A research from Abbey Home Insurance has found that shoppers who start buying their Christmas presents early may not be covered.
Abbey’s research showed that while November is the most popular month for buying presents, one-in-ten people started stockpiling in the first half of this year, with a very well-prepared 2.9 million people starting their Christmas shopping in January.
However Abbey urges people who do this to check their home insurance policies. Most offer additional Christmas cover, but in many cases this does not kick in until December – well after most people have started buying presents.
According to Abbey’s research, September, October and November of 2007 saw the majority, 61% start their Christmas shopping. The January sales see well-prepared shoppers start ticking items off their list for next year, with women making up the overwhelming majority of this group.
Prasad Shastri, head of Abbey Home Insurance, said: With the additional Christmas cover on the majority of insurance policies coming into effect on the December 1, 2007 there is a risk that many people are unwittingly without the appropriate cover for the gifts they have been buying. That’s not the case with our Peace of Mind home insurance which offers unlimited sum assured for the whole of the year.