STA Travel Insurance

I paid a ridiculously high amount for this travel insurance and managed to claim nothing. The times I did ask questions about claims I would get an email apologizing about a longer than normal response rate, saying the wait would be 10 days, and then on one of my claims this was followed by a letter in the post saying it would take 20 days. In the end they rejected my claim for no good reason that I could see. They pretty much robbed me.

I had to phone the emergency line whilst I was in South america. The person at the other end told me to pay for the necessary expensed and that it would be covered by the insurance but it wasn't, even though I took out their most expensive policy. Basically they make you cover your own costs and then worm their way out of paying it back.

I travelled the globe for 8 months and during that time had a number of things stolen, was injured on a moped which mounted up a lot of hospital bills including an MRI scan in NZ. When i returned home, I put in the claim and they paid up within a few weeks. No questions asked. They even allowed me to claim for the hire car that I needed to get to the hospital each day! I'd definitely use them again for a long trip.

STA sell this insurance as if it is a premium product. Have a very careful read of the 'exclusions' and you'll see a get-out clause for anything that's likely to happen. Needless to say, they have not paid for our medical claim. Furthermore their underwriters, brokers and their parent companies are unhelpful and obstructive. I have sent queries to both STA and the insurers but have no answers to most of my questions. (eg. what proportion of claims are paid?)

I am sure STA and all the 'hanger-on' companies do very well but you the traveller will not!

I'd give them all zero stars but this review cannot be submitted unless I give one star.

Alas! as Britain has a 'sophisticated' insurance and banking sector I don't know that any of them pay out.

STA travel left me stranded in Germany in agony with a slipped disc!! I was there for 2 weeks!! They never rang me back or helped at all! it was left to a family member to come out and help me..friend had to make arrangements for me to be flown home via wheelchair! Took 6 letters of complaint and several months later, many medical documents (and had to wait until I could walk again!) before I actually got my money back...useless

I have used STA twice and both times have tried to make claims, the first for stolen camera and money and the second time for cancelled flights due to riots. Both times they told me I would be covered over the phone and when it came to claiming I wasn't. They have every clause in the book, you will never get any moeny out of them!

I have found STA (AKA First Assist) to be administratively obstructionist--you have to stay on them or they will just let your claim drop, and they never return your calls when they promise to or let you know the status of your claim.

Once I had all the paperwork for my claim finished, they cut me check fairly quickly--but that was after a lot of hassle. It's fairly inexpensive insurance, but you have to be willing to put up with a lot of follow-up to get claims paid. I won't go with them again.

I wish I had known before I bought the insurance that they wouldn't process any claims without proof of a return flight home to the UK before I bought it--as a frequent traveler whose itinerary is rarely set in stone, that was a sticking point.

I would use Sta Travel insurance again only if i was visiting a country that had good existiing facilities. I would not recommend them for countries where there are no good medical facilities as they did not help in my repatriation even though I had repatriation cover.

My daughter put in an insurance claim to STA Travel for medical expenses and the claim was speedily met with minimum fuss.