- Puffin Insurance is a trading name of Puffin Group UK Ltd, registered at Companies House under number 09545476 and authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under firm reference number 737328.
- The travel cover is underwritten by Inter Partner Assistance S.A., which is part of the AXA Group and authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority under reference number 202664.
- Single trip and annual multi-trip policies are sold across four tiers (Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum), with emergency medical and repatriation cover of up to 10 million pounds.
- Cover is available for travellers aged 18 to 84 who are permanently resident in the UK and registered with a UK GP.
- Pre-existing medical conditions must be declared and screened before the relevant sections will respond to a claim.
What Puffin Insurance is
Puffin Insurance is a trading name used by Puffin Group UK Ltd, a company incorporated on 16 April 2015 and listed as active at Companies House under registration number 09545476, with a registered office in Whitland, Wales. The firm is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under firm reference number 737328, which can be checked on the FCA register. Puffin sells the policy directly to the public rather than acting as a broker advising between rival insurers, and the documentation states that customers will not receive advice or a personal recommendation when buying.
The brand offers two main product structures: single trip cover for one defined holiday, and annual multi-trip cover that runs for a 12 month period and covers repeated trips up to a maximum duration per trip set out in the policy schedule. Cover is sold for destinations worldwide, and the policy is described as valid only where the trip starts and finishes in the UK.
Who underwrites the cover
The party that actually carries the financial risk on a travel policy matters more than the brand on the certificate, because that is who pays valid claims. For Puffin travel cover, the policy wording states that the insurance is underwritten by Inter Partner Assistance S.A. for all sections except gadget cover. Inter Partner Assistance S.A. is part of the AXA Group and is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority under firm reference number 202664, operating in the UK through a branch office at 106-118 Station Road, Redhill, RH1 1PR.
Gadget cover, where selected, is handled separately: the policy wording records that this section is underwritten by Great Lakes Insurance UK Limited, arranged on its behalf by ERGO TIS, and administered for claims by Taurus Insurance Services Limited. The split means a gadget claim follows a different route from a medical or cancellation claim, which is worth noting before buying the gadget add-on.
What policies Puffin offers
Travel cover is structured across four named tiers: Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum. The tier chosen affects the excess and the headline limits on several sections rather than the core protection. The excess for all sections except gadget cover is recorded as 99 pounds per insured person per incident on the lower tier, falling to 75 pounds and then 50 pounds on the higher tiers, capped at a maximum of two excesses per claim.
Maximum trip length under an annual multi-trip policy depends on the tier. The wording states that Silver and Gold annual multi-trip policies cover trips of up to 32 consecutive days each, while Platinum annual multi-trip policies extend this to 45 consecutive days. Any trip that runs beyond the maximum number of days shown in the schedule has no cover for the additional days, so the tier choice has a direct effect on longer holidays. Optional sections include winter sports cover, cruise cover and gadget cover, each shown on the schedule only when the relevant additional premium has been paid.
Pricing structure
Puffin does not publish a fixed price list, because travel premiums are rated on the trip, the travellers and the cover selected rather than offered as a flat figure. The premium reflects factors such as the destination region, trip length, the ages of those insured, the tier chosen and any declared medical conditions or optional sections. As a result, a quote is generated individually rather than displayed as a standing rate.
The cancellation and refund terms are set out directly. All policies attract a full refund if cancelled within 14 days of the start date or receipt of documents, provided no trip has been taken and no claim made. Outside that window, single trip policies are refunded at 65 per cent if cancelled before the trip starts, and annual multi-trip policies are refunded at 5 per cent for each full month remaining. These figures are fixed contractual terms rather than negotiable amounts.
What is covered and excluded
The headline protection on the travel policy is emergency medical and repatriation cover of up to 10 million pounds per insured person per trip, which is the section most likely to produce a large claim abroad. The policy also carries personal liability cover of up to 2 million pounds, legal expenses and assistance of up to 15,000 pounds, and personal accident benefits including a 5,000 pounds sum for death or permanent total disablement for insured persons aged 16 to 64. Baggage cover applies to items that are accidentally lost, damaged or stolen during the trip, subject to a single article limit of 200 pounds and separate sub-limits for valuables, cash and important documents.
Cancellation and curtailment, baggage and hospital benefit limits rise across the tiers, so the same risk is covered to a higher cash ceiling on Gold and Platinum than on Bronze and Silver. Exclusions follow the pattern common to UK travel policies. The wording excludes losses that occur outside a valid trip, and it excludes claims arising directly or indirectly from a pre-existing medical condition unless that condition has been declared and accepted. Failure to take reasonable steps to prevent loss, theft or damage can lead to a deduction from a claim, and undeclared information can lead to a claim being refused or reduced.
Cover for cancellation, emergency medical and repatriation, personal accident and cruise sections does not respond to claims arising from a pre-existing medical condition unless that condition has been declared and accepted. Puffin directs customers to declare conditions by telephone on 0333 772 0346 or through online medical screening before relying on those sections.
How Puffin compares
The 10 million pounds emergency medical ceiling sits at the level seen across many UK travel policies, and is consistent with the scale of claim the wider market reports. The Association of British Insurers stated, in figures published on 21 August 2025, that its members paid 472 million pounds across more than 500,000 travel claims in 2024, that medical claims accounted for 262 million pounds of that total, and that the average medical claim was 1,528 pounds, with one member paying over 1 million pounds for a single United States hospitalisation and repatriation. Against that backdrop, the headline medical limit is the section a buyer is most likely to test in a serious incident.
Where Puffin differs from open-ended propositions is the age band. The brand site states cover for travellers aged 18 to 84, which is a defined upper boundary rather than an unlimited one, and the policy requires permanent UK residence and registration with a UK GP. The trip-length caps of 32 or 45 consecutive days on annual multi-trip cover also distinguish it from policies built around longer single trips.
How to make a claim
Most claims are made online. The policy wording directs customers to make a claim for cancellation, medical and the majority of sections through the AXA-operated hub at hub.puffin.uk.axa.travel, where an emergency medical assistance service is described as available 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Gadget cover, where purchased, follows a separate route administered by Taurus, with an online portal and a dedicated telephone line. For emergency medical situations abroad, the wording requires prior contact with and authorisation from the emergency medical assistance service before repatriation or certain treatment costs are incurred.
If a medical expense is reduced because a Global Health Insurance Card or private health insurance has been used, the policy states that the excess under the medical emergency and repatriation section is not deducted. A GHIC is free and covers medically necessary state healthcare in participating countries, but it does not cover repatriation or private treatment, so it complements rather than replaces the policy.
Who Puffin might suit
The structure points to a particular kind of traveller. The four-tier design lets a buyer trade a lower premium and higher excess on Bronze and Silver against larger cancellation, baggage and hospital benefit limits and a longer per-trip cap on Gold and Platinum. The defined 18 to 84 age band and the worldwide single trip and annual multi-trip options fit a UK resident planning conventional holidays within those trip-length limits. Travellers with declared medical conditions, those wanting trips longer than the stated per-trip caps, or those over the upper age limit would need to confirm eligibility and screening outcomes directly before assuming cover applies. As with any travel policy, the verified limits and exclusions in the current wording should be checked against the specific trip before purchase.
