Business travellers and ski travellers are often most susceptible to getting short changed on travel insurance because they do not read the fine print on their coverage.

Business travellers are advised to read the fine print on their free credit card travel insurance because they may find themselves short on coverage.Large corporations often offer some travel insurance for executives as part of another policy, though many corporate travellers use free travel insurance offered through some bank credit cards. Many credit cards offer travel insurance as part of their package to lure customers.

Although credit card travel insurance can be useful when searching for coverage, it does have its restrictions. Some policies do place limits on certain parts of their coverage, such as medical or hospital. Limitations like these can be catastrophic for travellers who end up in hospital, particularly in countries with excessive healthcare costs.

Therefore it is highly recommended for travellers to think about what type of activities they will be doing on the trip before deciding which insurance policy best suits their needs. They should shop around and take out the best tailor made policy to suit their exact needs. It is a common policy for credit card insurances that conditions may require travellers to purchase a particular amount of the trip on the credit card to be eligible for the travel insurance.

Business travellers need to understand that their credit card company will not provide comprehensive travel insurance for them. Corporations then have to take it upon themselves to satisfy themselves of the duty towards their employee, by ensuring that the coverage is complete and fits the needs of the traveller.

The other casualty of travel insurance fine print are skiers. Of the three million Britons taking off for the ski slopes this year, 25 per cent will neglect to buy any special insurance. An estimated one in seven of those three million skiers will require medical care at some point during their trip.

It is highly advisable to purchase a separate winter sports policy but travellers should be sure to read the fine print.Extreme sports such as glacier skiing are often not covered in a regular winter sports cover plan. Several types of winter sports may not covered by their policy, and are usually of a more extreme nature. For instance, ski-racing, ski jumping, off-pist skiing ice hockey, bobsleighing and/or competitive skiing.

Before purchasing travel insurance in general it is advisable to check the exact terms of the policy. Although competition in the travel insurance market has driven the cost of premiums down, cheaper deals may not offer the most beneficial cover. Margins of cover may be lacking on those policies lower down the scale and so it is important to check the fine print to see whether areas such as missed or delayed departures, lost valuables individually worth more than £200 and medical cover for at least £1 million are included in the terms of the travel insurance policy.