... By selecting the right levels of cover with Direct-Travel, the premium was under £10, a saving of over 80%. I have yet to find anybody providing similar cover cheaper.
So, if I'm saving so much, am I getting a second rate policy?
My answer to that is no. First the policy is underwritten ... Read review
Advantages: Very competitive price, underwritten by Axa Disadvantages: I haven't found any
Travel insurance is one of those things to which most of us give little or any thought.
A former colleague flew to America without travel insurance and contracted gastro-enteritis. He didn't seek medical assistance because it is so expensive in America and it really spoiled his holiday. Compared to some he was lucky. A heart attack in the USA could set you back tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in treatment costs. If you're ... ...car accident?
If you go on a package they'll insist you have insurance and you can just take their standard package. This is adequate for most people, but it's not a cheap option. I'm taking a self drive trip to Germany for 5 days shortly and the package operators standard package was over £50. By selecting the right levels of cover with Direct-Travel, the premium was under £10, a saving of over 80%. I have yet to find anybody providing ... more
Travel insurance is one of those things to which most of us give little or any thought.
A former colleague flew to America without travel insurance and contracted gastro-enteritis. He didn't seek medical assistance because it is so expensive in America and it really spoiled his holiday. Compared to some he was lucky. A heart attack in the USA could set you back tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in treatment costs. If you're too young to think about heart attacks, how about a car accident?
If you go on a package they'll insist you have insurance and you can just take their standard package. This is adequate for most people, but it's not a cheap option. I'm taking a self drive trip to Germany for 5 days shortly and the package operators standard package was over £50. By selecting the right levels of cover with Direct-Travel, the premium was under £10, a saving of over 80%. I have yet to find anybody providing similar cover cheaper.
So, if I'm saving so much, am I getting a second rate policy?
My answer to that is no. First the policy is underwritten by Axa, a very reputable insurer and one of the largest insurance groups in Europe.
Secondly, I will admit that I don't have theft cover. I pay for all risks cover on my household policy and I chose not to pay for it again. You may think that even if you have all risks cover you can avoid a claim on your household policy by paying the extra premium. Unfortunately it is common practice in the insurance, where a risk is covered twice, for the insurer that receives the claim to pass some of the claim on. If you claim from your travel insurance, you will probably still find a claim on the record for your household policy.
Finally, I have checked the level of cover. I believe the cover provided will meet most eventualities and I'm not undertaking any excluded activities. I am happy that my 80% saving is not a false economy.
I have to make the one caveat that I have never claimed on one of their policies, so I can't comment on the claims service.
For those of you who wish to take out a fuller level of cover, you will probably still get a better deal from Direct-Travel than your tour operator. All tour operators get a very substantial commission from sales of travel insurance. I seem to recall hearing that 80% of the cost of one tour operators insurance was commission!
Even if you choose to stick with your tour operator's insurance, do keep a very careful eye on the exclusions. Activities deemed to be dangerous, such as scuba diving and skiing may well be excluded.
The process of choosing and buying cover, is really very simple. There are links to policy types, FAQs, etc from the front of the web page. If you click on "Instant Quote" it lists the policy types available with "how do I decide?". From the "how do I decide?" link you can compare levels of cover and read the policy wording. If you decide to get a quote and/or buy then go back to the "Instant quote" page, select the policy type, click on the "proceed" button and follow the process through.
P.S. They also do reasonably priced continental breakdown cover with the service provided by Mondial. I haven't really shopped around, so I can't say how the prices compare.
PPS. I've rated them excellent on APR, so that it's the same as the other ratings. It should be N/A, but that's not an option I'm allowed.
Advantages: Good Price, Call a Nurse Service Disadvantages: Don't want to pay claims
...up with a short list Direct Travel Insurance being one. OK Premium, not cheapest but only a few pounds off the cheapest, nice site, polite efficient health screening, no premium, so bought They have a dial a Nurse service which I have not used but seems a good idea. Direct Travel Insurance are owned by a company called Unat Direct Management Insurance and trade A I G Direct based in Croydon Surrey (whether they are the same AIG that sponcer Manchester ... ...Aig Uk Sub Holdings Ltd. Direct Travel Insurance Services Ltd. Direct Travel Services Ltd. Hospital Plan Insurance Services Primaplan Ltd. Primeplan Ltd. Techmark Services Ltd. Uzbekinvest International Insurance Co. Ltd. Arrived on my skiing holiday and waited for my ski equipment and waited and waited but it never came, apparently my skis and other stuff, gloves, shoes, socks, water proofs and so on where left in Manchester. The holiday rep promised ...
mark203 24.08.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Direct Travel Insurance
Advantages: V. Cheap Disadvantages: You get what you pay for
Direct Travel Insurance - Avoid!
My wife, Jill, was diagnosed with breast cancer on August 29, 2008. We had our holiday booked for September 8 so I asked Direct Travel Insurance for a claim form.
The form arrived from AIG around September 3. AIG are the company Direct Travel Use to process their claims. It had four pages of A4. Three to be filled in by me and one by Jill's doctor. OK so far. After lot's of ink and £25 for the doctor, I returned ... ...signed by the doctor stated that Jill had a hospital appointment for the day we were due to fly. Despite this, AIG continued to turn awful into horror.
After about three weeks a letter arrived from AIG asking for the tickets. They knew we were flying with JET2.com, which is a ticketless airline but AIG appeared to have forgotten. I reminded them.
Jill had two operations while AIG prevaricated.
I felt they were trying to make life so difficult ...
Shornoff 29.11.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Direct Travel Insurance
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Quick review of Direct Travel Insurance
Do not use any travel insurance underwritten by mondial assistance. they are a bunch of cowboys that do not pay claims and it will take you ages chasing them to find this out.
i had an easyject flight cancelled in september and had to make alternative arrangements to travel back to the u.k., costing just over £600-, but they have tried to wriggle out of it ever since. it is now more than 2 months ago and it has still not been settled.
Be warned! ...
stevew12224 26.11.2008
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Direct Travel Insurance
...Edinburgh. My wife contacted Direct Travel Insurance who asked her to provide them with documentation from the airline and the police. This she did. On contacting Direct Travel again to find out how she should now proceed with her claim she was informed there was no point as her purse was not on her person at the time! Has anyone heard a better excuse to get out of paying a genuine claim? How could anyone lose something if it was on their person?! ...
mincetiz 07.02.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Direct Travel Insurance
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Quick review of Direct Travel Insurance
Lost my walet in Spain In June, sent off all the details police statment, plus withdrawal bank details of foreige cash Exchange reciepts, booking Ref, Filght booking. Even the bagage hold reciept Hotel booking, all asked for in seperate letter, keep delaying.
Had no settelment yet now October. ...
Atherstan 27.09.2008
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Direct Travel Insurance
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Advantages: Very simple and huge range of products Disadvantages: have to put up with some popups
.
The inputs which were needed were
Annual multi trip
Single Trip
Add winter sports cover ?
Select destination
Start Date
Type of policy required ? Individual / Couple / Family
No of people travelling
Date of birth of all the travellers to be entered.
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Rate Alert Service
*******************
I had subscribed to the Rate Alert service and right now I ...
Just like most people when it comes to buying something I shop around. Well we as a family have been going abroad for just over 2 years and to date we have been abroad 6 times. We have had our travelinsurance through many insurers including Insure&Go, Direct line, Post office, Kwik fit and a few more. Out of all of them we have to say that AXA direct is the best company we have used not just for there product but for there customer care standards.
You can contact AXA either on the telephone (0800 368 3911) Call centre opening times are 8am to 9pm Mon-Frid, 9am to 6pm Sat and 10am to 2pm on Sun.
or
online at www.axa.co.uk you get instants quotes online as well as on the telephone.
What they cover:
£1500 accidental loss, theft, or damage to baggage
£200 for any one article
£300 for valuables
£150 for emergency ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of AXA Direct
