This month we’re taking a look at some weird insurance facts that are all in fact true, as strange as they may seem!
In Florida you can take out alien abduction insurance… The policy covers you for $10 million in the event of abduction by an extra-terrestrial for things like psychiatric care and sarcasm protection from family members. And they have actually paid out claims!
Hole-in-one insurance for golf is actually surprisingly common. Historically it used to be for protecting the golfer against a ridiculous bar bill, as it’s customary for them to buy everyone in the clubhouse a drink on making the shot.
When Aquafresh signed America Ferrera (star of Ugly Betty), they needed to protect their valuable asset. Lloyd’s of London provided coverage of £5 million for her smile and any ‘reasonable and necessary dental treatment’ from accidental injury.
In the 1900s, movie-goers were so scared of laughing themselves to death that they decided to insure it. Policies have also been quoted by comedians, as a special form of liability insurance, to avoid them killing their audiences with their sheer wit.
Originating in China when their football team failed to qualify for the World Cup, ‘Heartbreak’ insurance policies were created. Fans could buy a policy for one round of the tournament for a specific team, receiving a small payout if they got knocked out.
In 1971, Cutty Sark offered an award of £1 million to anyone who could capture the Loch Ness Monster. Worried that someone might actually do it, they insured against the possibility of paying out. The insurance company agreed, with the condition that it would get to keep Nessie.
As well as being one of the best footballers of all time, Lionel Messi also holds the record for the most expensive sporting insurance policy. Reportedly, he insured his left foot for a whopping €750 million!
Steven Spielberg holds the record for the top-grossing director of all time at over $10 billion worldwide across his career. But he also holds another record – the most expensive life insurance policy ever, at a huge $1.2 billion.
The world’s largest cigar weighing 110 kilograms and with a length of almost 4 meters was insured during exposure on one of the exhibitions in London for 18,000 pounds sterling, and the premium was only 50 pence. Perhaps because, as claimed by the owner of a cigar, it could only be smoked in no less than 339 days.
Wedding insurance is fairly common place, to cover the costs of unexpected rescheduling or suppliers failing. But did you know you can also take out ‘change of heart’ insurance? This covers family members who have paid money towards deposits for the wedding if the bride or groom get cold feet!
Having a child is an expensive undertaking, especially when it’s the son of God. That’s why three sisters in England took out a £1 million policy to pay for the cost of bringing up Christ in event of a second coming where one of them had a virgin birth. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the policy caused such an argument with the Catholic Church that the policy had to be withdrawn.
Did you know any of those already? Check out for the rest of our blogs for more information and useful tips about insurance.
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