Travel insurance is easy to push to the bottom of your vacation to-do list.
But waiting too long can limit your travel insurance options. Some of the most useful benefits are only available if you buy a policy shortly after your first trip payment.
Here’s what to know about when to buy travel insurance, including important deadlines and what your options look like if you wait until the last minute.
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What is travel insurance, and why do you need it?
Travel insurance helps protect you from certain financial losses associated with your trip. A comprehensive policy can include benefits such as trip cancellation, trip interruption, trip delay, lost or delayed baggage, and emergency medical coverage.
You don’t need travel insurance for every trip. But it’s worth considering if your vacation includes expensive prepaid costs, a cruise, international travel, a tight itinerary, or limited medical coverage outside the U.S.
Without travel insurance, you could be on the hook for all nonrefundable booking costs and thousands of dollars in unexpected medical bills if something goes wrong.
Read more: What does travel insurance cover, and do I need it?
When to buy travel insurance
The best time to buy travel insurance is usually 10 to 21 days after you make your first nonrefundable trip payment.
Several time-sensitive benefits, including preexisting medical condition waivers and cancel for any reason coverage (CFAR), often require you to buy during that window.
If you’re booking a simple domestic trip and only want a basic policy to cover things like flight delays, lost baggage, or an interrupted trip, you can usually wait longer. The trade-off is losing access to those time-sensitive benefits.
If you’re booking far in advance, you can buy a policy based on what you’ve already spent on the trip so far. You can then update the policy later as you add other prepaid expenses, such as a hotel or tour.
If you’re leaving in a few days, buying coverage can still be worthwhile. But you can’t buy coverage for a problem you already know about. In other words, you can’t wait until your airline cancels your flight, your destination is under a hurricane warning, or your doctor tells you not to travel, then expect the insurer to pay a claim related to that issue.
Travel insurance timeline: When should you buy?
Read more: How to compare travel insurance to choose the right policy
Why timing matters
Timing matters because travel insurance is built around unexpected events. It generally won’t apply if something’s already gone wrong or your trip is already underway.
Preexisting medical condition waivers are a prime example. Many policies reject claims tied to medical conditions you had before buying the policy. A waiver can remove that exclusion, but only if you meet the rules, which often include buying the policy soon after your first trip payment and being medically cleared to travel when you buy.
Cancel-for-any-reason coverage is another reason to make a decision sooner rather than later. Standard trip cancellation coverage only pays out if you cancel for a covered reason listed in the policy. CFAR gives you more flexibility, but you usually need to buy it during that same 10- to 21-day window and cancel at least two or three days before departure, depending on the policy.
Read more: Is travel insurance worth it?
When is it too late to buy travel insurance?
If a hurricane has already been named and is threatening your destination, you can’t buy a new policy and expect storm-related cancellation coverage to apply.
The same logic applies to an illness, injury, strike, travel warning, or family emergency you already knew about before buying.
It’s also too late for CFAR and preexisting condition coverage once that 10- to 21-day window closes.
Read more: Does travel insurance cover illness? It depends.
Special scenarios for buying travel insurance
The best time to buy travel insurance is shortly after your first trip payment. However, a last-minute policy can still be useful, though it won’t fix every coverage gap. Here are some examples of specific scenarios and how to think through them.
“I booked months ago and forgot to buy insurance — is it too late if I’m traveling next week?”
It’s not too late, but you need to check the policy’s terms before buying.
For example, Travel Guard says you can buy insurance up to 24 hours before your trip departure date. Meanwhile, insurer Travelex says its Basic and Essential plans can be purchased until 11:59 p.m. the day before departure.
Just don’t buy a policy assuming it’ll cover a known medical issue or a cancellation reason outside the policy because you’ve already missed the deadline for benefits like CFAR and preexisting condition waivers.
“A hurricane is forming near my destination — should I buy now?”
Once a storm is named or otherwise identified as a foreseeable threat, buying a new policy won’t cover losses tied to it. For example, Travel Insured’s policy language says it won’t pay out benefits if a storm, snowstorm, blizzard, or hurricane is named on or before the effective date of trip cancellation coverage.
For trips scheduled during hurricane season, you’re better off buying coverage early, before anything forms. Then read the covered reasons in your policy carefully. Some policies cover specific hurricane-related scenarios — such as a mandatory evacuation at your destination or storm damage that makes your accommodations uninhabitable — but details vary by plan.
“I’m paying for my trip in installments — when does my window start?”
Your window usually starts with your first trip payment, not your final payment.
That first payment might be a cruise deposit, airline ticket, or the full cost of the trip if you pay for everything all at once. Travel Guard, for example, says the initial deposit date and final payment date can be the same day.
So if you pay for a $4,000 vacation package in one purchase, the clock on that 10- to 21-day period starts that same day. And if you put down $500 on a cruise and then pay the rest later, the clock still starts ticking when you make the $500 deposit. You can still buy travel insurance after that, even at the last minute, but it won’t include some of the benefits.
“I’m departing today — can I still get travel insurance?”
Maybe, but the answer depends on the insurer and the type of plan.
Many major insurers don’t allow same-day purchases for comprehensive travel insurance. For example, Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection is available for online purchases until 11:59 p.m. the day before you leave.
The main reason to buy same-day coverage is for post-departure benefits, such as emergency medical care, evacuation, baggage loss, or trip interruption.
“I’m going on a cruise. Should I buy the cruise line’s travel insurance at checkout?”
Not necessarily. Cruise line plans are convenient, but that doesn’t always mean it’s the best coverage for your specific trip. To make sure it’s actually a good deal, compare the cruise line’s plan against third-party policies, especially if you want higher medical limits, missed connection benefits, or CFAR.
Read more: Cruise travel insurance: How to protect your trip before you sail
Does it cost more if you buy travel insurance early?
Not usually. The cost of a travel insurance policy depends on factors such as your trip cost, age, coverage amounts, and optional upgrades.
Buying early can actually give you a longer coverage runway. For example, if you buy trip cancellation coverage six months before your cruise and you lose your job two weeks before departure, you’ll be covered if you decide to cancel the trip.
But if you wait until a week before departure to buy a policy, the job loss would have happened before your policy existed.
Buying last-minute also doesn’t usually cost more. However, waiting can effectively reduce the policy’s value because you miss out on the time-sensitive benefits included at no cost when you buy early. Buying late also leaves you unprotected for any cancellations between booking and the day you finally purchase the plan.
Read more: How much does travel insurance cost?
When is it too late to buy travel insurance? FAQs
Can I buy travel insurance the day before my trip?
Yes, in many cases, you can. Your options will be limited, though. You probably won’t qualify for time-sensitive benefits or coverage for problems already known before you bought the policy.
Can I buy travel insurance if I have a preexisting medical condition?
Yes, but timing is important. Coverage for that condition will likely be excluded unless you qualify for a waiver, which often requires buying within a short window after your first trip payment.
When does my travel insurance coverage actually start?
It depends on the policy and the specific benefit you’re trying to use. Trip cancellation coverage often starts shortly after you buy the policy, while other benefits, such as trip interruption coverage, won’t kick in until your vacation is underway.
Is it worth buying travel insurance at the last minute?
Last-minute coverage can still be worth it, especially for emergency medical and emergency evacuation benefits. Most U.S. health insurance plans don’t work abroad, and encountering a health crisis overseas can be extremely expensive. However, buying travel insurance at the last minute is less useful if your main goal is to cancel your trip for any reason.