Winter Storm Helena: Too Late to Buy Travel Insurance as Travel Halts

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Jan. 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Winter Storm Helena is expected to halt travel in the South and East due to heavy snow and ice. Leading travel insurance comparison site Squaremouth says it's too late to buy travel insurance coverage to protect your flight.

Why too late for coverage?
Winter Storm Helena was officially named on January 3. At that point, it became a known event, meaning no new travel insurance policies could be purchased to cover the storm.

Who can be covered?
Travelers with a policy in place prior to January 3 may be covered for the storm's impact on their trip, including travel delays and cancellations.

What is covered?
Cancellations due to weather: The Trip Cancellation benefit reimburses prepaid and non-refundable trip expenses if a flight has been delayed by weather for at least 12-48 hours, depending on the policy.

Delays due to weather: The Travel Delay benefit reimburses costs including meals, accommodations and local transportation if a traveler's flight is delayed for 3-12 hours.

Missed connections due to weather: The Missed Connection benefit reimburses the additional travel expenses incurred in order to catch up to a trip after a weather delay.

When to buy?
Travel insurance policies must be purchased before a winter storm is named in order to provide coverage for any losses related to that storm. If a storm has not been named, travelers have up until the day before their departure to buy a policy.

For more information on travel insurance coverage for winter storms, visit Squaremouth's Winter Storm and Travel Insurance Information Center.

ABOUT SQUAREMOUTH
Squaremouth compares travel insurance policies from every major travel insurance provider in the United States. Using Squaremouth's comparison engine and third-party customer reviews, travelers can research and compare insurance products side-by-side. More information can be found at www.squaremouth.com.

Available Topic Expert:
Megan Singh
msingh@squaremouth.com
(727) 378-0938

SOURCE Squaremouth