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General insurance: types and how to shop around
General insurance includes most insurance except life insurance. You can shop around for general insurance and buy direct, or get advice. The Financial Services Authority (FSA) regulates most sales of general insurance and pure protection insurance. This means firms must follow certain rules and standards when dealing with you.
Types of general insurance
General insurance only pays out when an insured event occurs. It includes:
- home insurance (contents and/or buildings)
- car insurance
- travel insurance
- private medical insurance
- pet insurance
- accident, sickness or unemployment insurance to protect your income, mortgage or loan payments (also called 'Payment protection insurance')
- critical illness insurance
- long-term care insurance
How to shop around for general insurance
With so many insurance deals on the market it's worth shopping around. Key points to compare include:
- suitability for your particular needs
- cost
- flexibility: what happens if you miss a payment or wish to cancel or switch?
- terms: when does the policy pay out/are there restrictions?
'Keyfacts' documents to help you shop around
When you contact an insurance broker you’ll get two important documents with the ‘Keyfacts’ sign.
One helps you compare the type of service different brokers provide (advice or information), whose product range they choose from and how they charge.
A separate ‘Keyfacts’ document summarises important information about the insurance policy they recommend or provide information on.
How to check if a firm is FSA authorised
You can check whether a firm or individual is FSA authorised by using the FSA online firm check service.
The difference between information and advice
You can buy insurance after getting advice, or based on information after shopping around. Read our related article to understand the difference between buying with or without advice and the relative pros and cons.
More useful links
- Information on consumer insurance from the Association of British Insurers Opens new window
- Travel insurance (travel and transport section)
- Travel insurance for disabled people (disabled people section)
- Insuring your council home and its contents (home and community section)
- Buying a home - things to consider
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