Biba renews signposting deal with government and ABI

A signposting agreement between the government, Biba and the ABI to help older people find travel or car cover has been renewed, a statement released today (29 August 2023) said.

The deal means that if an insurer or insurance broker is unable to offer cover to an older motorist or traveller because of their age, they will refer the customer to a provider who can meet their needs.

Since its launch in 2012, Biba has received more than 1m enquiries about car and travel insurance from older people.

Graeme Trudgill, chief executive at Biba, said: “This agreement is a great example of the industry working together for the good of customers. Biba is delighted to continue with it in conjunction with government and the ABI following 11 successful years.

”It is increasingly important as our population ages and the number of older people travelling overseas has increased rapidly post-Covid, that people get all the support they need to find the right insurance protection.”

Case study

As part of the agreement, firms struggling to offer cover to someone because of their age can refer them to a signposting service such as the Find-Insurance Service operated by Biba.

This uses a search function to point people to a member broker, while the contact centre will triage callers seeking insurance and put them through to a business that is most likely to be able to help.

One example of this was technology editor Clare Ruel’s father, who was referred to the service when he was unable to find travel insurance for a cruise he had booked to celebrate his 45^th wedding anniversary with his wife in August 2022.

Hannah Gurga, ABI director general, said: “Our industry wants all customers to be able to access competitively priced insurance that provides vital peace of mind and this initiative is helping to deliver that.

”It’s good to see the agreement renewed between the government, Biba and ourselves and the positive impact it’s had in helping many older customers to continue to be covered for driving and travelling.”