Payments and fees

If we can’t take your monthly payment, Picnic will automatically try again within five working days if your bank allows it, and a payment will be added. If that doesn’t work, we’ll ask you to bring your account up to date within 14 days so your policy can stay in place, and we’ll ask you to pay by card online or over the phone. If we still don’t receive payment within 21 days, your policy will end and you won’t be covered, although you may still have an outstanding balance to pay. 

We’ll work with you to find an affordable solution based on your circumstances. If a balance remains unpaid, this could be shared with credit reference agencies and affect your credit file, and in some cases the debt may be passed to a debt collection agency. Once we’ve asked your bank to take a payment, we can’t stop that request.

If you pay for your policy monthly by card or Direct Debit, your payments are set up under a separate credit agreement with Picnic, which is different from your insurance policy. You can find the details of this agreement in Your Account. If you want to talk about your credit agreement or make any changes, our instalments team is on hand to help.

Your payment will be collected on or shortly after the first available business day, following the weekend or bank holiday.

You’ll receive written advice confirming when your first instalment is due and your Credit Agreement will be available online in Your Account. If you have any queries, contact the team by clicking the chat widget below if you have any queries.

If you’re struggling to pay your monthly instalment, get in touch with us as soon as you can - we're here to help. Depending on your situation, we can look at options like updating your policy to better fit your needs, moving your payment date, spreading the cost over the rest of your payments, or cancelling your policy if that’s the right thing to do. 

If you’re thinking about a payment break, tools like MoneyHelper’s Money Navigator Tool can help you understand your options, and you can also get free, confidential and impartial money and debt advice from specialist organisations.

Details of our fees can be found here.

When you apply for a new Picnic policy or renew, we use information from credit reference agencies. We’ll do a soft credit check to give you a quote, which only you and Picnic can see and won’t affect your credit score. If you then buy or renew a policy and choose to pay monthly, we’ll carry out a hard credit check, which other lenders can see.

If you’re 17, you’ll need to pay for your Picnic policy in full, as you can’t take out a credit agreement until you’re 18. If you’re 18 or over, we’ll check whether monthly payments are right for you when you get a quote, renew, or make changes that affect what you owe. We use information from a credit reference agency and the details you give us to do this. 

If monthly payments aren’t available, it’s because we don’t think they’d be affordable for you. 

If you’re approved, you can choose to pay in full or monthly by card or Direct Debit. Paying monthly costs more overall because interest is added.

Yes, you can use someone else’s bank details if you have their permission. If you pay monthly, you’ll still be the customer responsible for the credit agreement. We’ll also keep the person making the payments informed about things like late payments, policy cancellation, and any changes to bank details or payment amounts.