Thomas Cook launches 'pay as you go' insurance product Roam

Roam was soft launched in November 2017 but launched officially on Tuesday (July 17) after months of testing, and aims to simplify the process of selecting holiday cover.

The insurance product, developed by the operator’s financial services division and offering three levels of cover, is designed for use via a mobile app, although customers can also book a policy online and in-store.

Managing director, Anth Mooney, said “switch on, switch off” functionality makes it easier to set up a policy last minute and is also designed to appeal to younger customers.

He explained the product is simple for agents to sell too as it can be used with a QR code that can be put up at point of sale.

Mooney said it takes just “two to three minutes” to set up an account then customers can either buy an annual policy or switch the cover on and off as and when they need it.

“We know 20% of customers travel without insurance and so we looked at customer pain points, which included the length of time it takes to set up a policy," he said.

"We have our own insurance business, White Horse, which gives us the flexibility to develop products for customers.

"Many insurance policies are price-driven, which means the quality of the product decreases and there are often issues such as caps on cover meaning you can’t actually claim should something serious happen.”