We’re sure most of you won’t have thought much about James Bond’s costs and insurance premiums before, and really, to all intents and purposes 007 is completely uninsurable. However, throughout Daniel Craig’s incarnation as the much-loved secret agent there are a number of aspects we wanted to cast a Goldeneye at, and we thought it would be fun to speculate on some of the key events in Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, and Skyfall – the premiums, the policies, the expenses, claims and costs. The ones that were, that weren’t, and that could have been.
So just what did Craig’s Bond cost MI6, and ultimately, rather unfortunately, the tax payer?
In order to speculate on these issues we have to make some assumptions about the man himself:
Name: James Bond
Age: 47
Occupation: Civil Servant
Address: London, SW3
Salary: £100,000
'Fly Another Day'
The Travels and Tribulations of Bond
A man of distinction, conviction, culture and lust (wanderlust that is), Bond has touched down in all corners of the world. But we were concerned that he never seemed to stop to think about his travel insurance or even which flight he should take. Luckily our travel team had a look into it, and we’ve mapped out his travel routes in each film, totalled up the flight costs (first or business class of course) and even worked out how much time Bond would have needed to spend travelling.
It’s actually quite astounding, and if you look at the arduous trek needed to get from Haiti to Bregenz, Austria, it’s really no wonder Bond suffered a lapse in judgement in pushing the member of Special Branch off of the Opera roof in Quantum of Solace. He must have been exhausted.
▲ Check the boxes to see each movie's routes, or click a route to get the full details. ◄ Select a movie from the drop-down to see the full itinerary.
Bond's Travel Insurance
Travel insurance policy:
£448.98
Includes:
£10,000,000 emergency medical expenses
£2,000,000 personal liability
£2,000 personal possessions.
Non-standard Activities
Most travel policies cover you for various activities, but anything non-standard requires more specialist cover and quite frankly, Bond epitomises ‘non-standard’ activities. Our travel policies look at the level of risk involved and this contributes to the overall premium value. A selection of 007’s more adventurous activities are featured below.
Komodo dragon fighting in Shang Hai, China (Skyfall).
A Parkour chase over cranes and building sites in Madagascar (Casino Royale).
Drinking games in Turkey: Have you ever had shots of tequila with a deadly scorpion in your hand? (Skyfall)
A highly dangerous plane chase over the Bolivian desert, followed by a swift parachute into a cave (Quantum of Solace).
Contents
We’ve all stood there at baggage reclaim becoming increasingly nervous as everybody else takes their luggage away. If Bond ever found himself the last man standing at the carousel what items might he be particularly worried about with only £2000 personal possessions cover?
Tom Ford sunglasses
(£250)
Zero Halliburton Briefcase
(£240)
ST Dupont cufflinks
(£150)
Tailored Brioni dinner jacket
(£3000)
Omega Seamaster watch
(£1800)
Military Kit
Bond: "A gun and a radio. Not exactly Christmas."
Q: "What did you expect, an exploding pen? We don't really go in for that sort of thing anymore."
We’re proud to provide insurance for the British armed forces, and as a Commander of the Royal Navy we could provide cover for Bond’s military kit. Daniel Craig’s kit is quite tame compared with the Pierce Brosnan super-gadget days, and whilst our policy doesn’t include cover for firearms, we’ve made an exception for 007.
Military Kit Policy: £392.07
Sony Experia Z3
Value: £499
Insurance: £36.33
12" MacBook Pro
Value: £1,000
Insurance: £19.60
Walther PPK/S
Value: £500
Insurance: £9.80
HK UMP-9 Sub Machine Gun
Value: £1,150
Insurance: £22.54
Anderson Wheeler 500 Nitro Express Double Rifle
Value: £15,500
Insurance: £303.80
Vehicle Insurance: 'The Car is not Enough'
A Bond film without fast cars, bikes and boats is unthinkable, and the most recent three are no exception. Personally we’re glad that Die Another Day’s headline car – “We call it the Vanish” Aston Martin V12 Vanquish - didn’t reappear here, as that would have had our insurance specialists scratching their heads…
We’ve looked at some of the vehicle insurance policies MI6 would have needed to take out during Craig’s incarnation, but we’ve kicked off with the old favourite.
-
1964 Aston Martin DB5
Value: £500,000
Insurance Policy: £1,000
Where it all began – the original James Bond Aston Martin, and it made its long-awaited return with a cameo in Casino Royale, and of course in Skyfall where, outside the Skyfall lodge, it met its devastating and explosive fate.
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Aston Martin DBS
Value: £150,000
Insurance Policy: £3,854.16
The modern version of the classic – featured in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. The DBS and DB5 both appearing in Casino Royale actually made history, as it is the only Bond film to feature two models of Aston Martin.
-
Ford Mondeo
Rental Costs: £120 per day
Insurance4CarHire: £109.99 worldwide cover
Yep that’s right – a Ford Mondeo. Bond most likely rented this as he pulled up to a hotel in Nassua in the Bahamas in Casino Royale. We hope he got his car hire excess insurance from our friends at Insurance4CarHire!
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Honda CRF250R
Value: £10,000
Insurance Policy: £700
In the opening sequence of Skyfall Bond gives chase on this Honda before eventually crashing it into the wall of a bridge to propel himself onto a moving train. Let’s hope the bike was insured…
-
Spirit Yachts 'Spirit 54'
Value: £300,000
Insurance Policy: £2500
Towards the end of Casino Royale when Bond and Vesper flee to Venice, they sail there from Montengro in this beautiful specimen.
Bond and the Public: 'A View to a Bill'
Bond brings a wave of damage and destruction with him wherever he goes, and we’re sure that plenty of innocent bystanders would agree. Public liability insurance can cover businesses when members of the public seek compensation from them due to a loss or damage that the business has caused by accident. When we went to our public liability experts to talk about a policy for MI6, they laughed us out of the room – total uninsurability (if such a word exists).
What this does mean is that MI6 would be liable for all the damage Bond caused due to his negligence and general antics.
Safe as Houses
Bond and buildings don’t seem to go too well together. We’ve looked at three particularly memorable buildings from the past three films. Is it us or is there definitely some kind of pattern emerging here? “Luckily”, rebuild costs are traditionally 40% of the overall value of the property so in some ways it’s better for MI6 that Bond completely and utterly destroyed these three in particular.
Waterfront Building in Venice, Italy (Casino Royale)
This would be a complicated building to insure due to the rather imminent danger of flooding, but when this Venetian water-front house sank into the water it would be no quick fix for the unfortunate owners.
Estimated claim against MI6:
£1,000,000
Estimated claim against MI6:
£17,500,000
Perla de las dunas Hotel in Bolivia (Quantum of Solace)
By far the biggest cost for MI6. This wonderfully remote luxury hotel in the Bolivian desert was blown to smithereens once Bond had passed through. Our team specialising in hotel insurance thought this in particular would hit the MI6 coffers hard.
Skyfall Lodge, Scotland (Skyfall)
This wily old highland mansion, and Bond’s ancestral home, was a challenge for our non-standard property team. Possibly listed, and full of unique features including fireplaces, 300 year old wood panelling and original clay tiles, plus generations worth of trinkets, antique rifles and artwork – the new owners who recently acquired the Lodge will be in for a shock the next time they stop by.
Estimated claim against MI6:
£3,500,000
So what's the Damage?
With too many instances like the above to even count, there are many other bills that would find their way through MI6's letterbox due to Bond's shenanigans.
All other damages: up to £2,000,000
We’re talking about the occasions when Bond smashed up a bathroom in Prague, damaged an entire line of cars in a hotel carpark in Nassau, had a shoot-out at the Austrian Opera, and caused the collapse of most of a Madagascan construction site... And many, many more!
Working 009-5: What a Way to Make a Living (Daylights)
It's worth remembering that Bond is an employee of MI6, albeit an unusual one, and there are some other issues to consider whilst Bond is working On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
Staff Absence
Whilst MI6 might actually welcome a break from the ever-growing bill Bond has been racking up, the job still needs to be done and there were numerous occasions when Bond was totally AWOL.
Our Caring Professions division provide staff absence cover for schools and locum insurance for GP absence – we asked them to put their knowledge to the test and work out a policy for MI6.
MI6 would be covered for a replacement to be paid and take over Bond’s missions in the event of him having an accident whilst at work, being hospitalised, suspended or put in a coma – They would even get up to £50,000 for James being ‘accidently’ killed (cough, Moneypenny, cough…)
After Bond was shot by Miss Moneypenny, he failed all the tests and yet M still sent him out into the field. We’re guessing they didn’t have any kind of staff absence policy in place. It also begs the question – just what is wrong with 008? Is he just not up to the job, or are his wage demands simply too high?
MI6 Staff Absence insurance for James Bond: £8,920.91
Considering that during the three films Bond is tortured, rehabilitated, resigns with immediate effect, is suspended, presumed dead and generally detained, we felt this is certainly something MI6 might want to look into.
The Spy Who Sued Me: Employer's Liability
Silva: "She sent you off to me, knowing you're not ready, knowing you'll likely die.
Mommy was very bad."
If Bond experienced the kind of injuries he does in any other job, he’d certainly be on the phone to the no-win no-fee lawyers. Bond has been kidnapped, tortured, and even shot by a co-worker over the last three films.
It is the law, under the Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969, that all businesses must take out a minimum level of employer’s liability insurance when they employ someone. As a governmental body MI6 wouldn’t be legally obliged to do this however.
So is James Bond likely to wage a multi-million lawsuit against MI6? We’re willing to bet to that whatever complex contract he works under prohibits him (or any other 00 agent) from doing so. And it’s probably just as well.
From Towergate with Love
And so here we have it – the total costs we’re speculating that MI6 would have needed to pay throughout the last three films – and it’s pretty much what Morrisons sold their entire fleet of 140 convenience stores for in September.
£24,477,513.90
Just like everyone else, we can’t wait for Spectre (and we’re anticipating many more costs to be added on to the total Daniel Craig bill). We’re hoping the organisers of the Day of the Dead festival in Mexico City have got themselves some event insurance, because if Bond is up to his usual tricks, MI6 could see themselves footing the bill for an additional claim of £500,000. if Spectre’s opening sequence is anything like countless others, things are going to get rather shaken, and certainly stirred.