Before you set off on a business trip, make sure you check whether you have cover in place. Particularly if your company or employer has booked or organised the trip, it’s essential to ask whether they’ve taken out an insurance policy for you. If they have, make sure you have a copy of the policy to hand, should anything go wrong.
If they haven’t taken out a policy for you, or if you’re self-employed, you will have to find a provider yourself. When shopping around for cover, pay attention to the countries covered by each policy and the activities included. Many business trips can consist of some leisure time, or business meetings dressed up as something fun, such as networking over a golfing trip. Make sure any excluded activities are explicitly clear before you purchase a policy and don’t partake in anything not included, or you may not be covered.
As with any trip, having the right insurance can protect you against costly situations that are out of your control. Illness, accidents, lost luggage or delayed or cancelled flights can all contribute to extra expenses. Not only can setbacks like delayed travel and lost items cost you money, but they might mean you miss out on essential conferences or cost you important business deals.
Finding a Provider
Many insurance providers offer some form of travel cover, whether that’s a specific policy for business trips or a general travel policy which can cover travel for commercial purposes. By visiting their websites directly, you can generate a quote quickly and easily by entering some details of the nature of the trip and the traveller to insure.
- Buying directly – Business travel insurance is something you can buy easily directly from an insurance provider. If you’re happy with your online quote, you can proceed to purchase the policy, and within a matter of minutes, you can have both found and bought travel cover. Alternatively, you can phone a provider and speak to an adviser, which may be helpful if you are looking for specific extra protection.
- Going through a broker – Brokers can be particularly helpful if you need specialist cover. If you’re travelling somewhere obscure, if you have several underlying health conditions or if you’re planning to partake in some high-risk sports, it can be a good idea to use a broker to help you secure the best deal. Brokers often receive significantly better deals than direct customers, so they can help you build a bespoke policy for a reasonable price. Even after taking their cut, you can end up with a more extensive cover for a lower premium than had you approached a provider directly.
- Comparison sites – If you’re not sure where to begin, comparison sites can help you view the terms of multiple insurers in one place. Not all comparison websites allow you to search for business travel insurance specifically, so you may have to search more generally for travel cover.
Business Travel Insurance Providers
Columbus Direct
Founded in 1988, Columbus Direct specialise in travel insurance. Their products are therefore both varied and flexible, offering cover for a single trip as well as an annual multi-trip policy, protection for those with pre-existing medical conditions and a particularly highly rated ski package. Within each form of travel insurance they provide, they offer three increasing tiers of cover: Bronze, Silver and Gold.
Their business travel insurance is offered as an extension to their standard insurance policy. They will insure your work laptop and any other business equipment. If you fall ill, Columbus can also cover travel and accommodation costs to enable a replacement employee to take your place, making sure your company doesn’t miss out on any crucial meetings. Other benefits include free health information and 24/7 GP access offered by Babylon and complimentary airport lounge access if your flight is delayed for more than one hour.
Allianz Assistance
Allianz employs over 13,000 people across five continents, speaking a total of 58 languages, offering around-the-world cover and assistance wherever your business trip may be. Their business travel insurance is a specialist policy tailored to professionals, with the option of Silver or Gold cover, on either a single trip or multi-trip policy. They cover business equipment, including your work laptop, on top of medical expenses, loss and cancellation.
Other features include curtailment, delayed departure, delayed personal possessions and the option to send a replacement business associate if the insured person can’t make the trip. A handy feature of their cover is the option to cover up to 12 people on the same policy, should you need to take your whole team to an important meeting.
Churchill Insurance Consultants
Travel insurance with Churchill Insurance Consultants can cover trips in the UK and internationally. There’s no age limit for their travellers, and no exclusions for pre-existing medical conditions either, provided the insured person is fit to travel. Other features of the policy include cancellation and curtailment, and they can also cover any costs associated with a delay in travel. They can provide insurance for your belongings as well as assistance with lost luggage and replacing lost documents. The policy can also include full holiday travel cover for company directors looking to combine a trip away with a holiday with their family.
Endsleigh
Another comprehensive product available is the one from Endsleigh. Their tailored business travel policy covers professionals against trip cancellation or curtailment, medical emergency and repatriation expenses and delayed departure. They can also include your personal belongings if they are lost, stolen or even damaged. In the event of the financial failure of the airline with which you’re meant to fly, Endsleigh can provide up to £2,000 in compensation. Finally, an added perk is their cover against flight disruption resulting from Brexit, giving you peace of mind when booking business trips abroad while the UK leaves the EU.
Direct Line
Whether you’re looking for coverage for a single trip or multiple within a year, Direct Line can offer an extensive insurance product for business purposes as well as pleasure. Their annual policy covers you for up to 42 days per trip throughout the year. They offer up to £10 million of medical and emergency expenses abroad as well as up to £25,000 for personal accident cover. They also provide cancellation and curtailment cover, delayed departure cover and assistance with legal matters and replacing passports.
While business affairs are included in their standard travel policy, you can choose to add the optional Business Cover extension. This add-on provides up to £1,500 for business equipment and business samples and up to £250 for essential replacement of business items that you may need to purchase if you have to wait more than 12 hours for your luggage. If a colleague needs to replace you, they can provide up to £1,500 towards a return travel ticket. A number of leisure activities are also included as part of their Business Extension cover, though an exception to note is skiing. Their business insurance is only available over the phone.
World First
World First has been providing travel insurance to business travellers for over 30 years. Their policies can cover individuals as well as entire teams, whether it’s for a short stay or longer assignments. Frequent travellers can save money over a year with their annual travel insurance policy, where each trip can last up to 31 days, with the possibility to extend the cover to 62 days. Benefits of a policy with World First include up to £10 million in emergency medical expenses, personal liability cover, cover for your baggage and cancellation cover. Policyholders can enjoy 24/7 assistance and cover for up to 75 leisure activities included for no extra charge.
InsureandGo
Rated 4.2 out of 5 based on almost 23,000 reviews, InsureandGo offer several flexible travel insurance products for professionals. Their business protection includes cover for buying or hiring essential equipment if it gets delayed during the journey or lost, stolen or damaged over the course of the trip. They can also cover emergency courier expenses to replace the essential equipment quickly, and they can replace company money which is lost or stolen, or your own if you are self-employed. The business-level cover also includes a higher limit for personal accident and baggage cover.
You can choose either a single trip policy or an annual travel insurance policy for frequent travellers. For businesses sending several employees to the same event, they also offer a group travel insurance policy for any number of people, provided they travel together. Cover includes protection for over 50 sports and leisure activities, including safaris and fishing.
AXA
Another flexible provider is AXA, who offer flexible packages suitable for holidays and business travel alike, allowing customers to tailor their protection. AXA’s three levels of cover, Bronze, Silver and Gold, offer some of the most extensive coverage on the market. Emergency medical and repatriation cover is available up to £15 million, as well as up to £30,000 for personal accident cover. The personal liability limit can be up to £2 million, and policyholders will also benefit from up to £5,000 for disruption or delay to travel plans and up to £25,000 for legal expenses.
Choose from either their single trip policy or their multi-trip insurance for frequent travellers. Policyholders will have access to 24/7 emergency helplines and can partake in over 70 insured sports and activities as part of the standard cover.
InsuraTrip
One of the cheaper providers on the market is InsuraTrip. Their standard travel insurance includes cancellation cover, medical expenses of up to £10 million and cover for lost or delayed luggage. Perks of their business insurance includes cover for company cash, provision of an emergency courier of business samples when baggage is delayed for over 12 hours and business equipment replacement. Additional benefits include protection should the insured person be unable to begin or continue the business trip, and cover to send a replacement colleague. They offer three levels of cover: Standard, Super and Premium.
Aviva
One of the more established insurance providers offering business travel insurance is Aviva. Their Business Travel insurance is available as a standalone policy or combined with personal accident and sickness cover. They provide flexible cover suitable for both SMEs and larger corporate clients, covering most trades and occupations. Business travellers enjoy unlimited medical expenses, and directors, partners, and officers automatically receive cover for recreational travel. Cover includes trips within the UK, and insured persons can be up to 85 years old.
Essential Travel
Rated 8.5 out of 10 based on 1551 reviews, Essential Travel offer a variety of flexible travel insurance products. Their standard travel cover includes up to £2,000 for personal possessions, up to £10 million in emergency medical expenses and cancellation cover of up to £5,000 for travel in the UK, Europe and worldwide. Their annual multi-trip policy allows for an unlimited amount of trips in a year, covering up to 45 days for each trip.
Business travellers can extend the travel insurance to cover accidental loss, theft or damage to business equipment, which comes as an add-on to all three policy types: Single, Annual Multi and Backpacker Trip. Business equipment includes any cameras, laptops or mobile phones needed for work or meetings. Policyholders have access to support and advice 24 hours a day on their dedicated emergency helpline.
JS Insurance
Business cover by JS Insurance offers protection for professionals going on trips in the UK, Europe and Worldwide as part of their single trip policies or annual policies. Medical expenses and repatriation cover is available up to £10 million on their highest level of protection, Platinum. Their top tier of cover also includes personal liability cover up to £2 million, own baggage cover up to £2,500, delayed departure up to £1,000 and legal expenses up to £25,000.
Their Platinum policy also covers business equipment, computer equipment and samples, should they become lost, damaged or stolen. Employers looking to send full teams out can consider their Group Travel Insurance policy. For business travellers looking to mix work and play, JS Insurance can offer cover for more than 200 sports and activities.
RSA (Broker)
Business travellers who take out insurance through RSA can benefit from around-the-clock care, around-the-world. RSA has a dedicated 24-hour hotline for security-related emergencies, and policyholders can benefit from 24/7 medical assistance worldwide. RSA has also developed a Travel Assistance app designed for RSA commercial travel customers, which provides a hub of guidance and contact information in the event of a security or medical situation occurring on a business trip. Perks of taking out a policy with RSA include holiday travel cover for directors and their families.
Admiral
One of the more flexible providers is Admiral. Their Platinum level travel insurance is rated five stars by defaqto, owing to its extensive cover limits, including cover for personal belongings up to £2,500, cover for cancelling or cutting your trip short up to £5,000 and emergency medical treatment and repatriation up to £20 million. Other features of protection by Admiral includes cover for lost luggage, cancelled flights, personal liability, and legal assistance should anything go wrong. The three levels of cover available through this provider are Admiral, Admiral Gold or Admiral Platinum.
Bupa
Businesses who frequently send their employees or teams abroad might consider Bupa. It’s specifically designed for companies in mind, to cover groups of employees when they are away on business trips. Cover includes 24-hour emergency assistance wherever you are in the world as well as advice pre-travel on a wide range of travel-related topics. Both the belongings of employees and business equipment can be covered, and employees will also benefit from medical emergency cover, including repatriation of up to £10 million.
Should your employees fall ill and be unable to attend the trip, the policy can also include up to £1,500 of cover for a replacement business colleague to attend. Employers also have the option to add holiday insurance for their employees and their families if they wish to offer their employees an extra perk, or encourage their teams to make the most of their time away.
EconomyCover
Another provider offering competitive prices is EconomyCover, part of Blue Insurance Limited. Their travel insurance policies are flexible, allowing customers to build a plan that suits them. This includes the option to add business equipment cover for those away for work. Other features of all their standard travel policies include cancellation cover, medical expenses, baggage cover and third-party liability. You can either opt for a single trip policy or a multi-trip policy, to which extra cover options such as winter sports, flight cancellation, travel disruption and golf cover can be added.
American Express
Business travel is an extension option for the upper levels of travel cover offered by American Express. This extension includes cover for sending a replacement business associate of up to £750, personal accident cover up to £100,000 and cover for business equipment and company cash. In addition to these cover options, Amex can provide Personal Assistance Services. These include advice on suitable overseas office or conference facilities, and in some cases, they can arrange this, too. They can also arrange or offer advice on business translation, legal services as well as information on business etiquette in other countries.
