annual multitrip travel insurance ... some questions

nonsavant

Imagine a hypothetical situation...

Let's say I want to visit a European country for long stretches over the course of the next year. One can get multi-trip annual travel insurance for visits between 30-100 days at a time, and usually with some upper limit on total days spend abroad (e.g. 182 days, half a year).

What means does the insurer have at their disposal to actually verify length of stay or total numbers of days away, in the case of a claim?

I can imagine the first one is answered by providing evidence of travel arrangements (e.g. plane/train tickets). Surely the second piece of info is not so easily proved/disproved?

I also wonder, would buying one-way tickets invalidate such insurance?

Just looking for some words to the wise on this subject, from anyone knowledgeable about claims procedures (touch wood, to date I've never claimed on insurance of any form).

Cheers.

InsideInsurance

As you say for a single trip they'd ask for travel documents.

For the cumulative total of the year, it ultimately is going to be hard for them. I have annual cover, I've made claims, I've never been asked to send proof.

Typically with these things insurers run a fraud scorecard type setup where using a number of criteria they decide the fraud risk and if they identify concerns they make further enquiries. Interview techniques are used heavily including cognitive questioning and computerised voice stress measuring.

A one way ticket could in theory invalidate cover for at least parts of the policy, depends on the terms of the policy

Alaister_Reed

As far as i am aware having a one way ticket wont invalidate your insurance - as for "Interview techniques are used heavily including cognitive questioning and computerised voice stress measuring" i have never heard of them using that sort of thing...unless jack bauer is in insurance.

InsideInsurance

Evidently not worked in claims for very long then

Both were being used 10 years ago.... see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3150675.stm about HBOS introducing voice stress analysis in 2003

bryan_monroe

If you have a car in say France or Spain on a public road for more than six months you will be expected to register the car in that country and pay for a different insurance. Some British insurers will not cover your vehicle at all if you are not in the same country as the car.

Be very careful for if you do make a claim they can check at the passport office or demand that you provide appropriate ferry/train tickets for your vehicle. Any discrepancy will lead to immediate disqualification.

It is extremely difficult to get a British company to provide EU cover even 3rd party only for over 100 days. Try AXA.

nonsavant

Thanks for the replies.

@Alaister: For at least one of the polices I've looked at, it is definitely the case that a single ticket invalidates the policy, I quote "a return ticket must have been booked prior to departure". Some policies aren't specific, but I can imagine that that doesn't mean they wont still use that as a reason not to pay out...

@Bryan: My question has nothing to do with car insurance. But I can see that if they can check with passport office, then there's absolutely no way to get around the trip duration limitations. Does anyone know if that is definitely the case?

Is it also really the case that insurers use such techniques (voice analysis) for claims? That article doesn't exactly state that it is widespread.

Anyway, I think the answer is that I need a different form of insurance, e.g. backpacker-style. On that topic, does anyone know if return visits to home country are usually covered by such insurance, or do they assume that one will be gone for the 3, 6, 9 or 12 month period covered?

InsideInsurance

nonsavant wrote: »

Does anyone know if that is definitely the case?

Is it also really the case that insurers use such techniques (voice analysis) for claims? That article doesn't exactly state that it is widespread.

Anyway, I think the answer is that I need a different form of insurance, e.g. backpacker-style. On that topic, does anyone know if return visits to home country are usually covered by such insurance, or do they assume that one will be gone for the 3, 6, 9 or 12 month period covered?

Never actually done travel claims so dont have hands on information of what they can and cannot get but being a frequent traveler and having had a fair amount of fun with the UKBA and HO I would be surprised if an insurer could go to anyone in the government and (a) get the info from a single place and (b) for it to be reliable

If that were the case then what would happen with all my ferry/ train trips to the continent when the borders have been unmanned so I've driven straight through - they may think I am still in France

Not many insurers use voice stress analysis on every call, more commonly the adviser/ system does a fraud analysis and if the score is above a certain level then it will trigger additional queries which may include things like an interview either with cognitive questioning and/ or voice analysis etc

Generally if you are paying for world wide cover and part of your trip includes your home country then there is still cover in force but maybe excluding medical. That said, travel insurance is not a straight line calculation (ie not per day fee x number of days) but instead follows a curve and so you may find it cheaper to buy just trip cover for when you are outside of the UK rather than paying the steep price of 250 days continuous cover or whatever

YorkshireTraveller

bryan_monroe wrote: »

If you have a car in say France or Spain on a public road for more than six months you will be expected to register the car in that country and pay for a different insurance. Some British insurers will not cover your vehicle at all if you are not in the same country as the car.

Be very careful for if you do make a claim they can check at the passport office or demand that you provide appropriate ferry/train tickets for your vehicle. Any discrepancy will lead to immediate disqualification.

It is extremely difficult to get a British company to provide EU cover even 3rd party only for over 100 days. Try AXA.

Saga automatically give 365 days European cover - obviously you need to be over 50 to qualify.

nonsavant

After further research, I've decided to go with an outfit that specifically offers insurance for volunteering overseas, which is what I'll be doing.
For reference: OVEuropa.

Thanks for all the replies and contributions above.