Christmas is coming and the goose is getting fat, but we know that at this time of the year our purse gets thinner and thinner. Christmas means more spending, but that really means that we want, as far as possible, to make savings wherever we can too.

Might be a bit of a shock then to know that a number of travel insurance providers are increasing their premiums over the Christmas season and in the new year. Not great for people travelling abroad to visit families then or booking a break to get over the January blues. TravelMole says the travel insurance premium increases could be around 20%.

According to Insurance Times, AXA is putting through the rate rises during the Christmas holiday season. Personal lines director Mike Keating said the size of the increase would vary, but the overall average would be in the “double-digit” zone. He cited the rising costs of medical care in Europe and America, along with fraud, as contributing to claims inflation in a market which was “historically under-priced”.

Alistair Hardie, managing director of FirstAssist, which underwrites around £85m in travel insurance, agreed that medical costs, especially in the USA, were rising steeply. He added that customers were taking more notice of their travel policies, especially since the volcanic ash problems, and were more likely to claim.

So with these threatened increases from travel insurers, you might be reassured to know then that  AllClear, just in time for Christmas spending, has actually slashed our prices in the lead up to Christmas. We are currently offering up to 20% off all AllClear travel insurance policies at www.allcleartravel.co.uk. There we go, some early Christmas cheer for you!