NEW Exclusive Offer for all AGTO Members- GTOS & Partners

AGTO is delighted to let our members know that we have worked with our Insurers Everywhen (formerly Towergate) and their sister brand Usay Compare to offer all AGTO members – GTOs & Partners,  exclusive offers for health insurance.

Usay Overview:

Why Choose Usay Compare?

• UK’s #1 Health Insurance Broker – Free, expert advice you can trust
• Guaranteed Lowest Prices – We make sure you never overpay
• Save Big – Clients save an average of 40% when switching PMI providers
• Top Insurers, All in One Place – Bupa, AXA, Aviva, The Exeter, Vitality, WPA, Freedom
• Rated 4.9/5⭐ on Trustpilot – Over 23,000 reviews from happy customers
• Fast Quotes – Get a tailored quote in just 20 minutes
• Free, Impartial & Fully Advised Service – No hidden costs, just honest advice
• Your Dedicated Experts – Our Top 5 PMI Advisers: Becky, Tristan, Jovianne, Harry & Jake
• Award-Winning – Named Best Individual Health Insurance Broker at the UK Health & Protection Awards 2025

Health Insurance:
Private health insurance gives you faster access to medical care, typically covering consultant appointments, diagnostic tests such as blood tests, X‑rays, MRIs, CT scans and ultrasounds, as well as inpatient and day‑patient treatment like surgery and specialist procedures. Many policies also include digital GP services for quicker GP access and referrals, with some offering same‑day or next‑day private GP appointments.

Cancer cover is a major benefit, providing rapid diagnosis through fast‑tracked scans and access to advanced treatments such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy and even cutting‑edge drugs not routinely available on the NHS. Additional options can include mental health support, physiotherapy and health screening packages that offer expanded testing and full‑body assessments for a more proactive approach to wellbeing.

Life Insurance:

Life insurance is designed to offer the reassurance that your loved ones will be provided for, if you’re not there to provide for them. Therefore, it is really important for anyone who has individuals who rely on them financially, for example parents, homeowners and business owners. The payout for life insurance can be used to pay off the mortgage and any other debts, replace your income for anyone who relies on it and even provide funding for your children’s higher education.

The amount they receive depends on the level of cover you decide on and can be directed to cover specific things, such as the mortgage.

Policies are available from the age of 18 to 70 and start from as little as £5 per month; premiums are based on things like your age, health and lifestyle and offer a variety of options, for example including income protection or critical illness cover as well.

Critical Illness Insurance:

It’s a long-term insurance policy, for which you pay a regular monthly premium to cover serious illnesses as listed in the policy. If you suffer one of these illnesses, such as cancer, a stroke or heart attack you will receive a one-off, tax-free payment which can be used to pay off the mortgage, keep paying the bills or for any care you might need. It is probably the best known of the protection products and is often sold as an add-on product to a Life Insurance policy.

Critical Illness is not something anyone wants to think about, but sadly it is a reality for many people, and a lump sum payout can be a real lifeline at such a testing time.

Income Protection Insurance:

If you are unable to work because of illness, the policy would pay out a portion of your monthly earnings, allowing you to continue to cover your essential outgoings. These payments can be used to cover your rent or mortgage payments, bills and day-to-day living while you get back to work. The best policies will continue to pay out for as long as you cannot work, or until you are of retirement age.

Nobody likes to think about illness, injury or losing your job, but unfortunately it happens to lots of people, every year.

Please follow the links to get your quotation.

Health Insurance:

www.usaycompare.co.uk/AGTO-PMI

Protection: Life Insurance, Critical Illness, Income Protection

www.usaycompare.co.uk/AGTO-Life

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EES & ETIAS Update

Latest Update

The European Union (EU) has recently announced its implementation of the Entry/Exit System (EES) will begin on 12^th October 2025. It will be rolled out over a 6-month period, and will be effective at all EU entry and exit points by April 2026.

The related, but separate ETIAS scheme (see below) is likely to begin towards the end of 2026. They have also announced that the fee is likely to increase to  €20, rather than the €7 initially planned.

The Change – EES & ETIAS

The European Union Entry/Exit System (EES) is a new system for registering non-EU nationals when they enter and exit the Schengen Zone (the European countries which have removed internal border checks). All non-EU nationals will need to have their photograph and fingerprints taken, and passport scanned, on every entry and exit.

The European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) will be a new system to pre-authorise and monitor non-EU nationals from visa-exempt countries electronically when entering and exiting the EU.

In short, you can think of ETIAS as the pre-authorisation for travel to the EU, and EES as the physical checks on entry and exit. The changes are intended to improve border control, and internal security in the EU, as well as identifying those exceeding their rights to stay within the EU.

Note however, that neither EES nor ETIAS will apply to travel to the Republic of Ireland.

Practicalities – EES

EES kiosks (similar to those UK  passengers will be familiar with at UK airports) will be present at every entry point (airports, ports, train terminals) with links from outside the EU. Each passenger will have to enter a kiosk, to have their photograph and fingerprints (known as biometric data) taken, along with other personal information such as full name, date of birth, which is associated with the travellers passport. It is also worth noting if you refuse to provide your biometric data upon arrival, you will be denied entry into the territory of European countries using EES!

It is estimated that an individual’s first use of an EES kiosk should take around 75 seconds. Subsequent uses of the EES kiosk should be quicker, as the biometric data will only need to be verified against the personal passport information. This digital record will be valid for 3 years.

There will be 3 ‘international stations’ in the UK, at the Port of Dover, Le Shuttle terminal (previously known as Eurotunnel) in Folkestone, and the Eurostar terminal at St Pancras station. These will allow the EES formalities to be completed before the passenger embarks on their train or ferry crossing to the Continent.

See previous article for the practicalities of ETIAS.

The Importance for Tour Operators and Travel Organisers

While all the responsibility for complying with EES and ETIAS will be on the traveller themselves, tour operators and travel organisers will need to be pro-active and plan ahead in order to avoid disruption. There are concerns that the extra time that EES check will take (particularly at ferry ports) could lead to long queues and significant delays (at least initially). Where travelling by coach, all passengers will have to disembark to use the EES kiosks – a much more time consuming than the current practice of handing passports over while staying on board. Passengers arriving without a valid ETIAS may be refused entry into their arrival country, and may need to be repatriated.

Travlaw’ Suggestions for Best Practice Are:

• Ensure all passengers are provided with information about the requirements from an early stage (ideally before booking), and repeatedly before travel, so that passengers are fully prepared.
• Make clear to passenger that it is their responsibility to comply.
• Recommend that passengers apply for ETIAS before booking travel (if available) or well before departure (say 1 month before) – do not leave it to the last minute!
• For Tour Operators, ensure that your Booking Conditions are up to date and mention ETIAS.
• Build in extra time for border crossing formalities, both for entry and exit from the EU.