Annual travel policy expires before we travel

Microbe99

Hi All,

I have an annual travel insurance policy which runs out in May 2026.
I have booked a holiday for October 2026
I am asuming that i can rely on the existing policy for cancellation if needed until May 2026 and then will take out a new policy to cover from May 2026 until after the end of the October trip. If this is not possible then why get an annual policy?

I'd appreciate your thoughts.

MyRealNameToo

Microbe99 said:

Hi All,

I have an annual travel insurance policy which runs out in May 2026.
I have booked a holiday for October 2026
I am asuming that i can rely on the existing policy for cancellation if needed until May 2026 and then will take out a new policy to cover from May 2026 until after the end of the October trip. If this is not possible then why get an annual policy?

I'd appreciate your thoughts.

Read your terms, a decent policy will cover it but have seen some basic policies that won't cover a trip that isnt due to occur during the policies term. 

Why are there policies like that? Because it reduces their risk so can be sold cheaper and price is king in consumer insurance. 

katejo

Microbe99 said:

Hi All,

I have an annual travel insurance policy which runs out in May 2026.
I have booked a holiday for October 2026
I am asuming that i can rely on the existing policy for cancellation if needed until May 2026 and then will take out a new policy to cover from May 2026 until after the end of the October trip. If this is not possible then why get an annual policy?

I'd appreciate your thoughts.

At the end of 2024 I had an annual policy due to expire in January 2025 which didn't include any cruise cover. I wanted to book a short cruise trip in March 2025. I thought I wouldn't need to pay a cruise supplement until I renewed in January because any potential claim would be cancellation only (not the additional costs covered by a cruise supplement). However, my insurer said I had to add the cruise cover straight away. 

MyRealNameToo

katejo said:

Microbe99 said:

Hi All,

I have an annual travel insurance policy which runs out in May 2026.
I have booked a holiday for October 2026
I am asuming that i can rely on the existing policy for cancellation if needed until May 2026 and then will take out a new policy to cover from May 2026 until after the end of the October trip. If this is not possible then why get an annual policy?

I'd appreciate your thoughts.

At the end of 2024 I had an annual policy due to expire in January 2025 which didn't include any cruise cover. I wanted to book a short cruise trip in March 2025. I thought I wouldn't need to pay a cruise supplement until I renewed in January because any potential claim would be cancellation only (not the additional costs covered by a cruise supplement). However, my insurer said I had to add the cruise cover straight away. 

It depends... some simply dont cover cruises unless you have cruise cover, for others the basics of cruises are covered as standard but the cruise cover adds other matters like being confined to cabin or missed stop etc. 

robert0000

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That’s a tricky situation with the annual travel policy expiring before your trip — really smart to think this through now. Here are a few things to watch out for:

• Make sure the policy’s travel date window matches when you’ll actually be traveling. Even if you buy the policy now, it might only cover travel during certain dates.

• Check the cancellation and refund terms: if your tickets change or get canceled, does the insurer refund or let you shift coverage?

• Look into single-trip travel insurance for flexibility. Depending on how often you travel, this might be more cost-effective.

• Ask the insurer specifically about multi-trip policy limits for months versus trips (some policies cap number of trips, others total duration).

By the way — I run a travel business focused on desert tour dubai, and we strongly encourage every guest to double-check their travel insurance before booking our safari adventures. If you’re planning something adventurous, you might want to read up on coverage for desert excursions.