Reliable, helpful travel insurance companies?

[JonChalk]

Anyone recommend any good insurance companies for single-trip cover, including minimal hassle for travel disruption (due to weather delays) claims?

[Orchid1]

You really just have to hope for the best with them I suppose. Read the wordings carefully though, last year when I went on holiday I wanted Ash cloud cover and one provider I checked said they covered it however in the small print they said they didn't so I spoke to them and they confirmed they don't provide any cover for ash cloud cover despite a page on their website saying they did?!?

Best I came across through my own research were these folks;

https://www.columbusdirect.com/

They also give you automatic access to airport lounges if your flight is delayed by more than a certain time.

[ukaskew]

We've had to claim when I fell seriously ill a few weeks before our Honeymoon (5 figures worth, a trip around South West USA and a week in Hawaii).

https://www.direct-travel.co.uk were superb, no hassle claim and very quick refund.

I think we had to use them when Heathrow shut a few years back due to snow (we were the last plane stuck on the runway), again no hassle.

[Frrair]

AMEX were good when we needed them.

Been with them years on annual policy only claimed once but hey speak as you find....

[marcosgt]

Had cause to use our policy through Insure and Go a couple of years back and they were great.

Always use them now - We have an annual policy, but I needed cover for a weekend for my son - £6!

M

[JonChalk]

Thanks for the tips guys.

Went with Travel-Direct in the primarily because they seem to have less restrictions on weather related claims than most of the others, and the OH is looking to travel this weekend.

[Blink982]

Does anyone have any recommendations for travel insurance companies that actually cover your belongings. I have recently made a claim for a lost/stolen wallet and they stated that my car tracker fob (£160 to replace) wasn't covered as it is a gadget so I needed separate cover. As it stands I'm about £450 out of pocket. I get there is an excess but the way they wriggle out of paying is ridiculous. Lesson learned, read the small print. I wouldn't mind but it was a recommended company on Martin Lewis' website. "Expert" my arse.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

Blink982 said:

Does anyone have any recommendations for travel insurance companies that actually cover your belongings. I have recently made a claim for a lost/stolen wallet and they stated that my car tracker fob (£160 to replace) wasn't covered as it is a gadget so I needed separate cover. As it stands I'm about £450 out of pocket. I get there is an excess but the way they wriggle out of paying is ridiculous. Lesson learned, read the small print. I wouldn't mind but it was a recommended company on Martin Lewis' website. "Expert" my arse.

The problem is every insurance company on the planet has provided a brilliant service to one customer and a terrible one to another, at some time, so it's difficult to gauge anything perfectly.

All policies have exclusions. If they didn't, no one would be able to afford the cover. It could be that the one Martin Lewis recommended is actually very good, but in your case, you fell foul of one of the exclusions, which you admit was your own fault for not reading the policy cover properly. Someone else may have had a claim with them on the same day, where everything was covered, and they'll be saying "listen to Martin Lewis, the man knows his stuff!"

If the policy excludes electronic gadgets, then not paying for a car tracker fob isn't ridiculous wriggling out of a claim, because that's a gadget in my book, so it's a perfectly reasonable refusal to pay for something they told you isn't covered. .

[Blink982]

That was just one of the exclusions or omissions. Apparently your wallet isn't classed as a personal possession so if you have a decent mulberry wallet you've had it.