FOS Travel Insurance Complaints UK: Annual Data by Provider

How the FOS reports travel insurance disputes

The Financial Ombudsman Service publishes business-level complaints data twice a year. For each provider that meets the reporting threshold, the data shows complaints received, complaints resolved and the share decided in the consumer's favour. That uphold rate indicates how often the FOS overturned an insurer's final response once a travel dispute reached it.

Travel insurance is reported within the general insurance category rather than always on a dedicated line. The published figure for a given provider may therefore blend travel with other general insurance products. Anyone focused on travel disputes specifically should read the underlying dataset and remember that the headline number is not a travel-only metric in every table.

The uphold rate works best read alongside volume and across several periods. A high rate signals frequent disagreement with the provider's handling of escalated cases. A large absolute count often just reflects a big book of business, since millions of trips are insured each year. Reading both numbers together avoids treating size alone as a sign of poor service.

Why medical and cancellation claims dominate

Travel complaints cluster around two claim types. Cancellation claims arise when a trip is cut short or called off before departure, often because of illness, a bereavement or a change in circumstances. Disputes follow where the insurer says the reason falls outside the listed insured causes, or where the consumer cannot evidence the cancellation cost they are claiming.

Medical claims abroad are the other major category, and the financial stakes can be very high. Disputes turn on whether emergency treatment was covered, whether the consumer followed the policy's medical assistance procedures, and whether a pre-existing condition played a part. Many policies require the insurer's medical assistance line to authorise treatment, and complaints arise where consumers did not realise this.

Pre-existing medical conditions are the single most contentious area. Travel policies require accurate disclosure of medical history at purchase, often through a medical screening process. Where a claim is later linked to a condition that was not declared, the insurer may decline it. Whether that decline is fair depends heavily on how the question was asked and how the consumer answered.

Non-disclosure and the 2012 Act

Non-disclosure disputes are governed by the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012. For consumer policies this replaced the old duty to volunteer all material facts with a duty to take reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation. The insurer's remedy now depends on whether any misrepresentation was careless or deliberate, and on what it would have done had it known the true position.

This matters in travel claims. If a consumer made an innocent or careless mistake about their medical history, an insurer cannot simply void the policy and refuse everything. The remedy must be proportionate: the insurer may settle the claim in part, charge a higher premium retrospectively, or reduce the payout in proportion. The FOS examines whether the screening questions were clear and whether the insurer's response was proportionate under the Act.

Cooling-off rights also feature. Under the FCA's ICOBS 7 rules, most travel policies carry a 14-day cancellation right from the later of the start of cover or receiving the documents, with a refund subject to any cover already used. Disputes about refunds, mid-term cancellations and the handling of annual multi-trip policies all appear in the complaint figures.

How to check a specific travel provider

To look up a provider, download the FOS dataset for the period, find the business by name, and read the general insurance line. Travel cover is frequently sold under a brand but underwritten by a separate insurer or arranged through an intermediary, so the policy documents may name several entities. The underwriter is usually the entity whose complaint figures are most relevant.

Read the uphold rate against the volume and across periods. Seasonal patterns matter in travel: a disrupted summer or a major operational event, such as widespread flight cancellations, can drive a temporary surge in both complaints and uphold rates. One half-year may not be representative, so several periods give a steadier read.

Travel disputes are also shaped by external events covered, or not covered, by policies. The way providers handled pandemic-era cancellations, for example, generated large numbers of complaints. Reading the FOS data with an eye to what was happening in the travel market during the period helps explain spikes that are not simply down to poor service.

Bringing a travel complaint and likely outcomes

The FCA's DISP rules set the route. The consumer complains to the provider first; the provider has up to eight weeks to issue a final response; the case becomes eligible for the FOS if the consumer disagrees or eight weeks pass. The usual limits apply: six months from the final response, and within six years of the event or three years from awareness.

The FOS decides on what is fair and reasonable, weighing the policy wording, the 2012 Act, FCA rules and good industry practice. For a declined medical claim it will look at the screening questions, the medical evidence and whether any non-disclosure remedy was proportionate. For cancellation it will examine whether the reason genuinely fell outside the insured causes.

Where it upholds a complaint, the FOS can direct the provider to pay a declined claim, settle it in part where a proportionate remedy applies, or compensate for poor handling. Decisions bind the provider if the consumer accepts them, up to the FOS award limits, while the consumer keeps the right to go to court. Keeping booking confirmations, medical evidence, the policy schedule and the screening record makes a travel complaint much easier to assess.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common travel insurance complaints at the FOS?

Declined medical claims abroad, cancellation and curtailment disputes, and non-disclosure of pre-existing conditions are the most common. Disputes about exclusions and refund handling on cancelled policies also feature.

Can my insurer refuse everything if I forgot to declare a condition?

Not necessarily. Under the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012, the remedy for a careless misrepresentation must be proportionate. The FOS checks whether the screening was clear and whether the insurer's response was proportionate.

Does a 14-day cooling-off period apply to travel insurance?

Yes, for most policies. Under FCA ICOBS 7 you generally have 14 days to cancel from the later of the cover start or receiving the documents, with a refund subject to any cover already used.

Does the FOS publish a travel-only uphold rate per provider?

Not always. Travel is usually reported within the general insurance category, so the figure may blend travel with other products. The underlying dataset can be examined for more detail.

How long do I have to complain to the FOS about a travel claim?

Normally six months from the provider's final response, and within six years of the event or three years from when you became aware of the problem.

Is there any charge to bring a travel insurance complaint to the FOS?

No. The service is free to consumers. Any case fee is paid by the provider in defined circumstances, never by the traveller.