Over 25% of travel companies still don’t meet FSA rules
More than 25% of travel companies are still not compliant with the rules from the Financial Services Authority (FSA) for selling travel insurance, according to World First Travel Insurance.
The company said its review of 400 travel sites advertising, arranging or selling travel insurance found some even acted illegally.
The three most common mistakes made are:
Appointed Representatives (AR) are omitting to display their status and the insurer from whom they act
Non-AR registered operators are continuing to state that insurance can be arranged and are including details of cover and premiums, in direct contravention of FSA guidelines
Non-regulated travel businesses are continuing to advertise travel insurance, ‘recommending’ or ‘advising’ specific insurers, which is also a breech of FSA regulations.
“It has been three months since the new regulations came into place, and still over a quarter of businesses are falling foul of them,” said managing partner Martin Rothwell.
“Agents seem to be overlooking key paperwork and website updates. Many agents have simply not updated their terms and conditions since December 2008 or removed old ‘out of date’ pages from the Google index.
“They need to realise that if they don’t make the changes they are in contravention of FSA rules and this could have real consequences.
“Agents and domestic operators must review the content of their websites urgently and take remedial action to amend their travel insurance wordings, including wording on their booking forms.”
World First has a white label ‘Trade Routes’ solution for travel businesses, offering commissions of up to 30%.
By Bev Fearis
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports