What actually counts as "commuting" for car insurance?

Russcell_C

Look up the definition of commuting on any dictionary website and you will find it says travelling regularly to a single place of work. However, in insurance speak it means travelling to a place of work even once in the period of insurance. How that would stand up in a contested claim where the claimant could prove they had worked from home almost exclusively, is anyone’s guess. 

Personally I WFH full time but maybe once or twice a year may go in to meet colleagues for a lunch out, then finish the day in the office. I do not consider that to be commuting so I don’t specify it on my insurance. 

DullGreyGuy

Russcell_C said:

Look up the definition of commuting on any dictionary website and you will find it says travelling regularly to a single place of work. However, in insurance speak it means travelling to a place of work even once in the period of insurance. How that would stand up in a contested claim where the claimant could prove they had worked from home almost exclusively, is anyone’s guess. 

Personally I WFH full time but maybe once or twice a year may go in to meet colleagues for a lunch out, then finish the day in the office. I do not consider that to be commuting so I don’t specify it on my insurance. 

That would be business use @russcell_C if you are defining Home as your permanent place of work.

In almost all cases the policy will define the term and therefore the contract term will trump the plain English/dictionary term. You only fall back on the dictionary for words not defined in the contract. 

Russcell_C

DullGreyGuy said:

Russcell_C said:

Look up the definition of commuting on any dictionary website and you will find it says travelling regularly to a single place of work. However, in insurance speak it means travelling to a place of work even once in the period of insurance. How that would stand up in a contested claim where the claimant could prove they had worked from home almost exclusively, is anyone’s guess. 

Personally I WFH full time but maybe once or twice a year may go in to meet colleagues for a lunch out, then finish the day in the office. I do not consider that to be commuting so I don’t specify it on my insurance. 

That would be business use @russcell_C if you are defining Home as your permanent place of work.

In almost all cases the policy will define the term and therefore the contract term will trump the plain English/dictionary term. You only fall back on the dictionary for words not defined in the contract. 

DullGreyGuy said:

Russcell_C said:

Look up the definition of commuting on any dictionary website and you will find it says travelling regularly to a single place of work. However, in insurance speak it means travelling to a place of work even once in the period of insurance. How that would stand up in a contested claim where the claimant could prove they had worked from home almost exclusively, is anyone’s guess. 

Personally I WFH full time but maybe once or twice a year may go in to meet colleagues for a lunch out, then finish the day in the office. I do not consider that to be commuting so I don’t specify it on my insurance. 

That would be business use @russcell_C if you are defining Home as your permanent place of work.

In almost all cases the policy will define the term and therefore the contract term will trump the plain English/dictionary term. You only fall back on the dictionary for words not defined in the contract. 

Working at home and visiting the office a couple of times a year does not constitute business use. An insurance company is more likely to argue it is commuting as you are correct about the definitions in the policy docs trumping the dictionary definitions.

(I have worked in the insurance industry for the last 13 years.)

BarelySentientAI

Russcell_C said:

DullGreyGuy said:

Russcell_C said:

Look up the definition of commuting on any dictionary website and you will find it says travelling regularly to a single place of work. However, in insurance speak it means travelling to a place of work even once in the period of insurance. How that would stand up in a contested claim where the claimant could prove they had worked from home almost exclusively, is anyone’s guess. 

Personally I WFH full time but maybe once or twice a year may go in to meet colleagues for a lunch out, then finish the day in the office. I do not consider that to be commuting so I don’t specify it on my insurance. 

That would be business use @russcell_C if you are defining Home as your permanent place of work.

In almost all cases the policy will define the term and therefore the contract term will trump the plain English/dictionary term. You only fall back on the dictionary for words not defined in the contract. 

Working at home and visiting the office a couple of times a year does not constitute business use. An insurance company is more likely to argue it is commuting as you are correct about the definitions in the policy docs trumping the dictionary definitions.

(I have worked in the insurance industry for the last 13 years.)

Driving from your usual place of business to another place of business pretty comfortably fits the definition of business use.

More likely to be called commuting for simplicity of definition, but "I say it isn't so" doesn't stop it being business use.

cw8825

BarelySentientAI said:

Russcell_C said:

DullGreyGuy said:

Russcell_C said:

Look up the definition of commuting on any dictionary website and you will find it says travelling regularly to a single place of work. However, in insurance speak it means travelling to a place of work even once in the period of insurance. How that would stand up in a contested claim where the claimant could prove they had worked from home almost exclusively, is anyone’s guess. 

Personally I WFH full time but maybe once or twice a year may go in to meet colleagues for a lunch out, then finish the day in the office. I do not consider that to be commuting so I don’t specify it on my insurance. 

That would be business use @russcell_C if you are defining Home as your permanent place of work.

In almost all cases the policy will define the term and therefore the contract term will trump the plain English/dictionary term. You only fall back on the dictionary for words not defined in the contract. 

Working at home and visiting the office a couple of times a year does not constitute business use. An insurance company is more likely to argue it is commuting as you are correct about the definitions in the policy docs trumping the dictionary definitions.

(I have worked in the insurance industry for the last 13 years.)

Driving from your usual place of business to another place of business pretty comfortably fits the definition of business use.

More likely to be called commuting for simplicity of definition, but "I say it isn't so" doesn't stop it being business use.

From the original post he Dosent specify on his policy so unlikely to believe it’s either by that logic 

BarelySentientAI

cw8825 said:

BarelySentientAI said:

Russcell_C said:

DullGreyGuy said:

Russcell_C said:

Look up the definition of commuting on any dictionary website and you will find it says travelling regularly to a single place of work. However, in insurance speak it means travelling to a place of work even once in the period of insurance. How that would stand up in a contested claim where the claimant could prove they had worked from home almost exclusively, is anyone’s guess. 

Personally I WFH full time but maybe once or twice a year may go in to meet colleagues for a lunch out, then finish the day in the office. I do not consider that to be commuting so I don’t specify it on my insurance. 

That would be business use @russcell_C if you are defining Home as your permanent place of work.

In almost all cases the policy will define the term and therefore the contract term will trump the plain English/dictionary term. You only fall back on the dictionary for words not defined in the contract. 

Working at home and visiting the office a couple of times a year does not constitute business use. An insurance company is more likely to argue it is commuting as you are correct about the definitions in the policy docs trumping the dictionary definitions.

(I have worked in the insurance industry for the last 13 years.)

Driving from your usual place of business to another place of business pretty comfortably fits the definition of business use.

More likely to be called commuting for simplicity of definition, but "I say it isn't so" doesn't stop it being business use.

From the original post he Dosent specify on his policy so unlikely to believe it’s either by that logic 

Sorry, can you repeat in a way that I can understand?

Russcell_C's original post (in the thread that I quoted and hence was replying to) said "Personally I WFH full time" - so 'Home' is the usual place of business - "then finish the day in the office" - another place of business.  Business to business equals business use.

You don't need to list all possible places of business on your car insurance policy.

Home to business is often policy-defined as commuting, without the caveat of "regular" or "frequent" found in dictionary definitions.  Relying on a precise term in the policy is probably simpler than a debate about "can home be a place of business", even if the answer to that would be "yes".

If you're suggesting Russcell_C might disagree with me, well that's evident from the subsequent post I replied to - "does not constitute business use".  Hence my reply for discussion.

cw8825

Russcell_C said:

Look up the definition of commuting on any dictionary website and you will find it says travelling regularly to a single place of work. However, in insurance speak it means travelling to a place of work even once in the period of insurance. How that would stand up in a contested claim where the claimant could prove they had worked from home almost exclusively, is anyone’s guess. 

Personally I WFH full time but maybe once or twice a year may go in to meet colleagues for a lunch out, then finish the day in the office. I do not consider that to be commuting so I don’t specify it on my insurance. 

@BarelySentientAI. Apologies 
I was referring to his end line here. 

BarelySentientAI

cw8825 said:

Russcell_C said:

Look up the definition of commuting on any dictionary website and you will find it says travelling regularly to a single place of work. However, in insurance speak it means travelling to a place of work even once in the period of insurance. How that would stand up in a contested claim where the claimant could prove they had worked from home almost exclusively, is anyone’s guess. 

Personally I WFH full time but maybe once or twice a year may go in to meet colleagues for a lunch out, then finish the day in the office. I do not consider that to be commuting so I don’t specify it on my insurance. 

@BarelySentientAI. Apologies 
I was referring to his end line here. 

Very true - seems to not consider it either commuting or business travel.  I think there are arguments for either categorisation, and lean towards the former for simplicity.