Can I Buy Travel Insurance if I’m Already Traveling?
While it’s always best to purchase travel insurance as soon as possible, it’s fairly common for travelers to wait until the last minute to protect their trips. With that said, waiting until you’re already traveling greatly reduces the number of options you’ll have. In general, most travel insurance policies are available for purchase up until the day before a traveler’s departure date.
But what about travelers that decide that want to purchase travel insurance after they’ve already departed for their trip? Squaremouth breaks down what options may still be available to those that wish to protect their trips while they’re traveling.
Am I Still Able to Buy If I Already Started My Trip?
Yes, it may still be possible to buy travel insurance after you’ve departed for your trip. With that said, the process of buying a policy can be complex, and the options available may be limited.
Many travel insurance marketplaces, such as Squaremouth, will not allow travelers to purchase insurance if they have already left for their trip. However, travelers may be able to find policies directly from travel insurance providers.
To get coverage, we recommend reaching out to a travel insurance provider directly to discuss what options are available. Because the trip has already started, any available policies will primarily provide travel medical coverage for the remainder of your trip.
Are There Advantages to Buying a Policy Early?
Travel insurance is designed to cover unforeseen events. The main advantages of buying early are an extended period of coverage and more coverage options.
Maximizing your coverage window is the biggest benefit to buying early. This is because once you buy a policy, you can be covered for any covered unexpected events that occur after the date of purchase. This can include something like an illness or injury that prevents you from traveling, a severe weather event, or job loss. However, if you wait and something occurs that impacts your trip before you’ve bought a policy, it is then too late to buy coverage for that event.
For example, if you have already purchased a policy with Trip Cancellation coverage for inclement weather, and a storm develops a week before your trip that forces you to cancel, you can be reimbursed for 100% of your prepaid and non-refundable trip costs. However, if the storm is named and then you try to buy a policy, you will not be covered for the storm.
There are also some important time-sensitive benefits available within certain travel insurance policies, namely Cancel For Any Reason and Pre-Existing Condition coverage. These benefits are only available for 10-21 days after you make your initial trip deposit. If you wait too long to buy, you will not be eligible for either of these sought after coverages.