Imagine you’ve spent months planning and booking the perfect vacation. Two days before you’re supposed to leave on your trip, you receive the news that your daughter is in labor and your grandchild will be due any moment. As excited as you were for your vacation, you can’t imagine going on a vacation now that your priorities have changed. To be able to cancel your trip and recoup nonrefundable prepaid travel expenses, you need Cancel For Any Reason trip insurance.
What Regular Trip Insurance Doesn't Cover
With a basic trip insurance plan, you’re usually restricted when it comes to what you can cancel and get reimbursed for. Generally, there are only a few circumstances that are covered under a limited number of circumstances, including:
- Natural disasters
- Lost important travel documents, like passports of visas
- Injury or illness
- Bankruptcy of the carrier
While some airlines may make an exception and provide refunds on nonrefundable tickets if you can provide documentation of an emergency, you can’t guarantee this, nor can you guarantee that all of the other funds can be recouped.
What if there was a way to ensure that certain prepaid nonrefundable trip costs were covered in the event of a cancellation no matter the reason?
What’s Cancel For Any Reason Travel Insurance?
Cancel For Any Reason insurance (CFAR) is the answer to this dilemma. As the name implies, when you purchase CFAR with your insurance plan, you can cancel your trip for absolutely any reason and still receive some type of reimbursement (usually up to 75% of the cost). Whether you have to cancel for a relative’s death, or you just want to cancel because of personal preference, this insurance has you covered.
It’s important to note that CFAR trip insurance can’t be purchased on its own. It’s an add-on benefit for traditional trip insurance plans. Although CFAR increases the total cost of your insurance plan, it’s definitely an add-on that’s worth the extra price.
What are some Cancel For Any Reason benefits?
Wider coverage for travel-related expenses
Under a basic insurance plan, there’s a limit on what types of travel expenses can be reimbursed in the event of cancellation. However, with CFAR, there’s a larger range of expenses that will be covered. Expenses related to transportation, hotel deposits, vacation and car rentals, and event tickets are often covered.
Flexibility
Cancellation policies under basic travel insurance plans only allow for a few emergencies to qualify for refunds. With CFAR trip insurance, you can rest assured that you’re able to cancel for any reason and still receive reimbursements. It doesn’t matter if you’re dealing with an emergency or have a personal preference to change the trip. You’re covered regardless.
COVID-19 safety
COVID-19 has had a significant impact on travels. Although the vaccine rollout and loosening restrictions are giving some travelers hope, many others are still hesitant to plan upcoming trips for fear of the unknown. The best way to protect an upcoming nonrefundable trip is to opt for the CFAR travel insurance add-on.
When do I need to purchase CFAR insurance?
Policies are different, so the best practice is to look at your specific policy, which will detail the time limit you have for purchasing this coverage. Generally, however, you must purchase CFAR insurance within 10-21 days of making the initial payment towards your trip. For cruise specific policies, you generally have to purchase this add-on before you’ve made the final payment towards your vacation. Please note that you can’t buy CFAR insurance once your trip has already started.
So really, what's the catch with CFAR insurance?
Although it might seem like it's too good to be true, there isn't a catch to CFAR insurance. You really can cancel your trip for any reason and be covered. All in all, whether you’re worried that COVID-19 could impact your future travels, or you’d just prefer the flexibility of knowing that you have the freedom to cancel, CFAR coverage is a smart addition to your travel insurance purchase. Once you’re ready to plan your next trip, give yourself the peace of mind by adding Cancel For Any Reason insurance to your plan.