tim Knighton, travel insurance expert at Compare the Market, said: “With nearly 1.3 million GHICs due to expire this year, anyone travelling to Europe should check their card well before they set off.

“It’s an easy thing to overlook, particularly if you haven’t needed to use your GHIC on previous trips.

“The rise in applications for PRCs also highlights that people could find themselves needing access to healthcare unexpectedly while abroad, so checking you have a valid GHIC before travelling is an important part of preparing for your trip.

“A GHIC can be very useful if you need medically necessary state healthcare while abroad, but it’s important to remember that it isn’t a substitute for travel insurance.

“There are costs and circumstances that a GHIC may not cover, so having appropriate travel insurance can provide additional protection if something goes wrong.

“Before travelling, check the expiry date on your GHIC and make sure you understand what healthcare you can access at your destination.

“It’s also worth arranging travel insurance as soon as you book your trip and comparing policies carefully to make sure the level of medical and other cover suits your needs.”

£1 DOESN’T go all too far these days. Unless you’re using it to sign up to Travelzoo.

Travelzoo is a travel club that gives its members major discounts on holidays, as well as fancy airport lounge access if your flight gets delayed.

Try Travelzoo for 30 days for £1

The membership usually costs £30 for a year, which is already a bargain.

But Sun readers can bag a 30 day free trial for only £1 by clicking here.

There’s no worse feeling than looking up at the board in the airport to see your flight has been delayed, or being sat at the gate ready to board when it gets pushed back again.

Then comes the waiting game, and if you’ve ever wanted to swap those hard airport chairs for somewhere more comfortable, you’re in luck.

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With Travelzoo, if your flight gets delayed by an hour or more, you’ll see airport lounge tickets pop up straight into your email inbox or via text.

Then you can simply head straight to the lounge to enjoy free Wi-Fi, somewhere to charge your phone, free food and drinks (including alcohol) as well as comfy seats.

Travelzoo are connected with the majority of airports, with access to more than 1,600 lounges across 500+ airports in 100+ countries. So if you’re just headed off on a standard holiday abroad, you’re more than likely covered.

Some locations even have showers and sleep pods, so you can freshen up or take a nap.

You can register up to three travel companions to enjoy the lounge with you, so no need to worry about splitting up your group.

So instead of sitting bored at the gate or squeezing onto a table in an expensive airport restaurant, you could treat the family to a comfy sofa with free-flowing food and drink.

Try Travelzoo for 30 days for £1

Airport lounge day passes typically cost between £30 – £40, whereas a Travelzoo membership costs £30 for an entire year.

That means just one delayed flight would justify the cost of an entire year’s membership.

Instead of blowing £30 on bottles of water, snacks and in overpriced airport shops, you could bag yourself an entire year of comfort when you most need it.

But there’s no need to pay the £30 without trialling it out first, when you can pay £1 to give Travelzoo a go for a month by clicking here.

But it’s not all about the stylish airport lounges. Travelzoo members also get access to super cheap holiday deals.

We’ve found UK breaks from £89pp, Portugal holidays from £127pp, and even an incredible 11-night River Nile cruise and hotel package for £549pp – package deals that are reserved for Travelzoo members.

One of the best deals this week is a three-night £151pp all inclusive holiday to Marrakesh including flights, staying the 4-star Aqua Mirage Club & Aqua Parc, set at the foot of the Atlas Mountains. 

The hotel has three swimming pools onsite, two of which are heated through winter, plus a wellness centre, tennis courts and football field.  

And guests can take the daily shuttle into central Marrakesh to explore the souks and medina.

We also found a Benidorm package holiday for £179pp, a two-night staycation for two in Northumberland for £89, or a charming English inn stay for £59.

As a member, you’ll get emailed these super cheap deals straight into your inbox.

Or if you prefer, you can hop on their website and log in with your membership to browse all the options.

“As soon as I got the delay notification from Delta, I received an email with lounge pass PDFs” writes one Travelzoo member, Holly.

“Our flight ended up being delayed six times and the lounge pass was a lifesaver.

“This lounge had free food, drinks, snacks, Wi-Fi, showers, etc. It was worth it!”.

Sun readers can try Travelzoo for 30 days for just £1 by clicking the button below.

Try Travelzoo for 30 days for £1

Prices correct at the time of publication.

iPhone users are being urged to take advantage of a little-known travel hack that could stop you feeling confused or panicked over potential changes to your upcoming flight

Turning on one setting on your iPhone could save you from panicking if your flight information changes. Flights in and out of the UK have been thrown into disarray this week after an air traffic control failure caused cancellations and delays to more than 2,000 flights, leaving passengers in limbo.

The majority of the disruption occurred on Tuesday (8th September) and Wednesday (9th September), and while airports are now back up and running, experts warn the knock-on effect of the catastrophic failure of the NATS air control system will continue to be felt for the rest of the week.

If you’re travelling soon and worried about potential disruptions to your flight in the aftermath of the system failure, then there is something you can do to give yourself peace of mind – and it’s all to do with your phone.

Michelle Winterfield, who usually shares finance tips on Instagram, recently shared a video in which she said if you do one thing with your iPhone on the morning of your flight, you’ll be spared any potential headaches if your gate is changed, your flight is delayed, or there are other updates to your travel plans.

She said: “Here’s a flight hack nobody tells you about. The morning of your flight, text yourself your flight number. But here’s the key: you have to include the airline code. So, if you’re on Delta Airlines flight 2358, you type DL2358.

“Then that text turns into a live link that tells you your gate, your departure time, your baggage claim number, and it updates in real time. No more hunting for screens in the airport. If someone’s picking you up, send them the flight number too, and they can literally watch your plane flying across the screen and see the exact moment your arrival time updates.”

If you have a connecting flight, you can text yourself both flight numbers and take all the stress out of trying to find the right information for your next flight when you’re racing through the airport.

The only downside to the trick is that it only works through iMessage on an iPhone or other Apple device, and there is no function for the same flight tracking on Android phones.

Michelle added in the caption: “The morning of your flight, do this before you leave the house. It changes everything.”

Commenters on the post thanked her for her advice, as many had no idea it was a feature on their phone. Others who used the hack before agreed with Michelle that it’s definitely a “life-saver”.

One person said: “I’ve used this for years, mostly for those picking me up! Works like a charm.”

Another added: “If this is right, it sure would be handy!” Someone else posted: “I never knew, wow! Thanks, girl, you’re a lifesaver.”

It’s important to note the phone trick doesn’t guarantee that your flight won’t be delayed, and it won’t take away the stress of dealing with airport chaos if something similar to the air traffic control nightmare were to happen again. However, it can help you keep track of your own flight information, no matter where in the airport you are.

How to track a flight on an iPhone

• Open the Messages app on your iPhone or other Apple device
• Type in the airline code and the flight number into a chat with yourself, or send it to a friend or family member
• Tap Send via iMessage
• Wait for the flight number to be underlined, as this indicates that your phone recognises it as a link
• Tap or press and hold the underlined text, then select ‘Preview Flight’
• You should now be able to see the flight information

You will need to know your airline’s IATA code as well as your specific flight number to make the trick work. Your flight number is specific to the flight you’re booked on, and should be on your ticket. Some common IATA codes include:

• British Airways: BA
• RyanAir: FR (in Ireland), RK (for RyanAir UK)
• EasyJet: U2
• Jet2: LS
• Virgin Atlantic: VS