Travel insurance Free Look is your money-back guarantee

All travel insurance plans have a free look period that starts when the plan is purchased and lasts between 10 and 15 days (see the plan details).

This free look period gives you time to review your policy and return it for a refund within the time period.

Understanding your coverage starts with reviewing the policy

It’s essential to understand the limits of your policy.

Most disputes regarding denial of claim can be avoided by fully understanding your policy, what it covers, and what it does not cover.

The free look period is the perfect opportunity for you to get comfortable with the terms in the insurance certificate. This is the actual agreement – the contract – between you and the insurance provider.

To make sure the plan will fit your needs, verify these details

• check the trip dates are correct, including the initial trip deposit date
• verify the per-person trip cost is accurate
• read the reasons for cancellation to be sure they cover your risks
• verify the number of hours constituting a covered delay to ensure the coverage amount is enough for your needs
• if you will be meeting cruise or tour departures, verify the missed connection coverage will provide protection for missed departures
• review the plan exclusions, such as the maximum for special items in your bag or medical care exclusions such as accidents caused while intoxicated
• review the deductibles to see if you are comfortable with the amounts
• check the coverage limits to ensure they are adequate

Don’t forget, if changes are needed to make the policy work for you, you’ll want to make those changes during the free look time.

After this time, your policy is considered in effect and you’ll be subject to the rules and limits of your agreement.

If you need to cancel your policy, do it during the free look

The free look period comes with a money-back guarantee that allows you to cancel the policy if you change your mind (there is often a small, nonrefundable processing fee – from $5 to $8 – to cancel depending on the plan).

Instead of canceling your policy, however, consider making changes to the policy so it works better for your needs.

Making changes is also easy during the free look

Travel insurance plans let you make changes to your policy.

You can change travel dates, and they let you decrease or increase your covered trip cost, but you must make these changes before your original departure date – that is, the departure date in the original policy certificate.

You cannot make changes or return your policy for a refund if you have filed a claim or started your trip.

Each company gives you a certain number of days

Policy	Company	If purchased within	Look-back period	Policy limit
Basic	Allianz	14 days	120 days	$10,000
Deluxe	Allianz	14 days	120 days	$50,000
Classic	Allianz	14 days	120 days	$20,000
Custom Luxe	CSA	1 day (24 hours) of final payment	180 days
No coverage	FrontierMEDEX
Global Alert Preferred	Global Alert	15 days	60 days
Global Alert Preferred Plus	Global Alert	15 days	60 days
No coverage	Global Underwriters
No coverage	HTH Worldwide
Advantage Complete	MH Ross	15 days	60 days
Advantage Asset	MH Ross	15 days	60 days
Advantage Bridge	MH Ross	15 days	60 days
RoundTrip Choice	Seven Corners	10 days	60 days
RoundTrip	Seven Corners	10 days	60 days
Travel Basic	Travelex	15 days	60 days
Travel Select	Travelex	21 days	60 days
Sportsman's Travel	Travel Guard	15 days	180 days	$30,000
Platinum (Cruise, Tour & Travel)	Travel Guard	15 days	60 days	$50,000
My Travel Guard	Travel Guard	21 days	180 days	$50,000
Gold	Travel Guard	15 days	180 days	$30,000
Adventure Travel	Travel Guard	15 days	180 days	$30,000
Savvy Traveler	Travel Guard	15 days	180 days	$15,000
Silver	Travel Guard	15 days	180 days	$15,000
Select Elite	Travel Insurance Services	21 days	60 days	$60,000
Select Plus	Travel Insurance Services	15 days	60 days	$60,000
Select Basic	Travel Insurance Services	15 days	60 days
Trip Protector Lite Expanded	Travel Insured	14 days	60-180 days *
Worldwide Trip Protector	Travel Insured	14 days	60-180 days *
Worldwide Trip Protector Gold	Travel Insured	30 days	60-180 days *
Protect-a-Group	TravelSafe	15 days	60 days
Vacation	TravelSafe	15 days	60 days
Vacation Classic	TravelSafe	15 days	60 days

Summary

• Free look period is essentially a “money back guarantee” for travel insurance
• Use time to read and fully understand your coverage
• You can cancel your policy for a refund if within the free look period and your trip has not started
• Most companies charge a small, nonrefundable admin fee for refunds ($5-$8)

Related topics

• 9 coverages that might surprise you
• What to take with you on your trip
• What to do if you have a medical emergency