Travel Insurance is a gigantic topic to tackle whether you’re researching on your own or using a comparison site. Sometimes you might find out the policy you purchased isn’t quite the right one for you or doesn’t have the coverage you thought it had. Don’t worry –you have some options from here!
Can You Cancel Travel Insurance?
It’s the answer you want to hear — yes! Something that’s really helpful to know when considering purchasing travel insurance is that it comes with a built-in return policy, called a “free look period”. Unlike a brick-and-mortar return policy with return limitations after you’ve “opened the packaging”, you’ll be able to cancel your travel insurance plan without a hitch, despite the reason of cancellation. The look period length depends on the travel insurance provider, but you’ll typically have 10-14 days after the purchase date to decide whether or not you want to cancel your insurance.
You’ll want to be cautious if you have intentions to file a claim with your insurance company before cancelling though. Providers can’t cancel a policy if there is an open claim or intention to submit a claim on the plan.
PRO TIP: Use the “free look period” to actually review your travel insurance certificate of insurance. This way, you have a complete understanding of what is included and excluded from the policy and the steps to take if there is a travel or medical emergency during your trip.
How Can You Get a Refund?
The best way to make this policy cancellation a fast process is to reach out to the travel insurance company or the comparison site you used to purchase the policy. Sometimes, it’s best to email the provider’s customer service, since they might require a written request. You can find your travel insurance provider’s contact information is on the policy documents you were sent via email the day you purchased your travel insurance. Once a refund has been approved, the refund is often credited to the card the travel insurance policy was purchased with.
Can’t Cancel Your Travel Insurance Policy?
You might think you’re out of luck if your insurance policy is outside the “free look period” –don’t lose hope just yet! It’s never really a bad thing to have travel insurance in the first place. Actually, it can come in more handy than you might see at first. If your policy doesn’t have the specific type of coverage you were looking for, the other coverages it does include could get you a reimbursement if your travel plans get mixed up. For instance, if you were looking for pre-existing conditions coverage and accidentally purchased a policy that didn’t have that coverage, the included trip delay coverage could come in handy and reimburse your expenses from an unexpected hotel stay, food, and transportation costs to get you by until the next flight leaves.
Hopefully now knowing you have some options when it comes to how you can cancel your travel insurance brings you a little bit more peace of mind….and maybe a refund, if necessary! Need to change something on your policy instead of cancelling, read this article to find out how to modify your policy.
