You might have been so wrapped up in the preparations for your vacation, and so excited by planning your itinerary, that you’re just about ready to walk out the door when you realize you forgot something. No, you haven’t left the shower running, and the dog is safely boarded at the kennel. But you’re about to go far, far from home without travel insurance, and you simply don’t have any time left to give your travel agent or your insurance agent to call and take care of the matter. Do you have any alternatives?
Fortunately for you, and the World Wide Web, you do. The most convenient and quickest way to purchase travel insurance is to purchase travel insurance online. By purchasing your travel insurance online, you can get the coverage you need without leaving your own home, and you’ll be saving money because the company selling you the insurance won’t be passing along administrative costs associated with having insurance agents sitting in brick-and-mortar offices. You simply find the website of the company for which you wish to purchase travel insurance online, fill in some basic personal information, and request a quote.
While you’re searching online, you’ll be able to study the details of different policies, and if you find one which is suitable you may also be able to apply for an on the spot policy and pay for it as well. Being able to purchase travel insurance online, however, does have some restrictions. What are they?
Many insurance companies have limited their online sales of travel insurance to those who are either young or middle-aged, and in good health. If you’re over 65, or someone who has been prescribed medication other than birth control within the past 12 months, or have been diagnosed and are suffering from some sort of chronic disease, you may find that the website where you requested a quote will simply tell you that you must talk to one of their insurance agents either on the telephone or in person. This doesn’t mean that you won’t qualify for travel insurance; it simply means that that company doesn’t want to sell you travel insurance online.
When you request a quote to purchase travel insurance online, you’ll have to supply your name, your e-mail address, and your ZIP or postal code. The insurance companies look at ZIP or postal codes to determine whether the people who live in your area have a higher percentage of travel insurance claims that people live in other areas. Don’t think you can fool the system, however, by supplying a phony code. Any false information on your application is grounds for the insurance company to refuse your claims.
If you have the time to do so, comparison shop among the different travel insurance policies available to you online so that you get as much coverage as you need without paying for any that’s unnecessary. If, for example, you’re not going on a skiing vacation, make sure that you’re not being charged a premium which covers the possibility of a skiing accident! Also make sure that you purchase your travel insurance online from a well-known and well-established insurance company.
Then pat yourself on the back for having remembered your travel insurance before it was too late, pick up your bags, lock the door behind you and head out for the vacation of a lifetime!
