Customers reminded to shop around
Customers are paying up to three times more than they should for travel insurance due to the ease of just adding it to their online flight or holiday booking, according to new research by price comparison site Mozo. Following the release of this research, travel insurance software developer Aquarium Software has warned travellers to check and compare prices.
The research found that consumers may pay up to 205 per cent more for just ticking a box when paying for their flights or trip. Aquarium Software director Mark Colonnese said that though it was encouraging that more people were making travel insurance bookings online, the policies that consumers bought were often not the best fit for their trip, and that they may get a better deal if they shopped around.
Colonnese pointed out that it is especially necessary for customers to check their policies before buying when travelling for winter sports. “If you are skiing or snowboarding, it’s essential to make sure these activities are not in fact exclusions in the small print. Likewise, if you are travelling to the US or Canada and the small print only covers you for the UK and Europe, you’ll get a nasty shock if you try and claim later. Even the definition of Europe can catch people out, so if skiing for example in Romania or Norway, you may not be covered.”
In conclusion, Colonnese, commented: “There is no substitute for having adequate travel insurance when you need it, and whilst a bore, there’s no real shortcut to getting the right policy other than doing a bit of research in advance.”