Truly awful. I have been trying to renew my annual travel insurance policy online. The Portal is not fit for purpose and kicked me out over a dozen times whilst trying to renew the policy. Phoned cust... See more
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5weeks and still waiting an answer on a simple claim re bereavement cancellation. Issue appears to be with their "agent" Collisons. Wont be buying from them again.
I've been a customer of Columbus for many years. This year, for the first time I had to make a claim due to a travel delay and missed flights out of my control. The claims process did require th... See more
Communication quite poor. Any queries while overseas must be made to a UK phone number. There is no option to make contact through WhatsApp or email, despite the info pack saying email is an option.... See more
Company replied
Company details
- #66 of 66 best companies in Travel Insurance Company
- #222 of 223 best companies in Insurance agency
Information provided by various external sources
Columbus is one of the UK's leading Travel Insurance providers. Established in 1988, we were the first company to sell travel insurance direct to the consumer, cutting out the middle man and saving our customers up to 60% in the process. Over 20 years on we have covered over 15 million travellers all around the world. We put our customers first and have won multiple awards for our cover and customer service including the ITIJ Travel Insurance Intermediary of the year award and also the Best Travel Insurance Provider from the Personal Finance Awards.
Why choose Columbus Direct?
Written by the company

- Great value travel insurance
- Columbus provides great value travel insurance and award winning customer service. With single trip cover starting at just £2.69 and annual policies from £22.
- Flexible cover
- With 3 levels of cover to choose from; Bronze, Silver or Gold - you are bound to find a policy to suit your needs.
- Excellent Benefits
- Columbus policies offer a wide range of benefits including up to £15 million emergency medical expenses, 24hr English speaking assistance service, cancellation cover up to £5,000, cover for lost, stolen or damaged baggage up to £2,500. Plus kids go free on all family annual policies.
14 day money back guarantee
Not happy with your policy? It's not a problem with our money back guarantee...
Contact info
Cutlers Exchange, 123 Houndsditch, EC3A 7BU , London
- 0800 068 0060
- customer.service@columbusdirect.com
- www.columbusdirect.com
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Horrible customer service
Used to be good. Horrible customer service. I was called once, couldn't pick up the phone and the person couldn't bother to try again. Sent me an email to which I replied and still waiting for an answer. The number I was called from cannot accept calls so I can't contact them. Sent an email complaining about it and got a different number. Called this number but they could help. I was told a person who could actually help would call me straight away but nothing. I can't wait for your call all day, people need to work too you know?
quick respond to enquiry... very reliable company to deal with
quick respond to my enquiry via email (less then 2 min)
excellent customer service
Forget the free lounge
Without mentioning the delay in handling claims, and complaints, good luck with those…
Also the free lounge is just to lure you to buy their insurance products. The entry ticket will take over an hour to be sent following the delay announcement making it completely pointless in most of cases. This is based on 2 episodes, in different countries.
Absolutely shocking
Absolutely shocking! No reply from email or can’t get
Through on the phone!!
WOULD NOT RECOMMEND AT ALL
Me and my partner went on holiday and…
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
May use AI-assist with repliesRead more
Couldnt leave no Stars or i would have
Couldnt leave no Stars or i would have. Race i was entered in Hawaii was cancelled i had taken out a Gold policy with columbus not worth the paper its written on. Couldnt get back admin fees from virgin for flights and couldnt get money back for trip cancellation. Dont waste money go elsewhere

Reply from Columbus Direct
We were delayed over 12 hours and we…
We were delayed over 12 hours and we used the airport lounge.
Why would they even sell me cover for…
Why would they even sell me cover for only France if I need full Europe cover for my visa? So frustrating
Edit - I'm grateful for my response from the Columbus Direct and their ability to upgrade my France cover to EU quickly over the phone while I was at the airport. To answer their question - their website should somehow be able to advise purchasers that buying cover for just France will not be adequate for a Shenghan visa for travelling purposes and that EU cover is in fact the correct option to select.

Reply from Columbus Direct
Allergic reaction on holiday in Spain…
Allergic reaction on holiday in Spain came home on Friday 25 th November claimed on the Saturday 26th November settled the same day outstanding service highly recommend
Breakfast service could be better
Beautiful hotel with great reception service. Although breakfast service could be improved as I'd sometimes have to go up on a few occasions to remind them that I was still waiting for food.

Reply from Columbus Direct
Great value product with excellent customer service
Whilst we haven’t had to make a claim on our insurance the customer service is excellent and the product is perfect for our holiday needs (this is our 3rd renewal) at a very reasonable price. The inclusion of SCUBA diving (to 30m) is a very welcome part of the package.
Simple & efficient
Really awful service I waited 6 months…
Really awful service I waited 6 months to hear back about my claim and then was charged for renewal after chasing it. I’m still chasing the refund for the renewal.
I would really avoid this company as an insurance provider

Reply from Columbus Direct
Very easy and clear online process.
Very easy and clear online process.
Very competitive rates
Prices for our annual cover have gone…
Prices for our annual cover have gone up quite a lot in the last couple of years but the company and the insurance policy is good and covers us for the range of things we want and has a few useful extras !!
You need a lot of patience
Received an email to renew my travel insurance, just click below.
Despite several emails and two phone calls the link never worked and I had to renew over the phone.
I would have given up if annoyingly the quote hadn't been the cheapest of several insurance providers.
Good value and easy to choose and set up
Had holiday without need of insurance
Had holiday without need of insurance, but reassured by having cover if needed.
Have still not heard back about my…
Have still not heard back about my claim that I made 2 months ago despite contact being promised twice no email or contact received when promised. Used Columbus for my travel insurance for 20 years, but this is the first time I’ve tried to claim and won’t be using them again, they have lost a long time customer.
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