Six UK business travel insurance options, from company-wide annual policies to add-ons for frequent travellers, and what to check before you buy.
Updated 27 October 2026 · Researched from official and published sources
Ordinary holiday insurance often limits or excludes work trips, especially if you carry company laptops, samples or cash, or if a colleague has to fly out to replace you. Business travel insurance is built for those risks, and an annual company policy can cover everyone who travels for work under one schedule.
Below are six options that UK businesses can buy now, from online group policies to broker-arranged cover and individual annual policies with business extras. We have not quoted premiums, which depend on headcount, destinations and trip numbers. This is general information, not regulated advice: always read the policy wording and, if unsure, speak to an FCA-authorised broker.
battleface sells a 365-day business travel policy to UK SMEs and larger companies, covering up to 100 travellers or 250 trips, quoted and bought online. It is placed with underwriters at Lloyd's, and battleface Insurance Services Ltd is authorised by the FCA. Published annual limits include £10 million medical expenses, £5,000 baggage including business equipment, and £2,000 money.
Quote and buy online without a broker
£10m medical and repatriation limit
Business equipment within baggage cover
Kidnap, legal expenses and personal accident included
Watch out: The summary we saw did not state a maximum trip length or sports cover, so check the policy wording for both.
Group personal accident and business travel, via brokers
Lifeline Plus combines group personal accident and business travel cover for organisations from SMEs to multinationals, sold through brokers. It covers medical and emergency travel expenses, repatriation, and lost, stolen or accidentally damaged business equipment. AIG adds 24/7 travel assistance, security advisories and an app with a check-in feature so employers can confirm staff have arrived.
Covers SMEs to large firms
Business equipment cover
Security and evacuation support
Virtual GP access on eligible policies
Watch out: You cannot buy it direct; you need a broker to quote it.
Chubb's group policy is quoted on estimated travel patterns rather than individual trips, and cover can start straight away for all business travellers. Typical cover includes medical expenses, lost business equipment, personal belongings and money, disruption, personal liability and replacement staff costs. The Chubb Travel Smart app gives location-based alerts and country information.
No need to declare each trip
Replacement staff costs included
24/7 medical and security assistance
Online visa certificate portal
Watch out: Chubb's page does not publish cover limits, so ask for the schedule before comparing.
Globelink's annual business cover lists up to £10 million emergency medical expenses, up to £6,000 cancellation or curtailment and up to £3,000 baggage. Working abroad is covered as standard for non-manual work and some light manual work at ground level. The 45-day trip option includes 17 days of winter sports cover free.
£10m medical limit
Cover for travellers up to 79
Many pre-existing conditions covered
Free 17-day winter sports extension
Watch out: Its page gives two different maximum trip lengths, so confirm the limit for your policy before booking a long trip.
CoverForYou includes business travel as standard on all its policies, including trips that mix work and holiday. Annual policies allow as many trips as you like of up to 62 days each. Cover is underwritten by Inter Partner Assistance S.A., part of the AXA Group.
Business trips covered as standard
Up to 62 days per trip
Mixed business and leisure trips covered
AXA Group underwriter
Watch out: Personal liability does not apply while working, and heavy lifting, power tools and work at height fall outside a standard business trip.
Add-on to single-trip or annual multi-trip policies
InsureandGo's business add-on covers business equipment up to £1,000 (£500 per single item), business money up to £1,000, hire of replacement equipment at £50 a day up to £500, and emergency courier costs. It also doubles the standard personal accident benefit. It can be added to single trips or annual multi-trip cover.
Clear published limits
Replacement equipment hire
Emergency courier cover
Works with annual multi-trip
Watch out: The £1,000 equipment limit may not cover a high-end laptop plus phone, and the page does not mention replacement colleague cover.
Compare policies on the limits and exclusions in the policy wording, not just the headline benefits. The points below are the ones that most often catch business travellers out.
Medical and repatriation: several policies here offer up to £10 million, and high limits matter most where treatment is expensive, such as the USA
Business equipment: check the total limit and the single-item limit against the laptops and phones staff carry
Cancellation and curtailment: check the limit covers non-refundable flights and hotels, and what reasons count
Replacement colleague: whether it pays to send someone out if a traveller is taken ill
Business money and documents: cash limits are often lower than the overall money limit
Trip length: annual policies cap each trip, often between 31 and 90 days
Sports and activities: winter sports and adventure activities are often excluded unless added
Manual work: many policies exclude work at height, with machinery or heavy lifting
Who is covered: employees, directors, contractors, and whether leisure trips are included
Pre-existing medical conditions: declare them, or claims may be refused
How to choose for a team
If only one or two people travel occasionally, an individual annual multi-trip policy with business cover or a business add-on may be enough. Once several staff travel regularly, a company policy is usually simpler: one renewal date, one schedule, and no need for each person to buy and claim their own cover.
For a group policy, gather your estimated number of travellers, trips per year, main destinations and any higher-risk regions or activities before you ask for quotes. A broker can compare broker-only products such as AIG Lifeline Plus with direct online options such as battleface. Check the insurer or broker on the FCA Register before you buy.
This guide is general information, not regulated advice. Your needs may differ, so read each policy wording or speak to an FCA-authorised adviser.
Count travellers and trips for the year ahead
List destinations, including any to the USA or higher-risk countries
Note equipment values and any work beyond office-type duties
Decide whether directors' and staff leisure trips should be included
Share the assistance phone number and policy number with every traveller
GHIC and FCDO advice: what they mean for your cover
A Global Health Insurance Card is not a substitute for travel insurance. GOV.UK says the EHIC and GHIC do not cover private medical costs, repatriation or additional costs, and mountain rescue in ski resorts is also excluded. For a work trip that goes wrong, repatriation and getting a replacement colleague out are often the expensive parts.
Check FCDO travel advice before every booking, not only at renewal. GOV.UK warns that travelling where the FCDO advises against all but essential travel, or all travel, may invalidate your insurance, and many policies exclude high-risk destinations. If staff must go, ask your broker for specialist cover in writing before they travel.
Tax: is company-paid travel insurance a benefit?
Usually not, for business trips abroad. HMRC's Employment Income Manual (EIM21766) says there is no tax charge where the employer pays for medical treatment that an employee needs while outside the UK on a trip to carry out their job, and insurance premiums covering that treatment are exempt too.
The exemption covers only the employee. If the policy also covers family members or holidays, ask your accountant how to treat that part.
Questions people ask
Does normal travel insurance cover business trips?
Sometimes, but often with limits. Some personal policies exclude work trips or business equipment, while others such as CoverForYou include business travel as standard. Check the policy wording before you rely on it.
Is business travel insurance a legal requirement in the UK?
It is not a legal requirement. Employers do owe staff a duty of care, and many businesses use business travel insurance to help meet it.
Does business travel insurance cover my laptop?
Most business policies and add-ons include business equipment, but limits vary widely. InsureandGo's add-on, for example, covers up to £1,000 with a £500 single-item limit, so check the figures against what you carry.
What is replacement colleague cover?
It pays for another employee to travel out and finish the work if the original traveller is taken ill, injured or has to come home. Chubb lists replacement staff costs among its typical covers.
Annual or single-trip business travel insurance?
If you or your team make more than a few work trips a year, annual cover is usually simpler and can work out cheaper. Check the maximum length of each trip on an annual policy.
Do I need travel insurance for business travel?
It is not a legal requirement, but it is hard to manage without. A GHIC does not cover private treatment, repatriation or extra costs, and those are the bills that run high on a work trip abroad.
What counts as business travel for tax purposes?
Travel you have to make for your work, including to a temporary place of work. GOV.UK says ordinary travel to and from your normal workplace is commuting and cannot be claimed.
Does travelling against FCDO advice invalidate business travel insurance?
It may. GOV.UK warns that going where the FCDO advises against all but essential travel, or all travel, may invalidate your insurance. Check the policy wording and ask your insurer before booking.