Switching broker · Growing businesses · 2026

Have you outgrown your online-only business insurance?

Buying cover from an online quote is quick and cheap — right up until your business gets complex enough that the boxes stop fitting.

Part of: When to switch business insurance broker

In short

Online and direct policies (from the likes of Simply Business, Superscript or buying direct from an insurer) are built for standard, simpler risks. As you add staff, premises, higher-value work, contracts or unusual activities, a self-service quote can leave gaps you won't notice until a claim. A broker looks at the whole business, spots what the online form missed, and arranges cover that actually matches — often for a comparable price. You can move mid-term or at renewal.

Signs you've outgrown a self-service policy

You had to pick the "closest" trade because yours wasn't in the dropdown.
You've taken on activities the policy may or may not cover — and you're not sure which.
Contracts now ask for specific limits your online policy doesn't clearly meet.
You genuinely don't know what you're covered for if something goes wrong.
No one reviews it — it just renews at whatever the algorithm decides.

What a broker adds

Reads your actual business rather than a set of tick-boxes.
Combines cover — PI, public and employers' liability, cyber, contents — into one programme that fits together.
Checks for the gaps and overlaps a self-service quote can't.
Is a named person who acts for you when you need to claim.

Online cover isn't wrong — it's just built for the average. Once you're not average, it can quietly under-serve you.

Frequently asked

Is a broker more expensive than buying online?

Not necessarily. Brokers place business with insurers at terms the public can't always access, and the value is cover that actually fits, which can be cheaper than paying for the wrong policy.

What can an online policy miss?

Commonly: activities you added later, the right professional indemnity limit, business interruption sized properly, or contract requirements - the things a dropdown can't ask about.

Can I move mid-term from a direct or online policy?

Usually yes, with a return premium for the unused period less a small charge. A broker will say whether to move now or at renewal.

Will I lose my no-claims record if I switch?

No. Your claims history follows you to the new insurer regardless of how you bought the old policy.

Business outgrown the online quote?

Send us what you have now and a named Apex broker will tell you plainly where the gaps are — and arrange cover that fits the business you've become.

Get a proper review → Request a callback

Apex Insurance Brokers is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 724952). Simply Business and Superscript are named only as examples of online providers; this page is general information, not advice, and is not affiliated with them.