Columbus Direct 123 Houndsditch, London EC3A 7BU

"The nature of insurance itself probably has a tendency to highlighting people's negative experiences in online reviews. I have to say that my experience with Columbus has always been positive. They have always been very competitively prices for a reasonable level of cover (I was fully aware that I could have paid a lot more in order to slightly more comprehensive cover but I knew that on taking out the policy). For the first time this last year I had need to claim on my policy as I needed to take my teenage son to hospital in Turkey. I have to say that filing the claim online was easy as I had all the relevant receipts, and Columbus then paid the claim quickly and without any query - certainly much easier than I thought the process would be. So for the premium paid, I am more than satisfied with the cover provided and claims process and will continue using them."

"Me and my partner went on holiday and took out an insurance with Columbus and unfortunately we got stuck in Greece 3 months ago as our flight was delayed then cancelled and they couldn’t give us a return flight for 3 days! When I spoke to someone from Columbus on the day they were so helpful told me I would be covered and reassured me but since then, I haven’t received an email from them since October despite me emailing pretty much every single week with all the information I have and they’ve asked for. They have caused so much stress and pretty much lied to me, I won’t EVER be using this company again."

"I have always used Columbus Direct for my travel insurance and have never until now had to make a claim. After my experience with them, I will never be using them again. I am still waiting to hear back from Columbus Direct for a claim I submitted back in February. I have provided all necessary documents to them but they have done nothing. The last email from them was back in July telling me they are still experiencing delays and despite many emails from myself, since then, I have heard absolutely nothing. I doubt I shall ever hear from them again or see a penny regarding my claim so for this reason I cannot recommend their services to anyone. Unfortunately, I have learnt the hard way and have lost a lot of money. You get what you pay for. From now on I will pay more for an insurance company with a better service and reputation. UPDATE: It seems I should have complained earlier as, within a matter of hours from writing this review, my claim has now been approved! Such a shame it took so long to get a response but I am happy with the outcome now. Thank you, Columbus Direct."

"Awful service. Poor customer care. communication very slow. I have sent endless emails, letter and calls and still after nearly a month i have not had my claim processed. Have had to send several copies of the same documentation, they keep asking for copies. I have been passed from one team to another, and still no resolution. they say they are 'busy'... this is unacceptable. Do NOT use columbus."

"Having previously left a negative comment, as my claim's been processed last week, I now have to give credit to Columbus insurance. Our family holiday had to be cancelled 5 days prior to our trip and we only managed to get a partial refund from the hotel and no refund for our plane tickets. Initially, our claim was rejected by Columbus. This was down to an (in my opinion) error in Columbus online claims system. So, I left a negative reviews everywhere I could and then pretty much wrote off almost 2K that we were hoping insurance would pay us back. Within a few days, I've got a phone call from Columbus. I re-sent some of the documents and was promised that my claim will be dealt with within 48 hours, unless more documentation is needed from me. Next working day I got an email confirmation that my claim will be paid out within 5 days. 2 days later a full refund (less excess) was in my bank account. One thing that I do want to male clear. My claim was a for a genuine cancellation that was a result of me having to undergo an eye surgery. Although I've been with Columbus for many years, I never claimed in the past, although there were situations when I could have (damaged suitcases, missing items of irrelevant value etc) as we see our cover as a security for when things don't work out and the damage is substantial. I want to thank Anathi as well as anyone else involved in reviewing and processing our claim. Would I buy Columbus travel insurance again? Absolutely!"