Aviva Travel Insurance UK- Review, Policy, Contact
Decent Value but you’ll need to add lot of extras to get full coverage.
Aviva History
Aviva is a British multinational company which has its headquarters in London in the UK. It has 33 million customers across 16 countries. It is the 26th largest financial services company by revenue in the world.
Aviva is the UK’s largest general insurer. It has various different brand names in the UK such as Aviva Life Insurance, Aviva Insurance and Aviva Investors.
Aviva can date its history back to the Hand in Hand Fire and Life Insurance Society which opened its doors in London in 1696, after the Great Fire of London.
Aviva prides itself on being an ethical company, treating not only its customers but also its staff well. It was one of the first companies to start paying the living wage in the UK.
Aviva Travel Insurance Reviews
Aviva is one of the biggest providers of insurance in the UK, and this can have positives and negatives for their customers. At Selectra, we’re here to help you choose from the best travel insurance deals on the market. To help with your decision, here is our independent review of Aviva Travel Insurance.
First, let’s look at Aviva’s customer service.
Many customers praised the simple layout and clear terms and conditions available on the Aviva Website. Aviva definitely has one of the clearest websites that we have seen. We especially like that in their terms and conditions Aviva uses real-life examples to help customers understand their policy more easily. There is also an obvious absence of “legalese.” It’s not difficult to understand what you are and aren’t getting with your policy.
Customers were also a fan of the “Travel Assistant,” a service which Aviva provides for its customers both before and during their trip. Customers can call the 24-hour helpline with any questions which they may have about travel insurance or other travel related enquiries.
Customers can call about issues such as visa and entry requirements, vaccinations, currencies, languages, time zones or even import and export allowances.
Aviva deals with its own claims and as such generally has positive reviews. Many customers were happy with the customer service that they had received, claiming that the staff they spoke to were knowledgeable, helpful and efficient. They also were pleased with how quickly they managed to get through to Aviva on the phone. Customers who requested callbacks received them promptly.
In reality, trying to get through to the Aviva claim line by phone is reasonably simple. We managed to get through in an average of 5 seconds. Emails were slightly more complicated, with the company taking a few days to respond to claims sent this way.
Generally, as with most insurers, the main problems that customers have is Aviva is problems with rejected claims. Customers have had problems getting their claim approved, especially in cases such as travel disruption and onward connections.
Overall, Aviva is a safe bet if you are looking for travel insurance. There are no middlemen to deal with, their documentation is clear and easy to understand, and their customer service is generally top notch. Just make sure that you read the policy documents carefully to make sure that everything you need is included in the policy. The best way to do this is to call them on their customer service number and buy over the phone.
|
Area of performance
|
Star rating
|
|---|---|
| Price |
★★★
|
| Coverage |
★★★
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| Customer service |
★★★
|
| Simplicity |
★★★★
|
| Ease of making a claim |
★★★
|
| Overall Selectra score |
★★★★
|
Don’t just Take our word for it!
The reviews of Aviva online are a bit of a mixed bag. They have a five-star review on DEFAQTO and are in the top percentile of insurance companies on the website Fairer Finance, one of the leading review websites in the sector.
On their webpage, Aviva has an “independent reviews page” on Feefo where they have 2792 reviews and an overall rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars. 2009 of these reviews give the company a 5-star rating so on the face of it, it would appear that Aviva is doing a pretty good job of keeping their customers happy.
However, on other reviews platforms such as Trustpilot, the company only gained a score of 10%, which is abysmally low. So, it would seem that for a considerable percentage of customers.
Aviva Travel insurance policies
| Aviva Cover | |
|---|---|
| Maximum trip length (days) | 120 days (single trip) 31 days(Annual policy) 90 days (extension) |
| Minimum UK Trip Length (nights) | 2 nights* |
| Excess applied per incident per person | £50 |
Aviva only offers one policy to try and make things easier for their customers. You won’t find different levels of cover here! Not only that but Aviva takes a different approach to the policy they offer. They aim to try and give customers the option of the lowest prices possible and so offer basic policies with “bolt-on” options that customers can add if they feel they might need them.
The maximum trip lengths with Aviva are generous, with the company offering up to 120 days for a single trip (the average is 31) and the number of days can be extended by adding a bolt on to your policy.
Excesses are also reasonably low and only charged in certain circumstances. You will need to view the policy documents to get a better idea of when you will and won’t pay an excess.
Medical emergency and repatriation services
Medical care is the most important part of a policy for most people. The level of cover available at Aviva is very good and should be enough to cover you in any circumstance. They offer £10,000,000 in medical emergency and emergency repatriation. It also offers an additional £1000 for dental treatment.
Hospital benefit and meal expenses are not mentioned in the policy documents so we assume that these will not be covered. Therefore, things like transport to and from the hospital will not be covered by the policy, and you will have to pay them out of pocket.
Customers should be aware that on trips to Australia customers will not be covered unless they are registered with Medicare which is like the Australian “NHS.” British people are covered for medical care under this system which works like the health service here. People can get free treatment much as they would in the UK.
| Aviva Cover | |
|---|---|
| Medical costs | £10,000,000 |
| Emergency Dental Treatment | £1000 |
| Hospital Benefit (Total) | - |
| Hospital Benefit (Daily) | - |
| Meal Expenses (Total) | - |
| Meal Expenses (Daily) | - |
Cancellation
Cancellation is just one of the reasons we recommend that you buy your holiday insurance around the same time that you book your trip. That way you are protected if anything happens between the time of booking and heading off on your holiday.
On the Aviva Insurance page, it doesn’t mention anything specifically about prepaid charges as a separate charge. However, in the policy documents, it does say that if you have paid a deposit on your holiday or have prepaid your travel expenses, then Aviva will cover these in the event of cancellation.
Generally, we would expect to see about £3000 for these types of expenses, so you are getting more than the usual amount in this case.
| Aviva Cover | |
|---|---|
| Cancelling or Cutting short your trip | £5,000 |
| Prepaid charges | - |
| Travel Abandonment | £5,000 |
Generally, claims for cancellation need to be from causes which are outwith your control.
However, there are many ordinary circumstances in which your insurance company may not pay out for your insurance claim:
- If you have to cancel due to a pre-existing medical condition that hasn’t been declared to them when you signed up.
- If you are denied boarding due to your anti-social behaviour, drug use, alcohol or solvent abuse.
- If you forget or lose your travel documentation and aren’t allowed to board.
- If you have taken voluntary redundancy or if you have been fired due to misbehaviour or misconduct.
You do also get some cover for abandonment. This is when your delay becomes so great that you are forced to abandon your trip.
Luggage
Losing your luggage or being robbed or pickpocketed on holiday can turn a dream into a nightmare. Baggage is one area that Aviva doesn’t have included in its policy as a standard. It must be added as a bolt-on to your policy.
The limits provided by Aviva are generous, and you will be covered whether your luggage is stolen or delayed by airlines.
Keep in mind the difference between the total and the single item limit. The cover for one single item is 450 and valuables at 400, so you will need to rethink any big-ticket items such as laptops or cameras that you will take along with you on your trip.
It is useful to know that you will be able to make a claim much more easily if you have documentation, for example, receipts and even photographs, for the items when you go to make a claim although it is not strictly necessary.
Remember that if you leave your items unattended at any time and they are stolen, you will not be able to make a claim. Generally, you will also need a police report to make a claim. Some customers have also claimed that it is difficult to get money back for things like pickpocketing as often proof of force is necessary.
| Aviva Cover | |
|---|---|
| Total | £1,500 |
| Single Item Limit | £450 |
| Total Valuables Limit (WBL) | £400 |
| Delayed Baggage | £150 |
| Important Documents | £750 |
| Personal Money | £500 |
| Cash | £400 |
Included Activities
Aviva has special cover for people who are going to participate in more risky activities. In the policy documents, you can find a full list of activities which are covered as standard in your policy.
Winter sports aren’t covered as standard on the annual policy or single trip cover. You can also add scuba diving, golfing, airspace closure and travel disruption.
Prices
As we mentioned before, no travel insurance policy is one size fits all. In order to compare prices we have done a comparison for an annual policy including Europe for a 35 year old woman with no pre existing medical conditions.
As you can see, Aviva's policies are generally quite a bit more expensive then the market average for a similar policy. However, we would encourage all customers to get a quote for themselves before deciding.
Aviva Travel Insurance - Emergency Assistance
Aviva insurance provides emergency 24 hour medical assistance.
If someone is ill emergency assistance means that there will be someone on the other side of the phone who has medical knowledge, contacts and knowledge of facilities to help you get the right care. The emergency assistance team can also help you arrange your transport to go home if necessary.
Aviva has an emergency contact customer service team in the UK. They are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
You can contact them for 24-hr emergency medical assistance and Legal Assistance:
This call will cost the same as a call to a UK landline. We would always recommend having this number saved in your phone and written down somewhere in case of emergencies.
Aviva Travel Insurance Pre Existing medical conditions
Aviva uses an online medical screening process to see if you will be covered for any existing medical conditions. However, If you have any questions or doubts about if your medical condition can be covered or not then you can give them a call.
Many common conditions such as mild asthma or high blood pressure are free of charge and others may only add a few pounds to your policy.
We can’t stress enough that it is vital that you declare your condition as your policy may be invalid if you do need to make a claim for other things down the line.
Aviva Travel Insurance Making a claim
Claims are made direct to Aviva Travel Insurance. You can make a claim by telephone, email or by sending a letter to their claims address.
To make a claim you must get in contact within 31 days after the incident and must provide the relevant documentation.
For making every type of claim, you will need your policy number to hand. Additionally, when making a claim for theft or loss of property, you will need to contact the police to get either a police report or crime reference number. If your document is in another language, you may need to get it translated. In the case of hospitalisation, it will be useful if you have your hospital documents and final bill.
How can I make a Complaint About Aviva Travel Insurance?
It is fairly easy to get in touch with Aviva, and they have decent customer service ratings so you shouldn’t have a problem. However, if you do have a problem with the service you have received at Aviva, then you can contact them in a variety of ways.
If you are still not satisfied with the way they have handled your complaint, you may take your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service who will investigate your complaint:
How can I cancel my Aviva Travel Insurance Policy?
Cancelling your policy depends on the type of policy that you have contracted. With annual Aviva Travel Insurance, you have a 14 day cooling off period by law where you can change your mind and cancel the insurance. They will refund the whole sum that you have paid.
After 14 days you can still cancel your policy, but you won’t get any money back.
For all single trip policies that have an end date within 31 days of the date of purchase, there will be no cancellation or cooling-off period, and you won’t be able to get a refund on your policy.
Data and information correct as of December 2018.
All material on this page and the selectra.co.uk website is for information purposes only and does not constitute any form of financial advice. Selectra.co.uk is not responsible for any consequences that might arise from your use of the information provided.
Other providers are available and the best deal for you will depend on your individual circumstances. Please do your own research and seek professional advice if necessary (moneyadviceservice.org.uk offers free, independent advice on all financial issues).