Extending a Trip Cancellation Trip Interruption Travel Insurance Policy’s Coverage Dates after Departure

by Steve Dasseos on March 12, 2008

Hi, I’m on my trip and I decided to stay longer. How do I extend my Trip Cancellation Trip Interruption Travel Insurance policy?

We get this question (or its variations) so often I can’t say it’s from anyone in particular. However, the gist is still the same: “I want to extend my policy’s coverage dates.”

The answer is always “No, once you depart on your trip, you cannot extend your policy’s coverage dates.” Even though this isn’t the first time the person’s heard this from us, it still doesn’t seem to ring a bell.

We tell everyone up front that Trip Cancellation / Interruption Travel Insurance plans only cover Fixed Travel Dates. And it’s in various places on TripInsuranceStore.com including in our FAQs:

Q. What kinds of trips does Travel Insurance cover?
A. Any pleasure or business trip can be covered as long as it takes you at least 100 miles from home and has fixed travel dates.

I also referred to the fixed travel dates in this post: How To Get Good Travel Health Insurance With No Deductibles and Copays.

After all this, would you like to know why policies can’t be extended? The simple reason is that the insurance company doesn’t know if you’ve received any news that may cause you to have a claim after your scheduled return date.

Say you’re having ongoing headaches. So you decide to get it looked at while on vacation but the earliest available appointment means you have to extend your trip past your original return date. The insurance company doesn’t want to get stuck with this claim. If it’s not an emergency you can get it looked at back home.

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.

Now, a word from our sponsor: TripInsuranceStore.com (Travel Forums' Most Recommended Travel Insurance Website)

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