Hi Steve, I’m confused by what constitutes a prepaid non-refundable trip cost. We are renting a villa in Italy (we found you in Travel + Leisure’s 7 Tips for Villa Rentals article) and they require a $1,000 deposit now.
It’s fully refundable until less than 30 days before we arrive. If we, as you say “get hit by a cement truck” and have to cancel our trip at the last minute, we will lose just the $1,000. We have no airfare costs as we are using Marriott which I already know aren’t insurable.
In addition, the villa was rented by friends last year, so the owner’s letting us pay the $11,000 balance of the villa rental when we arrive. The contract says we have to pay it 30 days in advance, but the owner’s letting us pay after we get there. The problem is that $11,000 is non-refundable once we pay it.
My question to you is, How would we insure the $11,000 we pay after we arrive if we are forced to cut short our trip? Like if my brother-in-law gets hits by that rogue cement truck! The $11,000 doesn’t quite meet the definition of a prepaid trip cost, though it is non-refundable. Thanks, Linda
Hi Linda,
The simple answer is that you can’t insure the $11,000 you pay after you arrive. “Prepaid” means you pay it before you get there.
I suspect that if you were forced to cancel your trip, you would feel bad for the owner since he bent his rules and didn’t collect the $11,000 before you got there.
If I’m right that you are a decent person, I suggest you contact the owner to see if he would allow you to pay the $11,000 before you arrive. If so, and I don’t why he’d say “no” to this request, you will then have an insurable prepaid and non-refundable trip cost.
I hope this makes sense. If you want the right travel insurance advice, call us at 1-888-407-3854 and we'll help you figure it all out.
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