FAQs

Frequently asked questions

If you have any questions about Amateur Photographer Insurance Services or would like some photography insurance help, you may well find the answer you’re looking for below.

Do you only cover UK residents?

Yes. You must have been a resident of the United Kingdom for a minimum of 12 months at the time of policy inception. You must have a permanent residential address in the UK and have not been travelling abroad continuously for more than 12 months.

I have previously made a claim, will this affect my cover?

You need to tell us about any Photography related losses or claims you have had within the last three years whether insured or not. It is important that you make an honest disclosure of any previous claims or losses, as this could invalidate your cover. If you require the public liability option, you must tell us about any liability, property damage or personal accident related events or claims. If you are in any doubt, you should tell us.

What information do you need to start cover?

We need your name, contact details, date of birth, payment details and the make and model of each item over Ł250 in value that you would like to cover. Whilst we don't require the serial number to complete an application, you will need to provide this for items over Ł250.

What is the minimum/maximum age?

The minimum age we can insure is 16.

The public liability and personal accident cover is only applicable for policyholders aged over 16, although total permanent disablement is not applicable over the age of 65.

What value should I insure my equipment for?

For items that can be readily replaced with a new one (or with a similar model), the value should be the usual, undiscounted cost including VAT from a reputable dealer at the time you apply. End of season offers and bargains from Ebay do NOT count as the usual price.

For vintage and rare equipment you should obtain a specific valuation from a reputable source, not more than 12 months before your commencement date. It is advisable to obtain a new valuation at least every three years, to take into account any market changes in value during the period.

It is better to over insure rather than under insure.

What is the maximum value you insure?

We can cover equipment up to Ł25,000 and up to a maximum of Ł10,000 per individual item. We can cover individual items and equipment to higher values upon referral so for an individual quote for higher values please contact us on 0844 826 2294.

Is there an excess on this policy?

That depends on the type of claim:

For theft and accidental damage claims there is a compulsory excess of Ł50
Public liability claims are subject to a Ł500 excess for third party property damage only

If you would like a discount on your premium, you can pay a voluntary excess, with the size of the excess dependent upon your Sum Insured.

Are there any items you cannot cover?

The maximum cover for any one item is Ł10,000 for Select or Ł15,000 for Photoguard PRO customers. If you have an item over that value, we may be able to cover you, so please call us on 0844 826 2294 for an individual quote.

We cover most items with the exception of:

consumables such as batteries, films, bulbs, leads and cables

Computer disks, software and soundcards are only covered if:

They are used exclusively for photographic purposes
Have been bought from new
Cannot be reinstated from a back-up disk
That any code (a record of which must be kept by you) or protection device is no longer available or will operate

The information above is a guide only – full details are available.

Are there any security requirements for my vehicle or where the equipment is kept?

Yes – we have specific requirements in terms of types of locks and security devices, dependent upon the value of equipment you need to insure. For more details, see our security requirements guide or the policy wording.

Am I covered if I lend, loan or hire my equipment to another person?

If you lend your equipment to a responsible adult, then yes, you're covered (providing the person you are lending the equipment to, doesn't steal it!)
If you hire your equipment and accompany it whilst it's on hire, you are also covered
You are not covered if you hire your equipment and do not accompany it
Obviously your public liability and personal accident cover (if selected) is for you alone – this cover is not transferable

Am I covered to take my equipment abroad?

This depends on the options you choose. Included as standard with your policy, you are covered anywhere in the UK and up to 20 days Worldwide. If you need more extensive cover, you can choose:

Anywhere in the UK, EU with 30 days worldwide in any policy year
Anywhere in the world at any time in any policy year

I am travelling on an airline, am I covered?

This depends on the exact circumstances and what options were available to you, but it is advisable that you carry your equipment as cabin luggage. If government or airline restrictions prevent this, you may want to assess if you need to take all of your equipment with you. Provided the equipment is in a purpose designed equipment case, it is covered for accidental damage. Theft is covered, provided you can demonstrate forcible entry into the bag or suitcase. We regret that loss of baggage containing your equipment is not covered with Amateur Photographer Insurance Services. You can ask us for individual advice if in any doubt about your own set of personal circumstances.

Can I add or make changes to the policy at any time?

Yes, you can change or renew your policy by calling us – you can also make changes to your policy online.

Where you can add or delete insured items and change some aspects of your policy. Please note that additions will incur additional costs. Additional premiums are charged on a pro rata basis from the date of change.

No refunds are payable for cancellation, in part or in whole, for any reason outside of 28 days from the commencement date other than for amendments allowed.

What is public liability cover?

Public liability - also referred to as personal liability or third party liability - provides cover against damage to persons or property caused by your proven negligence.

I am looking for public liability cover only – can you help?

Yes. If you do not have any equipment to insure, but are a photographer or videographer, we can offer public liability cover on its own. See our Liabilityguard Photo website for details.

Do you cover computers, laptops or software?

Computers and laptops are only covered if:

They are used exclusively for the photographic purposes
Laptops (due to their limited life span) are, in the event of a claim, subject to a deduction being made for wear, tear and depreciation as follows:
- Up to months = No deduction
- Over 18 months and up to 36 months= 25%
- 36 months and up = 50%

Disks, software and soundcards are only covered if:

They have been bought from new
They cannot be reinstated from a back-up disk
That any code (a record of which must be kept by you) or protection device is no longer available or will operate

The information above is a guide only – full details are available.

If I choose the Mechanical Breakdown option, is all of my equipment covered?

Our Mechanical Breakdown provides cover for items purchased from new up to 5 years ago. We will only cover items that you select during the quote process, so you won’t have to pay for items you don’t want covered.

I have previously had a criminal conviction, will this affect my cover?

You must disclose any criminal convictions you have received. If you are in any doubt as to whether this applies to you, you should tell us.

What are your contact details?

Amateur Photographer Insurance Services
Thistle Insurance Services Limited
Southgate House
Southgate Street
Gloucester
GL1 1UB

Tel: 0345 450 7203

The office is open from 9:00am until 6:00pm Monday to Friday.

Who are Amateur Photographer Insurance Services?

We are one of the UK's leading specialist insurance providers for photographers and we've now been in business for over 10 years.

Amateur Photographer Insurance Services is a trading style of Thistle Insurance Services Limited. Lloyd’s Broker. Time Inc. (UK) Limited is an Appointed Representative of Thistle Insurance Services Limited.

Are you registered by the Financial Conduct Authority?

Yes, as a division of Thistle Insurance Services Limited, we are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, register number 310419. You can check this on the Financial Conduct Authority's register by visiting their website or by contacting the Financial Conduct Authority on 0800 111 6768.

Is this site secure?

We have a secure server with 128-bit encryption on our secure socket layer (SSL), ensuring your details are totally safe and secure.

The site is also totally secure and monitored daily by HackSafe to ensure our site conforms to strict standards. You can see the HackSafe / ScanAlert badge on the right hand side bar.

Thawte Certificate – we are Thawte certified. This certificate acts as our digital ID card and proves we are who we say we are. To obtain this certificate we have had to prove our identity, location and authenticity.

Lock & Key Symbol – to confirm our transaction pages are secure, look in the bottom corner of your browser window for the locked padlock or key symbol.

I am having a problem in applying, can you help?

Firstly, please accept our apologies if you are having a problem.

Secondly, please contact us and explain your problem as clearly as possible, also telling us what browser you are using and what platform (eg. 'Internet Explorer 5, on a PC') and we will help you as quickly as possible.

If you are unable to carry out a transaction because the website is down, please call us on 0345 450 7203 and we will do this for you within normal business hours.

Problems opening or receiving policy documents?

Our PDF documents have been created to be opened by Adobe Acrobat version 5 – *read why we've done this.

If you are unable to open the documents, please download the latest version of Acrobat. If you have a previous version installed you may need to uninstall that version for your new Acrobat to work properly.

To uninstall your previous version of Acrobat, go to 'Settings' > 'Control panel' > 'Add/Remove programs'. Then select the correct version of Acrobat and click the 'Change/remove' button. Please note that we cannot be held liable for any damage caused to your PC by the following the above instructions or trying to remove software.

Online documents

If you have not received your online documents, you may need to check your spam or junk mailbox in your email program. If you still have not received your policy documents, please contact us and provide the following info:

The email address you used on your application
Who your internet provider is (for the email provided)
If possible, please provide us with an alternative email address
Whether you are usually able to receive attachments

Postal documents

Please allow 3 days for you postal documents to arrive, if you haven't received them by that time, please call us on 0345 450 7203.

If Acrobat asks you for a password
We have security coded all of our policy booklets, if you are trying to copy and paste from the file you will be asked for a password. You can save the file or print the file but you cannot copy any parts of it.

*We use Acrobat 5 to allow better access for those people with viewing impairment and to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act; this is the earliest version that can be read by a screen reader.

How to complain

If for any reason you are unhappy with us, we would like to hear from you. Making a complaint will not prejudice your right to take legal proceedings.

If you have a complaint about any aspect of this policy, our service or a claim please write to:

The Executive Manager of Customer Complaints
Thistle Insurance Services Limited
Southgate House
Southgate Street
Gloucester
GL1 1UB

If the complaint is still not resolved to your satisfaction, you can approach The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) at the address below:

The Financial Ombudsman Service
Exchange Tower
London
E14 9SR
Tel: 0800 023 4567

The above complaints procedure is in addition to your statutory rights as a consumer. For further information about your statutory rights contact your local authority Trading Standards Service or Citizens Advice Bureau.

About your payment plan

1) What is premium finance?

Thistle Insurance Services Limited provides premium finance which allows you to help spread the cost of your insurance. We as the finance loan provider pay the premium to the insurer in a lump sum and then collect monthly repayments from you, which include a credit charge.

2) How does it work?

If you are dealing with your insurance provider by telephone or the Internet, they will collect all the necessary details and set up a Direct Debit in your name and send the information to us. This is why the name Thistle Insurance will appear next to the Direct Debit entry on your bank statement rather than the insurance company's name. We will then email you a welcome pack within a few days to confirm the amount of each monthly payment and when we will be collecting them from your bank account. This will include a copy of the Pre-contract Credit Information which we advise you to read. Please contact us immediately on 0345 450 6397 if any details are incorrect. You should print off, sign and return a copy of the credit agreement to us. We will then collect the agreed number of monthly payments from your bank account.

3) What if I no longer require the insurance?

You need to contact us to discuss the cancellation of your policy. If the terms and conditions allow the policy to be cancelled we will then calculate any rebate due or payments owed on your payment plan.

4) If I renew my policy after a year can I continue to pay my premium by Direct Debit with Thistle Insurance Services Limited?

Yes, you can. Full details will be issued with the renewal documentation from Thistle Insurance Services Limited. In most cases your policy will be arranged to automatically renew however you should still review the renewal documents to make sure the policy continues to meet your needs. We will write to you to advise you of your new monthly payment schedule

5) What happens if I miss a payment??

If you miss a payment we will contact you to try to rectify the situation. It is important that you keep up with your payments to ensure that your credit agreement and insurance cover remain in force. If you have any payment difficulties, you should contact us immediately on 0345 450 6397.

6) What if I default on my agreement?

If you fail to make your required payment after our attempt to rectify we will issue a default notice. This will give you up to 14 further days to make payment before your agreement will be terminated. Please bear in mind that your insurance cover may be cancelled if you fail to make your monthly payments.

7) What if I want to pay off my loan early?

Please call 0345 450 6397 or email us thistlefinance@thistleinsurance.co.uk and we will be able to advise you. Please ensure you have paid off your loan in full before cancelling your direct debit agreement.

8) Can I pay off any balance by credit card?

Yes. We accept most major credit and debit cards. Please call 0345 450 6397 to make arrangements to pay by card.

If you can't find an answer to the question you're looking for, submit your question and email address and we'll endeavour to get back to you as soon as possible with the answer. (Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm only)

Questions marked with an asterisk (*) are compulsory.