What you need to know about last-minute travel insurance

Are you someone who likes to plan your holidays in great detail: Do you sign up for excursions, identify the best local eateries and even book spa treatments before you go? Or do you prefer to just book your travel and accommodation and go with the flow when you reach your destination?

Perhaps it’s not so much a case of preference but simply whether you have the time to research and arrange things before you head off.

One thing that’s always worth arranging as soon as you’ve booked a holiday is your travel insurance, especially if you want to be covered for cancellation and travel disruption.

You can usually buy your travel cover up to a year in advance, which is ideal if you’re someone who likes to have everything organised ahead of time. But what if you don’t get around to organising it till the last minute?

When is it too late to buy travel insurance?

If you’ve booked a spur-of-the-moment break or you only realise you haven’t got your insurance in place just before you leave, you can still get travel insurance on the same day you travel.

Most travel insurance providers specify that your trip starts when you leave your home and ends when you return to it. So, to be fully covered you need to buy your last-minute travel insurance before you close the front door behind you.

Be aware of any ‘waiting period’ the provider has if you’re buying a policy on the same day you travel, which means you might not be able to claim in the first 24 or 48 hours of taking out a policy.

You may still be able to buy cover once you’ve arrived at the airport if you need to. But do it before you go through customs or you’ll have a harder job finding cover and it may come with exclusions.

Do you need travel insurance before booking a holiday?

You don’t need to buy cover before you book a trip, but if you want to know how much your travel insurance is likely to cost before you book a holiday, then you can always get a quote in advance.

The best time to buy your travel insurance is right after you’ve booked a holiday. Get a policy that includes cancellation cover and you’re protected if you can’t go due to illness or an unexpected turn of events.

Whether you buy a single trip or annual multi-trip policy, travel insurance bought in advance protects your plans in the run-up to your break as well as when you're there.

Can you buy travel insurance once you are away?

It still might not be too late once you’ve arrived at your destination. Some providers sell ‘post-departure insurance’, but this could come at a premium and with certain limitations.

However, if you’ve completely overlooked getting cover until this point, it’s still a good idea to take out a policy. It won’t cover you for anything that might have gone wrong already, such as delayed departure or lost luggage, but it may prove valuable later in your trip.

Does travel insurance get cheaper closer to the travel date?

Some insurers may give you a slightly cheaper price if you buy a policy nearer the time of your departure, but this could backfire if you need to cancel your holiday before you’ve bought cover.

How to get travel insurance without a return date?

Does Saga do last-minute travel insurance?

Yes, you can buy Saga Travel Insurance for your trip as long as you haven’t left the UK at the time of purchasing. But we would always advise getting your insurance well in advance so you’re protected against any unforeseen events before you head off.

Saga doesn’t cover any trips where you have already left the UK (or the Channel Islands or Isle of Man, if that’s where you live) when you buy the policy, except where you’re renewing an existing annual multi-trip policy that falls due for renewal during your trip.

It’s also best to arrange your cover in advance if you have pre-existing medical conditions to make sure you’re properly covered. And if you’ve got a complex medical history, you might be better off phoning a specialist provider like Saga, rather than trying to get a quote online, so your health and personal circumstances can be fully evaluated.