- Direct Travel is a trading name of Brokersure Ltd, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under FCA number 501719.
- Brokersure does not carry the underwriting risk itself: it places more than 30 schemes across at least seven separate insurers, including Allianz Assistance (on behalf of AWP P&C SA), White Horse Insurance, Red Sands, Inter Partner Assistance, Starr, Accelerant and Endurance.
- The branded Direct Travel product is underwritten by Allianz Assistance on behalf of AWP P&C SA, according to the company's own underwriter disclosure.
- Headline cover quoted on the product page runs up to 10 million pounds for emergency medical and up to 6,000 pounds per traveller for cancellation, with pricing stated from 1.20 pounds per day.
- The minimum age to purchase is 18, and the company states upper age limits may apply depending on the product selected.
What Direct Travel is
Direct Travel Insurance is a trading name of Brokersure Ltd, a firm authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under FCA number 501719. Brokersure Ltd is registered at Digital House, Threshelfords Business Park, Inworth Road, Feering, Essex CO5 9SE. The important distinction for any buyer is that Direct Travel is a distribution brand rather than an insurer. Brokersure arranges and sells policies; the financial backing of each policy sits with a separate underwriter.
This matters because the entity named on a confirmation of cover is not the entity that pays a claim. With Direct Travel the structure is unusually layered: the company states it offers more than 30 different schemes, and those schemes are spread across several different insurance carriers rather than a single book of business. A reader comparing Direct Travel against a single-underwriter brand is therefore comparing a panel, not one product.
Who underwrites the cover
Brokersure publishes a breakdown of which insurer stands behind each branded scheme. The core Direct Travel product, along with the AllSafe scheme, is underwritten by Allianz Assistance on behalf of AWP P&C SA. Other schemes sold through the same group sit with different carriers: Fit2Travel, Clear4Travel and Direct2Insure are underwritten by White Horse Insurance UK Limited (a branch of White Horse Insurance Ireland dac); the Goodtogo scheme by Red Sands Insurance Company (Europe) Ltd; Holidayinsurance.com by Inter Partner Assistance S.A; OKToTravel by Starr International Europe Ltd; OneBefore by Accelerant Insurance UK Ltd; and ActivitySure by Endurance Worldwide Insurance Limited.
The practical consequence is that the policy wording, cover limits, claims handler and excess can differ from scheme to scheme even though they are sold under the same umbrella. A traveller should read the specific policy document and insurance product information document (IPID) for the exact scheme being quoted, because the name on the website header does not determine the terms. The company directs customers to underwriter-specific claims contact details rather than operating a single central claims line.
What policies Direct Travel offers
The product range covers the standard structure for the UK market. Single trip cover is offered for one-off journeys, and annual multi-trip cover is available for travellers taking several trips across a 12-month period. Backpacker cover is offered for longer continuous trips. Specialist variants listed on the product page include ski and winter sports, cruise, a UK break option and family cover.
Because the schemes are tiered, the company references budget, Premier and Premier Plus levels of cover within its range, with limits scaling up across those tiers. The exact baggage, personal money and trip-duration figures are set at scheme and tier level rather than published as one universal table, so the figure that applies depends on which scheme and tier a buyer selects at quote stage.
Pricing structure
Direct Travel quotes pricing from 1.20 pounds per day on its product page, and advertises a 15 per cent online discount applied to Direct Travel policies bought through the website. As with any travel policy, the headline daily figure is an entry point: the final premium is driven by destination, trip length, traveller age, the tier selected and any declared medical conditions. The pricing is risk-rated rather than a flat subscription, so a quote is the only reliable indicator of cost for a given trip.
The 15 per cent online discount is a channel incentive rather than a reduction in cover, and the figure applies specifically to Direct Travel branded policies. Buyers comparing the per-day headline against rival brands should confirm what cover limits that price buys, because a low daily rate paired with a low medical or cancellation ceiling is not directly comparable to a higher rate with a 10 million pound medical limit.
What is covered and excluded
On the Direct Travel branded product, the company quotes emergency medical cover of up to 10 million pounds and cancellation cover of up to 6,000 pounds per traveller. It states that declared medical conditions are included, subject to an online medical screening process, and references cover for pre-existing conditions up to 10 million pounds within the medical limit. Twenty-four hour emergency medical assistance is offered every day.
Standard exclusions apply and are significant. The company states that policies are available to UK residents only, and that undisclosed pre-existing conditions are excluded, which aligns with FCDO guidance that failing to declare existing conditions or pending treatment can invalidate a policy. Travel against Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advice is also excluded. As FCDO guidance notes, cruises generally require an additional level of cover and some activities need a specialist add-on, so a base policy will not automatically extend to every trip type. The precise excess, baggage single-article limits and activity lists sit in the scheme-specific wording.
How Direct Travel compares
The defining feature against single-underwriter brands such as Staysure, which sells under one carrier (TICORP Limited, FCA number 663617), is breadth of panel. Direct Travel's multi-underwriter model means a buyer can in principle be matched to the carrier whose appetite fits their risk, particularly for medical or activity-heavy trips. The trade-off is that consistency of terms across the range cannot be assumed, and the underwriter, claims handler and limits must be checked per scheme.
On headline limits the branded product sits in a competitive band: a 10 million pound medical ceiling is in line with mainstream comprehensive products, while the 6,000 pound per-traveller cancellation limit is lower than some rivals that quote 15,000 pounds or more. Whether that gap matters depends entirely on the value of the trip being insured against cancellation risk.
How to make a claim
Because cover is spread across multiple underwriters, Direct Travel does not route every claim through a single handler. The company provides underwriter-specific claims contact numbers and email addresses rather than one universal line, so the first step for a policyholder is to identify which scheme and insurer is named on their policy documents and use the contact details supplied for that scheme. For medical emergencies abroad, the 24 hour emergency assistance line listed in the policy schedule should be used before incurring private treatment costs, since pre-authorisation requirements vary by insurer. General customer enquiries are handled on 0330 880 3600.
If a claim is declined and the policyholder believes the decision is wrong, the matter can be escalated through the insurer's complaints process and, if unresolved after eight weeks or a deadlock letter, referred to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
Who Direct Travel might suit
The model is most relevant to travellers who value choice of carrier and are comfortable reading scheme-level documents rather than buying a single fixed product. Someone with declared medical conditions, or planning an activity or cruise trip, may benefit from a panel that can route the risk to a suitable underwriter. Conversely, a buyer who wants one consistent set of terms and a single claims handler may find a single-underwriter brand simpler to manage. In every case the decision should rest on the specific scheme wording, the underwriter named on it, and the cover limits that apply at the tier quoted, not on the umbrella brand alone.
