M&S Bank home insurance review

M&S Bank not only offers home insurance, it sells car insurance, travel insurance and pet insurance, too.

We've reviewed two of its home insurance policies – Standard and Premier – both underwritten by Aviva Insurance Ltd. You can buy direct from its website, over the phone or through comparison websites. 

Please note that the information in this article is for information purposes only and does not constitute advice.

Does M&S Bank offer the best home insurance?

Here's how M&S Bank scored in our last survey.

• Best Buy for its Premier policy's buildings cover.
• 72% buildings score on its 'Standard' policy, 14th out of the 35 policies compared.
• 80% contents score, 2nd out of the 35 standard policies we reviewed.
• We didn't get enough responses to our claimants survey to rate M&S Bank's customer and claims service.

See how this compares with the best home insurance, or read more about how we rate home insurance.

What does M&S Bank home insurance cover?

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This insurer isn't available on Confused.com, but you can get quotes from other insurers and compare the cheapest with our reviews.

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Please note that the information in this article is for information purposes only and does not constitute advice. Please refer to the particular terms and conditions of an insurer before committing to any financial products.

‘Both M&S policies impressed us'

Dean Sobers, Which? home insurance expert, says:

M&S Bank’s standard policy earned a score of 72% for its buildings cover - which was average. But it earned a score of 80% for its contents cover, which placed it among the top ten contents policies out of the 78 we rated.

We liked that it doesn’t charge any admin fees if you have to make mid-term changes to your cover, request duplicate documents or even choose to part company with M&S Bank in the middle of the year and switch to another provider. 

It also doesn’t place limits on the total amount it will pay out for alternative accommodation costs (payments to keep you housed if your home isn’t liveable) within the overall amount the policy covers depending on the value of your property, offering up to £1,000,000. With some policies, alternative accommodation limits can be as low as £20,000.   

Among its imperfections was a lack of a definition in its wording for ‘flood’, which we think is important but was only present in about a third of policies we rated. It also doesn’t cover storm damage to fences, gates and hedges.

Generous unoccupancy cover

Insurers consider empty homes to be more vulnerable to thefts or maintenance issues (such as burst pipes) – so they allow for a maximum period during which the property can be left unoccupied.

Of the policies we rated, these allowed unoccupancy periods ranged from a month to three months. M&S Bank’s policies allow for a very impressive 90 days.

Premier cover

M&S Bank’s plusher alternative to its standard policy - Premier - earned scores of 77% for buildings cover and 83% for contents cover. This placed it in the top fifth for the former and among the top five policies for the latter.

Premier earned a Best Buy for its buildings cover. Despite its even better scores for contents cover, its underwriter’s (Aviva’s) lower-than-average claims acceptance rate for contents policies barred it from an endorsement in that area.

How can you save money on M&S Bank home insurance?

To check to see if you're getting a good deal, the Standard and Premier policies can both be bought from the following price comparison websites:

• Compare The Market
• Go.Compare
• MoneySuperMarket
• Quotezone

You can also get a quote by calling M&S Bank or visiting its website. 

Want to pay monthly? Good news - M&S Bank doesn't charge interest for paying monthly rather than annually.

Above information correct as of August 2025. For more ways to save money when buying insurance, see our guide.

How does M&S Bank compare with other providers?

M&S Bank's Standard home insurance policy received a score of 72% for its building cover, just below standard policies from Saga and Lemonade – with a score of 73%.

For contents insurance, M&S Bank's standard policy scored 80% – only Saga's standard policy scored better in our table, with 82%.

M&S Bank home insurance: How can I claim?

If you need to make a claim, call 0800 051 2556. Policyholders with an online account can also make a claim online.

• Find out more: Is it worth claiming on your home insurance?

Should you buy M&S Bank home insurance?

Probably, if the price you're being quoted is reasonable.

M&S Bank's policies impressed our experts, and while the lack of customer and claims scores is concerning, on paper at least you're getting great cover.

Find out how M&S Bank rates for other products

• travel insurance
• pet insurance

How we rate home insurance