Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
More than six million people are expected to take to the skies for Thanksgiving this year, according to aaa,
A lot of people fly this time of year, there are flight disruptions Cancelled due to Season and others issues are inevitable. if you go away travel insurance In your travel planning, those interruptions not only wreak havoc on your travel plans, but they can leave you with little financial recourse to make up for the inconvenience.
But don’t worry, says Jesse Neugarten, CEO of air travel site Dollar Flight Club, even if you depart in just a few days, travel insurance may still be an option. Independent,
“Even this close to Thanksgiving, it may be worth purchasing travel insurance,” Neugarten wrote in an email. “This is one of the most chaotic travel weeks of the year, and we consistently see a surge in last-minute disruptions and rebookings…full flights, winter weather and tight connections mean that even a single delay can turn into an overnight stop, a missed connection or a lost bag.”
However, there are a few things you need to consider before you buy, including what your policy will and won’t cover:
what does that involve?
Chrissy Valdez, senior director of operations at travel insurance marketplace Squaremouth, explains that in most cases, comprehensive travel insurance policies are available to purchase up until the day of your trip. Independent by email.
“Although it depends on what type of policy you’re looking for, benefits like travel delay coverage or emergency medical are not time-sensitive and can be purchased up until the day of your trip,” Valdez said.
The coverages he mentioned — travel delay coverage and emergency medical — are part of a wide range of benefits that standard travel insurance offers, according to squaremouthInvolved:
|
coverage |
what does that involve |
|---|---|
|
luggage lost or delayed |
Provides limited reimbursement for lost baggage or baggage delayed by more than a certain number of hours, provided the claim meets coverage requirements. |
|
emergency medicine |
If you are injured during your trip you are provided reimbursement for the medical care you receive abroad and, in some cases, it is combined with medical evacuation insurance that helps cover the cost of transportation to a medical facility. |
|
trip cancellation |
Provides reimbursement of prepaid, non-refundable travel purchases if you have to cancel your travel for covered reasons such as hurricanes and other weather events, medical reasons, terrorism, employment layoff, financial default of airline carrier. |
|
travel interruption |
Provides reimbursement for prepaid, non-refundable travel purchases you do not use if you have to miss or cancel part of your trip after the trip begins due to covered reasons such as illness, natural disasters and terrorism. |
|
travel delay |
If your journey is delayed by more than a certain number of hours (six is common) due to some unexpected reason, a daily reimbursement amount is usually provided for expenses. |
Trip delay, interruption, cancellation and lost or delayed baggage coverage are valuable benefits that can help compensate you financially if you get stuck in a jam, covered by your policy.
Additionally, if you are injured from a covered cause while traveling, emergency medical coverage can provide considerable financial protection, with many policies offering maximum coverage of $250,000 or more.
Policies available for purchase this week may also include coverage for lost, stolen or damaged personal items and missed flight connections.
It can be costly to cut it too close
If you’re considering purchasing travel insurance before flying this week, there are some coverages you won’t get, Neugarten said.
“What it doesn’t cover are ‘I don’t feel like going anymore’ scenarios, voluntary changes because you found a cheaper flight, or issues that were already known at the time the policy was purchased, such as a named storm already disrupting travel,” he said. “Pre-existing medical conditions are often excluded unless you purchased a sufficient amount of time ago and meet the exemption criteria.”
One trip coverage for which you are potentially ineligible is cancellation for any reason. This coverage is typically an add-on to your policy that allows you to cancel for any reason that is not already covered in your policy.
“If you want to get a policy that cancels for any reason right before your trip, it can be difficult to do so, primarily because some people have already decided to cancel and are expecting to purchase insurance to compensate for losses already incurred,” Clearsurance.com insurance expert Melanie Musson tells WebMD. Independent by email.
It’s not always expensive
One of the wallet-friendly benefits of travel insurance is that it usually doesn’t increase in price if you wait until the last second to purchase your policy. Rather, other factors influence the cost, explains Brie Spearman, founder of travel firm Carpe Diem Getaways. Independent by email.
“The price is based on the cost of the trip, the age of the traveler, the length of the trip and the coverage level,” Spearman said. “Buying insurance at the last minute does not increase the price – it merely limits eligibility for increased benefits [cancel-for-any-reason] or pre-existing condition waiver.”
Therefore, when you waited to purchase travel insurance, you would not pay more for your coverage and, generally speaking, you would only miss out on enhanced trip cancellation or interruption coverage and, in some cases, coverage for pre-existing medical conditions.
If you’re in good health and haven’t had to cancel your trip yet, Musson said purchasing insurance is a wise choice.
“As you get closer to a trip, the need for travel insurance does not diminish,” she said. “The most significant risk of things going wrong and disrupting your trip occurs after your trip begins. So, whether it’s closer to your trip or six months before, the argument in favor of purchasing travel insurance is very much the same.”