kiwibank platinum visa card travel insurance

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• Money and travel

Whether you're planning a big OE (overseas experience) or just a little one, there are steps you can take to keep your money safe and your finances ticking over while you're away. This is forward-thinking.

Let us know before you travel

If you'll be using your Visa Debit or credit card while you're overseas, you should contact us prior to leaving New Zealand so we can better protect your accounts and cards while you're away.

The best way to do this is by adding a travel notice within the mobile app or internet banking .

Log in to the mobile app and go to 'More'.

Click 'Settings', then 'Overseas travel'.

Travel notice

Add a travel notice with:

• the dates you’ll be overseas
• countries you’re visiting
• the best way to contact you.
• Internet banking

Log in to internet banking.

Click 'Settings' then 'Overseas travel notice'.

Get the essentials

Credit card and travel insurance.

Our Air New Zealand Airpoints™ Platinum Visa gives you flexibility for bigger purchases. If you travel overseas, you’ll get built-in travel insurance for you and any immediate family travelling with you, simply by purchasing your travel and/or accommodation with your Air New Zealand Airpoints™ Platinum Visa before leaving New Zealand.

Every eligible purchase on our Airpoints credit cards also adds up to more Airpoints Dollars™ for your next trip.

• Visa Debit Card

If you don't want to use a credit card while you're away, then consider getting a Visa Debit Card . You can use it around the world to access money direct from your Kiwibank account and can also use it to make online bookings, or for shopping anywhere that accepts Visa cards. Your transactions will be subject to currency conversion rates and fees.

See if a Visa Debit Card is available on your account.

Organise your paperwork

• Make copies of your passport, tickets, itinerary and insurance. Keep a copy for yourself and leave one with someone you know (and trust) at home.
• Have a think about whether you want to give someone you trust power of attorney to act in your name and run your affairs while overseas (e.g. pay bills, access your accounts).
• Set up automatic payments or direct debits for recurring bills while you're overseas.
• Check out the safety of the countries you’re travelling to. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishes travel advisories on it's SafeTravel site, and also lets you register your travel plans so they can contact you in case of emergency.

While you're overseas

You need to be able to keep an eye on your accounts while you're on holiday, as well as take care of your normal bills and financial obligations while you're overseas, so set up your banking to take care of your finances while you're home and away.

Manage your accounts and money from afar

• Manage your accounts overseas on our mobile app . Make sure you download and login to the app before leaving New Zealand
• Within internet banking and our mobile app , you’ll be able to keep an eye on your balances and transactions, transfer money if you need to and make sure that any direct debits or automatic payments you've set up have gone through. However, if you’re making an internet banking payment to someone new while you’re overseas, we can't guarantee you’ll receive the one-time PIN via SMS. If you're able to receive a SMS from us from overseas, there could be charges to receive it, please check with your provider. If you're experiencing any problems receiving your one-time PIN, please call us 0800 11 33 55 or +64 4 473 1133 if you're overseas and we'll help you make the transaction.
• Consider our international transaction fees or ATM fees when you use your ATM/EFTPOS, Visa Debit or credit cards overseas. When you use your card for foreign currency transactions, your transactions will be charged to your account in New Zealand dollars at a rate of exchange determined by Visa or Mastercard­® on the date it sends the transaction details to us. An international transaction fee will also apply.
• You can use Visa payWave anywhere in the world you see the payWave logo – but the transaction limit before you are asked for your PIN will vary from country to country. For transactions or purchases over those amounts, you can still use your card, you just won't be able to tap and go, you'll need to use a PIN.
• Save our contact details – you can contact Kiwibank when overseas on +64 4 473 1133 .

Keep your money safe while you travel

• Keep your contact details up-to-date so we can let you know if we notice any suspicious transactions on your accounts.
• If you can, never let your card out of your sight. When in overseas restaurants, staff will often take your card away for payment. Consider going with them to sign and complete the payment or pay with cash instead.
• If your credit card has been lost or stolen or if you notice dodgy transactions on your account, let us know as soon as you can and we’ll cancel the card immediately. If you’re in New Zealand, call 0800 521 521 and if you’re overseas call +64 4 473 1133 . You can also put a temporary block on your card using the mobile app.
• Try to only use ATMs that are attached to banks.
• Use caution when using public or shared computers or free wifi. Free wifi and computers at public places like internet cafés and libraries may not be as safe as your personal computer.

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Air New Zealand Airpoints Credit Card

Lending criteria, terms and conditions, and fees apply. Interest rates, fees and limits subject to change. See all credit card terms and conditions .

Kiwibank is the issuer of the Air New Zealand Airpoints credit cards. Airpoints terms and conditions apply. See airpoints.co.nz for details.

*Eligible purchases exclude fees or interest, balance transfers, credit card repayment insurance, gambling chips, money orders, travellers cheques or foreign currencies in cash, cash advances or cash withdrawals made from an ATM, or any transaction that is reversed, refunded or charged back.

Travel Insurance

Travel Insurance for Kiwibank Credit Cards is provided by Tower Insurance Limited, and Tower Insurance Limited is solely responsible for any claims under the policy. Kiwibank Limited does not guarantee the obligations of, or any products provided by, Tower Insurance Limited. Important terms, conditions and exclusions are set out in the Travel Insurance for Kiwibank Credit Cards policy wording .

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Air New Zealand Airpoints™ Platinum Visa

You'll earn 1 Airpoints Dollar™ for every:

• $115 spent on eligible purchases*
• 1 Status Point for every $200 you spend on eligible purchases*
• Your Airpoints Dollars will never expire, as long as you have a current card and you're the nominated earner

Airpoints Dollars™

• 1 Airpoints Dollar is equal to $1 when purchasing any Air New Zealand flight¹. You can also use your Airpoints Dollars for rental cars or shopping in the Airpoints Store
• If you aren't already an Airpoints™ member, we'll sign you up when your Airpoints credit card is approved

Airpoints Dollars Advance

Get access to a 200 Airpoints Dollars Advance .

Airpoints Dollars Top-Up

Buy additional Airpoints Dollars online for a fee with Airpoints Dollars Top-Up. Purchases of Airpoints Dollars are non-refundable , please double check your purchase before you confirm. Terms and conditions apply .

Built-In Travel Insurance

Built-in overseas travel insurance² for you, your spouse and your kids if they're travelling with you. Age restrictions apply.

Concierge service

Get 24-hour access to the exclusive Visa Concierge service.

Koru discounts

Each cardholder will get a Koru membership discount - no joining fee for an individual membership, plus get $145 off the standard individual annual fee.

How the extras work

Rates and fees

• 20.95% p.a. purchase interest rate. (Interest rates are subject to change)
• 20.95% p.a. cash advance interest rate. (Interest rates are subject to change)
• Up to 44 interest free days, as long as you pay off your entire balance in full every month by the due date. The interest free period does not apply to cash advances or balance transfers
• 5% or $10 minimum monthly repayments – whichever is greater
• $90 account fee every six months
• $15 fee for a joint or additional cardholder every six months
• Other fees apply
• Kiwibank lending criteria, credit limits and terms and conditions apply

View all terms, fees, policies and other key information for these cards

Eligibility

To apply for an Air New Zealand Airpoints Platinum Visa, you must be at least 18 years of age, a New Zealand resident, and have a good credit history.

Also check out

Air New Zealand Airpoints Low Fee Visa Want to pay an annual account fee of only $50, get a sharp interest rate and still earn Airpoints Dollars? This is the card for you. Find out more about the Air New Zealand Airpoints Low Fee Visa .

* Eligible purchases exclude fee or interest, balance transfers, credit card repayment insurance**, gambling chips, gambling transactions (including online gambling), money orders, travellers cheques or foreign currencies in cash, cash advances or cash withdrawals made from an ATM, or any transaction that is reversed, refunded or charged back, or Airpoints Dollars Top-Ups.

**As of 1 April 2021, customers are no longer able to apply for Credit Card Repayment Insurance policy when opening a new credit card account. 

1 An "Air New Zealand flight" means a flight that is ticketed and operated by Air New Zealand and certain airline partner codeshare flights - view the full list of Air New Zealand airline Airpoints partners . Any applicable third party taxes, levies or surcharges can't be paid for with Airpoints Dollars, unless the fare is a New Zealand domestic fare.

2 Your overseas travel insurance is arranged by Kiwibank and provided by TOWER Insurance Limited and TOWER Insurance Limited is solely responsible for any claims under the policy.

Kiwibank is the issuer of the Air New Zealand Airpoints credit cards. Airpoints terms and conditions apply .

Kiwibank Air New Zealand Airpoints Platinum Visa Credit Card

• Earn 1 Airpoints Dollar per $115 of eligible spend.
• Get up to 44 interest-free days on purchases.
• Balance transfer offer for 6 months at 1.99% p.a.

Pros and cons

• Earn Airpoints Dollars on eligible spending.
• Earn Air New Zealand Status Points.
• Introductory balance transfer offer for 6 months at 1.99% p.a. for non-Kiwibank debt.
• Comes with overseas travel insurance.
• Get Koru membership for one year at a discount with no joining fee.
• The $180 p.a. annual fee.
• Interest-free days are limited to 44 days.
• There is a 1.85% international transaction fee.
• Each additional cardholder costs $30 p.a.
• High minimum credit limit of $8,000.

Convenience

Customer service, rates and fees.

• Additional cardholders . You can get additional cardholders on this card for $30 p.a.
• Digital wallets. This card can't be added to digital wallets, including Apple Pay and Google Pay.
• Gambling transactions. Gambling transactions are not blocked, but Kiwibank classifies them as cash advances.

Rewards and benefits

• Complimentary travel insurance. The Kiwibank Air New Zealand Airpoints Platinum Visa Credit Card includes complimentary international travel insurance. To be eligible for cover, the card must have been used to pay for at least part of your travel costs related to your trip before you leave.
• Concierge services. Cardholders can access the concierge service, who can assist with booking flights, finding travel recommendations, arranging gift delivery, and more.
• Insurances. There is no insurance coverage other than its travel insurance policy.
• Rewards points. Earn 1 Airpoints Dollar per $115 spent on eligible purchases with no cap on the number of points earned in a month or year from domestic purchases. Airpoints Dollars do not expire as long as you have a current credit card.
• Sign-up bonus. Kiwibank does not have a signup bonus for this card at the moment.
• Status points. Earn 1 Airpoints Status Point per $200 of eligible spend.
• Annual fee. This card comes with an annual fee of $180, payable in two instalments of $90 every six months.
• Balance transfers. This card offers a 6-month balance transfer period at a rate of 1.99% p.a. for non-Kiwibank debt. After the promotional period, any remaining balance will revert to the standard purchase interest rate.
• Cash advances. Any cash advances will be subject to a 20.95% p.a. interest rate, with interest accruing immediately on the transaction. All cash advances with this card will incur a one-off fee.
• Foreign exchange fee. All foreign currency transactions will be charged a fee of 1.85% on the value of the transaction.
• Interest-free period. Provides up to 44 days interest-free on purchases (except cash advances) when you pay your balance in full by the due date or make minimum required payments.
• Purchases. Since there is no introductory offer on purchases, the ongoing interest rate of 20.95% p.a. will apply to all purchases.

Reviewed by Nilooka Dissanayake

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What Is The Best Airpoints Credit Card?

published by Bren

Last updated: May 23, 2023

This article is a part of my travel tips series for New Zealand travellers. If you’re not from NZ, this post won’t apply to you. You can see the rest of the Kiwi traveller guides by clicking  here .

If you’re a travel fiend and you’re not racking up Airpoints yet, what is wrong with you?! You don’t like free holidays? You don’t want discounts on all your flights? Get on board, bro!!

Luckily for you I’ve researched this topic inside out and am about to break it down for you – the best Airpoints credit cards, how to use them and what to watch out for before you sign up.

Here’s the deal: Travel hacking in New Zealand is still in the little leagues, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get a bunch of free stuff. I’m only in New Zealand a few months per year, and I barely spend any money here, and I hardly fly Air NZ (I mostly fly budget airlines like Jetstar and Scoot), but even I have over a thousand dollars worth of Airpoints sitting in my account for a rainy day. That’s a free flight to almost anywhere in the world!

If you haven’t been stacking Airpoints, I suggest you start!

What are Airpoints?

Airpoints are New Zealand’s version of frequent flyer miles, and are managed by our national airline, Air New Zealand.

Unlike many frequent flyer miles programs, Airpoints dollars are much easier to understand.

One Airpoints dollar is worth the same as one New Zealand dollar – so if you’ve accumulated 1,000 Airpoints dollars it means you can buy a $1,000 plane ticket.

Nice and simple.

Airpoints expire after four years from the date they are accrued.

How to earn Airpoints

First thing you need to do is join Airpoints. This is free. Just sign up here .

Now to start racking up Airpoints dollars. There are many ways to do this, but one of the best ways is to use an Airpoints credit card.

Every time you use an Airpoints credit card to purchase something, you get rewarded with Airpoints dollars. The great thing about this is – you don’t even need to do anything special. Just keep buying all the same things you buy right now, but start using an Airpoints credit card instead.

For most people, that’s going to give you at least a free domestic or Aussie flight each year.

How to Use Airpoints Credit cards

Contrary to what most people think, credit cards are not complicated. To earn Airpoints with credit cards you don’t need to churn a ton of cards and you don’t need to spend any money on fees. As long as you choose the right card and always pay your bill on time, you can have a credit card and earn Airpoints and pay no fees whatsoever.

One important thing to note here is you need to manage your finances properly for your Airpoints strategy to work. That means:

• Always pay your credit card bill on time . If you don’t, you’re going to be charged late fees which will cancel out any Airpoints you earn pretty quickly.
• Always pay your credit card bill in full . If you just pay the minimum payment you will be charged interest which will also cancel out any Airpoints very quickly. Make sure you pay the full account balance every time.

As long as you do these two simple things, you can literally pay nothing in fees or interest the entire year, including annual fees . I’ll go through how to do that below.

What is the best Airpoints credit card right now?

As you’ll see in the next few minutes this is a slightly complicated question, and will vary from person to person.

There are lots of Airpoints credit cards. ANZ, Kiwibank, Westpac and American Express all offer several different Airpoints cards, ranging from basic to platinum. I’m going to break down each of the cards so we can see which is best for you.

If you want to skip the analysis and go straight to the results, click here .

Let’s begin with the entry level cards.

Entry level Airpoints credit cards

Entry level cards are the cards with the lowest fees. They also come with the fewest perks. My goal is usually to spend as little money as possible, so I’m a big fan of the entry level cards, and tend to use them over the fancy juiced up cards.

There are currently four entry level Airpoints cards available in NZ. Here’s what’s on offer:

(swipe left/right to scroll)

The first column shows the annual fee for each card.

The second column shows the “earn rate”. The earn rate is how many dollars you need to spend on your card to earn an Airpoints dollar. For example with the Kiwibank Airpoints Low Fee credit card, every time you spend $160 you will earn 1 Airpoints dollar.

The final column is where I have calculated the break even point. The break even point is the amount you need to spend on the card per year before it becomes “profitable”.

As an example, since the Kiwibank card costs $25 per year to have, that means we need to earn at least $25 Airpoints dollars for the card to be worthwhile. If we’re paying $25 in annual fees but only earning $20 in Airpoints dollars, that’s a loss of $5, meaning we’d be better off not having the card at all.

From the table you can see the breakeven point on the Kiwibank card is $4,000, meaning you need to spend at least that much per year to be in “Airpoints profit”.

As for which card is best at this level, it’s a super easy choice: the American Express Airpoints card .

The American Express Airpoints card is currently the only free Airpoints credit card   on the market (no annual fee). It seems kind of odd that Amex has the cheapest card available, you would probably suspect it would be Kiwibank, but it’s not the case.

The American Express Airpoints card also has a better earn rate than any other entry-level card: 1 Airpoints dollar (AD) for every $100 NZD you spend. So it’s the cheapest card and it earns you the most Airpoints. Easy choice.

Sign up bonuses

One thing that can change those numbers significantly is a good sign up bonus.

Sign up bonuses change all the time, but at the time of writing this article the only sign up bonus available on entry level cards is with American Express; you will get  50 free Airpoints dollars with the American Express Airpoints card once you’re approved and meet a minimum spend of $750 within 3 months (available to new Card Members only). Click here to check if this bonus is still available ).

As a comparison point, you would need to spend $7,000 on the Kiwibank Airpoints Low Fee credit card to earn 50 Airpoints dollars, so an up-front bonus like this is definitely worthwhile.

(Westpac and Kiwibank also offer sign up bonuses at select times during the year, but they’re not available right now. I’ll update this article when they do come around).

Which entry level Airpoints card should you get?

The best entry level card is easily the American Express Airpoints card , which should be clear to see from the numbers we crunched above. If you’re not a big spender and just want to start stashing Airpoints without paying any fees, this is the perfect card for you.

However, I’d hold off from applying for any of the above cards just yet. That’s because the platinum cards might be an even better choice for you. Let’s take a look.

Platinum Airpoints credit cards

While the entry level cards are good for dabbling in Airpoints, the platinum cards are there for people who want to get serious about earning a lot of Airpoints fast. As for which card is best, it’s slightly harder to pick a winner at the top end of the Airpoints card range.

Let’s take a look at what’s on offer:

So, which card is best?

If you’re going for earn rate, American Express leads the way again with the American Express Airpoints Platinum . You will earn 1 Airpoints dollar per $59 spent. It’s the best earn rate of any Airpoints card available today. 

As for fees, the cheapest card is the Westpac Airpoints Platinum Credit Card , with an annual fee of $145. It also has the lowest breakeven point. The downside is it has the worst earn rate.

The most expensive card is the Westpac Airpoints World Credit Card , which has an annual fee of $390.

However, those numbers don’t paint the full picture. You need to consider this: A good earn rate won’t matter if the annual fee is high, and a high annual fee might not matter if the earn rate is high. The only thing we should be looking at is how much  Airpoints profit we actually make on each card, because that’s all that matters in the end. I’ve worked that out in the table below:

To explain how this table works, let’s take the second column as an example.

In this column we’re assuming annual card spending of $15,000. At the American Express Platinum earn rate of $59 per Airpoints dollar, that level of spending will earn you 254.24  Airpoints dollars. Take away the Amex Platinum annual fee of $195, and that will give you a total Airpoints profit of 59.24  Airpoints dollars, which is the number you see in the table.

Basically Airpoints profit = Airpoints earned minus the annual fee.

In the chart above I’ve worked out the “Airpoints profit” for all the platinum cards at spending levels of $10,000, $15,000, $25,000 and $50,000.

As you can see, the American Express Airpoints Platinum is definitely the most profitable card to have once you hit the breakeven point. That’s because it has the best earn rate. Once you have made back your annual fee, it will earn you Airpoints faster than any other card  and the gap only widens as your spending rises (some cards might earn you Airpoints faster in special situations or retailers, but for everyday spending, the AMEX Platinum is number one).

Another thing to note is all platinum cards make a loss at the $10,000 level of spending. That means if you plan on spending less than $10,00 on your card each year,  do not get a platinum card . You will be losing money. Stick to one of the low level cards, preferably the American Express basic card , because it’s free (you can’t lose money on a free card!)

Now before we decide which card is best overall, there’s something else we need to talk about first: perks!

Platinum credit cards are renowned for perks. Let’s go through some of the perks offered by the cards above.

Status points

If you’re after Status Points, the front runner is the Kiwibank Airpoints Platinum Credit Card , which gets you 1 Status Point per $200. Both the Westpac Platinum Airpoints card and Westpac World Airpoints card earn you 1 Status Point per $225 spent, and the Amex Platinum and ANZ Platinum earn you 1 Status Point per $250 spent.

Status Points determine your frequent flyer status. As an example, you need 450 Status Points to become a Silver Airpoints member. Once you get to silver, you get all kinds of fancy lounge and baggage bonuses and so on. To accumulate the required 450 Status points within a year, you’d need to spend $90,000 on your platinum card. Because I don’t spend anywhere near that amount I don’t even really look at my Status points, but if you’re a big spender your Status Points earn rate might be important to you. Of course you can also earn Status points by actually flying – for example a trip from Auckland to Sydney might earn you 10-15 Status points, depending on your flight. You can read more about Status points here .

I’m not going to delve into Status points in this article because I think they’re irrelevant to most of us. Status points don’t save you money , and you can’t use them to buy plane tickets . They just give you special frills like priority check-in, baggage privileges and whatever.

Status is nice but it’s not something you need to focus on when trying to max your Airpoints strategy. I had one year where I flew Air New Zealand and Star Alliance a shitload and still didn’t reach Silver, so it’s going to be pretty tough for regular travellers to amass those kinds of Status points (let alone travel enough to really enjoy them).

Remember I’m a strong budget travel advocate, and dislike needless spending. Our goal here is to focus on earning real Airpoints dollars that can buy you plane tickets and save you money.

Every platinum card gives you a joining fee waiver for Koru club and a $145 membership fee discount – this seems pretty standard. But unless you fly Air New Zealand over ten times per year I would also say Koru Club is a waste of money – it’s $629 per year.

For that fee you get lounge access and some check-in and baggage perks – nothing you can’t just pay for at the time anyway. So you really need to be travelling a lot for Koru to be worth it, even with the discount. Anyway, every platinum card offers the same perks for Koru, so whichever card you choose you’ll get it anyway. You can read up on all Koru club benefits here .

Travel insurance

All platinum cards also give complimentary overseas travel insurance. Interestingly, American Express is the only one that gives free domestic travel insurance as well. I haven’t looked into each policy specifically, but usually credit card insurance is for trips up to 30ish days and travel must be booked on the card.

More exclusive cards like the Westpac World Airpoints card cover you for up to 120 days. All the policies vary slightly, but it’s too dense a topic for me to summarise here. You can check out the details in the terms and conditions of each card.

Lounge access

I won’t lie, airport lounges are pretty cool. At the moment most of the cards get you lounge access but at different levels.

The Kiwibank Platinum Airpoints credit card and ANZ Platinum Airpoints credit card  both give you one pair of Koru Lounge passes for every $20,000 you spend on your card, which is pretty shitty. I believe the Koru passes give you access to any Air NZ or partner lounge, which you can see here .

The American Express Airpoints Platinum is the next level up. You automatically get two lounge passes to the American Express Lounge at Sydney and Melbourne Airport , and you also get two VIP passes to any Priority Pass lounge  (Priority Pass lounges can be found in pretty much every major airport around the world). You get these without having to meet any minimum spend . So when it comes to free lounge access – Amex is a few notches up on Kiwibank and ANZ.

Westpac has two premium cards. The Westpac Platinum Airpoints card does not give you lounge access at all. The Westpac World Airpoints card  gives you full Priority Pass membership, meaning you get  unlimited Priority Pass lounge access.  I’ve confirmed with Westpac that this equals completely free access, so you will pretty much have free lounge access in every major airport in the world. Not bad!

One thing to remember – lounge access is cool but doesn’t mean the card is worth getting. You can get into most lounges for $50ish anyway, so paying hundreds in annual fees for “free” access isn’t always a good deal. Think of it as a cool bonus, rather than something you specifically get the card for.

Sign up bonuses are one of the main things you should look at before signing up for a platinum card. As our goal is to earn Airpoints, what could be better than getting a big chunk of Airpoints dollars just for signing up?

Again, sign up bonuses change all the time. This is the bonus situation as of now (January 2022):

The  American Express Airpoints Platinum is offering a 300 Airpoints dollars sign up bonus once you’re approved and meet a minimum spend of $1,500 in the first 3 months (available to New Card members only).

Every card tends to offer some sort of bonus throughout the year, so do remember to check back periodically.

Are the platinum cards actually better?

Now that we’ve looked at both platinum cards and standard cards, let’s compare them. The table below shows the amount of Airpoints profit you will earn with each card at each level of spending (including a deduction for each card’s annual fee). You should recall I showed this table earlier with only the platinum cards. This new table compares all cards (basic and platinum).

From the table you can see the standard American Express Airpoints card is the best card overall right up to $25,000 of spending. Then somewhere around $28,000 the American Express Airpoints Platinum overtakes it to become the more profitable card, and will remain the most profitable card at all levels of spending after that.

The Westpac World Airpoints credit card is the least profitable card up to $25,000 of spending, and gets overtaken by the Kiwibank Low Fee Airpoints credit card around the $40,000 mark, so if you’re looking to earn Airpoints fast, those would be two cards to avoid.

Don’t forget the sign up bonus!

Remember if you’re getting a big sign up bonus, the picture changes slightly.

For example, if you get 200 Airpoints dollars as soon as you sign up, most cards will become profitable straight away. Here’s a revised table taking sign up bonuses into account:

After bonuses, the American Express Airpoints Platinum is the clear leader, which has a solid 300 Airpoints dollar sign-up bonus (basically a free flight to Aussie!). This easily makes it the most profitable card across the board at any level of spending.

Remember the bonus is a one-off signup bonus that you only receive in your first year, so after the first year this table becomes irrelevant . You should refer to the earlier table when deciding on a long term card.

Airpoints debit cards

Some of you are probably wondering if there are any Airpoints debit cards out there, since debit cards have become pretty popular lately.

There is only one Airpoints debit card I know of which is issued by Air NZ itself. In fact, Air NZ should send you one as soon as you sign up for Airpoints. It’s actually a pretty cool card – it’s called the Onesmart card and doubles as a Fly Buys card and a multi-currency travel card. To use it as a debit card, you can just jump online and activate it in your Airpoints account.

But is it any good?

Here are the numbers:

As you can see it’s a nice cheap card with a low breakeven point, but the earn rate is pretty dismal. Using it to try and earn any significant amount of Airpoints wouldn’t be too fruitful.

I’ve actually used this card on a few trips and didn’t end up recommending it. The main reason was the exchange rates were super loaded. Any Airpoints you do manage to earn will quickly be eaten up by losses on currency exchange. And it’s simply not worth using it in NZ when the credit cards earn you Airpoints so much faster. So my overall recommendation for this card is: Avoid.

I did a more thorough breakdown of NZ debit cards in my guide on banking for NZ travellers – you can check that out here .

Summary: Which Airpoints Credit Card Do I Recommend?

Now that we’ve crunched the numbers, here’s what I recommend:

#1 Best Airpoints Credit Card

The first card I recommend getting is the American Express Airpoints Platinum (assuming you are eligible for the signup bonus). Here’s why:

• The Airpoints signup bonus is only offered on your first American Express card . Therefore make sure your first Amex card is the one with the highest signup bonus, because you can only get one!
• The Amex Airpoints Platinum is the most profitable card, period , and has the best earn rate as we saw from the numbers above. No card will earn you more Airpoints on your spending and get you more free flights than the Amex Airpoints Platinum.
• The Amex Platinum card has the best value perks (free travel insurance, smartphone screen insurance and airport lounge passes). The only card with better perks is the Westpac World, which is much more expensive (double the price) and has a lower earn rate.
• The Amex Platinum is technically free for the first 2 years . Although there’s a $195 annual fee, you get a 300 Airpoints dollars sign up bonus (new Card Members only, offer ends 29th November 2021), meaning technically you get to use the card for free for 2 years. It’s the most attractive card available in New Zealand right now, hands down.

You can apply for an American Express Airpoints Platinum card online here .

#2 Airpoints Credit Card

If Amex or the banks aren’t offering any signup bonuses, my recommendation is the basic American Express Airpoints . Here’s why:

• It’s the lowest fee Airpoints card on the market (it’s free). Like I said earlier, it’s impossible to lose money on a free card, and the only available free card is this one.
• It has the best earn rate of any entry level card ($100 per Airpoints dollar). That’s basically earning 1% back in Airpoints on everything you spend (that’s amazing  for a zero-fee card).
• It’s the second most profitable card behind the Amex Airpoints Platinum . Also, if the Amex Airpoints Platinum bonus is being offered but you don’t qualify for the card (bad credit, not enough income), you can sign up for this card instead and still get the $50 Airpoints bonus.

Even if you’re not that interested in Airpoints, this card is free and most of the year offers a 50 Airpoints bonus on sign up (new Card Members only). You’re literally being paid $50 to fill out some forms. If that’s not a good enough deal for you, I don’t know what is.

You can apply for your free American Express Airpoints card online here.

Another cool thing is if you go with the American Express Airpoints Platinum , after the first year you can just downgrade to the free  American Express Airpoints to avoid the $195 annual fee. Or, if you feel the annual fee is worth the higher earn rate, free travel insurance and lounge access, you can just keep it.

As we saw from the tables above, if you spend $28,000 or more per year on your card, it’s more profitable have the platinum card, even with the annual fee. So if you’re spending that level, keep the card, if not, downgrade. Pretty simple eh? 🙂

Third option

Because the American Express cards are so superior in earning power, I don’t really recommend getting other Airpoints credit cards unless they’re free.

However, the thing with American Express is it isn’t accepted everywhere. I use it at the supermarket and gas station without problems, which is where I spend most of my money anyway, but some smaller businesses won’t accept it.

Therefore it can make sense to have a backup Visa or Mastercard, just in case.

My usual recommendation is to use a Visa debit, EFTPOS card, or get the zero-fee card from Kiwibank or ASB . They’re not Airpoints cards, but they’re free, and since you’re doing most of your spending on your Amex you shouldn’t be missing out on many Airpoints anyway.

If you absolutely must get a Airpoints Visa or Mastercard today, just look at the spending tables above and determine which one will be profitable for you. As a starting point, the Kiwibank Airpoints Low Fee credit card is the cheapest card ($25 per year) but also has the lowest earn rate ($160 per Airpoints dollar). You’ll need to spend at least $4,000 per year on that card for it to be profitable.

As a sidenote, sometimes ANZ and Westpac sometimes offer a “no annual fee” bonus on new signups, so you can actually get the ANZ Airpoints Platinum credit card  or the Westpac Airpoints Platinum card free for year! If that offer is available (click here  and here to check) definitely go with that as your backup Visa/Mastercard.

In all cases, I would still recommend getting the Amex Airpoints Platinum first, as it will simply earn you far more Airpoints and get you a free flight sooner than any other card. It’s a no brainer.

That’s it!

Hope this helps you all get tons of free flights and if you have any questions at all, just leave them in the comments.

Safe travels,

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The downside with AMEX is it is not accepted in a lot of stores. I am so used with credit cards but I still have to maintain two cards. Thanks anyway very elightening.

Yup, but the Amex is free to have anyway. And you can definitely use it in all the major stores, so definitely worth getting it!

Nice article. I’m just trying to work out if something like paying bills actually counts or not? Thanks!

If you can put it on your credit card then yes, it does!

So does that mean anyone considering buying a Koru Club membership, should just get a Westpac World card. Because this gives you access to all lounges, without having to use that airlines flights. So if you’re cheap like me then you can buy a Jetstar flight, but drink a whole bunch of beers in the Koru lounge before hand?

Yep, although I don’t think the Koru Lounge is part of Privilege Pass, at Auckland Airport the PP lounge is the Strata Lounge (which still looks cool): https://www.prioritypass.com/en/Lounges/Asia-Pacific/New-Zealand/Auckland/Auckland-International/AKL-Emperor-Lounge

This was quite insightful. Thanks for sharing the info Bren.

Best table charts for airpoints cards. Thanks for doing the leg work on this for the rest of us!

Incredible breakdown. Thank you so much.

Great insight thanks! So will you still keep all airpoints and bonus airpoints gained from the credit card once you cancel?

Yep, Airpoints never expire. Cancelling a credit card will have no effect on your Airpoints balance.

Lovely and detailed article. I wonder if you could update it with Westpac’s current 300 Airpoints dollars sign on bonus? Hopefully it won’t be out of date because I think the offer ends 15th July 2019

The Amex lounges are so darn good,I’m tempted to fly to Sydney for the weekend rather than let the passes expire. The quality of the food and grog is out of this world. I spent 7 hours in it recently ..and I had to nearly be rolled onto my jetstar flight. When one dish gets finished they roll on something completely different. Not going to forget the Cajun fish teamed with a spectacular N.Z Chardonnay in a hurry.

Sup my Uce. I have been doing research into Airpoints. It looks like they do expire. If an earned airpoint is aged 4 years it will expire on your membership anniversary (not sure if this is a new thing or not). Also after living in Aus, it seems like credit card flight related credit cards aren’t as good in NZ. For example, you can easily get 120,000 Qantas sign up points in Aus with most major credit cards which would easily get you a return flight to Europe! It might be worth keeping an eye out for other airline loyalty programs in NZ. Qantas used to offer NZ credit cards, but it looks like those have been discontinued 🙁

Hey mate looks like you’re right they do expire. Quite sure that’s a new thing, I’ll update this! Aus cards are a million times better and ANZ used to do Qantas cards but they only do Air NZ now. If you’re based in Aus, get your Aus cards while you can!

Hey Bren, great break down. I wonder if you have the cards long term… What would be the best strategy. Ie amex. is great and what i have but after 1year the annual fees are not compensated by the 200 sign up bonus. Do you just continue with amex anyway? Or do you stop amex after a year and go with another platinum with no sign up costs if available (i see westpac platinum has 2 year no costs), then reasses in 2 years with what else is there, and if not another better one, go back on amex given its powerful earn rate (My yearly spending on credit card is around 20k). Thanks!

If you are not earning enough in points to cover the annual fee, then I would just downgrade to the free Amex card. Also if there are deals on the bank platinum cards, you can sign up for them too. I have multiple cards.

Good article Bren, but I wonder if you could factor in somehow the fact that Amex is not accepted everwhere (particularly in Europe, they hate them), and often you pay a higher credit card fee to use it. Trying buying milk in a Superette with an Amex card using paywave! This means having to carry a second Credit card everwhere for all the places Amex is not accepted. I reckon only 1/2 of purchases at best can be Amex ones, so what does that do to your AirPoints earning capacity and break-even calcs, when you have to carry two cards everywhere?

Hi Paul, I address this in the last section of the article, where I recommend having a zero-fee credit card for times when you can’t use Amex. I also don’t recommend using any NZ credit card overseas because the fees are simply too high. This guide is really for cards to be used while in NZ, and you should be able to use Amex for most things. I have another article on the best way to manage money while travelling and which cards are best for that: https://brenontheroad.com/how-to-avoid-bank-fees-and-access-money-while-travelling-new-zealand-kiwi-edition/

Also worth noting: For big spenders the Westpac World is probably the best as the $390 fee gets waived if you spend at least $50k every half year.

Source: https:undefinedundefinedwww.westpac.co.nzundefinedcredit-cardsundefinedairpointsundefinedairpoints-world-mastercardundefined

Also might be worth noting Mastercard has better acceptance than AMEX, and you can also pair it with a Westpac debit card to at least still get Airpoints for those "sorry no credit card" places.

Also I highly recommend moving all your bills to your credit card, to get those extra points too. Insurance is usually a good one as generally they don't charge fees. Avoid moving bills that CC surcharge higher than the Airpoints earn rate of your card though.

hi – I thought acceptance of Amex cards was pretty low in terms of who accepts them for day to day spending – should that not also be a consideration?

Yep I addressed that at the bottom – get a free Visa or Mastercard for those situations. But AMEX seems to be accepted at 99% of the places I go to shop.

Well, as of March 2021 Kiwibank is doing a sign up bonus of 200 Airpoints on the Platinum.

Source: https://www.airnewzealand.co.nz/airpoints-partner-kiwibank-platinum-visa

Which way will you go? Right now, a new Air New Zealand Airpoints™ Platinum Visa from Kiwibank comes with your choice of reward.

Choose between 200 bonus Airpoints Dollars™ using promo code AP200 OR save $150 with a 1-year fee waiver using promo code FW001

Offer ends 23 April 2021. T&Cs apply

Hey Bren. It's probably just me, but your breakeven calculations are little confusing. For example you say the AMEX Platinum card annual fees would pay itself in 2 years as you get 300 bonus airpoints on signup… if you work out how much you have to spend to get 300 airpoints (59 x 300 = $17,700), shouldn't that paint a different picture? You are actually getting awarded $17,700 of rewards in exchange for $195 of signing up in the first year. Also, if your aim is to get certain amount of points, for example…You want to achieve 300 airpoints in one year. You will need to spend about $30,000 on a regular AMEX card ($100 x 1 AP), whereas only spending $17,700 (+ $195 annual fee) on an AMEX Platinum you may get that goal. Again, I might have skipped a few beats and confused myself here. Would love to hear your insight.

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• Credit Cards

Credit Card Travel Insurance: Best Deals

Posted by Bruce Pitchers March 31, 2023

If your credit card offers complimentary travel insurance, are you making the most of the cover offered? Canstar looks at the credit card travel insurance offered by leading credit card providers.

When awarding out Outstanding Value Credit Cards and Bank of the Year | Credit Cards Awards , our expert panel looks not only at cards’ interest rates, rewards and fees, but also their features.

And many premium cards come with complimentary travel insurance, which can save you hundreds of dollars if you take an overseas holiday.

So on the back of our latest awards and 5-Star Outstanding Value ratings, here’s a round-up of some of the travel insurance cover offered by major credit card providers.

NB: below are approximate values and baggage cover is on a per family basis. For exact figures, please refer to each credit card’s individual travel insurance policy.

Bank of the year | credit cards.

This year TSB is the winner of Canstar’s prestigious award for Bank of the Year | Credit Cards . It took out our top award, in part, because of the great rewards and features offered by its cards. Not only does its Platinum Mastercard offer complimentary overseas travel insurance, all TSB cards offer other insurance perks, covering price, purchase and mobile phone insurance.

TSB Platinum Mastercard Travel Insurance

Use your card to pay for at least half your pre-paid travel expenses and you and your family will receive overseas travel insurance (children under 19).

Main points of policy cover:

• Cancellation of Journey: $10,000 (including for domestic travel)
• Medical and Repatriation Expenses: Unlimited
• Emergency Dental: Unlimited
• Accidental Death or Permanent Total Disablement: $100,000
• Personal Baggage: $4000
• Rental Vehicle Excess: None

In addition, all TSB cards come with three over types of insurance cover (T&Cs apply):

Purchase protection insurance

Offers 180 days’ cover against theft or accidental damage over new personal items that you purchase with your eligible card:

• Limit per claim/per year: $675
• Excess per claim: Nil

Price protection insurance

Reimburses the price difference between the original price of an item you purchased with your card and the lower price for the exact same item as shown in a printed advertisement within 30 days of your original purchase.

• Limit per claim: $500
• Limit in any 12-month period: $1000

Mobile phone protection insurance

Provides you with cover against accidental damage or theft of your eligible mobile phone if you pay for your monthly bill or prepaid top-up using your card.

• Limit per claim: $800
• Limit in any 12-month period: $1350
• Excess per claim: $55

American Express

When you book and pay for your return trip with your Gold Rewards Card or Airpoints Platinum Card, you can take advantage of complimentary domestic and overseas travel insurance for you, your spouse and your dependent children under the age of 23. An excess of $250 can apply.

Gold Rewards Card Travel Insurance

• Cancellation of Journey: $30,000
• Medical and Repatriation Expenses: $2.5m
• Emergency Dental: $1000
• Accidental Death or Permanent Total Disablement: None
• Personal Baggage: $30,00

Airpoints Platinum Card Travel Insurance

• Accidental Death: $10,000
• Rental Vehicle Excess: $3000

NB: Amex’s Airpoints Platinum Card also comes with $500 of smartphone screen cover

Airpoints Visa Platinum Travel Insurance

Use your card to pay for at least half your pre-paid travel expenses and you and your family will receive overseas travel insurance (children under 19). An excess of $200 can apply.

• Cancellation of Journey: Unlimited
• Personal Baggage: $30,000
• Rental Vehicle Excess: $600

BNZ Advantage Visa Platinum Travel Insurance

If you are a BNZ Advantage Visa Platinum holder at the time you make payment towards pre-paid travel costs, you receive travel insurance for you and your family (children under 19) and domestic rental car excess cover.

• Personal Baggage: $20,000
• Rental Vehicle Excess: $5000

Air New Zealand Airpoints Platinum Visa

If you are a Kiwibank Air New Zealand Airpoints Platinum Visa and use your card to pay for flights, car rental or accommodation, you receive free travel insurance for you and your family (children under 19) and domestic rental car excess cover.

• Medical and Repatriation Expenses: From $100,00 to unlimited, depending on region
• Emergency Dental: $1500
• Accidental Death: $50,000
• Personal Baggage: $10,000 to $40,000 depending on region
• Rental Vehicle Excess: $2000

If you hold any of the cards listed below and use it to pay for at least $500 (or $250 if travelling only to Australia and/or a South Pacific Island) of your pre-paid travel costs, you are eligible for overseas travel insurance cover for you and your family (children under 19):

• Westpac Airpoints Platinum Mastercard : up to 35 days’ overseas travel insurance
• Westpac Airpoints World Mastercard : up to 120 days’ overseas travel insurance
• hotpoints Platinum Mastercard : overseas travel insurance for up to 35 days per round trip, with no limit to the number of trips you can take each year
• hotpoints World Mastercard : overseas travel insurance for up to 120 days per round trip, with no limit to the number of trips you can take each year
• Accidental Death: Up to $100,000

In addition, all the above Westpac cards come with purchase protection and extended warranty insurance (T&Cs apply):

Offers 90 days cover against theft or accidental damage over new personal items that you purchase with your eligible card:

• Limit per claim/per year: $3000/$125,000

Extended warranty insurance

Offers up to 12 months of extended warranty on personal items that you purchase with your eligible card.

• Limit per year: $10,000

Credit card travel insurance

If you are going to make use of your credit card’s travel insurance, there are some important points that you should keep in mind. And if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact your credit card/insurance provider:

• Always check your eligibility and that your insurance is in place before you travel – don’t take it for granted that you’re covered
• Check age limits: those over 75 are not automatically covered, and different providers have different rules about when children stop being covered by family insurance
• It’s vital you check that any traveller’s pre-existing medical conditions are covered, many serious ailments aren’t covered
• Check the duration of the cover, most insurance is for trips between 40-90 days. For longer periods, you might be able to pay extra to extend your cover
• Most credit card travel insurance requires you to put your travel purchases on your card, but exceptions can be made, for example if using your card to book incurs a fee. For example, you can still be eligible for ANZ’s card’s insurance cover if you pay for your trip directly from an ANZ account
• If you’ve won your trip, or been gifted it, you may still be eligible to claim your card’s complimentary travel insurance cover
• Check any excesses you might have to pay in the event of a claim

Compare Credit Cards with Canstar

If you’re interested in a new credit card, our free comparison tool covers all the major cards in the market, and includes our prestigious Star Ratings.

The comparison table below displays some of the rewards credit cards currently available on Canstar’s database for Kiwis looking to spend around $2000 per month (some may have links to providers’ websites). The products are sorted by Star Rating (highest to lowest), followed by provider name (alphabetical). Use Canstar’s credit card comparison selector to view a wider range of credit cards. Canstar may earn a fee for referrals.

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• Canstar is an information provider and in giving you product information Canstar is not making  a recommendation or giving an opinion in relation to acquiring or disposing of a particular credit product or loan. If you decided to apply for a credit product or loan, you will deal directly with a credit provider, and not with Canstar. Rates and product information should be confirmed with the relevant credit provider. For more information, read the product disclosure statement (PDS) and Canstar’s terms of use and liability disclaimer .
• This is provided for information purposes only.  It is general in nature and has not taken into account your particular financial situation or goals so is not a personalised service. Consider whether this  information is right for you. It is recommended that you consult a financial adviser before making any financial decision.

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Credit cards with travel insurance

There is no shortage of credit cards that offer complimentary travel insurance in New Zealand. We help you make the right choice for you.

Home > Credit cards

The breakdown

• Some credit cards have complimentary travel insurance that covers both international and domestic trips.
• Pre-existing conditions are not covered as standard, but many providers let you add them to your existing cover for an additional premium.
• It’s important to review policy documents to ensure the travel insurance offered by a card provider meets your needs.

Author: Kevin McHugh, Head of Publishing at Banked.

In this guide, we look at what we think are some of the best credit cards for travel insurance, and how they compare with the rest of the competition. We look primarily at the travel insurance benefits of each card (what they cover, any excess involved, eligibility, and so on). But we will also cover other card features and fees that are important to factor in when deciding.

Bear in mind that everyone has different requirements for their travel insurance. For you, great coverage for personal baggage may be a priority, while domestic travel cover will be a must-have for someone else. We hope the information we provide here is useful, but it’s important that you consider your own needs and circumstances before deciding.

We cover the high-level benefits of each card’s travel cover, but if you’re looking for more specific detail, be sure to check the relevant policy document — we have included a link to each.

If you’re looking for a more general option, don’t forget to read our credit card comparison guide to find the best one for you.

The best credit cards with travel insurance

We look at some of the best credit cards that include complimentary travel insurance as standard.

1. American Express Airpoints Platinum

The AMEX Airpoints Platinum has a number of advantages over other credit cards when it comes to travel insurance.

Firstly, the cover it offers applies to both international and domestic travel , unlike many other cards that only cover international. This is a feature all AMEX cards with complimentary travel insurance share, while only one other card provider (TSB) offers the same. This is a welcome benefit in a country where many of us love to take regular trips in our own country.

Another advantage of AMEX Airpoints Platinum is the coverage period. Many other cards limit cover to a comparatively short period per trip, such as up to 35 days for the Westpac Airpoints Platinum Mastercard. But for AMEX credit cards, the coverage period is up to a much longer 180 days .

The AMEX Airpoints Platinum is also one of the most feature-packed credit cards, beyond its travel insurance offering. It includes free airport lounge access via Priority Pass, smartphone screen insurance , and the best Airpoints earn rate of any credit card in NZ (to name just a few benefits).

However, bear in mind that those extra benefits come at a price as the card has an annual fee of $195, which is among the higher annual fees for a credit card that offers complimentary travel insurance (see our table further down for a full comparison).

Important points

• Travel insurance eligibility: To be covered, you must pay for your full trip with the AMEX Airpoints Platinum credit card or with Air New Zealand Airpoints.
• Excess: An excess may apply for some claims. This varies with the type of claim, for example, a $100 excess applies for lost or damaged baggage and a $250 excess applies for cancelled travel. Provider: Chubb Insurance New Zealand.

Scope of cover

This is just a selection of what is covered. Check out the AMEX Airpoints Platinum travel insurance policy document for full details.

• Personal baggage: $30,000
• Medical emergency and repatriation: $2,500,000
• Cancellation of journey: $30,000
• Personal liability cover: $2,000,000
• Accidental loss of life: $10,000

Key card details

• Annual fee: $195
• Purchase interest rate: 22.95%
• Interest-free period: 55 days

Other card benefits and features

• Earn Airpoints:  The AMEX Airpoints Platinum has the best Airpoints earn rate of any credit card — earn 1 Airpoints Dollar for every $59 spent. The card also comes with 300 bonus Airpoints Dollars when you sign up and spend at least $1,500 on the card in the first three months. See how it compares with other Airpoints credit cards.
• Free Priority Pass airport lounge access: Get free access to two VIP airport lounges per year. Access is available to over 1,200 airport lounges around the world, including the Strata Lounge at Auckland Airport .
• Smartphone screen cover: Repairs to fix your phone’s screen will be covered automatically. As long as you bought the phone outright with your card, or you use it to pay for your phone plan, you’ll be covered up to $500.
• Earn Status Points: For every $250 spent on the card, you’ll earn 1 Status Point. Status points can be used for travel benefits including lounge access, priority service, seat upgrades, and more.

Learn more in our full American Express Airpoints Platinum review .

2. TSB Platinum Mastercard

The TSB Platinum Mastercard is another strong credit card for travel insurance.

Like the AMEX Airpoints Platinum, it also covers both international and domestic travel. The card’s travel insurance covers the user for up to 90 consecutive days travel, which is not as long as the AMEX card, but will be more than enough for most people.

The TSB Platinum Mastercard has the weakest cover for personal baggage of all cards we assessed (covering up to just $4,000), but it makes up for it in other ways. For example, it offers unlimited cover for medical emergency and repatriation , plus at $90, it has one of the lowest annual fees for an NZ credit card that comes with complimentary travel insurance.

• Travel insurance eligibility: You must purchase at least 50% of your pre-paid travel expenses on the TSB Platinum Mastercard.
• Excess: None.
• Provider: Allianz Partners.

This is just a selection of what is covered. Check out the TSB Platinum Mastercard travel insurance policy document for full details.

• Personal baggage: $4,000
• Medical emergency and repatriation: Unlimited
• Cancellation of journey: $10,000
• Personal liability cover: $675,000
• Accidental loss of life: $100,000
• Annual fee: $90
• Purchase interest rate: 20.95%
• Interest-free period: 55 day

Other features and benefits

• Earn cashback: The card currently has the best cashback earn rate of any card in NZ, with $1 earned for every $80 spent. See how it compares to other cashback credit cards in our guide.
• Mobile phone insurance: Cover against accidental damage or theft of your mobile phone if you pay your post-paid monthly bill or prepaid top-up using the TSB Platinum Mastercard.
• Purchase protection insurance: Benefit from 180 days of cover against theft or accidental damage for items bought on the card.
• Price protection insurance: Get reimbursed for the difference between the price of an item you purchased and the lower price for the same item within 30 days of the original purchase.

3. ASB Visa Platinum

Benefit from up to 90 days of travel insurance on the ASB Visa Platinum.

Unlike the AMEX and TSB cards described above, the ASB Visa Platinum does not cover domestic travel — it only covers international trips . However, the card has a low annual fee of $80 .

The ASB Visa Platinum also performs strongly in terms of coverage, with unlimited cover in some instances, such as for medical and evacuation expenses and cancellation of travel.

As with the AMEX Airpoints Platinum credit card, making a travel insurance claim involves an excess in some cases (in this case you must pay $200).

• Travel insurance eligibility: You must have paid for at least half of your travel on your ASB Visa Platinum in order to be eligible for its travel insurance.
• Excess: An excess of $200 applies for some types of claims.
• Provider: AIG Insurance New Zealand.

This is just a selection of what is covered. Check out the ASB Visa Platinum travel insurance policy document for full details.

• Personal baggage: $20,000
• Cancellation of journey: Unlimited
• Personal liability cover: $2,500,000
• Accidental loss of life: $50,000
• Annual fee: $80
• Purchase interest rate: 19.95%
• Earn rewards: Choose to earn either True Rewards or AA Smartfuel discounts on your spend using the card. See how the ASB Visa Platinum compares to other rewards cards .
• 0% balance transfer: Transfer the balance of another credit card or store card to your ASB Visa Platinum and pay 0% interest for the first six months.

Compare all credit cards with travel insurance

Find out how our picks compare against other credit cards that come with complimentary travel insurance. Most platinum credit cards come with complimentary travel insurance too, so you might what to check out that guide too.

Does credit card travel insurance cover pre-existing conditions?

No, there is no credit card travel insurance that covers pre-existing medical conditions by default.

However, almost all providers allow you to add cover for your pre-existing medical condition by getting in contact with them before you travel. A medical assessment is required and additional cover is not guaranteed.

If you do add cover for your pre-existing condition, you will need to pay a premium.

The ability to add cover for pre-existing conditions (at a premium) is offered by ASB, TSB, ANZ, Kiwibank, and Westpac. The only exception is American Express.

Do I have to contact the card provider to activate the travel insurance?

No. We reviewed the terms and conditions of all currently available credit cards that offer travel insurance and none require you to call them to activate cover. You will be covered automatically as long as you meet the travel insurance eligibility guidelines (typically that you pay for either at least half or all of your trip using the card).

However, it can be helpful to check the terms and conditions of your cover before you rely on it. It may not cover what you want it for (a special sport such as skiing, for example) or you may find that that you do not meet the travel insurance eligibility criteria (you paid for less than half of your journey on the card, for example).

It’s always sensible to ensure your credit card travel insurance meets your needs and that it is available to you if you need it.

Does credit card travel insurance cover domestic travel?

Only some credit cards that come with complimentary travel insurance cover both international and domestic trips. Those are cards offered by American Express and the TSB Platinum Mastercard .

However, it’s worth bearing in mind that contents insurance policies also tend to cover your things when you’re away from home in New Zealand. Some contents insurance policies even cover you for personal liability in some instances. Learn more about what contents insurance can cover in our guide .

Contents insurance can’t replace domestic travel insurance in all respects, but if you do have a policy already, it’s certainly worth checking what cover you have when you are out travelling in New Zealand.

Kevin McHugh

Credit cards, share trading, money transfers, about banked.

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CREDIT CARD TRAVEL INSURANCE- IT'S CRUNCH TIME!

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Your credit card provides free travel insurance great now proceed with caution..

The lead up to a holiday is an exciting time, particularly when you’re heading somewhere particularly new and exotic. There’s so much to consider– what to do, where to , accommodation to book so it’s all too easy to let a detail like travel insurance fall by the wayside. The last thing you may feel like doing is getting bogged down in the nitty gritty of travel insurance. It’s a well documented fact that very few travellers truly understand all the ins and outs of their policies. It also comes as no surprise that a quarter of travellers won’t take out a policy until two days before they leave! Say what! But travel insurance needn’t be so much of a hassle. You might even be covered already as part of your credit card deal. So what is credit card travel insurance, and is it worth looking into?

FREE TRAVEL INSURANCE? WHERE DO I SIGN UP?

Hold your horses! Credit card travel insurance may be 'free'  but only ‘free’ in the sense that you don’t have to pay extra for it. Most policies are only provided with ‘top end’ cards, which will most likely come with a higher annual fee than a standard credit card.

I’VE GOT A CREDIT CARD, SO I’M AUTOMATICALLY COVERED, RIGHT?

Wrong! (Well not necessarily). Never assume that your card provides you with free cover as standard. Always check and never just assume you are automatically covered. Imagine the horror of discovering you’ll have to pay for those ludicrously high medical bills as you didn’t have travel insurance after all!

Even if you do have a card with cover included, you’re more than likely going to have to jump through a few hoops to activate it. Activating your cover usually involves paying a certain percentage of your holiday with the card and ensuring sure that you exceed the minimum spend necessary. You may begin to feel like a performing sea-lion, but at least your ‘free’ policy will be activated!

THE CREDIT CARD CRUNCH: PROS AND CONS

So you’ve got a credit card and you’ve turned all the tricks you need to activate the insurance, so are you really getting the cover you anticipated? Let’s take a look at those pros and cons of credit card insurance:

• If you already pay for a high-end card, free cover is a nice handy perk
• If you were already planning to use your credit card to pay for your holiday, you may not be too put off having to exceed the activation ‘limit’ on your card.
• Elderly travellers may find that they get a better deal as some credit card companies have fewer age limits or don’t apply age loadings.
• Credit card companies usually provide higher levels of cover in the event of cash loss or theft, which is handy if someone pinches your wallet!

Credit card cover will (usually) provide cover wherever you . Usually there are no additional costs for different regions, so you don’t have to pay extra depending on your destination.  Cons:

• You’re only covered if you pay for your holiday using your credit card – and you might be charged an annual fee on top of that.
• With many cards, the policy offered will only apply to the cardholder, not family members too, so you’ll have to buy them separate policies to ensure they are covered.
• Credit card travel insurance cover will often only cover you for shorter periods than regular travel insurance (usually around 35 days per trip). Some providers only offer up to three months’ worth of protection. 
• It is often difficult to extend your cover, unlike standard cover.
• Many policies will not cover you for pre-existing medical conditions – so make sure you read the small print so you’re not caught out.
• Excesses tends to be higher with credit card cover.
• You may not be covered for lost items, only those that are stolen or damaged
• Some activities such as extreme sports and other adventurous holiday pastimes may not be covered by your credit card policy.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT CREDIT CARD INSURANCE

Just like any other purchase it pays to shop around to find yourself a good deal. Lucky for you there are heaps of handy comparison tools to help you make your decision that little bit easier. The benefits, features, limits and exclusions will differ greatly from one card to the next, so it’s wise to pay close attention to the small print and check you’re buying adequate cover.

Questions to ask yourself include:

• Are all family members covered?
• Does the policy provide enough cover for your valuables?
• What is maximum trip length allowed?
• Which pre-existing medical conditions are excluded?
• Am I covered for business and leisure trips?
• Am I covered for domestic and international holidays?
• What do I need to do to activate cover?
• Is there a minimum spend required?

Once you have a good idea of the circumstances that may affect your cover you can then use that information to decide what type of cover is right for you. Of course, you may want to  factor in any exciting card benefits like reward loyalty schemes and frequent flyer points.

WHICH CARDS OFFER FREE COVER?

Kiwibank offer complementary cover underwritten by Tower with their MasterCard Gold or Air New Zealand Airpoints Platinum MasterCard. You must be a Kiwi resident, under 80 years of age.

Westpac Hotspots Platinum card provide complimentary cover underwritten by AIG which includes you cover for 35 day trips, minimum spends and family member restrictions apply.

BNZ Gold or Platinum Visa cardholders  get cover underwritten by Cigna for return (leisure only) international trips. You must pay at least $250-$500 on the card to activate. You can choose from 35 days or 90 days policies.

ANZ Airports Visa Platinum offers cover underwritten by AIG when you pay for at least half of your pre-paid travel expenses with your card.

ASB’s Visa Platinum with Rewards offer cover underwritten by Tower for 120 days when you pay for at least 50% of your holiday using the card.

American Express Platinum Edge offer complimentary domestic and international cover underwritten by ACE.

In summary, the term ‘free’ does not necessarily mean ‘free’. Credit cards that provide ‘complimentary’ travel insurance typically have annual fees ranging anywhere from $50 to over $500.

Having said that, if you’re a healthy, savvy traveller who takes more than two standard short trips a year, credit card travel insurance could be the winning ticket. When you compare the card’s annual fee cost with the price of standalone cover, it may well be more cost effective to choose credit card insurance. However, be mindful of the fact that in doing so, you may lose out on some important benefits and risk exposure to certain exclusions.

FURTHER READING

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Do Citi cards have travel insurance?

Car rental insurance, costco anywhere visa® card by citi travel insurance benefits, citi® / aadvantage® executive world elite mastercard® travel insurance coverage, does citibank offer travel insurance.

Citi credit cards provide a host of benefits, including some generous points and miles earning opportunities (depending on the card you have).

But, when it comes to travel insurance, let’s just say it’s not necessarily Citi cards' strong suit.

Still, there are Citibank travel insurance benefits you should know about to ensure you use the right card when paying for your next trip. Here are the primary benefits associated with Citi card travel insurance.

Only two Citi cards have travel insurance, and each one has a different set of benefits: The Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi and the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® .

on Citibank's application

Both cards provide rental car insurance.

The Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi also offers roadside assistance, worldwide travel accident insurance and a 24/7 concierge for travel and emergency assistance. The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® , on the other hand, offers baggage protection, trip cancellation/interruption insurance and trip delay protections.

» Learn more: Best Citi credit cards right now

If you use either of the two Citi credit cards listed above to pay for a car rental, Citi travel insurance will protect any damages to a rental car up to $50,000.

This amount will cover the cost of repairs or the cash value of the car, whichever is lower. It applies anywhere you rent a car — there are no geographic limitations — as long as the rental period is no longer than 31 days. Citibank travel insurance covers accidental damage, theft, vandalism or a natural disaster, and any necessary towing costs.

Citi's rental car insurance is secondary when renting a car within the U.S., but if you're renting outside of the country, it switches to primary coverage.

With secondary insurance, you need to rely on any other insurance coverage you have before Citi’s car rental insurance kicks in. Primary insurance, alternatively, will be the first line of coverage you have.

Coverage wouldn't apply if you rent the car to someone else or operate a rental car as a rideshare vehicle. It also only covers the car, not any personal injuries that might result from an accident.

There are several types of vehicles that are excluded from coverage. These include:

Trucks, pickup trucks, trailers, full-size vans on a truck chassis or recreational vehicles like campers and off-road vehicles.

Motorcycles or motorized bikes.

Commercial vehicles or cargo vans.

Any vehicle with fewer than four wheels.

Antique vehicles older than 20 years or that have not been made in the past decade.

Limousines.

Sport-utility trucks or open, flat-bed trucks.

Any vehicle that retails for over $50,000.

» Learn more: Rental car insurance explained

Roadside assistance

When driving in the U.S., roadside assistance is available for Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi cardholders by calling 866-918-4670.

Roadside assistance is valuable in the event of an accident, loss of fuel or other vehicle malfunction. Keep in mind that you would still have to pay for the assistance (like a tow truck, for example), but this benefit makes it easy to reach someone with one phone call.

Citi card provides access to similar assistance as a membership program like AAA . The difference is that AAA’s annual fee covers roadside assistance fees while Citi's coverage doesn't; it solely provides access to someone who can help you for a reduced rate.

Several credit cards provide some type of roadside assistance and are worth considering before paying the annual fee for AAA.

Worldwide travel accident insurance

The Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi includes accident insurance, which covers the cardholder or family members if they are injured or killed when traveling on a common carrier (any vehicle that is licensed to carry passengers like a bus, plane, cruise ship or train).

You will need to have used the Citi card to cover the entire cost of the travel on that common carrier for the benefit to apply. The maximum coverage is $250,000.

» Learn more: How does travel insurance work?

Travel and emergency assistance

The Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi card provides access to a 24/7 concierge to help you with a disruption to your trip. This can include medical assistance, referrals to a doctor or legal help. It can also help if you need to adjust travel plans.

Just remember, you’ll be responsible for paying for any services used, but the call is toll-free.

Baggage protection

Only available for the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® , this luggage protection provides coverage if your checked bag is stolen, lost or damaged.

The insurance covers as much as $3,000 per person ($2,000 for New York residents), but only kicks in if you use the card or American AAdvantage miles to pay for the trip.

» Learn more: The guide to baggage insurance

Trip cancellation and interruption insurance

If a covered traveler has a medical emergency or dies, the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® coverage can provide reimbursement for up to $5,000 in eligible nonrefundable expenses.

You would need to use the card or American AAdvantage miles to pay for the trip.

Trip delay protection

Another benefit that’s reserved only for the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® is trip delay protection . This coverage kicks in if your trip is delayed by at least six hours, and offers reimbursement for expenses incurred during the delay, up to $500 per trip.

This would include reasonable purchases like hotel stays, rental cars and meals.

» Learn more: The best travel credit cards right now

Citibank travel insurance is available, but limited. It is only offered on two cards and isn't as comprehensive as other credit cards with travel insurance .

Both cards include rental car coverage, but beyond this, each has its own set of benefits. Depending on which one you hold, it may include coverage like trip delay protection or roadside assistance.

People hold Citi cards for many reasons, including the ability to earn transferable Citi ThankYou Points . But, the travel insurance benefits are somewhat limited. If you have a Citi card, review the travel insurance perks before you take off to understand your coverage.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024 , including those best for:

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

on Chase's website

1x-10x Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.

60,000 Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

1x-5x 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.

60,000 Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

1x-2x Earn 2X points on Southwest® purchases. Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare. Earn 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services, and select streaming. Earn 1X points on all other purchases.

50,000 Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.