Is it Wise to Buy Cheap Travel Insurance Online?
You rent movies, shop for clothes and order flowers online while still in your bunny rabbit slippers, why not try to score a deal on cheap travel insurance online as well? If you usually make all your travel arrangements on the internet like finding great air fare rates, booking hotel accommodations and rental cars, then finding cheap travel insurance online seems like only the most logical thing to do.
No Agent
However, when looking for cheap travel insurance online things are a little different as compared to hotels and flights. Although there are several exclusions and exceptions and lots of fine print to read with those as well, buying cheap travel insurance online adds another dimension of uncertainty. When you buy your health or home insurance, you usually have an agent who comes over and reads the paperwork with you and is available for any questions you may have. He has an interest in your sale as he gets commission and hence is willing to spend the time needed for you to be satisfied with his answers.
Online, however, while the credit card processing and other things may be safe, the policy may have lots of riders or exceptions that you didn't see when you quickly scrolled down the page and clicked on the terms of service agreement. Therefore, unless you are very sure of the company that is providing the cheap travel insurance online, it is better to do it in person. If you are looking for cheap travel insurance online to give you peace of mind on vacation, you wouldn't want to have thoughts that ‘what if this is not covered' while you're lounging around the beaches of Hawaii or mountain climbing in the Himalayas.
Buyer Beware
It is always buyer beware on the internet and hence it is always better to be safe rather than sorry when it comes to buying cheap travel insurance online or any other type of insurance for that matter. The exception to this rule is if you have already bought insurance with the company before or if a trusted friend or family member recommends the service of a particular company. Then it may be better to save some money by purchasing cheap travel insurance online. However, if this your first time around and you are just going to click on any results that goggle produces, you might want to think twice