5 Reasons to Book Travel Protection Early

One of the smartest ways to plan a great trip is to make sure your vacation is protected. You are able to purchase a travel protection at any point before departure date, but it is always a wise choice to get a plan quickly after the initial trip deposit date. The deposit date is the earliest date any payment was made toward any component of the trip. From that date, there is a 15 day time sensitive period when additional benefits are available in TripAssure travel protection plans. Here are the reasons to book travel protection within the time sensitive period, and a few other reasons why earlier is better.

Pre-Existing Conditions

One of the most frequently asked questions about travel protection is whether Pre-Exiting Conditions are covered. This can include a medical need for Trip Cancellation or Trip Interruption, as well as Emergency Medical treatment or Evacuation during the trip. TripAssure Asset, Bridge, and Complete plans all offer a waiver of the Pre-Existing Conditions Exclusion. To qualify for this waiver, one requirement is that the plan is purchased within 15 days of the initial trip deposit date. Once 15 days has passed, the Pre-Existing Conditions Waiver is no longer available.

Cancel For Any Reason

Another valuable benefit that is only available during the 15 day time sensitive period is Cancel For Any Reason. This benefit is different than Trip Cancellation, which requires you to demonstrate the covered reason for cancelling the trip. Instead, Cancel For Any Reason allows you the choice of whether or not to cancel the trip, without explanation, and receive 75% of the pre-paid and unused trip costs that aren’t refunded. There are several conditions to qualify for coverage, namely, it is required that the full trip cost be insured and the last opportunity to cancel is 2 days prior to the trip departure. If you act quickly after making the initial trip deposit and meet these conditions, the TripAssure Complete plan includes the Cancel For Any Reason benefit.

More Bang for the Buck

Separate from those two benefits that are available within the time sensitive period, TripAssure travel protection plans as a whole are more valuable when they are purchased early. This is because the cost of the plan does not change based on how far in the future your trip is scheduled. For example, purchasing a plan 6 months before departure means protecting the next 6 months against the risk of cancellation, but you paid the same as if the trip started tomorrow.

Named Storms

During the summer travel months, the Atlantic Hurricane Season poses a consistent threat to many warm weather vacations. Travel protection helps safeguard against storms, but once again, timing is key because of Named Storms and the Impact on Travel Protection. When a storm gains enough strength (39mph), the storm is named by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). A newly purchased travel protection plan does not cover losses from any storms already named at the time of purchase. If you plan to travel during hurricane season, make sure to purchase travel protection before a storm is named. This is also a good example of when the Cancel For Any Reason benefit can be most valuable. Rather than wait for a storm to impact your trip, Cancel For Any Reason allows you to make the choice of whether or not to risk traveling.

What Hasn’t Happened Yet

Travel protection helps safeguard your vacation investment, your belongings and you against possible risks you may face before or during your trip. Securing your travel protection plan early in the booking process means you can be covered for these risks beginning the day after purchase, when the plan becomes effective. The longer a person waits to get travel protection, the more risk is taken that something could happen and it would be too late. A common example is a sickness, injury, or death in the family. If you wait to book travel protection until after a diagnosis causes the need to cancel, that cancelation cannot be covered by travel protection. Making sure travel protection is in place early is the best way to guard against the unknown leading up to a vacation.

 

This information is meant to be a summary. For specific details of coverage, please always refer to your plan documents. Please also don’t hesitate to contact TripAssure with any questions, agents are eager to help.