When should I get travel insurance?

Flights? Check. Visa? Check. Travel insurance – when's the right time to buy it?

The short answer: as soon as possible!

Buying travel insurance in advance is a good idea for two main reasons:

1) It’s one less thing to think about before heading away – phew!

2) Your policy, depending on who you travel with, may provide cover for pre-trip cancellation, in the case that you can no longer travel for a covered reason.

A lot of travellers believe that travel insurance is only necessary for incidents that occur on their trip.

But some travel insurance providers offer cover for pre-trip cancellation, meaning you can be reimbursed for travel expenses that you were unable to recover when you had to cancel your trip. 

With Freely’s Explorer Plan, you’re automatically covered for up to $5,000 AUD for trip cancellation and amendment.

In other words, if you need to unexpectedly amend or cancel your trip for a covered reason, Freely can reimburse you for the costs of your prepaid, non-refundable travel arrangements.

With Freely’s Extra Cancellation Trip Extra – an optional add-on that travellers can purchase before departure –, you can purchase greater cover for trip cancellation and amendment in additional increments of $1,000 AUD.

We suggest travellers read our PDS to understand what’s covered.

If you purchase a Freely policy and then need to cancel your trip, please contact our customer support team – they will guide you through the appropriate steps to take depending on your situation.

A few more tips to help you prepare for your trip

• If you’re travelling with a Freely policy, download the Freely app to your phone

• Triple-check you’ve packed your passport

• Revise the local weather for your destination and pack strategically

• Check Smartraveller to stay up-to-date with warning for your destination (please note that we don’t offer coverage for claims directly arising from you not following an advice or warning of ‘Do not travel’ on the advice issued by the Australian Government on the smartraveller.gov.au website)

• Pre-arrange transport to your accommodation for when you arrive

• Get familiar with the currency conversion for your destination

• Consider sharing your itinerary with a loved one, so they know where you are