When To Extend Holiday Insurance

mpeill

As a couple we have an annual european holiday insurance policy, expiry April 2018. Our son is planning a family (including us) holiday to the USA next summer.
If the holiday is booked now, with a deposit, and the balance due some time next spring, can we wait until next April to extend our cover, or will the fact that the holiday was booked prior to the extension in cover mean we are not covered.
(Accepting we may loose any deposit paid with the booking now)
or, more straightforward, does cover have to be in place before the booking, or can we add cover at any point and be covered for all future events from the date of cover?

agrinnall

Your existing annual policy won't cover it anyway as the holiday is outside the area of cover, nor will it if it is renewed next April. You'd have to ask the insurer if they will allow you to extend the cover to the USA before renewal. Otherwise your options are to take the risk of losing money that you have already paid by waiting until April then making the cover include the USA on renewal, or take out a separate single trip policy for the holiday now.

mpeill

I understand about loosing any money already spent, but if I extend the policy to include USA next April, will the new policy protect future balance payments in the event of a claim, even though the commitment to the holiday was made this year?

Ms_Chocaholic

Can you take out an annual insurance policy now with cover starting from April 2018.

sheramber

Phone the insurance company and ask them

Quentin

mpeill wrote: »

(Accepting we may loose any deposit paid with the booking now)
or, more straightforward, does cover have to be in place before the booking, or can we add cover at any point and be covered for all future events from the date of cover?

mpeill wrote: »

I understand about loosing any money already spent, but if I extend the policy to include USA next April, will the new policy protect future balance payments in the event of a claim, even though the commitment to the holiday was made this year?

Yes. (Obviously won't cover any new health conditions any member of the party or close relative etc gets before the new policy starts)


You aren't covered at all now for a trip outside the areas your policy covers. If and when you get cover for USA then any covered event after that cover starts you can claim for.