Admiral Premium Travel Insurance - can't cancel auto renewal online

unitedwestand

Just wondering if anyone else has issues with easily cancelling Admiral insurance policies or automatic renewals via their online portal?

TD;LR - I'm pretty sure Admiral have deliberately removed the option (or never had it) to simply cancel or disable automatic renewals through their online account they essentially force you to create/ administer. This in turn means you have no option but to call them to cancel anything, so they can give you the sales pitch and talk you in to taking out the policy again.

My case:

I received an email saying they'd be automatically renewing travel insurance and that they'd be taking money for it 7 days before the end of my current policy.

The email stated:

"You can review, amend or cancel your renewal by logging into the Travel Portal by clicking on the button below or by getting in touch."

I logged on to my account and tried looking everywhere and searching their online help on how to cancel the automatic renewal to no avail. Convinced this must exist, I then methodically went through every section of the online portal looking for where I could cancel the renewal... but nothing. 

I then wondered if I could cancel the existing policy itself, delete my payment details etc etc but couldn't do that either.

I had no option but to call them. After waiting around 30mins (off peak) for someone to take my call, I got through. Straight away In was reminded of all the benefits of the policy and a 25% discount if I renewed. 

This confirmed what I had expected. I asked the advisor if I could cancel the policy or automatic renewal through the portal and they advised that this function wasn't available but that Admiral may be looking to add it in the future.

For context, the Admiral group, is one of the 100 biggest companies in the UK. 
It opens Admiral, Bell, Elephant, Diamond and Veygo insurance brands. They launched comparison sites confused.com and compare.com. The group boasted a portfolio of 9.28m customers, a turnover of £3.68bn in 2022, with profits (before tax) of £469m. 

Yet however.. despite this and asking to do all the legwork providing details and creating accounts on their website,... you can't cancel a policy or automatic renewal. 

This tactic of making it harder to leave than it is to join is unfair, particularly when people are so busy trying to juggle with life or for those vulnerable to sales pressure. 

I'd say this needs to change. 

Hope this helps someone, I've registered a my complaint with Admiral by calling them on 03332349913. 

I'll then follow-up by reporting to the financial ombudsman.

https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/

Hopefully, this will help others on future to be able to leave a contract as easy as they make it to sign up and have it auto-renew. 

lisyloo

This is extremely common.
I'd say almost universal, so whilst it's annoying I don't believe admiral are out of line.
You could try paying by a method that's not auto-renew e.g. cheque, or you could try finding a policy that doesn't auto renew, you could try chat, or you could just accept that's how it is and put entries in your calendar about 1 month early to give you time for those phone calls.
I personally find other things to do whilst I'm on hold, like washing up with speaker on.

Companies have been making it hard to cancel for decades. This is not new.

Bit policitcal but - There are millions of people willing to work but unfortunately we don't want "their sort" over here, so welcome to "taking back control".

DullGreyGuy

lisyloo said:

You could try paying by a method that's not auto-renew e.g. cheque

In principle that doesnt stop auto-renewal, just means its more likely the policy will be void for non-payment when they renew the policy and cannot collect a timely payment.

lisyloo

DullGreyGuy said:

lisyloo said:

You could try paying by a method that's not auto-renew e.g. cheque

In principle that doesnt stop auto-renewal, just means its more likely the policy will be void for non-payment when they renew the policy and cannot collect a timely payment.

No, I didn't mean take a renewing policy and not paying.
I meant taking a policy that simply doesn't renew.
They do exist.
It may limit selection and therefore may mean compromising on other criteria e.g. price, but it is possible to buy insurance policies that don't renew.

Personally I think it's nuts to compromise on other criteria e.g. pay more or compromise on cover, but I was just saying it's an option.

DullGreyGuy

lisyloo said:

DullGreyGuy said:

lisyloo said:

You could try paying by a method that's not auto-renew e.g. cheque

In principle that doesnt stop auto-renewal, just means its more likely the policy will be void for non-payment when they renew the policy and cannot collect a timely payment.

No, I didn't mean take a renewing policy and not paying.
I meant taking a policy that simply doesn't renew.
They do exist.
It may limit selection and therefore may mean compromising on other criteria e.g. price, but it is possible to buy insurance policies that don't renew.

Personally I think it's nuts to compromise on other criteria e.g. pay more or compromise on cover, but I was just saying it's an option.

Yes you stated:

You could try paying by a method that's not auto-renew e.g. cheque, or you could try finding a policy that doesn't auto renew

(Highlight/underline for clarity.)

That would suggest that simply paying using a non-renewing payment methodolgy is sufficient to prevent auto-renewal... it isnt. Or more accurately, wouldnt be if there was anyone still accepting cheques

unitedwestand

lisyloo said:

This is extremely common.
I'd say almost universal, so whilst it's annoying I don't believe admiral are out of line.

Companies have been making it hard to cancel for decades. This is not new.

Imo that doesn't make it right. Imagine companies in other sectors just kept on charging you for new milk, bread, T.V.s, Sofas, Kitchens, Carpets etc until you forced to sit on the phone for an hour to tell them to stop. All I'm suggesting that at least they are required to have an easy online way cancel or terminate a renewal. Do you think that's unreasonable? 

DullGreyGuy

unitedwestand said:

lisyloo said:

This is extremely common.
I'd say almost universal, so whilst it's annoying I don't believe admiral are out of line.

Companies have been making it hard to cancel for decades. This is not new.

Imo that doesn't make it right. Imagine companies in other sectors just kept on charging you for new milk, bread, T.V.s, Sofas, Kitchens, Carpets etc until you forced to sit on the phone for an hour to tell them to stop. All I'm suggesting that at least they are required to have an easy online way cancel or terminate a renewal. Do you think that's unreasonable? 

Whats the consequences of going to make your breakfast in the morning and realising you are out of milk?

What are the consequences of having a car accident and then realising you forgot to renew your car insurance?

Have spoken to the policyholder who's just lost their £300,000 house to fire and had to advise that they didnt renew their policy and so everything is just gone but they still owe their mortgage.

Auto-renewing insurance has been credited with greatly reducing the number of uninsured vehicles on the road, number of people losing their homes etc. Just look on this forum on the number of people complaining that they forgot their renewal and now their insurer has renewed them when they wanted to shop around. All those people would have been uninsured otherwise

TELLIT01

The simple answer is don't allow yourself to be bullied/pressured into purchasing something you don't want.  Be firm that you do not want to discuss renewal, but do not want to renew under any circumstances.

unitedwestand

DullGreyGuy said:

unitedwestand said:

lisyloo said:

This is extremely common.
I'd say almost universal, so whilst it's annoying I don't believe admiral are out of line.

Companies have been making it hard to cancel for decades. This is not new.

Imo that doesn't make it right. Imagine companies in other sectors just kept on charging you for new milk, bread, T.V.s, Sofas, Kitchens, Carpets etc until you forced to sit on the phone for an hour to tell them to stop. All I'm suggesting that at least they are required to have an easy online way cancel or terminate a renewal. Do you think that's unreasonable? 

Whats the consequences of going to make your breakfast in the morning and realising you are out of milk?

What are the consequences of having a car accident and then realising you forgot to renew your car insurance?

Have spoken to the policyholder who's just lost their £300,000 house to fire and had to advise that they didnt renew their policy and so everything is just gone but they still owe their mortgage.

Auto-renewing insurance has been credited with greatly reducing the number of uninsured vehicles on the road, number of people losing their homes etc. Just look on this forum on the number of people complaining that they forgot their renewal and now their insurer has renewed them when they wanted to shop around. All those people would have been uninsured otherwise

Admiral had before tax profits of £469m for 2022 alone. This is travel insurance that's auto renewing, not car or home. Id suggest the benefactors of auto renewal are a disproportionate minority. Independent of that, for those that want to why shouldn't cancellation of a policy be as easy as it subscription? 

There's a case for auto-renwals for car insurance as it's legal requirement.. however insurers have now expanded this tactic to everything from travel to pet insurance.

At the very least it should be just as easy for a person to cancel either the policy or the renewal online when they want to on their own terms.

Apart from someone wanting to play political devil's advocate or benefits from/ is employed within the insurance industry I can't see why anyone would argue against the easy cancellation of policies if that's what the insured wants. 

DullGreyGuy

unitedwestand said:

DullGreyGuy said:

unitedwestand said:

lisyloo said:

This is extremely common.
I'd say almost universal, so whilst it's annoying I don't believe admiral are out of line.

Companies have been making it hard to cancel for decades. This is not new.

Imo that doesn't make it right. Imagine companies in other sectors just kept on charging you for new milk, bread, T.V.s, Sofas, Kitchens, Carpets etc until you forced to sit on the phone for an hour to tell them to stop. All I'm suggesting that at least they are required to have an easy online way cancel or terminate a renewal. Do you think that's unreasonable? 

Whats the consequences of going to make your breakfast in the morning and realising you are out of milk?

What are the consequences of having a car accident and then realising you forgot to renew your car insurance?

Have spoken to the policyholder who's just lost their £300,000 house to fire and had to advise that they didnt renew their policy and so everything is just gone but they still owe their mortgage.

Auto-renewing insurance has been credited with greatly reducing the number of uninsured vehicles on the road, number of people losing their homes etc. Just look on this forum on the number of people complaining that they forgot their renewal and now their insurer has renewed them when they wanted to shop around. All those people would have been uninsured otherwise

Admiral had before tax profits of £469m for 2022 alone. This is travel insurance that's auto renewing, not car or home. Id suggest the benefactors of auto renewal are a disproportionate minority. Independent of that, for those that want to why shouldn't cancellation of a policy be as easy as it subscription? 

There's a case for auto-renwals for car insurance as it's legal requirement.. however insurers have now expanded this tactic to everything from travel to pet insurance.

At the very least it should be just as easy for a person to cancel either the policy or the renewal online when they want to on their own terms.

Apart from someone wanting to play political devil's advocate or benefits from/ is employed within the insurance industry I can't see why anyone would argue against the easy cancellation of policies if that's what the insured wants. 

Whats the relevance of their EBITDA? If an insurer makes profits their customers should be allowed to become accidentally uninsured? At profits being 12% of revenue its relatively modest compared to the likes of BT at 36% or Apple at 31%

Travel insurance can equally lead to big claims... look at the various news articles of people suffering major injuries whilst on holiday without insurance and their family turning to crowdfunding to try to pay bills or to repatriate them. Have seen medical claims of over £1m and it would have been higher had the insured not died during treatment overseas.

I agree it should be easy to instruct them to allow the policy to lapse, and in reality it is easy in that you phone them and they will change the policy for you. The issue you are highlighting is a broader issue of understaffed contact centres which equally applies to when you phone them to advise a change of address as it does for turning down a renewal. There is an element of you get what you pay for in those cases though. 

citycatalyst

Hi - I am in my 'ADMIRAL  travel Insurance' account now-
The only way I have found you can STOP the AUTO renewal is- - to go into your active policy & click on GREEN box> VIEW POLICY> the go into > green box > UPDATE CARD>
then there are two  green boxes which  ask whether you want to save the existing card or not  (for renewals) & you can mark don't save - this then stops the insurance being renewed the following year.
Hope this helps- (took ages to find)