Yes, you can book your holiday before you buy your insurance. Just remember: you’re only covered for events that happen after your policy starts, and for Annual Multi-trip policies, cancellation cover only starts from your policy start date or when you book your trip, whichever is later.
How booking dates affect your cover:
Booking before buying insurance
You can book your trip first and then buy your insurance. However, you won’t be covered for anything that happens before your policy starts, including events that could lead to a cancellation claim.
Single Trip policies
- It’s fine if you’ve already booked your holiday.
- If your policy includes Cancellation, that cover starts as soon as the premium is paid or from the policy start date, as shown on your schedule.
- If your trip begins before your policy start date, you won’t have cover for any part of that trip.
Annual Multi-trip (AMT) policies
- You can buy an AMT policy before or after you book individual trips.
- Cancellation cover starts when you book the trip or from the policy start date, whichever is later.
- If a trip begins before your AMT policy starts, that trip is not covered.
Why timing matters for cancellation
Cancellation cover is there for unexpected events that happen after your policy has started. If something happens before your insurance begins (for example, a medical problem or incident that means you can’t travel), you usually can’t claim for it.