Preferential Travel Insurance

Preferential is a travel insurance company that seems to aim itself at, among others, young world-travellers - backpackers, working-holiday-makers, gap year etc.

On the plus side:

Rates:Their rates are really, really good! For the same type of comprehensive cover as other companies, my partner and I paid around £150 for a year's world-wide coverage! Not only that, because some of our trips that year were longer than ...
...buy another policy and the Preferential person told me this, she told me that I would find the same with all insurance companies -- yet I easily found that Columbus doesn't have this silly policy!

So I would definitely not recommend Preferential, if for no other reason than their misleading terms: they insured me for North America, knowing that I am from there, without telling me that my coverage was no good there.  ... more

Preferential is a travel insurance company that seems to aim itself at, among others, young world-travellers - backpackers, working-holiday-makers, gap year etc.

On the plus side:

Rates:Their rates are really, really good! For the same type of comprehensive cover as other companies, my partner and I paid around £150 for a year's world-wide coverage! Not only that, because some of our trips that year were longer than the 31-day max, Preferential tailor-made us a plan which allowed for up to 3-month-long trips. One plan, WorldTrekker,

Coverage: Their coverage seems very good, more comprehensive than many we looked at. However we never had to test out how they deal with claims, as we didn't make any claims on it. Most of their plans seem to include free winter sports cover as well.

Extras: They also have some free extras that other companies don't have, such as a free wake-up call, which is very handy! Also local hotel and restaurant info and general travel support. This is all quite reassuring to have.

Ease: It was very easy to work out and buy a plan. Their internet site is really good and informative, but I prefer to talk to a real person when it comes to insurance.

On the negative side: Their policies do not cover you in your own country!! So if for example, you are a Canadian living in the UK and you want to visit Canada, your policy won't cover you there. This really annoyed me, because I am Canadian living in the UK and when I took out a policy they didn't tell me this at all!! So there I was for 3 months visiting Canada thinking I had coverage when I didn't! The next year when I went to buy another policy and the Preferential person told me this, she told me that I would find the same with all insurance companies -- yet I easily found that Columbus doesn't have this silly policy!

So I would definitely not recommend Preferential, if for no other reason than their misleading terms: they insured me for North America, knowing that I am from there, without telling me that my coverage was no good there. 

...less