Boasting over 2 million insured customers per year, Travelinsurance.co.uk offers UK residents (defined as persons living within the UK for 6 of the last 12 months) a comprehensive array of travelling insurance policies at bargain prices.
In my prior life, I was a Customer Service Manager for a health insurance company, so I tend to look at any insurance site with a critical eye.
I’ve seen a lot since I quit my job to travel full-time, and at first glance, the Travelinsurance.co.uk site is well designed, and easy to read and navigate.
There are 6 tabs running horizontally along the top of the page, reflecting the available policies:
- Single trip
- Annual multi-trip
- Winter sports
- Long stay
- Backpackers
- Over 65
Coverage highlights for all policy types include:
- Multiple levels of coverage to fit your budget and tolerance for risk.
- Free coverage for up to 3 children (terrific deal for families).
- Free coverage for 50 popular activities you may want to try while abroad, including scuba diving, bungee jumping, etc.
- Immediate coverage.
- 24-hour, worldwide emergency phone line.
Pretending I’m an Irishman planning a holiday trip to Colombia, I entered criteria for single coverage, 30-years old, worldwide (excluding USA & Canada), for 21 days (December 20, 2010 to January 9, 2011).
Quotes across the 3 levels of coverage (Basic, Silver, and Gold) are clearly presented to make comparing costs and coverage easy. The lowest coverage level, Basic, would cost £22.46, while the highest level, Gold, clocks in at £46.87.
Once you select the coverage level that’s right for you, there are some additional riders you can add for further protection, including coverage for baggage and money loss, excess (coverage beyond the normal policy limits) or golf clubs.
For UK residents interested in skiing and snowboarding holidays, winter sports cover is also offered.
Coverage highlights include:
- Medical emergencies, repatriation, piste closure, travel delays due to avalanche, personal liability and cover for ski packs and ski or snowboard equipment which is lost, stolen, or damaged.
- Off piste skiing and snowboarding (for those who venture into the backcountry).
In addition to making all of the policy information easily available, there are testimonials with customer quotes on the right side of the home page that reflect the level of service customers can expect.
Having been on the other side of the equation, working for an insurance company, I’m familiar with the bad experiences customers will have for every good experience reported.
A lot of problems result from the insured people not having a proper understanding of their policies before buying.
For that reason, I highly recommend reading the policy wordings carefully, and if necessary, calling the insurance company in advance to ask questions. This is also a great way to get a feel for their quality of service.
For all our UK readers, remember to check out Travelinsurance.co.uk when planning your next holiday abroad.
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This post was written by Dave, and brought to you by Travelinsurance.co.uk.
I have a trip coming up to New York so I will take a look at this website to see how they compare with the company I usually use when I go away. Their website design is very appealing visually I must say.