What is a ‘trip deposit date’?

The trip deposit date is any date on which you paid for any portion of an upcoming trip.

Perhaps you sent a deposit in on a vacation rental or snagged a good deal on airfare, for example. When you make the first trip deposit date is important because it essentially starts the clock on how soon you should purchase your travel insurance if you want certain coverage.

Many travel insurance plans require you to purchase your coverage within a certain number of days (usually between 10 and 14 days) of making your initial trip deposit. In fact, this is one of the reasons we recommend buying your travel insurance as soon as possible to avoid one of the most common travel insurance ‘loopholes’.

Coverage that requires purchase soon after trip deposit:

• ‘Cancel for any reason’ coverage
• ‘Cancel for work reasons’ coverage
• Pre-existing medical condition coverage
• Financial default coverage
• Hurricane coverage
• Work conflict coverage

You can purchase your travel insurance up to the last minute, but you may not have coverage for certain events if you wait that long. Buying the travel insurance plan too late is one of the most common reasons for claim denials, so pay attention to that first trip deposit date.

See when should I buy my travel insurance for additional details.