Don't Let Your Festival Spirit Be Dampened by Tent Thieves

-- Add personal possessions cover to your home insurance to avoid festival theft

-- Ensure you have motor breakdown cover in place before hitting the roads, says moneysupermarket.com

News provided by

May 31, 2011, 02:06 ET

CHESTER, England, May 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of people planning to enjoy this year's festival season, Britain's number one comparison site moneysupermarket.com urges all Brits to think about what cover they have in place to protect them while they party away from home.

Insuring your possessions

As festival revellers prepare for this year's round of music, mud and moshing, they need to consider protecting their possessions against theft, loss or damage. Research by moneysupermarket.com found cover for personal possessions while away from the home can be tagged on to home contents insurance for a small additional cost. With the RAC, for example, home contents insurance which includes cover for possessions away from home stands at pounds 97.40 a year; giving festival-goers the piece of mind their personal possessions will be covered.(1) Brits should also be aware it's important to check the small print of the policy as some insurers will not cover camping equipment as standard.

Julie Owens, head of home insurance at moneysupermarket.com said: "Whether heading to the big headline festivals such as Glastonbury and Reading, or to a smaller festival such as Kendal Calling, revellers will be looking forward to getting into the party spirit. It's important Brits are on their guard against opportunistic thieves; tents will often be left unguarded for hours at a time, so as well as making sure valuables are kept with you at all times as your insurance may not cover you. If you are unfortunate enough to be victim of theft, many home contents policies will cover you for items such as iPods and iPhones. Spending the extra cash to ensure you are protected is a small price to pay to enjoy festival fun with peace of mind."

Festivals abroad

For those combining a festival experience with a trip abroad, such as the Spanish festival Benicassim which takes place in July, Brits should also think about travel insurance. The cost of cover doesn't have to break the bank and is available from providers such as Cheaper Travel Insurance and Virgin Money for under pounds 10 a week.(2)

Motor breakdown

Motorists hitting the road to reach their festival destination this year should also think about having motor breakdown cover in place. In the unfortunate event that your car does break down while on the road, having the right cover in place could ensure you don't miss out on all the fun. UK breakdown cover is available from under pounds 30 with The Green Insurance Company(3) which also includes caravan cover.

Julie Owens continued: "The last thing anyone wants is to be stuck at the side of the road with little choice but to listen to your destination festival on the radio. Having motor breakdown is an essential add-on for any motorist. Before setting off, it's important festival goers check their policies carefully so they know exactly what is covered. For example, making sure a policy includes onward travel to ensure they make it to hear their favourite bands, even if they breakdown on their way."

moneysupermarket.com's top tips for festival fun:

Don't take expensive clothing or jewellery with you – you won't need them – especially as insurer 'single article' limits (the maximum amount the insurer will pay out on any single item you are claiming for) are usually around pounds 1,000 or pounds 1,500. Consider taking a disposable camera, to cut down on risk of damage, loss or theft.
Report lost or stolen money to the Police within 24 hours – a condition in some policies which otherwise will not pay out.
Keep your most valuable possessions with you at all times, and stick together in groups – you are less likely to be a target of mugging or theft. But don't keep all your money in one pocket.
Don't make your pitch at the bottom of a hill, since rainwater (and much worse) could end up streaming its way into your tent.
Look at whether your credit card offers you any form of protection for accommodation or travel cancellation.

Notes to Editors:

(1) Home contents cover including personal possessions cover

Male aged 25. Annual cost to cover a semi-detached house with pounds 35,000 contents (M20)

Sourced by www.moneysupermarket.com 17.05.2011.

Elephant.co.uk:

Premium with personal possessions (pounds 1000) - pounds 92.78
Premium with personal possessions (pounds 2,000) – n/a
Premium with personal possessions (pounds 2,500) – n/a
Camping equipment – covered

RAC

Premium with personal possessions (pounds 1000) - pounds 97.40
Premium with personal possessions (pounds 2,000) – pounds 97.40
Premium with personal possessions (pounds 2,500) – pounds 97.40
Camping equipment – covered

Pearl

Premium with personal possessions (pounds 1000) - pounds 103.16
Premium with personal possessions (pounds 2,000) – n/a
Premium with personal possessions (pounds 2,500) – n/a
Camping equipment – covered

Legal & General

Premium with personal possessions (pounds 1000) - pounds 110.76
Premium with personal possessions (pounds 2,000) – pounds 110.76
Premium with personal possessions (pounds 2,500) – pounds 118.85
Camping equipment – covered

Swinton

Premium with personal possessions (pounds 1000) - pounds 111.12
Premium with personal possessions (pounds 2,000) – pounds 111.12
Premium with personal possessions (pounds 2,500) – pounds 128.71
Camping equipment – covered

(2) 1 Week Single Trip - Based on a male aged 25:

Sourced by www.moneysupermarket.com 17.05.2011

Cheaper Travel Insurance (Single Trip Standard): pounds 5.14, pounds 100 excess, personal possession cover (up to pounds 500).

Virgin Money (Essentials Single Trip): pounds 5.81, pounds 100 excess, personal possession cover (up to pounds 1,500).

Debenhams (Essentials Single Trip): pounds 5.83, pounds 100 excess, personal possession cover (up to pounds 1,500).

OUL Direct (OUL Silver Single): pounds 6.05, pounds 200 excess, personal possession cover (up to pounds 500).

Top Notch Single Trip (Bronze): pounds 6.28, pounds 200 excess, personal possession cover (up to pounds 500).

(3) UK Motor Breakdown Cover

Based on a 2006 Ford Focus

Sourced by www.moneysupermarket.com 26.05.2010

The Green Insurance Company (Premium pounds 28.80)

Benefits: Roadside repair; Recovery to nearest garage; Roadside assistance; Recovery of up to 7 passengers; Recovery to any UK destination; Home start up; Alternative travel and accommodation costs. Caravan cover (car breakdown only) included (size conditions apply).

RescueMyCar.com (Premium pounds 28.90)

First Call (Premium pounds 32.00)

Benefits: Roadside repair; Recovery to nearest garage; Roadside assistance; Recovery of up to 4 passengers; Recovery to any UK destination; Home start up; Alternative travel and accommodation costs. Caravan cover (car breakdown only) included (size conditions apply).

Startrescue.co.uk (Premium pounds 35.40)

ETA Breakdown (Premium pounds 45.43)

For further information, please contact:

Nicki Parry
PR Officer
Tel: 01244 370 318
Email: [email protected]

moneysupermarket.com's customer commitment

No other site compares more prices or products
We are independent so only find the best deals for you
The price you see is the price you pay – you don't need to go direct and you won't get a better deal doing so
Your details are safe with us and we wont sell them to anybody

moneysupermarket.com compares (at 24th February 2011)

100 car insurance providers and 76 home insurance providers
20 broadband providers and 18 energy providers
27 unsecured loan and 5 secured loan providers
65 mortgage lenders and 33 credit card providers
65 savings providers and 32 current account providers.
Over 865,000 mobile phone deals

We promise to be clear and impartial

All the products in our full search results tables are displayed in a completely unbiased manner.
We don't add fees or commissions on to the prices we compare.
There may be times when another site compares more companies than us on a particular product, perhaps because of market changes or technical issues. You'll be able to see this and know we are working hard to fix it.

We promise to be trustworthy

We never use your data to make unwanted sales calls or send you spam.
We never pass your personal information to third parties unless you give us permission to do so.
Even if you choose to receive additional information from us, you can opt out at any time.
We promise to be supportive.
You can use our community forum to get information and help from other customers.

If you need further help or support, you can contact our sales advisors, customer services agents.

SOURCE moneysupermarket.com