Martin Lewis Issues Urgent Health Insurance Card Warning For Brits Looking To Holiday This Summer

Martin Lewis is urging Brits looking to jet off on holiday this summer to check their European Health Insurance Cards (EHIC).

The warning comes as the government is expected to announce special 'air bridges' with select countries next week, meaning Brits wouldn't be required to quarantine for 14 days on their return.

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With many of us desperate to make the most of the rest of the summer, the Money Saving Expert has issued an urgent warning for those wanting to travel to check their EHIC cards.

The cards are free and allow British citizens to access medical care within the European Economic Area as well as Switzerland.

With an EHIC card, healthcare is either free or comes at a reduced cost. But the expiry date on those little blue cards can be very easy to overlook - especially when you're desperate for a getaway.

Martin explained that over 5.7 million cards will expire in 2020 and yours could be one of them.

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"Ensure yours is valid before you go away. Even if you've already got travel insurance, it's valuable extra protection, even if just for visiting the local GP with a query while away," he said, speaking on ITV's The Martin Lewis Money Show.

You'll find the expiry date on the bottom right of the card and you can apply for a new one up to six months before it runs out.

Martin also explained via his website: "Generally, it'll take about seven to 10 days for it to come through (longer for posted applications), though it's worth applying early so you get your EHIC in good time for your holiday."

As we know, passports are subject to severe delays so it's definitely worth renewing your EHIC card as soon as possible if it's due to expire.

Earlier this week, Martin urged Brits to also check the expiry dates of their passports.

One disappointed Brit wrote into MoneySavingExpert.com saying that she had been waiting an incredible three months for a new passport.

Martin advised anyone with a passport nearing its expiry date to renew it as soon as possible.

"The Passport Office is warning, understandably, that renewing is taking longer than the usual three weeks," he said.

"We're hearing reports that at the extreme, some are taking three months or more, while fast-track services and face-to-face appointments are suspended."

Seriously, what would we do without Martin to remind us of all this?

Topics: Life News, News, Martin Lewis, travel

Lucy Devine

Lucy is a journalist working for Tyla. After graduating with a master's degree in journalism, she has worked in both print and online and is particularly interested in fashion, food, health and women's issues. Northerner, coffee addict, says hun a lot. Get in touch at [email protected].

@lucedevine