Insurers Commit to Extending COVID-19 Customer Pledges

LONDON, England, Aug. 29 -- The Association of British Insurers issued the following news:

Pledges made by members of the Association of British Insurers (ABI) to support customers during the Covid-19 crisis are being extended to 31st October 2020.

It remains the case that office-based workers who are working from home or employees who are driving to their workplace as a result of the pandemic do not need to contact their insurer to update or extend their cover arrangements.

Pet owners continue to benefit from the reassurance that being unable to access veterinary services will not invalidate a pet insurance policy and insurers will continue to be flexible on policy conditions requiring a pet to have a vaccination or health check. The pledge from pet insurers will be reviewed on 30th September 2020.

Insurers made a number of customer pledges as the UK entered lockdown in March 2020 in recognition of the stressful and difficult time facing many households. The pledges were part of a package of support measures offered by the insurance industry which also included policy extensions and donating pound sterling84m to the Covid-19 Support Fund to help those hardest hit by the crisis.

Mark Shepherd, ABI Assistant Director, Head of General Insurance Policy, said:

"Insurers are committed to helping customers throughout these challenging times. If you are an office-based worker who is working from home or an employee driving to your workplace because of the pandemic you are covered. The insurance industry plays a vital role as a final safety net for customers and the extension of these customer pledges demonstrates the industry's commitment to supporting those impacted by the crisis."

The home and motor insurance pledges agreed to:

* Support those who need to make a claim and do everything possible to continue handling claims despite the challenging circumstances.

* Support those who are working from home. If you are an office-based worker and are working from home as a result of the pandemic, your home insurance cover will not be affected. You do not need to contact your insurer to update your documents or extend your cover.

* Support those who cannot work from home. If you have to drive to your workplace because of the impact of Covid-19, your insurance policy will not be affected. You do not need to contact your insurer to update your documents or extend your cover.

* Support those who use their cars to help their communities. If you are using your own car for voluntary purposes to transport medicines or groceries to support others who are impacted by Covid-19, your cover will not be affected. You do not need to contact your insurer to update your documents or extend your cover. This applies to all categories of NHS Volunteer Responders, including transporting patients, equipment, or other essential supplies.

* Support our key workers. If your work is critical to the national response to Covid-19 and you need to use your own car to drive to different locations for work purposes because of the impact of Covid-19, your cover will not be affected. You do not need to contact your insurer to update your documents or extend your cover.

The home and motor pledges were due to be reviewed on 1st September 2020 and will remain in place until 31st October, at which point they will be reviewed again.