Most people arrange travel cover in the last few days before a trip. Airport purchases are common enough that counters exist for them. This throws away a substantial part of what the product does. A travel policy protects two separate periods. Everyone thinks about the days abroad. Cancellation protection applies to the gap before travel. Departure ends that part of the policy. A last-minute purchase reduces that window to nothing. The weeks beforehand carry more risk than people assign to them. Things that make travel impossible rather than difficult. The same cancellation with no policy yet is simply a loss. There is no premium for traveltweaks overview buying early. Which makes late arrangement a straightforward loss. The moment you commit money to a trip is the moment to cover it. Annual policies change the calculation for regular travellers.