Frequently asked questions

hiscoxonline.com is best viewed with screen size 800 x 600. The way you lay out your screen toolbars may affect how much of hiscoxonline.com you can see. For example, if you have your menu bar vertically on the right or left of your screen, some areas of text may not be visible.

You may need to use the horizontal scroll bar at the bottom or the vertical scroll bars on the right.

Q: What version browser do I need to use?

You will need a minimum of Internet Explorer 4 or Netscape Navigator ver 4.0 to ver 4.76 to use the site. If you have recently purchased a new PC, it is likely that you will have one of these two compatible browsers or even more recent versions

Q: How do I find out what browser version I have?

Click on Help on the toolbar at the top of your browser. Then choose ‘About'. You will then be able to see what browser version you have

Q: How do I upgrade my browser?

If you have an earlier version of a browser, you can download an updated version in the following way for either Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator

For Internet Explorer - on the internet
1 Go to the Microsoft site at www.microsoft.com/ie
2 Click on the free downloads link

For Internet Explorer - using a CD Rom
Browsers can also be upgraded using a Windows 98 CD Rom. If you have this, then insert the CD Rom and select IE4 SETUP.EXE. This will update the browser to Internet Explorer 4

For Netscape Navigator - on the internet 1 Go to the Netscape site at http://browser.netscape.com/ns8/ Click on the free downloads link. N.B. Netscape 6.0 and above is not supported at this time

Q: Why do I experience problems when accessing the site from work?

The site requires you to be able to download Javascript from the internet. If your workplace prevents you from doing so, you will experience significant problems in trying to use the site. For further information please contact your company IT department

Q: How secure is hiscoxonline.com?

Our website incorporates the latest encryption technology, 128-bit encryption. This means that your data is protected and cannot be viewed by third parties

Q: What is 128-bit encryption?

128-bit encryption is a secure form of encryption. (Encryption is a way of making information secret). Due to the nature of the information being passed between you and us, we use this to ensure that your details cannot be viewed by third parties

Q: I received the message ‘Security certificate signed by an unknown authority'. What does this mean?

Every company that has a secure website has a certificate issued by a certificate authority to let the internet users know that the website is genuine. hiscoxonline.com's certificate is issued by Verisign. If a customer's browser is not set to recognise Verisign certificates it may prevent the customer from accessing the hiscoxonline.com website. To correct this, you need to enable the certificate authority - Verisign For Internet Explorer version 4

1 At the toolbar (in the top right hand corner), select View.
2 Select internet options
3 Select Content
4 Click on Authorities
5 Scroll across to and tick Verisign Class 3 Primary CA and Verisign Class 4 Primary CA
6 Finally, click on OK For Netscape Navigator
1 Select the Security menu
2 Select Signers (located in the certificates box)
3 Scroll down to Verisign class 3 primary CA, select Edit
4 Ensure that the top three boxes are enabled
5 Finally, click on OK

Q: What do these common error messages mean?

You may receive error messages that are specific to our website if your browser does not meet the requirements mentioned above or if you enter your security details incorrectly. If you get the following messages, it may mean you have a network problem and you should contact your network provider:

- Internet Explorer cannot open site
- Cannot connect to server
- The website is unavailable

Tip: always check that the URL (Universal Resource Locator - or simply, the address of a website) you have entered is correct.

All of the information and advice set out above is intended to be general in nature and you should not rely on it in connection with any security decision.

If you need assistance with any aspect of hiscoxonline.com please contact us on:email - contactus@hiscox.com or telephone - 0845 330 0505 (Monday - Friday, 8.30 a.m. - 6 p.m.)

Please note for security and training purposes calls may be recorded and/or monitored.

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Hiscox are the only UK insurer that allows you to compare quality of cover against other home insurance policies. Please select the appropriate link below to compare us with your current insurer.

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The data on this page is provided by Defaqto who take reasonable care to ensure that the information is accurate and up-to-date. However, as much of the information is provided by third party suppliers, neither Defaqto nor Hiscox guarantee that data collected from, verified or supplied by any third party is wholly accurate or complete and neither company will be liable for any errors or delays in the content supplied, or for any actions taken by users on the basis of this content.