Travel insurance complaints jump nearly 20% in latest FCA data
Complaints relating to travel insurance rose by almost 20% in the second half of 2025, according to new Financial Conduct Authority figures, marking one of the sharpest increases across the UK insurance sector
New data published by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has revealed a significant rise in travel insurance complaints, with cases increasing from 27,813 in the first half of 2025 to 33,199 in the second half – a rise of 19.4%.
The increase outpaced growth across the wider ‘Insurance & pure protection’ category, which rose by 10.1% over the same period, from 717,523 complaints to 790,329.
The latest figures also represent the highest level of travel insurance complaints recorded in the FCA’s recent reporting periods, up from 29,280 complaints in 2024 H2 and 27,551 in 2024 H1.
The FCA publishes complaints data every six months as part of its oversight of consumer outcomes and regulated financial services firms. The data includes complaints opened, upheld, and closed, alongside redress payments made by firms.
While the regulator does not provide a detailed breakdown of the specific causes behind travel insurance complaints, industry observers have pointed to continued pressure around claims handling, disruption-related cover, medical screening, and policy wording clarity.
The rise comes as travel insurers continue to navigate elevated operational costs and ongoing disruption-related claims activity linked to global geopolitical instability and transport interruptions.
Across the broader insurance market, motor and transport insurance remained the most complained-about insurance product category, rising by 33.5% during the reporting period.
The FCA data also showed that the proportion of complaints upheld by firms across financial services fell slightly, from 57.88% in 2025 H1 to 55.50% in 2025 H2.
Total redress paid across all sectors also declined, falling from £283.7m to £236.2m over the six-month period.
The figures are likely to increase scrutiny on customer service and claims management processes within the travel insurance sector as providers face growing consumer expectations around transparency, responsiveness, and coverage clarity.
At the end of last year, Which? Filed a super complaint following a year of campaigns where it has been working to combat what it says are “poor practices” in the travel insurance and home insurance sectors.