Your Insurance Renewed Automatically. Did You Check the Price?

Auto-renewal exists because insurers know that most people will not bother to switch. The letter arrives, the price looks roughly the same as last year, and you let it roll over. The problem is that "roughly the same" often means 10, 15, or even 20 percent more than you would pay as a new customer elsewhere.

According to the FCA, loyal customers in the UK were being overcharged by as much as 1.2 billion pounds a year before the pricing reforms came in. The rules changed in 2022 to stop the worst of it, but that does not mean your renewal price is the best deal available. It just means it cannot be higher than the price a new customer would get from the same insurer. Other insurers might still be cheaper.

The Problem Is Timing

The renewal letter arrives about three weeks before your policy expires. In theory, that is enough time to shop around. In practice, it arrives during a busy week, you put it on the kitchen table, and by the time you look at it properly the auto-renewal has already gone through.

This is where early reminders make a real difference. If you know six weeks in advance that your insurance is about to expire, you have time to get quotes without the pressure of a deadline. You can compare calmly, call your insurer to negotiate, or switch entirely.

What You Should Do

• Know your renewal date. Not roughly. Exactly. For every policy you have.
• Set reminders at six weeks and four weeks before. The first one is for getting quotes. The second is for making a decision.
• Compare the renewal price to last year. If it has gone up, find out why. Sometimes it is justified (you made a claim, your circumstances changed). Often it is not.
• Get at least three quotes. Use comparison sites but also check direct-only insurers who are not listed on them.
• Call your current insurer. Tell them what you have been quoted elsewhere. They will often match it or come close.

How Orlo Helps

Upload your insurance document to Orlo (or connect Gmail and let it arrive automatically). Orlo reads the policy, extracts the provider, dates, and amounts, and sets four reminders: six weeks, four weeks, two weeks, and three days before expiry. When you upload next year's renewal, Orlo compares the price automatically and tells you if it went up.

No spreadsheets. No calendar entries. No trying to remember where you filed last year's letter. Just upload once and Orlo handles the rest.