Buy online or over the phone?

Let’s face it, we have all, at some time or another sat in a telephone cueing system waiting to speak to a company, listening to dreadful hold music, interrupted intermittently by the annoying voice telling you the call is important and will be dealt with shortly…
One point for online travel insurance.

Ever been buying travel insurance online, answering all the questions, only to find you cannot get any further through the process due to some annoying error? You end up going around in circles as the website designers have not thought through all of the elements of the site and you are apparently stuck in some online Bermuda triangle…

One point for call centre travel insurance.
Most online travel insurance providers offer a discount (or incentive) to buy travel insurance online, often as much as 10 or 15 percent off the price of call centre travel insurance. Two points to one in favour of online travel insurance.

There is a certain comfort, or security if you will, of buying your travel insurance from a real person, knowing you can ask a question and get an immediate answer. Two points each.

And so it can go on, back and forth between the two methods of purchasing… The truth is, both routes to buy travel insurance have pros and cons. The best route for you is directly linked to the complexity of your individual case. Some things to think about before choosing:

• Do you have any pre-existing medical conditions?
  
• Do you have special requirements from your travel insurance, such as not returning to the UK or a large group of people travelling?
  
• Do you need specialist assistance to guide you through the application and payment procedure?

If the answer to these or similar questions is yes, whilst some travel insurance companies do have arrangements in place to handle online, it may be easier to discuss with someone at their call centre.

If not and you are reasonably comfortable to buy travel insurance online, you can get some great discounts, it is often quicker and you will be spared the need to listen to dreadful hold music.
Whatever your favoured method to buy travel insurance always remember;

• To be completely honest with the insurance company.
  
• Make sure you read the documentation within 14 days of buying, as this is the maximum amount of time you will have to make changes or cancel the cover if it is not suitable, without some financial penalty.
  
• To take the documents on holiday with you so you have emergency telephone and policy numbers in case you need to use it. But, make sure you write down the claims handlers telephone number and leave it in the UK in case you lose the documents abroad!

Lastly, Holidaysafe.co.uk do not increase the cost of travel insurance if you do want to buy via our customer service centre, which incidentally is in the UK!