• Travellers who buy their insurance from a travel agent when deciding on their holiday package are wasting about £100 million every year on over-priced policies; that`s money they could have spent on enjoying their holiday!
• Despite their policies being far more expensive, travel agents account for about half of all travel insurance policies sold in the UK. In 2001 travel agents made up 58% of the travel insurance market, about £326 million.
• Travel agents are not required to have their insurance products regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). This is in direct contrast to other providers of financial services.
• The Consumers Association has long been a critic of travel agents that sell financial products. Its spokesperson commented: "It doesn`t make sense that the level of protection you get against mis-selling is dependent on where you choose to buy your travel insurance."
• If you buy an FSA regulated product (such as a travel insurance policy that was NOT sold by a travel agent), you have access to the Financial Ombudsmen Service if things go wrong. The Ombudsmen is independent and regulated by statute, which enables it to investigate and take action against rogue sellers of insurance policies.
• The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) offers an arbitration service, but this is self-regulated by the travel industry. If you were to have a problem with the policy provided to you by a travel agent there would be very little you could do about it.

Please note that information contained on The Insurance Page web site does not constitute regulated financial advice, which recommends a course of action based upon the specifics of your personal circumstances. The web site is intended to provide general personal financial information. We urge you to consult an Independent Financial Adviser (IFA) before making any important decisions about your finances.