Customer support measures during Covid-19 restrictions

Leading insurer, Aviva, is continuing with a package of measures to help customers and their communities during increased restrictions across the UK.

These support measures are in place to help personal and business customers and include:

Personal customers

• Support for NHS workers – free breakdown cover, enhanced home insurance for personal belongings and free courtesy cars for Aviva customers working in the NHS. It will also prioritise repairs for NHS workers who are Aviva motor insurance customers.1
• Financial hardship support – deferring monthly payments and waiving admin or cancellation fees for customers who are experiencing financial difficulties as a result of Covid-19.
• Enabling policy changes – assisting customers in making changes to their policy for cover that is no longer required, including changing their mileage or removing add-ons, such as removing Foreign Use cover or downgrading breakdown cover if desired.
• Helping travel insurance customers - offering pro-rata refunds to travel insurance customers who are no longer able to travel and wish to cancel their policy.
• Extending cover – for customers who are working from home or using their car for volunteering and temporarily removing unoccupancy limits for those unable to visit second homes.2

Business customers

• Supporting businesses to work from home - providing the same level of protection to businesses now carrying out their business activities from employees’ homes;
• Assisting businesses to keep trading – offering flexible insurance cover where a business has changed their model to meet new circumstances, such as a restaurant to takeaway operation. 
• Providing risk management and prevention guidance – helping business customers protect their assets and support the wellbeing of employees, customers and suppliers online, virtually or on-site;
• Extending cover to enable our commercial motor customers to support the national effort through the NHS volunteer responder scheme or volunteering to transport medicine or groceries; 
• Providing a flexible approach to enable policy changes where cover is no longer required or can be reduced, subject to policy terms and conditions.

Earlier in the year, Aviva donated a total of £33.5m (£15m to NHS Charities Together and the British Red Cross to support those on the front line, and £18.5M for the ABI Covid-19 support fund) to make sure the most vulnerable get the right support.

Commenting on this package of support, Colm Holmes, Global CEO, General Insurance at Aviva plc said: “With England in lockdown,and increasing restrictions in place across the UK, we believe it’s right that we provide our customers and communities with continued support during this time.

“We recognise the exceptional efforts of our NHS workers and their unwavering commitment to helping those stricken by the virus. If we can make their lives a little easier by extending cover so they can travel to and from work safely, then we are happy to do so.

“Covid-19 is impacting our lives in so many ways and we are taking a flexible approach to ensure we can provide additional support to our customers , including those facing financial difficulties and customers who are adapting to working from home on a more permanent basis.

“Businesses have been hit incredibly hard by the impact of Covid-19 and we are doing everything we can to help them remain resilient, by offering dedicated risk management guidance and flexible insurance coverage as businesses diversify and adapt in response to the pandemic.

“Our contact teams are ready and available to help with enquiries and claims so customers should contact us in their usual way, via phone, online or through their broker or bank.”

This package of Covid-19 measures is in place until 31 January 2021 and will be regularly reviewed to ensure the right support is provided.

For more information, customers can visit Aviva’s dedicated Covid-19 support hub at www.aviva.co.uk/help-and-support/coronavirus/.

¹ Breakdown is available to any Aviva customer who is an NHS worker.

Courtesy car and priority repairs are only for NHS workers who are Aviva motor insurance customers.  

Personal belongings cover is only for NHS workers who are Aviva home insurance customers.

² These policy extensions are in line with the ABI pledges announced in March. Temporarily removing unoccupancy limits for second homes while government travel restrictions apply.

-ENDS-

Notes to editors:

• For information on how Aviva is helping our people, customers and communities impacted by COVID-19 visit: www.aviva.com/covid-19-our-response/ 
• Aviva is a leading international savings, retirement and insurance business. We exist to be with people when it really matters, throughout their lives – to help them make the most of life. We have been taking care of people for more than 320 years, in line with our purpose of being ‘with you today, for a better tomorrow’.
• Our vision is to earn our customers’ trust as the best place to save for the future, navigate retirement and insure what matters most to them. In 2019, we paid £33.2 billion in claims and benefits on behalf of our 33.4 million customers.
• We will focus on the UK, Ireland and Canada where we have leading market positions and significant potential. We will invest for growth in these markets. Our International businesses in Europe and Asia will be managed for long-term shareholder value. We will also transform our performance and improve our efficiency. Our transformation will be underpinned by managing our balance sheet prudently, reducing debt and increasing our financial resilience.
• Total group assets under management at Aviva group are £522 billion and our Solvency II capital surplus is £12.0 billion (HY20). Our shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange and we are a member of the FTSE 100 index.
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