Travel insurer Columbus Direct rolls out airport kiosks for last-minute deals

Computerized, self-service kiosks promise three-minute transaction process for customers

Insurance News

By Louie Bacani

Travel insurance specialist Columbus Direct is installing 30 digital, self-service kiosks in nine major airports across the UK to score last-minute deals with hurried customers.

Travellers can purchase insurance in just three minutes through the insurer’s kiosks, which will offer the same prices as online quotes with no extra costs.
 
The kiosks will be rolled out in eight more UK gateways following a trial launch at the London Gatwick Airport last year, the Actuarial Post reported.
 
The service will be offered in London, Luton, Newcastle, Birmingham, Bristol, East Midlands, Southampton and Edinburgh. More airports are expected to be added to the roll-out plan in the coming months.
 
Columbus Direct marketing head Alison Wild said they have identified a rise in the number of customers buying insurance at the eleventh hour – those who know that they need travel insurance but failed to shop around in advance.
 
“Travellers have long been buying foreign currency or picking up rental car at airports, so offering them the opportunity to purchase last-minute travel insurance just makes sense,” Wild was quoted as saying in the report.
 
“We have introduced the kiosk-led solution to make insurance purchase a hassle-free, simple process for busy people as well as for those who might not have given much thought to the matter prior to their trip,” she added.
 
 
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