Cancel an insurance policy
The date the cover stops is the whole letter.
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Example
Example: cancelling a car insurance policy that renews on 15 July 2027
Sam Example has found cheaper cover and does not want the car policy, number AU-778899, to renew on 15 July 2027. The policy runs in terms, so the letter should name the renewal date as the end, and it has to reach the insurer in time for the one month’s notice the policy asks for.
- Contract or customer number: AU-778899. Date you are sending it: 14 June 2027. Notice period: 1 month; the contract ends “Exactly that far ahead”.
- The notice alone gives 14 July 2027. As the policy ends at renewal, type 15 July 2027 in “Or give the end date yourself”: the letter now says “with effect from 15 July 2027”.
- Keep “or at the earliest date possible” on, in case the insurer counts the notice differently, and tick “Ask them to confirm in writing”.
| Letter sent on | One month later | In time for 15 July? |
|---|---|---|
| 1 June 2027 | 1 July 2027 | Yes |
| 14 June 2027 | 14 July 2027 | Yes, with a day to spare |
| 20 June 2027 | 20 July 2027 | No: the policy would renew first |
One page: both addresses, 14 June 2027, “Notice to end my policy”, then “I am writing to give notice to end my policy (AU-778899), with effect from 15 July 2027, or at the earliest date possible if that notice period cannot be met.” and a request to confirm in writing. Sign it and send it with proof of delivery.
How it works
- Put the policy number in the reference field. An insurer files by policy number, not by your name.
- If you know the renewal date, put it in the end-date field. A policy ends at the end of its term, not a month after you write.
- If you cannot find that date, leave the notice period as it is and keep “or at the earliest date possible” switched on. That one sentence is what stops the letter missing a deadline you had no way to look up.
- Download, print, sign and send it with something that records delivery. Keep the confirmation with the policy.
Frequently asked questions
- Why does the end date matter more here than the notice period?
- Because a policy runs in terms and ends at the end of one. A letter that says “one month from today” can land in the middle of a term, and an insurer is entitled to read that as no notice for the term you are in — which means another year of cover you did not want.
- I cannot find my renewal date.
- Then do not guess it. Keep the “or at the earliest date possible” line on: it asks them to end the policy on the first date they legally can, which is the date you were trying to work out. The renewal notice they send each year carries it, and so does the policy schedule.
- Can I not just cancel by phone or in the app?
- Often you can, and if it is offered, use it. This letter is for when you want a dated record of what you asked for and when — which is what you need if the cover or the payments carry on anyway.
- Does this stop the direct debit?
- No, and do not cancel the payment first. Ending a policy and ending a payment instruction are two separate acts: stop paying before they confirm and you are in arrears on a policy that is still running, which can be reported against you. Cancel the payment after the confirmation arrives.
- What exactly does the letter say?
- “I am writing to give notice to end my policy (your policy number), with effect from (the date), or at the earliest date possible if that notice period cannot be met.” With the confirmation box ticked it adds “Please confirm in writing that you have received this notice and the date on which it takes effect.” Nothing else, unless you add a paragraph of your own.
- I am switching insurers. Which end date should I give?
- The day the new policy starts, which is usually the renewal date of the old one. Then there is no day without cover and no day paid for twice. Send the letter once the new policy is confirmed, not before.
- Is it free?
- Yes, and nothing of ours is printed on the sheet, on any plan: it is a document you send or hand over as it is.