Travel insurance complaints at highest level since Covid

The FOS has announced that it received 4,466 complaints about travel insurance in the financial year 2023/24, a 19% increase on the previous year. The only time that figure has been higher in the last 10 years was when complaints surged during the Covid pandemic.

The FOS says that the majority of complaints have been driven by people dissatisfied with insurers declining their claims. This includes:

• policyholders being told they had not properly disclosed medical conditions;
• people being dissatisfied with the levels of emergency assistance received after falling ill abroad;
• complaints about delayed or missed flights; and
• complaints about lost and stolen luggage.

As a result of the rise in complaints, the FOS has set out its top tips for consumers.