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What Date Is Your Initial Trip Deposit Date?

Your Initial Trip Deposit Date is the earliest date that a payment in cash of any kind was paid towards your travel arrangements. There’s one exception: if you bought a future cruise credit on a cruise for a future cruise without having confirmed travel dates, there are five travel insurance companies that will not consider that your Initial Trip Deposit Date.

If you have a trip that was cancelled, one of these applies to you:

  1. You are re-using a policy that insured the original cancelled trip to cover a new trip: Your Initial Trip Deposit Date is the date you used the Travel Credits as any part of the first payment towards the new trip.
  2. You do not have a policy to re-use and you are booking a new trip that you will pay for with the Travel Credits or a combination of cash and Travel Credits that you received instead of a cash refund: IMG, TravelSafe and Travel Insured and a lot of the many companies I don’t offer, define your Initial Trip Deposit Date as the date you originally bought the trip that later caused the Travel Credits as the first payment. Since these plans offer the 75% Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR), I don’t have any plans with the 75% CFAR coverage for this scenario.

Example #1:
You book a trip on July 1st and put it on your credit card. Three weeks later you get your credit card bill and pay it on July 23rd. Even though you think you “paid for your trip on July 23rd”, your Initial Trip Deposit Date was really made on July 1st.

Example #2:
You use frequent flyer miles to get a ticket. A month later make the deposit on your tour or cruise. Your Initial Trip Deposit Date is the is the date you arranged for your ticket with your frequent flyer miles. That’s because the taxes you paid are the first payment made on your trip.

Q. How does switching my trip to a different travel agent or re-booking the same trip effect my Initial Trip Deposit Date change?

A. Switching the cruise to a different travel agent while keeping the same travel dates doesn’t re-set your Initial Deposit Date.

Q. May I keep the same travel dates, but change my Initial Trip Deposit Date?

A. No. If any of the money you paid previously is either transferred or applied to your new cruise’s booking, the original deposit date will be the same.

The only way it’s treated as a new trip with a new deposit date is if you can show documentation that the following is true:

  • You completely cancelled the first cruise along with all other travel arrangements including airline tickets, if any and
  • You received 100% of your money back from all your travel arrangements as either a credit card credit or in the form of a check made payable to you.

Q. Why does completely cancelling my trip and booking a new one with different travel dates change my Initial Trip Deposit Date?

A. The reason is because you have a new trip. Keep in mind that if any of the money you paid previously is either transferred or applied to your new cruise’s booking, the original deposit date will be the same. Read this post: How Does Re-booking My Trip Affect My Initial Deposit Date?.

Click here to find out more about pre-existing medical conditions coverage.

The Exceptions to “What Is Your Initial Trip Deposit Date?”

  • If you are / were on a cruise and you paid a deposit for a future cruise without setting travel dates, IMG, TravelSafe, Travelex Select and Travel Insured will not consider that date your Initial Trip Deposit Date. Your Initial Trip Deposit Date will be the date you have a confirmed reservation with specific travel dates.
  • CSA uses the Final Payment Date as the deadline to qualify for coverage for pre-existing medical conditions.
  • Travel Guard counts the earliest date when any monies are paid as the Initial Trip Deposit Date regardless of whether there are set travel dates.





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PPS - Even though TripInsuranceStore.com is the world's most informative travel insurance website, you are still responsible to know the coverage terms, conditions, limitations, and exclusions of your plan. No comments or explanations confirm or deny coverage. You need to refer to each plan's policy wording.

PPPS - The Trip Cancellation coverage begins at 12:01 a.m. on the day after the date the policy is purchased. All other coverages begin when you leave home for your trip when your departure date is in the future.

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