When do you buy travel insurance?

When do you need travel insurance? Are you lost on the question? Here’s all we need to know about the issue.

Through this guide, we will explain to you when you have to subscribe your travel insurance. Chapka, Europ Assistance, Global Assistance (now Allianz Partners France), whatever the company. The right time to take your travel insurance is determined by the guarantees and the destination. Therefore, it is necessary to proceed on a case-by-case basis, as with each other’s travel insurance details.

Here is all the information to be known to determine when to subscribe to travel insurance.

Travel insurance: reminder of guarantees

To fully understand when you need to subscribe to your travel insurance, it is essential to return to the various guarantees that will have an impact on your decision.

As part of a stay abroad, regardless of the duration of your stay and your destination, it may be wise to make a comparison of travel insurances in order to benefit from a cover. In fact, you will benefit from various guarantees according to the nature of the protection subscribed:

• Medical expenses (cares, medicines, hospitalization)
• Civil liability insurance ;
• Legal assistance ;
• Baggage flight guarantee ;
• Travel cancellation insurance ;
• Guarantee of search and rescue costs ;
• Repatriation ;
• Guarantee for sports practice (extreme for certain insurance) ;
• Travel change insurance.

In general, the minimum coverage provides you with medical care, hospitality, civil liability and repatriation. Naturally, each insurance company is completely free to define its basic guarantees and options.

Get insurance when booking the trip

If we have chosen to return to travel insurance guarantees, it is simply because protections such as cancellation insurance are optional. If you choose to subscribe to this cancellation guarantee, you will have to take your insurance upon booking your holiday.

Indeed, when you take a plane ticket, it is often non-refundable and non-exchangeable without charge. Thus, when you take your tickets, it is no longer possible to cancel the order. If you do it anyway, you will not get any refunds. If you want to cancel your trip quickly after your booking and get compensation, the insurance will have to be purchased at the same time.

The same applies to accommodations. Hotel establishments apply cancellation fees according to the date you wish to cancel your trip. If you subscribe Cancellation insurance , it is important to do so immediately, or at least as quickly as possible. Often, cancellation fees are applied for any waiver of travel from 30 days before arrival at the hotel. The cancellation guarantee cannot be subscribed after that date.

Here, according to the Travel Companies, the fees that may be charged to you for cancellation:

• Come on. 30 and 21 days before departure: 25% price paid;
• Come on. 20 and 8 days before departure: 50% price paid;
• Week from the start: 75% price paid;
• The day before from the start: 90% price paid;
• The day from the start: 100% the price paid.

With your cancellation warranty, these fees are charged against the ceilings of your contract.

Quickly subscribe to travel insurance for certain destinations

In terms of insurance, there is no obligation... or almost. Indeed, if you leave China , in Russia Cuba or Cuba Algeria (and soon Thailand ), travel insurance is mandatory .

In Cuba, it is necessary to submit a travel insurance certificate to the country.

To travel to Algeria, China and Russia, the travel insurance certificate is mandatory to get a visa. You will have understood it, you cannot afford to wait for the last moment to subscribe your travel insurance if you intend to visit these countries.

The deadline for obtaining a visa is 5 to 10 days . However, it is best to be expected and anticipate any problems by applying as soon as possible. A few days before, go to an insurer or make a comparison of travel insurance companies to find the best guarantees and have your insurance certificate, sine qua non condition to get your visa.

Underwrite travel insurance at the last moment

If you do not plan to travel the countries mentioned above and if you have chosen to take the risk of not no travel cancellation guarantee , you can perfectly wait the last moment to choose your travel insurance.

But be careful: documents can be asked for you, it may be risky to do this the day before your departure if you can never group them in time. Better. that when you travel and always have a time in advance. It’s the key to leaving serenement and fully enjoy your adventure abroad.

In addition, we draw your attention to the fact that your insurance contract can apply a delay in deficiency . For example, it may estimate that your hospital care will not be active before 10 days . Check each point in your contract before signing and make sure that your coverage is optimal to fully enjoy your stay abroad as soon as you arrive.

When do guarantees take effect?

Often, travellers are afraid to subscribe travel insurance too soon to pay the price. However, this is not necessarily the case. If you have signed a cancellation guarantee, of course, the warranty applies as soon as the signature. The insurance company must enable the contract if you wish to obtain a refund if you are forced to cancel your stay.

However, if you have not opted for this warranty, no matter when you subscribe, you can determine with your insurer the effective date of the guarantees. Let's imagine you're travelling on March 31. You can sign your contract on March 1, and it will run only as of March 31.

How long do I take care of my contract?

Once again, it goes Depend guarantees. If you opt for the travel cancellation guarantee, it takes effect from the subscription and naturally switches off on the day you leave.

The rest of the guarantees are signed for a specified duration with your insurer. So if you leave a week, you will be covered for this duration. Same if you leave for a month, three months or six months.

If you are considering a long stay or multiple stays the same year, you can also opt for annual travel insurance. This one supports you throughout the year, you don’t have to contact your insurer any time you come back or return to the plane.

How do I subscribe travel insurance?

There are different ways of subscribing this insurance. Sometimes, even you don’t need to do anything.

Bank and travel insurance

If you are wondering when to purchase a travel insurance, you should know that if you have opted for a Visa Premier, Mastercard Gold or any other high-end card, travel insurance is included if you have paid for it with it. This is automatic, you have no steps to do.

Attention, however: we invite you to study your guarantees to be certain that they are sufficient according to the duration of your trip, the nature of it and the destination.

You're going to your usual insurer.

Do you have all your contracts at an insurer (home insurance, car insurance, etc.)? This does not imply that you ask him a quote for your travel insurance. Explain your need so that it can make you a tailor-made offer . To the extent that you are a client at his home, perhaps he will have the kindness of giving you a small discount.

Compare travel insurance offers

You don’t have a licensed insurer? If you want, for each contract, to play the map of the economy, you can make a comparison of the travel insurances, which do not commit to anything. Take the time to study offers the different insurance companies and be sure to subscribe the best guarantees at the best price.

Documents required for the subscription of travel insurance

Whether you make your request in an agency or online, some documents may be required according to the warranties. Thus, the insurance company may ask you the following documents:

• A proof of identity ;
• Your flight ticket.

No medical questionnaire will be asked to subscribe to your insurance.

Also:

• In which countries does the European Health Insurance Card (CEAM) work?

So, reassured? Tell us all your tips and tips in comment!

Comparative travel insurance for stay abroad

Insurer

Name of contract

Trip duration

From

Offer

Globe Partner

Up to 12 months

13€

See the offer

Cap Assistance 24/7

Less than 90j

22€

See the offer