Yes, there are two types of waiting periods on our policies:
A waiting period when you first purchase your policy and waiting periods on certain benefits that are covered under the policy.
What’s a waiting period?
A waiting period is the amount of time you have to wait before cover is activated and/or before a benefit becomes payable.
But why do I have to wait to be covered?
To put it bluntly, having waiting periods reduces the likelihood of travelers making claims as soon as they purchase travel insurance. It also helps to keep the price lower for everyone.
How long is the waiting period when I purchase my policy?
The waiting period applied depends on when you buy your travel insurance policy:
- If you purchase your policy before you begin your overseas adventure, then no waiting period applied! You’ll be fully covered from your departure date!
- If you purchase your policy once you’re already traveling, you’ll need to wait 72 hours from the moment you buy the policy (i.e.: 3 days) before some cover applies under certain policy benefits.
However, there is a little exception to rule 2:
We know that the unexpected can happen, especially when travelling overseas. If you purchase your policy once you’ve already started traveling, we may offer cover for emergency overseas medical expenses and emergency transport expenses if you’re injured as a result of an accident that happens after you buy your policy (meaning there’s no need to wait until the 72 hours is up to be covered). The 72 hour waiting period will still apply to all other policy benefits.
Traveler tip: If you’ve already left for your holiday and realised you’ve forgotten to get travel insurance, don’t panic! You can still purchase cover online. If you buy a policy while overseas, you have to wait 72 hours (waiting period) before cover is activated, as explained in ‘When cover starts & ends’.
What about waiting periods on specific benefits?
There is only one policy benefit where a waiting period is in place once you have your policy: Baggage Delay – you have to wait 24 hours from your scheduled arrival time before you can claim for essential items if your bags don’t show up.
OK, I’ve purchased my policy before leaving for my trip, what am I covered for?
As you’ve purchased your travel insurance policy before leaving then you’re fully covered from day one for a range of benefits (up to policy limits) including:
- Overseas emergency medical and dental
- More than 150 adventures, sports and activities
- Delayed, stolen or damaged baggage
- Trip cancellation and delay
Just remember, there’s always a waiting period of 24 hours if your baggage is delayed.
Oh no! I forgot to organise travel insurance before I left home, can I still get cover?
No problem! You can get a quote online, 24/7 and purchase a policy whilst you’re already traveling. Just keep in mind that there you will need to wait 72 hours from time of purchase for some cover to apply. During this 72 hour period, you are covered for emergency overseas medical expenses and emergency transport expenses if you suffer an injury as a result of an accident.
Once you’ve passed 72 hours from policy purchase, all cover will be available under your chosen plan.
Got questions?
Travel insurance is not designed to cover everything, so take the time to read the full description of cover in the policy for the full details on what’s not covered as well as the terms, conditions, limitation and exclusions. If you are unsure of anything, please contact us for help.
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For policies purchase on or after 2 December 2018:
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Before your trip, check the latest government advice for any travel alerts for your destination.