Time frame for purchasing insurance?

How far in advance must insurance be purchased? Does it need to be before final payment or purchasing airline tickets, or just anytime before the trip? Thanks!

How far in advance must insurance be purchased? Does it need to be before final payment or purchasing airline tickets, or just anytime before the trip? Thanks!

First, we suggest that you call TripInsuranceStore.com

But *call* them, don't just rely upon the summary policy descriptions on their website, because there is lots of fine print, and some policies aren't listed.

And for newbies, it can seem very complicated (it was for us, at first, definitely).

They can explain the timing, which in great part depends upon WHAT TYPE(S) OF COVERAGE YOU PREFER/NEED.

The "biggie" is whether you have/might have any "pre-existing medical conditions".

(This can be trickier than it sounds except for the healthiest folks; we have aged out of that category a while ago ;))

IF you want coverage that would NOT EXCLUDE something related to a pre-existing condition, then typically (but there is an exception - ask if this is needed) requires EITHER:

--- Starting insurance within 14-21 days of making the initial deposit (there are other requirements, usually including insuring ALL non-refundable payments as they are added);

or

---Starting the insurance within 24 hours of making the final payment of the largest cost part of the trip (there are some other possibilities here, such as if you buy air tix to/from cruise ports after final payment of cruise).

But IF you have pre-existing medical conditions (serious or not), make sure you don't miss deadlines if you want coverage that would include anything related to these.

Mostly... speak with someone, a pro.

Steve and his associates were REMARKABLY patient with our ongoing "but what if..." questions back when we were first inquiring.

And good thing, too.

With less than 2 weeks to go for a big trip to celebrate a major event and major b-day, DH got sick, and the entire trip was totally cancelled.

Because we were still at home, our regular health insurance covered the care, but if it had happened 2 weeks later without insurance... "ooops".

And it was nice to keep in the back of our minds that we'd get the $$ back for that "most expensive trip yet" for us, so we could re-schedule it later.

Good luck... there are lots of choices, and you'll hear a wide variety of responses about the need for various types of travel insurance.

Get whatever fits YOUR needs, obviously.

GeezerCouple