LIST: ONLINE TRAVEL INSURANCE COMPANIES

1 Stop Travel Insurance	0870 112 6122	Online quote & buy site for annual, single trip, winter sport, backpackers and long stay travel insurance.
24/7 Travel Insurance	0845 260 1580	New online brand for specialist travel insurance provider, P J Hayman and Company Ltd, launched May 06.
AA Travel Insurance	0845 092 0606	One of the 'big boys' in travel insurance. They cover all the standard stuff - single trip, annual, wintersports - but also provide some specialist cover like golf cover and wedding cover.
Accomplish Travel Insurance	020 8398 8986	Travel insurance for holidays, single trips, winter sport, backpackers, ski, snowboarding, annual and long stay.
American Express	0800 700 707	The travel services giant has a full range of single/multi trip policies that can be bought or quoted online.
Atlas Direct	020 7609 5000	Atlas offers a larger range of policies than the usual Single & Multi-trip options, EG Flight Only Insurance, Coach Only Insurance, and basic 'Pioneer' insurance for backpackers. There's good off-piste cover for skiers and a tailored range of cover for specific "dangerous sports" - that's insurance-speak for perfectly normal holiday activities like clay pidgeon shooting, ballooning, fishing, cycling, etc.
Aviva	0800 051 3606	Single & multi-trip policies. (Formerly Norwich Union Direct)
Bikini Travel Insurance		A new (2011) brand from Dogtag Insurance, aimed at women (& their families). "Cover developed for women by women". It covers standard travel insurance stuff like medical and repatriation cover, but adds girl-specific features like personal belongings cover for everything from your Jimmy Choo shoes to your Marc Jacobs' handbags, and the Hen Party and Bride's packages giving added cover for those special events. It also has a 24/7 crisis response service providing a dedicated security detail to get you home safely either by offering advice or by coming to your rescue should a threatening situation arise.
Bradford & Bingley	0800 169 4078	Even though its high street branches were swallowed up by the Santander/Abbey group after the credit crunch debacle in 2008, some parts of the B&B; brand remain, and insurance is one of them. Single trip and annual travel policies for travellers up to 79 years old.
Cheap Travel Insurance	08450 264 264	Cheaptravelinsurance.com offers low cost travel insurance for single trip and annual multi trip cover. Cruise travel is included as standard on their policies. They also offer policies for long stay cover and add ons for golf and wintersports activities. Cover available up to age 80.
Churchill	0800 026 4050	Standards types of policy plus cover for pets (good fit with the brand id!), automatic cover on business trips, and a no-claims discount on annual policies.
Columbus Direct	020 7375 0011	The one with the St Bernard dog cartoon logo. The website has been improved (it used to be focused on selling, not browsing details) and there's a good selection of insurances including Over-64, 'Pre-existing' (medical), Business, and Backpacker. Columbus also providers of customised travel insurance policies to members of the British Guild of Travel Writers.
Cover-All	020 7739 3444	Family insurance from Marcus Hearn & Co Ltd who have been insurers for business (individuals, conference and affinity groups) and leisure travellers for 40 years, and claim to be the first to introduce the annual multi trip policy to the general pubic in 1976.
Directline	0845 246 8704	'Mr Big' in the insurance industry. Has three types of travel insurance: Single trip, Annual Multi-trip, and a "Discoverer" policy aimed at back-packers on extended trips of 3 to 18 months.
Direct Travel Insurance	0845 605 2700	A selection of singletrip, multitrip, backpacker, winter sports, etc, policies.
Dogtag	0800 0364824	Activity insurance specialists. Watersports and extreme ski cover. It used to be that if you had a ski crash in the French Alps the first thing the First Aid skiers did was check you over for a 'Carte Niege' (French ski insurance) tag to see if you were insured! Maybe that's where Dogtag got the idea from. Everybody named on a Dogtag policy gets their own personalised tag to wear around the neck.
Down Under Insurance	0800 393 908	Insurance aimed at backpackers and for campervan tourers.
Flexicover Direct	0845 223 4500	Single Trip, Annual-Multi Trip, Gap Year, Long Stay and Winter Sports cover. Plus insurance for both pre-existing medical conditions and over 65 insurance cover. Flexicover cover over 100 sports & activities as standard policy and more than 300 medical conditions are covered at no cost.
Fogg Travel Insurance	01623 631331	Specially designed policies for sports, winter sports, golf and a UK domestic travel insurance policy called 'GBsure'
Global Travel Insurance	01903 203933	Mostly an insurance intermediary to the travel trade, but they also offer personal cover to travellers, particularly for older travellers and those with pre-existing medical conditions, without the need for medical screening.
GoSure.com	0845 222 0020	Instant online travel insurance through WebSure. They offer single-trip, multi-trip, ski, and backpacker policies. Single trip policies can be tailored by destination.
Go Travel Insurance	0844 482 0880	Specialist online travel insurance company with a simple-to-use site.
Harrison Beaumont	0870 1217 590	A range of specific niche policies for travellers, especially those interested in adventure/expedition holidays, backpacking and activity holidays, such as sports equipment cover, gap-year cover, etc
insurance 4carhire.com	020 7328 9034	Offers a competitive insurance alternative to the excess/damage waiver add-ons offered by car rental companies.
Insurance Choice	0844 55 77 688	Insurance broker specialising in bespoke solutions for travel insurance.
Insure & Go	0844 888 2787	Claim to be 'UK's Largest Direct Travel Insurance provider'. They started with those Scratch & Go travel insurance scratch cards sold at airport shops. Travellers activate the insurance by scratching off the card’s panel to reveal a validation code and then contacting Insure & Go by phone.
InsureMore	0870 054 0162	Cheap travel insurance with free 'acts of terrorism' cover on all travel policies. InsureMore won the Travolution Best Travel Insurance Website Award 2008. Travolution focus on the user-experience and ease-of-use of e-commerce.
In Tune Group	0800 0223 192	In Tune Group is Help the Aged's associated financial services company providing financial services to the over 50s (and a revenue stream for Help the Aged). They offer travel insurance with no upper age limit.
JS Insurance	0870 755 6101	Standard single-Trip and Annual Premium for the UK, Europe or Worldwide, from Jade Stanley, underwritten by Axa.
JustGo Insurance	0870 870 4403	Single-trip & multi-trip policies for under-65s and over-65s. A "trading style" of Rock Insurance Services Ltd.
Leading Edge	0870 112 8099	Single Trip, Annual, Snowsports and Backpacker insurance aimed at young travellers... or at least under 45! Flexibly designed add-on cover for a range of sports & activities.
M&S Money	0800 731 2424	UK, European and Worldwide cover, plus cardholder points! M&S Money won 'Best Online Travel Insurance Provider' at the Your Money Direct awards 2006 and 2008.
Natwest	0800 051 5401	Standard single & multi-trip policies. Details of cover available online but you need to purchase by phone (there's a 'call back' option).
Navigator Travel Insurance	0161 973 6435	A range of insurance to suit different travellers, including travel insurance for backpacking, volunteering, student and gap year holidays.
Online TravelCover.com	0844 249 9280	A range of policies that can be bought online or through their call centre. Aka Online Travel Insurance Services.
Preferential	01702 423280	WorldTrekker, Multi Trip, Single Trip and WinterSports policies available. Easy to use site.
Quote Banana	0845 092 0600	Easy-to-use online comparison site for travel insurance. Once you've made your selection visitors can buy instant cover directly through the Quote Banana website.
RAC Travel Insurance	0800 404 6346	Standard range of travel insurance policies, but also car, caravan & motorhome cover for self-drive holidays.
Post Office	0800 169 9999	Single, multi-trip, & ski insurance available for singles, couples, families, and lone-parents.
Simple Travel Insurance	0870 444 3778	Does what it says on the tin - simple low cost travel insurance policies including backpacker, winter sports, single trip and annual travel insurance policies.
Sportscover.co.uk	0845 120 6400	Good source for independent insurance for activity holidays. Specialists in insurance for individual active holidaymakers and amateur sportsmen & women, but also for amateur sports teams.
Staysure.co.uk	0870 046 4560	Staysure (launched 2004) specialise in insuring older travellers with instant cover for customers up to the age of 80 including those with existing medical conditions. Staysure is underwritten by Mondial Assistance.
TopDog Insurance	0800 093 6686	Comprehensive range of travel and holiday insurance (Single Trip, Annual Multi Trip, Winter Sports, Gap Year or Long Stay policies) offering cover for existing medical conditions and the over 65s. Policies underwritten by Axa Insurance.
Essential Travel	n/a	One of those online travel services companies selling airport hotels, parking, lounges, car hire...and travel insurance - in their case, a range of policies from Single Trip to backpacker underwritten by Axa and covering travellers up to 74 years of age.
Travel-Insurance.co.uk	0800 013 1213	A brand of Atlas Direct (See above)
Travel Insurance Direct	0800 652 9944	Single trip and multi trip insurance, with cover for ski holiday, backpackers, students and business travellers. Some policies offer free child cover, and all provide a 14 day money back guarantee. They also sell Motorcycle cover and European Car Breakdown Assistance.
Travel Insurance Quotes	01931 71 11 71	Simple to use site that allows you to get comparative quotes from a number (4) of different online insurers. Part of theidol.com which in turn is a "trading style" of Investment Discounts On-Line Ltd.
UnravelIt.com		Independent online financial service offering deals on energy, insurance and financial needs. Competitive prices on single trip and annual travel insurance.
Virgin Money Travel Insurance	0844 888 3900	Single trip & annual travel insurance, plus up to 3 kids under 18 covered free, over 65s cover, worldwide backpackers cover, and 40 adventure sports included as standard (eg. mountain biking, bungee jumping and windsurfing).
Worldwide Travel Insurance	01892 83 33 38	Usual range of policies such as Annual, Single Trip, Wintersports and European Breakdown, but also Longstay policies for backpackers and those working abroad for up to 18 month, Lonstay for non-UK residents, and USA Car Hire cover. Sister company to Leading Edge above.

Notes

• The Review Centre has a useful and comprehensive list of travel insurance brand reviews. Given the caveat with all review sites (people mostly use them to complain) there are a surprising number of positive reviews, but be wary, everything 'above the fold' is advertising, the reviews start lower down.
• UK Travel Insurance Directory is also a good place to look for general and specialist travel insurance companies.
• Diabetic Travel (does not sell or quote online) specialises in travel insurance for diabetics. Cover includes ski & scuba.
• Squaremouth, launched initially in the USA in 2001 and now in the UK, is a stylish (we love their help boxes!) online travel insurance brokerage. You describe what you need and it returns a list of appropriate policies for comparison.
• MyHolidayInsurance provides detailed information on insurance companies that supply travel insurance to people with specific medical problems or who are over 65.