‘Is it fair to tell my insurer that I don’t smoke? I’m only a social smoker’

Ken, Cork city

A It’s important to be honest and upfront with insurers when applying for mortgage protection insurance. Even if you manage to get cheaper mortgage protection by not disclosing that you’re a ‘social smoker’, doing so could see you or your family lose out on a claim down the line.

Providing inaccurate information when applying for life insurance can lead to a policy being cancelled, or a claim being rejected if an insurer investigates the claim and finds that you were smoking while paying the lower premiums of a non-smoker. This could see a family lose out on a valuable and much-needed lump sum on the death of a loved one.

Insurers can – and often do – contact the deceased person’s GP if they have a medical query (insurers ask for this permission when you apply for insurance).

This only happens if the insurer has cause for query, such as whether the person’s death was related to a condition that was not declared on their proposal form or for which they had been receiving treatment. This can include details on whether the deceased was a smoker.

Each insurer has their own definition of the term ‘smoker’. But generally you’re classed as a smoker if you’ve smoked or used any tobacco-related products (including nicotine patches and e-cigarettes) in the past 12 months.

‘I scratched a car and offered to pay for the damage out of my own pocket rather than go through insurance’

Q I parked too close to a car in a car park at the weekend and scratched it. The owner was in the car at the time. I offered to pay for the scratch to be repaired rather than to go through our insurance and she seemed fine with that. Was this the right decision?

Lenny, Co Galway

A It’s crucial to contact your insurer when you are involved in any collision, no matter how small the accident or minor the damage, even if you’re afraid of losing your no-claims bonus. If you pay for minor damage yourself, the other driver could still bring a claim in the future.

If you mention to your insurer that you caused a scratch or other minor damage to your own car or someone else’s, it may still be possible to cover the cost of the damage yourself without making a claim or affecting your no-claims bonus.

Even a seemingly minor accident could be followed by a substantial claim, particularly if anyone has been injured, so it’s always safer to notify your ­insurer.

‘I’m retired and planning to travel around Australia for a few months. What type of travel insurance do I need?’​

Q I’m planning to visit my daughter in Australia this year. As I’ve just retired, I’m planning to book an open ticket and possibly travel around Australia for a few months. Is there a travel insurance policy that would cover the open-ended nature of my trip?

Helen, Dublin 16

A It’s important that any policy you buy covers you for the duration of your trip.

An annual multi-trip travel insurance policy might be the most suitable for you. This will generally cover you for any trip lasting up to 60 days, depending on your age and the exact policy you buy. With some multi-trip policies, you might only be covered for up to 21 days or 31 days on any one trip, so check this out before you buy.

While annual multi-trip travel insurance covers you for a number of trips, there’s a limit on the length of time that cover will be available for any one trip. There may even be an overall limit on the length of time the policy will cover you for holidaying outside Ireland in a given year.

Backpacker travel insurance, which can cover as many as 365 uninterrupted days of travel, is often an option for holidaymakers on a trip lasting longer than one or two months. But given the maximum age limit is typically 49 and you’re recently retired, this is unlikely to be an option for you.

Be aware that some standard travel insurance policies only cover people up to the age of 65. If you’re older than that, you’ll likely pay more for travel insurance. Make sure you’re buying a policy that covers someone of your age.

You should also check if there are any restrictions to the travel cover. For example, you may not be covered for any medical conditions you had in advance of buying the insurance policy. There may also be restrictions on the activities you’re covered to partake in. The older you are, the more likely you could be to face geographic limits so be sure, too, to check that your policy will cover you for travel as far as Australia.​

Send your questions to g.monaghan@independent.ie