does auspost travel insurance cover covid

International Comprehensive Travel Insurance

About International Comprehensive Travel Insurance

International Comprehensive Travel Insurance covers overseas medical expenses, cancellation costs and more. Plus, choose from a range of optional extras:

Choose your excess
Increase your single item limit for personal effects
Increase your rental car excess cover
Add cover for winter sports
Add cover for existing medical conditions
Add cover if you plan to ride a motorcycle or moped

COVID-19 benefits for domestic and international plans 1,5

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From comprehensive to basic cover, you choose which benefits matter most
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Reduce your premium with variable excess

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5 myths about travel insurance
How comprehensive is comprehensive travel insurance?
Do you really need travel insurance?
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Frequently asked questions

1 Medical and dental cover will not exceed 12 months from onset.

2 Sub-limits apply.

3 Cover chosen applies per policy.

4 Maximum liability collectively for Loss of income, Accidental Death and Disability is $25,000 on the International Comprehensive Plan.

5 Limits, sub-limits, conditions, exclusions and fees apply.

Policies may not be available to all travellers. Australian Postal Corporation (ABN 28 864 970 579, AR No 338646) is the distributor of Australia Post Travel Insurance and is an Authorised Representative of Australia Post Services Pty Ltd (ABN 67 002 599 340 AFSL 457551). Travel insurance products are underwritten by Zurich Australian Insurance Limited (ABN 13 000 296 640, AFSL 232507). Consider your financial situation, needs and objectives and read the relevant Product Disclosure Statement and Target Market Determination before deciding to buy this insurance. For information on the Target Market and Target Market Determination for these products, please contact us on 1300 728 015, email [email protected] .

Australia Post acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we operate, live and gather as a team. We recognise their continuing connection to land, water and community. We pay respect to Elders past, present and emerging.

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Does travel insurance cover COVID-19 or other pandemics?

What you're covered for when travelling during an epidemic or pandemic like covid-19..

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Fact-checked

Checked for accuracy by our qualified fact-checkers and verifiers. Find out more about fact-checking at CHOICE .

Australians are back on the international travel bandwagon, but many of us still have bad memories of travel plans that went south due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With those hard-learned lessons behind us, you'll want to ask the tough questions of your travel insurance policy for any future trips. Will travel insurance cover COVID-19 medical expenses or cancellation due to related government travel bans or isolation requirements? And will travel insurance policies cover future pandemics or epidemics?

On this page:

Can you get travel insurance to cover COVID-19?

Which travel insurers cover covid-19, domestic travel insurance for covid-19, does travel insurance cover covid-19 on a cruise, can you get a refund on travel insurance, your travel insurer declined your covid-19 claim. now what, does travel insurance cover pandemics or epidemics (other than covid-19).

Many travel insurance policies will provide limited cover if you or your travelling companion get COVID-19.

Cover will likely be limited to medical, and sometimes quarantine and cancellation costs if you contract COVID-19. Some policies may cover you for expenses if you can't travel because you're a close contact.

Travel insurance is unlikely to cover you for cancellation due to government travel bans.

Many of the most popular travel insurers in Australia, like Cover-More, Allianz, Tick and Travel Insurance Direct, provide cover for COVID-19. The table below shows which international travel insurance policies cover COVID-19 medical and cancellation costs if you're diagnosed with COVID-19 while overseas.

You may have to pay an optional extra fee for COVID-19 cover. Check the insurer's product disclosure statement (PDS) for more details.

'Variable' means multiple cover options are available and you can select the level of cover you require (for an additional fee).
Cancellation may not cover you if you're deemed a close contact but haven't tested positive yourself.

* No cancellation prior to departure; $5000 if you contract COVID-19 on your trip.

Does travel insurance cover medical expenses for COVID-19?

Policies that cover medical expenses for COVID-19 will pay for emergency medical and hospital, and medically assisted repatriation to Australia, if deemed necessary. Most policies that cover COVID-19 provide unlimited cover for medical expenses.

Does travel insurance cover cancellation due to COVID-19?

Some policies will cover cancellation and amendment expenses if you get COVID-19 before you leave or while you're overseas. These policies may also cover you for cancellation and amendment expenses if you're deemed a close contact of someone who tests positive to COVID-19, but this isn't always the case. The cover amount can be limited to as little as a couple thousand dollars, so check with your travel insurer specifically to find out what they'll cover because it can be tricky.

Below are some of the typical exclusions for cancellation cover.

Cooling-off periods for COVID-19 cancellation cover are usually 72 hours.
Cover-More and other policies underwritten by Zurich, such as Flight Centre, AHM and Medibank, place restrictions on COVID-19 cancellation cover if you bought the policy within 21 days of your departure date. Check your PDS for details.
Most (but not all) policies that cover COVID-19 cancellations will provide limited cancellation cover if a non-travelling relative residing in Australia has contracted COVID-19.
These policies may also cover cancellation and amendment costs if you're designated a close contact of someone with COVID-19 and are required to self-isolate while on your trip.
Travel insurance is unlikely to cover cancellation costs if you're unable to travel due to general travel restrictions, like lockdowns at home or at your destination, or government travel alerts due to COVID-19.

Does travel insurance cover additional expenses and quarantine costs for COVID-19?

If you contract COVID-19 while on your overseas trip, some policies will provide limited cover for additional accommodation and meal costs under specific circumstances, such as:

if you're denied boarding scheduled public transport because you have tested positive to COVID-19
if you have to go to hospital or self-isolate with COVID-19.

If you're ordered into quarantine while overseas because you've contracted COVID-19, some policies will cover your quarantine expenses. However, if you're ordered into quarantine as a close contact, without having contracted COVID-19, very few policies will cover your expenses in this scenario.

There are several insurers selling domestic travel insurance, but not all insurers will cover COVID-19. Domestic travel insurance doesn't cover medical expenses, because that's covered by Medicare or your private health insurance. So you'll just need COVID-19 cover for cancellation or additional expenses if you're travelling around Australia.

Read the travel insurance PDS to check whether you're covered for cancellation if you, or someone you're travelling with, catches COVID-19. Travel insurance is unlikely to cover you for government travel bans.

Travel insurance for an Aussie holiday may be worth considering if you're:

spending a lot of money on your trip
carrying expensive equipment, such as custom-made surfboards
hiring a car, as some travel insurance can cover the damage excess .

Travel insurance policies that offer cruise cover will often (but not always) cover medical costs if you contract COVID-19. Some of these policies will also cover you if you need to cancel your trip due to COVID-19, or if a non-travelling relative in Australia has contracted COVID-19.

If you're going on a cruise, you'll usually have to pay an extra fee to add cruise cover to your travel insurance, or buy a separate cruise-specific policy. Cover for COVID-19 is restricted, so check your PDS for details.

Travel insurance policies have a 14-day cooling-off period (or longer). If you change your mind in this period, you can cancel your policy and get your money back from the insurer.

AFCA (the Australian Financial Complaints Authority) considers a credit or refund of your premium a fair outcome where:

you got a refund or credit from all of your travel providers, so there's nothing left to claim on your travel insurance
your travel insurance policy has a COVID-19-related exclusion that prevents you from claiming on the policy.

Ask your travel insurer what they can do for you.

Partial policy refunds

From the moment you buy a travel insurance policy, cover kicks in for cancellation due to unforeseen events. So if your insurer offers you a refund, they may calculate a partial refund to take into account the cover that you've already received with your policy.

AFCA considers proportionate refunds for the remaining unused period fair, but your insurer should outline how they calculate it.

Visit AFCA's website for more information on what they deem fair treatment from insurers when it comes to COVID-19 claims.

Read your travel insurance PDS. In the first instance, it's up to you as the policyholder to establish that you have a valid claim under the policy terms and conditions. That generally means handing in lots of documentation.

Then it's up to the insurer to decide if your claim is valid and that there are no policy exclusions that should be applied.

If you disagree with the insurer's decision regarding your claim, raise a complaint via their internal dispute resolution service.

If you don't get a satisfactory result from the insurer's internal dispute resolution, escalate your complaint to AFCA , which is the external ombudsman for the insurance industry.

The chance of experiencing a pandemic similar to COVID-19 in a lifetime is estimated to be 38%. Many travel insurance policies now cover COVID-19 to some extent, but not as many policies will cover future pandemics or epidemics other than COVID-19.

There are several policies that cover COVID-19 for medical expenses, but not other pandemics, and very few policies now cover cancellation expenses for pandemics that aren't COVID-19.

An epidemic is an outbreak of disease that happens in a wide geographic location and affects a lot of people.

A pandemic is an epidemic that has spread throughout a whole country or across continents.

Which travel insurers will cover pandemics or epidemics (other than COVID-19)?

Insurers such as Allianz, Travel Insurance Direct and Cover-More cover pandemics or epidemics for medical costs, but Travel Insurance Direct and Cover-More exclude cover for cancellation costs incurred due to a pandemic that isn't COVID-19.

The table below shows which international travel insurance policies cover pandemic medical and cancellation costs if you're diagnosed with an illness that's classified as a pandemic or epidemic by the World Health Organisation while overseas. Bear in mind that if the pandemic or epidemic is classed as a 'known event' before you buy the policy, then cover will probably be excluded.

When an event becomes 'known' is a grey area, but generally it's when it's publicised in the media or on official government websites. So check the Smartraveller information for your destination before you go

* If the policyholder is diagnosed with a pandemic or epidemic illness.

** Excluding avian influenza.

Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.

Join the conversation

To share your thoughts or ask a question, visit the CHOICE Community forum.

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Travel insurance and COVID cover: Your top questions answered

To help you get covered for your next trip, here's a rundown of what COVID-related events are and aren't covered by travel insurance.

Every week, almost half of the questions Finder's insurance team receives are about COVID-related travel queries.

Here are answers to some of the most commonly asked questions.

Can travel insurance cover COVID?

Yes. Travel insurance can cover you for COVID-related expenses. Finder looked at over 36 policies and found 22 travel insurers that offer some form of COVID cover.

We've made a list of policies available here .

Does this include if I catch COVID?

Yes. If you or someone you're travelling with catches COVID before or during your trip, travel insurance can cover:

Medical expenses
Trip rearrangement or cancellation costs
Quarantine costs

A real-life example

Jillian, Kerry and Tyson travelled from Sydney to Dallas. About 10 days in, Tyson (Jillian's son) caught COVID, a day before the family was supposed to leave for a ski trip in Colorado. As a result, they had to rearrange their travel plans.

Unfortunately, Jillian got COVID later and the family made the difficult decision to send Tyson and Kerry home to Sydney, while Jillian stayed another 4 days until she tested negative. She then rebooked her trip home.

Their insurer, Southern Cross Travel Insurance , covered just under $3,000 in costs. The family paid a $500 excess to claim on 2 events.

What happens if I have to quarantine?

If you or someone you're travelling with catches COVID during your trip, you'll probably need to push back your flight and quarantine in your hotel or accommodation. Travel insurance can cover these costs.

For example, Sydney traveller Cristina Biason took out a travel insurance policy on 8 December for a trip to Spain on 17 December. Cristina caught COVID while she was in Spain and had to spend 20 days in isolation before flying home on 29 January.

Without travel insurance, she would have had to pay for the extra accommodation and flight changes herself. Her insurer also covered the cost of paying for RATs while she was there.

What about mandatory hotel quarantine?

At this point, countries don't generally require you to quarantine in a hotel upon arrival – one of the few exceptions is China. If they do, travel insurance won't cover you.

This is because travel insurance covers unforeseen events – not ones you should have known about in advance, such as a country's quarantine rules.

For the latest on a country's travel rules, check the government's smartraveller website .

What happens if there's a border closure?

This is one of the few situations where travel insurance generally doesn't help out. Fortunately, government-imposed border closures and lockdowns look to be a thing of the past – but it's still worth being aware of the exclusion.

If you do want cover for international border closures though , some credit card travel insurance policies may cover you.

Does travel insurance cover COVID tests?

Generally, no. Travel insurance generally won't cover COVID tests, such as a PCR, where you are required to be tested in order to travel. This is because testing is part of your original travel arrangements, so cover won't apply.

However, you can be covered if you catch COVID while you're overseas and you need to take a COVID test, such as a RAT.

For instance, Southern Cross Travel Insurance says that "if your original journey is disrupted by an event that’s covered by our policy, such as an unexpected weather event or COVID-19 diagnosis, you can submit a claim for your costs of rescheduling your original trip. This includes getting an updated pre-departure PCR test. "

Can I get cover for COVID if I go on a cruise?

Yes, but there are only a small number of insurers offering COVID cover for cruises at the moment. These include Travel Insurance Direct and Southern Cross Travel Insurance which can cover you for medical expenses. (As soon as you leave Australian shores, Medicare typically doesn't cover you).

Is travel insurance compulsory?

In many cases, it is. Popular travel destinations including Bali, Singapore and Thailand have recently made travel insurance mandatory .

The Australian government's travel website also says that, "if you can't afford travel insurance, you can't afford to travel" – so even if it's not a requirement, it's highly recommended that have it.

To find out if it's compulsory where you're travelling, search your destination on the smartraveller website.

When should I take out a policy?

It's always a good idea to take out insurance as soon as you book your trip. That way, if something happens – for example, if you catch COVID – you'll be covered.

If you take out a policy after something happens, your claim will be rejected.

A handful of providers including Cover-More and Easy Travel Insurance also won't accept COVID-related claims within 21 days of your trip, so make sure you take out cover at least 3 weeks before you set off.

Ready to take out cover for your next trip? Still have questions? You can compare travel insurance policies and find out more here .

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I’m in Bali been out to Dinner and consumed a couple of alcoholic beverages Get a taxi back to the hotel but are involved in a car accident and injure and hospitalized . Am I still covered for all medical expenses

You’ll need to contact your travel insurance provider to see what you’re covered for, based on your specific policy and coverage.

Bests of luck with your recovery.

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Travel insurance is adapting to a world with COVID-19 — but there'll be a catch

A woman holding a suitcase on wheels walks away from the camera.

If extended lockdowns haven't been enough to get you fantasising about your next overseas trip, maybe last week's news last that international borders will start reopening in November has done the trick.

But when international travel resumes it's not going to look the same as before, and COVID-19 has brought new risks that could impact you when you jet off abroad.

Here's how travel insurance has changed since the international border closed.

Will travel insurance cover COVID-19?

As with travel insurance before the pandemic, it will depend on the policy you select.

Because most international travel from Australia has been suspended since March last year, most Australians haven't had to worry about what might happen to them if they contract COVID-19 overseas.

When COVID-19 first shut down global travel, many Australians weren't covered because most insurance policies exclude pandemics and epidemics.

But now some insurers have begun offering COVID-19 travel policies.

If you get sick during a holiday and have to isolate (or worse, go to hospital for medical treatment) that could have flow-on effects for accommodation, transit and the people you're travelling with — not to mention potential hospital bills.

COVID-19 cover aims to provide a level of protection for those circumstances, but those policies won't cover everything, including a pretty big reason for cancelled plans across Australia.

"It is impossible for insurers to price the risk associated with border closures and travel bans," a spokeswoman form the Insurance Council of Australia said.

That means policies are unlikely to cover you if your plans are cancelled or postponed due to state or international border closures, which can change quickly and with little warning.

Jodi Bird from consumer advocacy group CHOICE said there could be other ways for you to protect your money if your trip was impacted by border closures.

"The main way to make sure that you're covered due to border closures is up front make sure that you're booking flexible bookings … only book for those flexible accommodation locations," he said, noting it was always harder to cancel a booking once you'd locked in dates.

"If you have to cancel, ask the actual provider if you can get your money back — a refund or a credit. If there's no remedy there, then the next stage is essentially to raise it … with your state consumer affairs body."

Travel insurance can be affected by the advisory status of your destination, as classified by the Australian government's Smartraveller service.

Usually, insurance won't cover you if you go to places listed as "do not travel" by Smartraveller.

A man and his daughter walk with luggage at the domestic terminal in Brisbane airpor.

Currently, every country in the world except for New Zealand is listed as "do not travel", but that will change when international borders reopen from next month.

"Travel insurance will then be available with some COVID-19-related cover to these countries," the spokeswoman for the Australian Insurance Council said.

"Travel insurance without COVID-19 cover is currently available from some insurers for international travel for those travelling with exemptions to Do Not Travel countries."

She also said insurance, even without COVID-19 cover, remained an important consideration for international travellers.

Mr Bird said the two biggest things to look out for when getting travel insurance in the age of COVID-19 were:

Make sure your destination is definitely covered by your policy. Most policies won't cover you if you go to a country the government advises against visiting
Make sure your policy explicitly covers COVID-19 because some don't

Will you have to pay more for travel insurance?

Mr Bird said it was difficult to predict how prices could change in the wake of COVID-19, given the travel insurance industry had been disrupted.

"It's hard to tell how COVID's going to affect insurers' premiums, so it is possible that you would have to pay more for that kind of cover," he said, saying generally: "The more you pay, the more you'll be covered for."

A lack of competition could also be pushing up prices, as many providers have stopped offering travel insurance in the wake of the pandemic.

"There are a lot less travel insurers than there were a year and a half ago," Mr Bird said.

"It could actually mean that … consumers might have to pay more."

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'It's time to give Australians their lives back': PM says international travel to start again next month

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Dreaming of a holiday? International travel won't be quite as straightforward as before

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When can I travel internationally? It depends where you live

Brisbane Domestic Airport Qantas departures

Travel Health and Safety
Travel and Tourism (Lifestyle and Leisure)

Australia Post Travel Insurance

Important information on terms, conditions and sub-limits.

Are you a big fan of the national postal service? If yes, you’ll be excited to hear that as well as parcels and letters, you can also get travel insurance from Australia Post. So, if you’re planning to post yourself away, you might want to check it out! Keep reading for important information you should know before signing up for an Australia Post travel insurance policy.

About Australia Post

Yes, this is the Australia Post that is in charge of getting your letters and postcards back to family and friends while you’re away. Australia Post itself has been offering insurance for nearly a decade. Its travel insurance policies are underwritten by Zurich Australian Insurance Limited.

What travel insurance does Australia Post offer?

Australia Post offers multiple travel insurance policy options: basic and comprehensive international travel insurance, multi-trip travel insurance and domestic travel insurance. There’s also a number of optional extras you can add on to your policy, if you’re looking for cover that is a little more tailored towards your particular trip. Below is a comparison of the international travel insurance policies Australia Post has to offer (here at Mozo we don’t compare domestic travel insurance).

Single Duo Family Group

Limits shown apply

Covid medical cover

Covid cancellation cover

Overseas emergency hospital expense

Overseas emergency medical assistance

Maximum excess

Cancellation fees

Pay extra for no excess

Luggage and personal effects

Additional accomodation & travel

Emergency companion

Resumption of journey

Hospital cash allowance

Accidental death

Permanent disability

Loss of income

Credit Card fraud and replacement

Travellers cheques

Travel documents

Rental vehicle excess

Alternative travel expenses

Personal liability

Pre existing conditions

Cardiovascular disease

Mental health illness

High cholesterol

High blood pressure

Blood thinning medication

Activities covered

Bungee jumping

Conservation work

Mountain biking

Mountaineering

Rock climbing

Scuba diving

Snow sports

Ocean Cruise

Assessment required, may cost extra

Basic Multi-Trip

Comprehensive.

Choose $0 to unlimited

Comprehensive Multi-Trip

Any information provided on this page should be considered a summary and general advice only. All information should be verified before purchase via the relevant Product Disclosure Statement (PDS).

What optional extras does Australia Post’s travel insurance offer?

Australia Post’s international travel insurance offers a number of add-ons. With both the basic and comprehensive cover you can choose your excess, choose between single or multi-trip cover, and choose to add cover for existing medical conditions.

With the comprehensive international cover, you can also choose to increase your single-item limit for personal effects cover and increase your rental car excess cover.

If you want to tailor your cover a little more, you can also add cover for winter sports, cruises, or add cover if you plan to ride a motorcycle or moped while travelling.

What pre-existing conditions does Australia Post travel insurance cover?

Australia Post offers cover for some pre-existing conditions automatically subject to the criteria defined in the PDS. For others conditions a medical assessment is required and if cover is approved, an additional premium may need to be paid.

It is also important to note that even if there is some cover provided for certain existing medical conditions, sub-limits and other conditions may apply. Read the full product disclosure statement (PDS) to see exactly how Australia Post defines medical conditions and what terms, conditions and sub-limits apply.

Is there a cooling-off period with Australia Post’s travel insurance?

Yes, Australia Post’s travel insurance policies come with a 21-day cooling-off period. This means that if your trip has not started and you have not made a claim on your policy or intend to make a claim on your policy, you may be able to get a full refund if you cancel within 21 days of purchasing it.

Does Australia Post’s travel insurance cover COVID-19?

Australia Post Travel Insurance includes some COVID-19 benefits, this includes emergency medical expenses coverage on its International plans. Read up on the PDS for the full terms and conditions.

How to make a travel insurance claim with Australia Post?

You can lodge a travel insurance claim with Australia Post either online via the website, or by post. If it’s an emergency, you can also call Australia Post’s travel emergency assistance provider 24/7.

To make your claim you will need to have some information handy, including medical or dental reports, police reports, reports from the airline or transport provider, reports confirming lost or stolen luggage, as well as relevant receipts or invoices.

Is there a time limit to submit a travel insurance claim with Australia Post?

Yes, travel insurance claims must be submitted as soon as possible and within 60 days of the return date listed on your policy. If you’re waiting on supporting documents, Australia Post recommends submitting your claim anyway, as you can always update your claim with supporting documents at a later stage.

Once submitted, Australia Post will aim to process your claim within 10 business days.

Australia Post customer reviews

The Mozo community has rated Australia Post travel insurance policies and services on a number of factors ranging from value for money to customer satisfaction.

Australia Post travel insurance

Overall 7.7

Value for money

Policy coverage

Customer service

Claims handling

Recent Australia Post travel insurance customer reviews Recent Australia Post travel insurance customer reviews

Australia Post Travel Insurance review

Overall rating 1 / 10

Disaster, Left in agony without treatment for week

Full review

tortured with broken leg due to refusel of immediate treatmentleft with broken leg, no pain killers no cast for 2 weeks as they wanted to send me home for treatment to avoid paining medical in America. While waiting 2 weeks for them to organize my trip back to Australia I was left humiliated and in agony, having to crawl on my hands and knees even just to got to the toilet, then if I made it there it was often too late by the time I had to maneuver myself up and on to the toilet. I was unable to obtain a drink or a proper meal as I had no was of carrying it back. Partially approved with transport to Australia, still waiting on claim from airport transport to home. Finally received my travel cost to get home from airport after 10 weeks of numerous submissions

Value for money 7 / 10

Policy coverage 8 / 10

Customer service 2 / 10

Claims handling 3 / 10

Trust 1 / 10

Vivienne, Victoria, reviewed 24 days ago

Overall rating 10 / 10

i have assistanss in commenwelth bank so i'm happy

Thank you I know insurance very importent to us so i'm happy .

Value for money 10 / 10

Indrajeyaluxmy, New South Wales, reviewed 6 months ago

Bad service, never again

They don’t take care of their claims as they commit Ed to ( 10 days) it’s been over 35 days since we send the claim and every time we call they say they will call us back in 3-5 days but never call back. Such a disappointment from such a big...

Value for money 1 / 10

Policy coverage 1 / 10

Customer service 1 / 10

Claims handling 1 / 10

Jacob, Queensland, reviewed over 1 year ago

Australia Post Home Contents Insurance review

Overall rating 7 / 10

amazing place all items have tracings

Amazing place all items have tracking so you can see where your parcel is and nice workers.

Value for money 9 / 10

Customer service 8 / 10

Claims handling 6 / 10

Trust 6 / 10

Mietta, Victoria, reviewed over 2 years ago

Policy coverage 10 / 10

Customer service 10 / 10

Claims handling 10 / 10

Trust 10 / 10

Ben, New South Wales, reviewed almost 3 years ago

Compare Australia Post travel insurance policies with other Australian insurance companies

Ready to jet set off overseas? Don’t be too hasty. Before you go, it’s well worth taking the time to compare the travel insurance options available to you, so you can find a policy that suits your budget, travel style and destination. There are a tonne of affordable, flexible options on the market, so do yourself a favour and compare them all with Mozo’s travel insurance comparison tool . Just plug in your travel dates, who will be travelling and where you’re going and we’ll do the rest! You can easily compare 237 travel insurance policies and choose the one that’s right for you.

While you’re there, hop across to our travel hub for heaps of great articles, tips and tricks on how to travel smart and save money. Be sure to drop by our Best $20 I’ve ever spent series for some tips from genuine globetrotters!

Compare Travel Insurance from major brands including:

Terms, conditions, exclusions, limits and sub-limits may apply to any of the insurance products shown on the Mozo website. These terms, conditions, exclusions, limits and sub-limits could affect the level of benefits and cover available under any of the insurance products shown on the Mozo website. Please refer to the relevant Product Disclosure Statement and the Target Market Determination on the provider's website for further information before making any decisions about an insurance product.

Who we are and how we get paid

Our goal at Mozo is to help you make smart financial decisions and our award-winning comparison tools and services are provided free of charge. As a marketplace business, we do earn money from advertising.

We do not compare all brands in the market, or all products offered by all brands. At times certain brands or products may not be available or offered to you. If you proceed with a travel insurance policy through Mozo, Mozo may receive a referral fee.

Travel Insurance with COVID Cover

All Medibank Travel Insurance Plans have some COVID-19 cover included as standard.

Plus, Medibank and ahm health members save 15%.

What is travel insurance with covid cover?

A travel insurance policy with COVID-19 benefits includes cover for certain unforeseen COVID-19-related scenarios and can help reduce the financial risk of travelling. Depending on the level of cover you choose, benefits can include such things as COVID-19 overseas medical expenses, trip amendments & cancellation costs, and additional expenses.

COVID-19 policy benefits are for both international and domestic plans, but it's important to understand that not all COVID-19 scenarios will be covered. Continue reading to learn more about what you are - and aren't covered for when it comes to travel insurance with covid cover.

What COVID-19 benefits do we offer?

When taking out travel insurance with Medibank, cover will be provided for some common scenarios related to COVID-19. This means there's no need to "add covid cover" when purchasing Medibank Travel Insurance because every policy will come with some level of inbuilt covid cover.

Which benefits are included and the cover amount will depend on the travel insurance plan you select. Benefits may include:

Cover for COVID-19 overseas medical costs ¹

Cover for covid-19 cancellation and amendments ², cover for additional covid-19 expenses ³.

Limits, sub-limits, conditions, and exclusions apply to COVID-19 travel insurance benefits. Please read our Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) for full details.

COVID-19 travel insurance options

All Medibank Travel Insurance Plans contain some inbuilt COVID-19 Cover. The information below helps you understand some of the high level inclusions at a glance.

International Comprehensive Travel Insurance

$Unlimited COVID-19 overseas medical costs 1
Up to $10,000 for COVID-19 trip cancellations and amendments 2
$Unlimited additional expenses if diagnosed with COVID-19 on trip and admitted to a hospital 3
Up to $5,000 additional expenses if diagnosed with COVID-19 and unfit to travel 3

International Medical Only Travel Insurance

$Unlimited COVID-19 overseas medical costs 1
No cover provided for COVID-19 trip cancellation and amendments
$Unlimited additional expenses if diagnosed with COVID-19 on trip and admitted to hospital 3

Domestic Travel Insurance

No cover provided for any COVID-19 medical costs
Up to $5,000 for COVID-19 trip cancellations and amendments 2
Up to $10,000 additional expenses if diagnosed with COVID-19 on trip and admitted to hospital 3
Up to $5,000 additional expenses if diagnosed with COVID-19 and unfit to travel 3

Limits, sub-limits, conditions, and exclusions apply to COVID-19 travel insurance benefits. Please read our Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) for full details.

Multi-award winning travel insurance

We're proud to be winners of Mozo's Experts Choice awards in 2022 & 2023 and Canstar's 2023 Most Satisfied Customer - Travel Insurance award.

We're proud winners of Mozo's Experts Choice awards in 2022 and 2023.

Travel insurance with COVID-19 cover: what is included?

COVID-19 benefits are available on our International Comprehensive and Medical Only , and Domestic travel insurance plans. Covid benefits apply to both Single Trip and Annual Multi-Trip policies.

What is covered depends on the type of policy you purchase. COVID-19 benefits may include:

Pre-trip cancellation:², cover for your on-trip cancellation and amendment costs:², additional expenses:³, cancellation due to a relative or business partner having life-threatening covid-19:², $unlimited overseas medical costs:¹, cover for essential health care workers:.

What is not covered:

Cancellation and Amendment cover is not available if you purchase an International Medical Only Plan.
Medical and Hospital Expense cover is not available on a Domestic Plan.

Medibank Travel Insurance is proud to offer COVID-19 benefits, but unfortunately, we can’t cover every scenario that may arise as a result of COVID-19.

For example, we will not pay any claims arising from or caused by COVID-19 if:

Your destination is subject to a ‘Do not travel’ advice on the Smartraveller website at the time you enter the country or part of the country. (This ‘Do not travel’ exclusion does not apply if your destination is Australia or New Zealand).
Your claim is related to you having travelled on a multi-night ocean or sea cruise and you have not purchased the additional Cruise Cover for your policy. (Note: Cabin confinement cover is not available even if Cruise Cover has been added).
Your costs are related to a government directed border closure.
Your costs are due to mandatory quarantine or isolation orders required to cross a border, such as a border between states, countries, or regions.

It is important to read the Product Disclosure Statement before you consider purchasing a travel insurance policy. Please take note of limits to cover. For full details on our covid travel insurance benefits, please read the PDS here.

FAQs: Before you travel

Remember to check the PDS for full details. For more information, contact 13 23 31 .

Is COVID-19 cover an additional add on?

No, our COVID-19 benefits are in-built into every Medibank Travel Insurance policy. This means you do not need to add additional COVID-19 benefits cover when purchasing a policy.

However, don't forget that if you are travelling on a multi-night ocean or sea cruise then you will need to make sure you have purchased Cruise Cover to be eligible to make any claims that are in any way related to cruise travel (this includes COVID-19 related cruise claims).

Not every policy has the same level of covid cover, so it's important to carefully read the PDS to understand any limits, sub-limits, conditions and exclusions that apply to COVID-19 benefits.

Will the COVID-19 benefit cover me if I’m diagnosed with COVID-19 and need to cancel my trip?

If you’re diagnosed with COVID-19 by a qualified medical practitioner and they confirm that you are unfit to travel, you may be able to claim the non-refundable cancellation costs.

Cover details:

Domestic Plan: Cancellation and amendment benefit limit $5,000.
International Comprehensive Plan: Cancellation and amendment benefit limit $10,000.
International Medical Plan: No cover for cancellation and amendment costs.

Cover conditions:

Subject to evidence of your positive COVID-19 diagnosis as diagnosed by a qualified medical practitioner who certifies you are not fit to travel.
There is no cover if symptoms or diagnosis occurred prior to buying your policy.
Pre-booked sea and ocean cruises are included provided you added Cruise Cover to your policy.

Will the COVID-19 benefit cover me if I am deemed to have had close contact with someone with COVID-19 and need to cancel my trip?

Unfortunately, no cover is provided if you are deemed to be a close contact and must isolate and can therefore no longer go on your trip.

Will the COVID-19 benefit cover me if I want to cancel as the government issued a ‘do not travel advice’ to my destination after I booked?

Unfortunately, no. If you booked your trip to a destination deemed safe to travel by the Australian Government and purchased Medibank Travel insurance, but prior to travelling that destination is now under a ‘Do not travel’ warning on smartraveller.gov.au , you may need to cancel your trip due to the risks of travel. There is no cancellation cover when cancelling your trip due to COVID-19 related travel warnings, regardless of the warning level.

Cover applies for this event if the country or part of the country you travelled to was not subject to “Do not travel” advice on the smartraveller.gov.au website at the time you entered the country or part of the country. However, for trips in Australia or New Zealand, the Smartraveller “Do not travel” condition will be waived.
This cover is subject to evidence of your positive COVID-19 diagnosis (confirmed by a qualified medical practitioner).
No costs or expenses are covered if a quarantine or isolation order is placed on you by a government or public health authority.

Can I buy travel insurance if I am not vaccinated?

Yes, there are no limitations on getting an insurance policy with Medibank due to vaccination status.

FAQs: During your trip

Remember to check the PDS for full details. For more information, contact 13 23 31 .

Who should I contact if I get COVID-19 while overseas?

If you suspect you have COVID-19 you should call the Medibank 24/7 emergency assistance line. They'll be able to give you advice on what you need to do in order to make a claim against your policy. This can include how and where find a qualified medical practitioner to confirm a COVID-19 diagnosis.

Learn more about our 24/7 emergency assistance .

Will Medibank Travel Insurance COVID-19 benefit cover me if I am diagnosed with COVID-19 while travelling and need to extend my stay?

If you get sick on your journey and need to extend your stay because a qualified medical practitioner certifies that you're unfit to travel as a result of COVID-19, then you'll be able to claim up to $5,000 of additional accommodation and transport expenses.

If you are hospitalised as a result of COVID-19 then $10,000 of additional expense cover applies to Domestic Plans and $Unlimited additional expense cover applies to International Comprehensive and Medical Only Plans to help cover the cost of additional accomodation and transport as a result of extending your stay.

Please note, there is no cover for this event if your COVID-19 diagnosis requires you to enter a period of cabin confinement while on board the cruise ship, even if your policy includes Cruise Cover.

Cover applies for this event if the country or part of the country you travelled to was not subject to “Do not travel” advice on the smartraveller.gov.au website at the time you entered the country or part of the country. However, for trips in Australia or New Zealand, the Smartraveller “Do not travel” condition will be waived.
Other expenses you may incur (such as food, drinks, groceries, laundry etc.) are not included.

Terms conditions and exclusions apply, for full details, make sure you check out the PDS .

Will Medibank Travel Insurance COVID-19 benefits cover me if I’m diagnosed with COVID-19 while travelling and need medical treatment?

Yes, on the International Comprehensive and International Medical Only plans, cover is available if you’re diagnosed with COVID-19 by a qualified medical practitioner and require medical treatment overseas.

Non-cruise travel: Yes, cover is available.

Cruise travel: Yes, cover is available for overseas emergency medical expenses and ship-to-shore expenses if Cruise Cover is added to your policy.

There is no cover for medical expenses on the Domestic plan.

Cover applies for this event if the country or part of the country you travelled to was not subject to “Do not travel” advice on the smartraveller.gov.au website at the time you entered the country or part of the country.
For trips in Australia or New Zealand, the Smartraveller “Do not travel” condition will be waived.
Cover is subject to evidence of your positive COVID-19 diagnosis (confirmed by a qualified medical practitioner).

Do I need medical proof of my COVID-19 positive test result?

Yes, you will need a qualified medical practitioner to diagnose you with COVID-19 and certify that you are unfit for travel. A positive test result will not be sufficient proof to make a claim.

Ready to book?

Great, use our handy tool for a quick and easy online quote or give us a call on 132 331 to chat through your options.

Things you should know

1 Medical cover will not exceed 12 months from onset. Medical evacuation cover subject to claim approval.

2 Conditions and limits apply to COVID-19 cancellation cover. Cancellation cover applies to the International Comprehensive and Domestic policies. See the Combined FSG/PDS for more information.

3 Cover is for reasonable Additional accommodation expenses (room rate only) and Additional transport expenses. Conditions apply to COVID-19 additional expense cover. See the Combined FSG/PDS for more information.

Limits, sub-limits, exclusions and conditions apply. This is general advice only. Medibank Private Limited, ABN 47 080 890 259, an Authorised Representative, AR 286089, of Travel Insurance Partners Pty Limited, ABN 73 144 049 230 AFSL 360138 arranges the insurance on behalf of the insurer. The insurer is Zurich Australian Insurance Limited ABN 13 000 296 640, AFSL 232507. Please consider your own needs and the Combined FSG/PDS to decide if this product is right for you. For information on the Target Market and Target Market Determinations , visit medibank.com.au/travel-insurance/help/

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COVID-19 Health Assist - Expression of interest

Complete this form to express your interest in one of our programs. If you're eligible, a member of our team will call you within 2-3 business days.

What program are you interested in?

Sorry, only members with current Hospital cover are eligible to participate in these programs

Eligible Medibank members with Extras cover are able to access a range of telehealth services included on their cover - you can find out more here . Alternatively, if you would like to talk to one of our team about your cover, we're here on 132 331 .

Your membership details

Please provide your details so we can know how to contact you.

Your contact details

By clicking Submit, I understand that Medibank or its subsidiaries may contact me to discuss my eligibility for the Covid-19 Heath Assist program(s), and will disclose my personal information within the Medibank Group of companies and to third party service providers. Please see Medibank’s privacy policy for further information about how Medibank will handle my personal information, and how to contact Medibank: https://www.medibank.com.au/privacy/

Thank you for expressing your interest in one of our COVID-19 Health Assist programs.

If you are eligible, one of our health professionals will call you in 2-3 business days to discuss your situation and help to enrol you in the relevant program.

There is no cost to participate, however some referred services may incur an out of pocket cost.

Mon - Fri : 9am to 5pm
Sat : 9am to 5pm
Sun : Closed

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COVID-19 benefits

Get a quote online and take out cover before you travel.

What are the benefits?

COVID-19 Cancellation Fees and Lost Deposits.
COVID-19 Additional Expenses.
COVID-19 Travel Delay.

From 10 August 2022, the above benefits are available for multi-night cruises on select policies.

Note: If you are going on a domestic cruise, Australian Cruises must be selected as your travel destination. This is treated as international destination and all rules to international destinations are applicable. The Premium option must be selected for COVID-19 benefits.

Overseas medical benefits

COVID-19 Overseas Medical and Hospital and Emergency Expenses.
You’re diagnosed with COVID-19 which first shows itself during the Period of Insurance on Your Certificate of Insurance.
You’re quarantined due to close contact of a COVID-19 case.
Your Travelling Companion is diagnosed with COVID-19 during your trip and your trip is disrupted.

Cancellation fees, lost deposits and additional expenses

Your trip is cancelled or cut short due to you being diagnosed with COVID-19 and you are unable to commence travel or continue your trip.
You are a permanent employee of the healthcare industry and your employer cancels your leave due to COVID-19 prior to your trip resulting in cancellation fees and lost deposits on prepaid tickets and bookings you cannot claim from anyone else.
The pre-paid accommodation you planned to stay at is closed for cleaning due to an outbreak of COVID-19.
You are denied boarding on your scheduled pre-paid public transport due to you being suspected of being infected with COVID-19.
You are travelling to attend a prearranged special event (for example a wedding, conference, music festival or sporting event) which cannot be delayed due to your late arrival and your trip is delayed because of COVID-19 related delays outside of your control, for the reasonable additional cost of using alternative public transport to arrive at your destination on time.
Your scheduled transport is delayed for at least 6 hours for COVID-19 related delays and you cannot claim the expenses from anyone else, you are covered for additional accommodation, meal and traveling expenses, up to the daily limit, for each day the delay continues.

Want to know more? See our COVID-19 benefits frequently asked questions (PDF, 591KB)

Contact us anytime

Make a travel insurance claim

You can make a travel insurance claim online or by calling 1300 207 365 .

We’ll take your details and guide you through the claim process.

Frequently asked questions

Find the answers to some questions you may have about RAA Travel Insurance.

If you've got an insurance question, we're likely to have an answer.

Things you should know

Conditions, exclusions, limits, and sub-limits apply. This insurance is issued by Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd. (ABN 80 000 438 291 AFSL AFSL 246548) (Tokio Marine).

Royal Automobile Association of South Australia Incorporated acts as agent for Tokio Marine and may receive a commission which is a percentage of the premium paid and may also receive a portion of the underwriting profit. Consider the relevant PDS and Target Market Determination , Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy , available on the RAA website when deciding whether to purchase this product.

Any advice set out above is general in nature only, and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on any of this information, you should consider its appropriateness having regards to your personal circumstances.

Whilst the PDS outlines the Terms and Conditions of these products, the TMDs outline the intended class of customers that comprise the target market for these travel products. This will allow you to consider which products best suit your objectives, financial situation and needs and consider the products appropriateness to your personal circumstances. TMDs also outline matters involving the distribution and the review of these products.

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COVID-19 benefits with Travel Insurance

Benefits with cover for covid-19.

Cancellation if you or your travel companion are positively diagnosed with COVID-19 during your period of cover 1,2
Additional Expenses 1,3 related to changing your travel arrangements while travelling
Overseas Medical and Hospital Expenses 1,4
Overseas Emergency Assistance available 24 hours a day, with access to Registered Nurses and Doctors 1,4

What COVID-19 benefits our plans offer

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Comprehensive

Why choose us, thousands of satisfied customers, network of medical experts, emergency assistance available, we’re an established insurer, flexible covid-19 policy cancellation options.

We offer the flexibility to cancel your Allianz Travel Insurance policy at any time if your plans need to change due to COVID-19, provided you haven't made or intend to make a claim or exercise any other right under your policy. 1

You may be entitled to receive a full or partial premium refund if you can’t travel or need to change your journey because of COVID-19 border closures or mandatory quarantine periods. This applies when travelling both domestically and internationally. 1

If you haven’t started your journey, we’ll provide a full premium refund. If you’ve started your journey, we’ll provide a partial premium refund, based on a pro-rata basis from the date you returned home from your journey until the end date of your policy listed on your Certificate of Insurance. Eligibility criteria applies, refer to the PDS for full details.

If you need to cancel your policy due to COVID-19, contact us on 1800 440 806 or email our Travel Helpdesk .

Ready to get started?

Frequently asked questions.

Yes, you can apply to buy a policy even if you haven’t received the recommended vaccinations against COVID-19. The section headed ‘Who is eligible to purchase this product’ in the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) contains important information about who is eligible to buy a policy, age limits and cover types.

You may not be covered if you don’t follow any advice or warnings by the Australian government or that were published in a reliable mass media source.

Refer to Smartraveller and the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs for the most up to date travel advice.

Make sure you’re aware of what is required, including any proof of vaccination, before you travel.

If you select Comprehensive , Multi-Trip, or Domestic Travel Insurance, which include the cancellation benefit cover when you buy your policy, you may be able to make a claim if you:

are subsequently positively diagnosed with COVID-19, which prevents you from travelling and
need to cancel, reschedule, or shorten your trip as a result. 1

The Cancellation benefit is designed to cover the non-refundable costs, up to the amount chosen, associated with cancelling, rescheduling or shortening the paid and unused portions of your journey. 2

If you’re positively diagnosed with COVID-19, we’ll reimburse your reasonable additional travel and accommodation expenses 3 up to the limit shown in the Table of Benefits for the Plan you have selected, if you meet each of the following three conditions:

You have bought a Comprehensive, Domestic, or Multi-Trip Travel Insurance plan
You can’t continue your journey or your journey is disrupted because you or your travel companion are positively diagnosed with COVID-19
You need immediate and continued treatment from a medical adviser

Call emergency services in your location if your condition is life threatening.

If you’ve contracted COVID-19 overseas and need emergency assistance, contact our Emergency Assistance team on +61 7 3305 7499 . Call charges may apply.

Search Smartraveller

Choice travel insurance buying guide.

Do you need travel insurance? How do you choose the right cover? What are you covered for?

CHOICE answers all the questions you need to know before leaving the country.

Download the CHOICE travel insurance buying guide [PDF 3.52MB] Download the CHOICE travel insurance cheat sheet [PDF 587KB] Who is CHOICE? Set up by consumers for consumers, CHOICE is the independent consumer advocate that provides Australians with information and advice, free from commercial bias. Visit choice.com.au .

Why travel insurance?

Does travel insurance cover COVID-19?

How to get travel insurance

Before you buy, how to save money on travel insurance.

How to read the product disclosure statement

What are you covered for?

Credit card insurance

How to make a complaint

If you’re leaving Australia, travel insurance is just as essential as a passport.

Holidays don’t always go as planned.

If you’re leaving Australia, travel insurance is just as essential as a passport. Medical expenses are the number one reason to get insurance, but sometimes other things can go wrong, such as trip cancellations, delays, lost luggage or even the big stuff like natural disasters and pandemics. If you end up out of pocket because of these things, insurance can make up for that.

The Australian Government won’t pay your medical bills.

In an emergency, the Australian Government can only help so much. The Consular Services Charter describes what the government can and can’t do to help Australians overseas.

If you end up injured or sick while overseas, you’ll be footing the hospital bill and the cost of flying home. If you’re really unlucky, that could cost you or your family hundreds of thousands of dollars.

68% of travellers mistakenly believe the Australian Government would ensure they get medical treatment if they need it overseas, and 43% believe the government would pay their medical bills.

Some countries won’t let you in if you don’t have insurance.

Singapore and the UAE require you to have travel insurance. Not to mention all 26 European countries in the Schengen Area if you’re applying for a visa to visit. Read the Smartraveller travel advice for information about your destination.

Reciprocal healthcare Australia has reciprocal healthcare agreements with several countries: Belgium, Finland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the Republic of Ireland, Slovenia, Sweden and the United Kingdom. If you have Medicare, you can get subsidised treatment for essential services only in these countries, which often leads people to ask whether they still need travel insurance. The answer is yes, for the following reasons. You’re usually only covered for urgent care that can’t wait until you get home. If you’re very ill, travel insurance can pay for a medical escort to bring you home to Australia. You still may have to pay fees for treatment and medication. For example, in New Zealand reciprocal health care doesn’t cover you for free or subsidised care by a general practitioner or ambulance. Travel insurance can cover you for cancellations, delays, stolen items and more.

Remember to take your Medicare card with you. You’ll need it, along with your passport, to prove you’re eligible for reciprocal health care. For more information, visit servicesaustralia.gov.au .

Marco* had breathing difficulties on his way home from Europe, causing his flight to be diverted to the UAE. Hospitals in the UAE won’t admit you unless you have insurance or can pay an upfront fee. Marco’s family had to pay thousands of dollars for his treatment. *To protect privacy we have changed names and some details

Do you need domestic travel insurance?

Most of us already have medical cover at home, be it Medicare or private health insurance or both. But there are still a few key reasons to consider domestic travel insurance.

Cancellation: If you’ve spent a lot on your holiday, then it’s not too much extra to buy travel insurance in case of the unforeseen.
Baggage cover: If you’re travelling with valuables, think about whether you want them covered for theft, loss or damage.
Car hire excess: You can save money using travel insurance to cover your collision damage excess, rather than paying the car hire company’s extra charge.

Does international travel insurance cover COVID-19?

Many travel insurers now offer limited cover for COVID-19, but the available cover varies quite a lot. Some policies only cover medical and repatriation costs if you get COVID-19 overseas, while other policies provide limited cover for cancellation costs in addition to medical and repatriation costs.

You should always check the details of your insurance coverage, particularly how it applies to COVID-19 and travel disruptions.

Over 90% of travellers will look for insurance that covers them for cancellation and medical expenses caused by COVID-19.

If you’re planning to go on a cruise, be extra careful. Some travel insurers may not offer COVID-19 cover for multi-night cruises or they may restrict the cover provided on cruises.

Also, don’t rely on the travel insurance on your credit card unless you check it closely – it may not cover claims related to COVID-19.

There are cooling-off periods for COVID-19 cancellation cover, so it’s best to buy your travel insurance at the same time as you book your trip. Some insurers may only cover cancellation if you test positive to COVID-19 and the policy was purchased more than 21 days before your scheduled departure date.

Make your travel plans COVID-safe

You need to be prepared for your travel plans to be interrupted at short notice. As travel insurance may not protect you from government border closures, general lockdowns or quarantine requirements in your destination country, the key is to book only with providers that allow you flexibility should things change.

Check the rules for travelling to your destination. For example, are there any entry requirements? What are the vaccination requirements? And what type of travel insurance do you need?
Read the terms and conditions of your airline, accommodation and travel tours before you book. Will they refund you if you can’t travel due to COVID-19? If they only offer a reschedule or a credit, will you be in a position to redeem the credit in future?
You can book flexible tickets for flights but be aware you usually have to pay the difference between the prices for the tickets you bought and the new tickets. So changing your flight dates at short notice can be very expensive.
If you book through a travel agent or booking site, what are their terms and conditions? Will they refund you or provide a credit? Are there cancellation fees?
If you pay by credit or debit card (and you selected ‘credit’ when you paid), you may have access to credit card chargebacks if something goes wrong.
Keep on top of the latest travel advice and requirements at smartraveller.gov.au . Travel restrictions can change at short notice.
If you do have to cancel, your travel insurer will ask you to claim what you can back from travel providers first. Read the CHOICE advice on how to get your money back on travel cancellations and ask your travel insurer if you can get a refund or partial refund of your travel insurance premium.

You can buy travel insurance from a travel insurer, travel agent, insurance broker, credit card provider, or even from your health, home or car insurer.

You can buy travel insurance online (direct from the insurer’s website, from a comparison site or through an airline booking site), over the counter or over the phone.

Buy travel insurance as soon as you know your travel dates. That way you’re covered if your trip is cancelled before you even leave or if you’re unable to travel at all.

You can certainly buy travel insurance quicker than it will take you to read this guide, but do you know what you’ll be covered for? Will you be covered if you trip over after having a drink? If you crash your scooter in Thailand? If you lose your wallet during a stopover? If you need to isolate because you contract COVID-19?

There are a lot of ‘what ifs’ to consider, depending on where you’re going and what you’ll be doing, so it’s worth reading the product disclosure statement (PDS) first to make sure you’ll be covered.

Will you use it? Hopefully not, but research by Smartraveller found that one in 4 Australian travellers experienced an insurable event on their last overseas trip. Most common insurable events Flight or tour cancelled Flight delayed more than 12 hours Received medical treatment Lost, damaged or stolen luggage Missed a connecting flight Lost, damaged or stolen cash or personal items Forced to cancel trip before departure What if the insurers don’t pay out? Australian travellers lodged almost 300,000 insurance claims in 2018–19, the last financial year before COVID-19 travel bans. Almost 90% of those were paid out. Top four reasons for declined claims Due to policy exclusions, or not included in the policy conditions Claim amount was below the excess Claim was due to a pre-existing medical condition Claim was for an item that was stolen while it was unattended

1. Where are you going?

The level of cover and the cost of travel insurance can vary depending on the region you’re travelling to, and some risks may be of greater concern than others. Not all travel insurance policies cover COVID-19 and other pandemics or epidemics such as SARS. And not all policies cover you for changing your plans due to a riot or civil commotion, for example. Travel insurance also may not be available for countries with travel alerts.

Look up your destination on smartraveller.gov.au and make sure you’re aware of any risks or safety advice.
Buy a policy that covers you for every country you’re travelling to or transiting through. If you’re going to Europe via a one-night stopover in the US, then get cover for the US and Europe. Usually a worldwide policy will cover this.

86% of travellers say they’re more cautious after the COVID-19 pandemic about travelling to places where it could prove harder to return home in a crisis.

You need different cover for different regions

Insurers sometimes apply policies to regions rather than having a policy for each destination.

Asia Pacific: Destinations such as New Zealand, Bali, Fiji and Papua New Guinea.

Asia: Destinations such as India, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia.

Europe: Destinations such as the United Kingdom, Ireland and Western Europe.

Worldwide: All of the above as well as regions such as North America, South America, Japan and Africa.

These definitions differ for each insurer. For example, several insurers cover travel to Bali under their Pacific policy, while some will only cover travel to Bali under their Asian region policy.

2. How long are you going for?

Just a quick trip? Simply buy a standalone travel insurance policy for a set number of days.

Travel often? Consider an annual multi-trip policy or a credit card with complimentary travel insurance, but make sure it gives you the cover you need.

Tip: Annual multi-trip policies and credit card policies can restrict the length of each trip you take – anywhere from 15 to 365 days depending on your policy. Some allow you to pay for extra days.

3. What are you going to do there?

Cruising the open road on a moped? Carving up the ski slopes? Partying at a wedding? These things aren’t necessarily included in a travel insurance policy.

Scan the insurer’s list of included activities and those that you’ll have to pay extra for. And take it easy on the grog – if your alcohol or drug intake is the cause of an adverse event, it won’t be covered by your policy.

4. Are you taking any valuable items?

Do you need cover for a digital SLR camera or an expensive tablet or laptop? Cover for such valuables can vary from a few hundred dollars to thousands, and higher cover will often mean a higher premium.

Consider adding cover for portable valuables to your home insurance policy instead, but check on the excess and if the policy will cover you worldwide and not just in Australia.

Policies also vary when it comes to how they cover valuable items. Valuables in your check-in luggage often aren’t covered, while cover for baggage stored in your hire car is inconsistent. And baggage left unattended is never covered, which can include a bag that is stolen from the seat beside you in a restaurant while you’re looking the other way.

Make sure you have receipts for your valuables as travel insurance will not pay if you can’t prove you own them.

5. Do you have any medical conditions?

If you have a medical condition that existed before you bought your policy, it may not be covered. This can range from something as common as allergies or asthma through to diabetes, heart conditions and knee replacements.

If you’re not sure, the best thing to do is contact the insurer to ask whether they’ll cover your condition automatically or whether you need to do an assessment.

The Massoud family* was holidaying in Singapore when 13-year-old Nazreen had a recurrence of severe bronchitis, which had affected her in Australia before their trip. The family’s travel insurer refused to pay any hospital bills as Nazreen’s bronchitis was a pre-existing medical condition. As a result, the Massouds had to ask their friends to transfer the $17,000 they needed to cover Nazreen’s hospital expenses, additional accommodation and the cost of changing flights. *To protect privacy we have changed names and some details

It’s important to compare policies for cost and cover. Some travel insurance premiums increased by as much as 30% between March and June 2022.

Three-quarters (77%) of travellers are willing to pay more for insurance that covers pandemic-related claims.

The further out from your departure date that you buy travel insurance, the more you’re likely to pay for it, but you’ll be covered from the moment you buy your policy. For example, if you buy insurance 2 months before you fly, you effectively have cheap cover for any events that affect your travel plans in those 2 months.

If you pay for your trip in full 6 months in advance, but you only buy an insurance policy 2 weeks before you depart, you may not be covered for any cancellation costs if you contract COVID-19.

Left it until the last minute, or even later? Only a few insurers let you buy insurance once you’re already overseas (look for the ‘Have you already left Australia?’ checkbox when viewing policy options).

While not all policies offer online discounts, plenty do. Make sure you understand the policy and what it covers. Sometimes (but not always) a reduced price may mean reduced cover.

Tip: Check asic.gov.au/afslicensing to find out whether the agent has an Australian financial services (AFS) licence or is an authorised representative of a licence holder. Take the usual precautions when giving your credit card and other details over the internet.

Member discounts

Does your health, car or home insurance provider also sell travel insurance? Some companies give 10–15% discounts to existing members.

Shop around

Trying to negotiate with a website will probably get you nowhere, but if you’re buying over the phone or through a travel agent, give it a go. Travel agents pocket a commission when they sell you insurance, so if you find a better deal elsewhere, ask them if they can beat it.

Almost two-thirds (62%) of overseas travellers who buy insurance do so on or before the day of booking travel.

Use your credit card

Some credit cards come with ‘free’ travel insurance when you use them to buy a ticket, pay for other travel expenses or otherwise activate it (we say ‘free’ because you’ll pay a premium in fees for the card itself).

This type of insurance can sometimes be a money-saver, and the level of cover can be just as good or even better than standard insurance, but make sure it gives you the cover you need.

Compromise on cover

While good medical cover is always essential, you could save money on your premium by choosing a policy with lower or variable cover for cancellation, delays and lost baggage, especially if you aren’t spending big on your holiday or taking expensive items with you.

Have you read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS)? According to research conducted in 2022, of those who bought travel insurance: 45% have skim-read the PDS 43% have read the PDS in detail 8% have left the PDS to another person on the policy to read 2% have not and will not read the PDS 2% don’t know

About that fine print

You’re about to click ‘buy’, so you may as well just tick this ‘I acknowledge I’ve read the product disclosure statement’ checkbox and bon voyage…

But wait – have you checked the fine print? In the insurance world, that ‘fine print’ is contained in the product disclosure statement, or PDS (that thing you said you’d read).

How to read the PDS

There are hundreds of policies out there and if you tried to read all the paperwork that comes with each policy, you’d have to extend your holiday just to recover.

If you don’t have time to read the whole PDS cover to cover, at least look for the following.

The table of benefits is an overall summary of your cover.
The policy cover section is essential reading and is generally split into ‘what we will pay for’ and ‘what we won’t pay for’.
General exclusions are also essential reading – these are events that aren’t covered by any section of the policy.
Pre-existing conditions can remind you of forgotten ailments and are essential reading for anyone with any kind of medical condition, no matter how mild.
The word definition table might contain a few surprises – it’s a good place to check on the definition of a ‘relative’ or a ‘moped’, for example.
The claims section lists some further pointers to be aware of (e.g. it’s a good idea not to admit fault or liability in the case of an accident) and the paperwork you may need to collect while you’re away if you need to make a claim, such as police reports.
COVID-19 cover section – many policies have a special section listing medical, cancellation and other cover available for COVID-19.
The 24-hour emergency assistance contact number (write it down and keep it handy).

The Weaver* family was relieved to have travel insurance when they needed to cancel their holiday. The family wanted to go skiing in New Zealand, but a few days before they were due to depart, 12-year-old Ruby had cold symptoms. A COVID-19 test showed she was positive. Ruby and her whole family had to isolate and their travel insurance paid their cancellation costs. *This is a fictitious but realistic example

The list of travel insurance disputes taken to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) reveals a battlefield of unread or misinterpreted terms and conditions. Between 1 July 2020 and 30 June 2021, AFCA received more than 2,000 travel insurance complaints related to COVID-19.

Not all travel insurance policies are the same, and the wrong policy can be almost as bad as none at all.

Peter* and his business partner had booked a business trip to South Korea and Japan from 21 February 2020 to 2 March 2020. On 20 February, Peter cancelled the trip on advice of his GP who said that due to the uncertainty of the extent of the COVID-19 outbreak, he should postpone the trip until it is safe to travel. Peter’s travel insurer denied his claim, saying the policy does not provide cover for cancellation due to medical advice. Peter made a complaint and AFCA ruled in his favour as COVID-19 had been publicly announced as an epidemic prior to Peter cancelling the trip and the doctor’s advice not to travel was prudent and reasonable. *To protect privacy we have changed names and some details

Checklist – Are you covered for COVID-19? Are your medical costs covered if you contract COVID-19? Are your extra expenses such as accommodation covered if you can’t travel or your stay gets extended because you or your travelling companion tests positive to COVID-19? What happens if you were going to stay with someone but they’ve contracted COVID-19? Or your accommodation or tour company gets closed down because of COVID-19? Are your additional expenses covered? If the Smartraveller alert level is raised to ‘Reconsider your need to travel’ or ‘Do not travel’ due to a COVID-19 outbreak at your destination after you took out travel insurance, are you covered if you cancel your trip? Are your cancellation costs covered if you can’t travel or can’t return on your booked flights because you or your travelling companion contracted COVID-19? Are you covered for cancellation costs if your business partner or a relative back home gets sick with COVID-19 and you need to return earlier than planned? If you’re planning to go on a cruise, be extra careful. Some travel insurers may not offer COVID-19 cover for multi-night cruises. Are you covered for claims caused by government travel bans, border closures, or mandatory quarantine or self-isolation requirements at your destination?

And what are the catches?

Cancellations, baggage and personal items, sports and activities.

This is the number one reason to buy international travel insurance. Look for the insurer’s benefits table, usually on the quotes screen online or near the front of their PDS, for a quick overview of what they’re offering. Most policies have an ‘unlimited’ sum insured.

Pre-existing conditions

Some insurers don’t cover pre-existing conditions at all. Some will only cover pre-existing conditions with an extra fee and sometimes a medical assessment. Some automatically cover pre-existing conditions listed in their PDS, although few will cover mental illnesses such as depression or anxiety.

Insurers exclude cover for certain pre-existing medical conditions and generally don’t provide cover for any illnesses or incidents that arise from these. This includes terminal illness or any illness that shortens your life expectancy as well as organ transplants.

Minor pre-existing medical conditions such as asthma, hypertension, diabetes, epilepsy, osteopenia and more are usually covered if:

the condition has been stable for more than 12 months

there is no planned surgery

you have not received treatment in the past 12 months.

Pre-existing condition spoiling your holiday plans? findaninsurer.com.au lists insurers that may provide cover for pre-existing conditions. Still having trouble finding cover? Enlist the help of an insurance broker.

Examples of conditions that usually need to be assessed before getting cover are coronary problems, lung disease, epilepsy, stroke or any surgeries in the last 2 years.

If in doubt, declare your condition to your insurer.

A disability shouldn’t prevent you from buying travel insurance, but it might make finding a good policy trickier and more expensive.

Is a disability a pre-existing condition?

It depends on the disability and the insurer. Many insurers will automatically cover travellers with limited mobility, cognitive impairments or vision/hearing impairments. But in some cases, this cover may come at an extra cost.

Check with the insurer, as some conditions will need to be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Having trouble getting cover?

Under the Disability Discrimination Act, insurers must assess the actual risks, rather than make assumptions about disabilities. If you’re having trouble getting insurance, a letter from a medical professional might help, particularly if they can state that you’re not likely to need medical or hospital treatment while on your trip.

Cover for your equipment

If you’re travelling with a wheelchair, mobility aid or hearing aid, you’ll need to insure that as well. Check single item limits, which are usually between $750 and $1,000 per item. If you have a piece of medical equipment that exceeds this, you’ll need to specify it and insure it separately.

Many insurance policies exclude hearing aids, so check the fine print and take out extra insurance if necessary.

Cover for your carer

If you’re travelling with a carer, it’s a good idea to be on the same policy in case travel plans change for either of you – that way you’re both covered. If you have a paid carer, ask your insurer whether they’ll cover the cost of a replacement carer should yours be unable to travel.

Babymooning

If you’re travelling while pregnant, be sure to check the following.

Are you covered for pregnancy complications? Some insurers don’t cover pregnancy at all.
Up until which stage of pregnancy? Pregnancy complications are usually only covered up until a certain stage (often between 23 and 32 weeks, depending on the insurer).
Childbirth: Not all insurers will cover childbirth. A premature birth in the US with intensive care and treatment could end up costing hundreds of thousands of dollars.
IVF: Not all insurers will cover IVF pregnancies.
Do you have to pay extra to be covered?
Do you need medical approval to be covered?

Mental health

Many travel insurers won’t provide cover of any kind for hospitalisation, medication or missed travel caused by a mental health condition, whether that’s depression, anxiety or a psychotic episode.

Others will provide cover if you declare mental illness as a pre-existing condition and pay a higher premium. Check the PDS carefully; insurers may use different terms to describe the same mental health conditions, giving them wriggle room to deny a claim.

Insurers are highly unlikely to pay a mental health-related claim if they discover it was a pre-existing condition that you didn’t declare. The trouble is, an insurer might view a single visit to a therapist many years ago because of work stress, for example, as a pre-existing mental health condition.

Mental health and travel insurance have been a contentious issue for consumer rights groups including CHOICE – and it’s one that’s still evolving from a legal standpoint.

To find out if a travel insurance product includes mental health cover, check choice.com.au/travelinsurance , filtering for ‘mental illness related claims’. Then put the PDS under the microscope.

A woman in Victoria won a court case against her insurer after they declined her claim for the cancellation of an overseas trip due to depression. ‘We took out the travel insurance well in advance of the travel, and well before my depression. I was certainly under the impression that I was covered,’ she told CHOICE. ‘They just sent back a letter that said no.’ But her win (the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal awarded her $4,292 for economic loss and a further $15,000 for non-economic loss) was an isolated ruling. It’s still being debated whether or not a general exclusion for mental health claims is legal.

Most policies have an age limit, ranging right up to the 100-year-old seasoned adventurer. There are quite a few catches for older travellers, though.

Higher premiums: Insurers often charge older travellers more, and in some cases ‘older’ can be as young as 50.
Higher excess: Travellers as young as 60 but more commonly over 80 may be subject to a higher excess because of their age. The normal excess of around $100 to $200 is often increased to an excess of $2,000 to $3,000 for travellers 80 years and over for claims that relate to injury or illness.
Restricted conditions: Subject to medical assessment’, ‘reduced medical cover limits’, ‘reduced travel time’, ‘policy to be purchased 6 months in advance’ – all of these conditions can apply to travellers over a certain age.

You’ll probably want to be covered if your travel plans are cancelled for any reason, but be aware that insurers will come up with plenty of excuses to avoid paying up.

Terrorism: Most insurers cover medical expenses but very few cover cancellation expenses in the event of terrorism.
Pandemic or epidemic: Commonly excluded.
Military action: Commonly excluded.
Natural disaster: Covered more often than not.
Travel provider/agent insolvency: Commonly excluded.
Cancellation due to travel provider’s fault: Insurers commonly exclude cover for delays or rescheduling caused by the transport provider.

John* and his partner’s scheduled train service was delayed, seriously diverted, then terminated, which meant they missed their flight home by several hours. Re-booking fees, emergency accommodation and related fees cost them between $1,000 and $1,500, but the insurer wouldn’t pay the claim as it wasn’t in the policy. *To protect privacy we have changed names and some details

‘Unforeseen’

When an insurer refers to cover for ‘unforeseen circumstances’, it means something that wasn’t publicised in the media or official government websites when you bought the policy. Check the Smartraveller travel advice when you buy your travel insurance. If it became known before you bought the policy, you’re not covered. So the earlier you buy travel insurance, the more likely you are to be covered for the unexpected.

Exclusions and inclusions

When the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) looks at a complaint about an insurer, they expect you to prove the claim is covered by the policy, while the insurer must prove the claim is excluded by the policy. Specifically, AFCA expects you to ‘establish on the balance of probabilities that you suffered a loss caused by an event to which the policy responds’. That is, do you have a valid claim?

This means that you need to understand if your claim is covered under the listed events of the policy, or that it is not specifically excluded by the policy.

If, for example, you have cover for COVID-19, you aren’t covered for every event caused by the pandemic, but just by what is specifically stated in the PDS.

Margaret and Peter* booked a cruise departing from Darwin in March 2021. Shortly before departure, the Northern Territory Government issued a directive no longer allowing cruises to depart from the NT. Margaret and Peter’s cruise company arranged for the cruise to depart from Broome and flew the passengers to Broome for a cost of $300 per person. As Margaret had bought a policy that included some cover for COVID-19, she made a claim for $600. But this was denied by her travel insurer and her subsequent complaint to AFCA was unsuccessful. AFCA said, ‘The cause of the loss was a government directive to not permit the cruise to operate through the NT port. The insurer’s policy provides no cover for these circumstances. It also excludes losses arising from government intervention, prohibition or regulation.’ *To protect privacy we have changed names and some details

Travel insurance and Smartraveller advice Smartraveller, managed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), assigns an overall advice level to more than 175 destinations. This advice level can affect your travel insurance cover. The advice levels are: Level 1 – Exercise normal safety precautions. COVERED. Level 2 – Exercise a high degree of caution. COVERED. Level 3 – Reconsider your need to travel. CHECK. Level 4 – Do not travel. USUALLY NOT COVERED. Travel warnings can work in your favour. If an insurer excludes cover for an event, they may still cover you to change your plans in response to updated advice from Smartraveller. But beware when travelling to a destination that has a ‘Do not travel’ warning. Most standard policies won’t cover you for ‘Do not travel’ destinations, including for COVID-19. A week after a volcanic eruption made world news, Sameer* booked a trip to Bali. He assumed the emergency would be over by the time he was due to fly a month later. Unfortunately, the volcano continued to erupt and Sameer’s flight was cancelled. His insurer declined his claim because he’d bought the flight and insurance after Smartraveller issued a travel alert about the volcanic eruption, and after it had been in the news. *To protect privacy we have changed names and some details

Delays can be expensive, particularly if you have to pay for alternative transport or accommodation. And those extra expenses won’t always be covered.

Transport delay is only covered after a certain number of hours, usually 6, but you may have to wait as long as 12 hours before your cover kicks in.
Cover limits for transport delays are typically lower than other cover limits and are often limited per 24-hour period.
Insurers often exclude cover for rescheduling caused by the transport provider but some may cover additional accommodation and travel expenses in this scenario for travellers who are en route.

Baggage cover varies widely, with travel insurance policies ranging from $0 to $30,000. So, if you’re not carrying expensive items, you may be able to save on your premium by selecting a policy that provides lower coverage.

Individual items are subject to sub-limits that range from around $250 to as much as $5,000.
Higher item limits usually apply for electronic items like laptops, cameras, smartphones and tablets.
You can pay extra to specify items you want extra cover for (insurers are always happy for you to pay extra).
Valuables locked in a car or checked in on an airline, train or bus may not be covered.
Generally, any items left unattended may be excluded from cover, so keep your belongings close.

Jing* sat down to try on a pair of shoes in a busy London shoe shop, placing her handbag next to her on the seat. When she stood up to leave, she discovered her bag was gone. Her insurer refused to pay up because she had left her bag unattended in a public place. *To protect privacy we have changed names and some details

Lost luggage

If an airline loses your luggage temporarily and doesn’t compensate you for that loss, you may be able to claim expenses for clothing, toiletries and other necessities, depending on your policy.

Cover usually only applies to luggage lost for more than 12 hours, though the minimum time limit varies per insurer, as does the level of cover.
If your policy has an excess (a fee that’s deductible from your payout), remember that this applies once per claimed event, and items below the excess level can’t be claimed.

Angelo and Diane* tried to claim $112 for meals and drinks when their connecting flight to Hawaii was delayed by 8 hours. Although their policy technically covered them for the cost, they were liable for an excess of $250, so their claim was denied. *To protect privacy we have changed names and some details

If you don’t feel like paying the ‘extra insurance’ the car hire company charges, then use the collision damage excess cover in your travel insurance.

Tip: Stick with recognised car rental companies in this case since this cover only applies if the car hire company already has its own comprehensive insurance.

Do you have the right licence?

Some countries require you to have an international driving permit. If you have an accident while driving on the wrong licence (or breaking that country’s law in any other way), you may not be covered.

Cruise-specific insurance

Cruises aren’t automatically included in all travel insurance policies. If you’re going on a cruise, make sure you have the right cover.

The Department of Health says: ‘Cruise ships carry a higher risk for spreading disease compared to other non-essential activities and transport modes. COVID-19, influenza and other infectious diseases such as gastroenteritis spread easily between people living and socialising in close quarters.’

Check travel insurance policies to make sure medical cover for COVID-19 is included, as some policies exclude this cover. Erica* stumbled and broke her femur during stormy seas while on a cruise. Her insurer covered the cost of evacuation and a partial hip replacement at a hospital in Noumea. They also organised and paid for her son to fly to Noumea to help her recover and return home to Australia. Five months later, the well-travelled 82-year-old was boarding a plane to Croatia for her next (fully insured) adventure. *To protect privacy we have changed names and some details

Not leaving Australian waters?

You still need insurance. Doctors working on cruise ships don’t need Medicare provider numbers, so if they treat you, you can’t claim on Medicare or your private health insurance, even if you’re still in Australian waters.

Domestic travel insurance doesn’t cover medical costs, so you need either international travel insurance (check that it covers domestic cruises) or a domestic cruise policy.

Kerry* thought she’d done the right thing buying an annual multi-trip international travel insurance policy for a number of upcoming holidays, one of which was a round-trip cruise departing from and returning to Fremantle, Western Australia, with no port stops. When she had to cancel due to ill health, she discovered her policy wouldn’t cover her because the trip wasn’t considered an international one. *To protect privacy we have changed names and some details

When CHOICE compares travel insurers, we look at who covers which sports and adventure activities, such as skiing, ballooning, bungee jumping and scuba diving, to name a few.

But as always with insurance, the PDS may include some surprises. For example, several insurers we’ve reviewed will cover canyoning but they won’t cover abseiling, often a necessity in canyoning. Other policies in our comparison will cover abseiling, but not into a canyon.

If you’re planning on doing anything adventurous, check to make sure you’re covered. It’s not enough to simply look for the tick next to your chosen activity – you also need to check the definitions in the PDS.

Motorcycles and mopeds

Hiring a motorcycle or moped? Depending on which country you’re in, you might need a local or international motorcycle licence. You probably won’t be covered if you aren’t obeying the local law. And even if you are doing the right thing under local law, some policies still won’t cover you unless you have a motorcycle licence.

Are you wearing a helmet? Most countries say you need one by law, but that doesn’t mean it will be included in your hire. No helmet means no cover (in more ways than one).

Nhung* was injured after she rented a moped in Thailand only to find out the engine size was not covered by her insurance policy. Most insurers adopt the national standard for the definition of a moped – an engine capacity under 50cc. If the engine is bigger than that, it’s a motorcycle and you’ll need an Australian motorcycle licence. *To protect privacy we have changed names and some details

Skiing and snowboarding

Some insurers cover skiing, often for an extra premium, but not so many cover skiing off-piste (away from the groomed runs). So, if you’re tempted to slide off the beaten path next time you hit the slopes, make sure you have a policy that covers off-piste ski runs (or pay for the optional extra cover).

Otherwise, if you run into a tree and have to be evacuated from the mountains, you may need to think about selling your home to pay for it.

It’s worth remembering that travel insurance only covers overseas costs. So if you break a leg while you’re abroad, your insurer will likely pay your hospital fees, but they won’t cover your ongoing physiotherapy once you’re back home.

Marianna* fractured her leg in 3 places while skiing with her partner and children in Japan. Because the family had bought additional cover for winter sports, they were reimbursed $35,466 for medical expenses, additional transport and accommodation, the cost of a nanny to look after the children, and business class flights back to Australia. *To protect privacy we have changed names and some details

Alcohol and drugs

Overdoing it on vodka and float-tubing down a river isn’t likely to be covered by any policy. Insurers simply won’t pay for costs arising from you being under the influence of alcohol or drugs (except where taken under the advice of a doctor).

Even one or 2 drinks could be enough of an excuse for insurers to get out of paying.

Relatives can be relative Many policies cover the costs to travel home if one of your relatives dies or becomes sick. Bear in mind: an insurer’s definition of a ‘relative’ may differ from yours cover is usually dependent on the age of that relative, so the death of your 84-year-old grandma may not be covered your relatives are subject to the same pre-existing condition exclusions as you, so if your 84-year-old grandma died from a known heart condition, you may not be covered. you may be able to apply for your relative’s pre-existing condition to be assessed before you buy the policy. cover is limited to relatives that live in Australia, or in some cases New Zealand. So if your 84-year-old grandma is in China, you won’t be covered to fly there for her funeral. Amanda* and her husband had booked an overseas diving trip, but shortly before the trip Amanda’s mum passed away from pneumonia. They cancelled their trip and incurred cancellation costs and lost deposits of nearly $13,000. As the death of a parent was covered in their policy, Amanda made a claim. Their insurer denied the claim as Amanda’s mum lived in the United States and was undergoing treatment for lung cancer, so the insurer concluded that her death was caused by a pre-existing condition. *To protect privacy we have changed names and some details

So you’ve booked and paid for your holiday through a travel agent, but then the travel agent goes broke. You’ll get your money back, right? Not necessarily.

Only a few insurers will cover you for the insolvency of a travel provider, and that includes hotels, airlines and other transport companies that might go broke overnight (remember Ansett?). But there are a few ways to safeguard your hard-earned holiday.

Check whether your insurer covers you for insolvency.
Check whether your travel agent has insolvency insurance (this isn’t compulsory, so only some will have it).
Pay with your credit card. Some banks allow a chargeback if you pay for something on your credit card and don’t end up actually getting it.

Tip: Don’t accept any dodgy contract terms that require you to give up your chargeback rights.

2 out of 3 travellers assume their travel insurance will cover insolvency, but in 2017 less than a third of insurers actually provided this cover.

Credit card travel insurance

Some credit cards come with complimentary travel insurance. They’ll cover you for all the usual things like medical emergencies, cancellation and protection for baggage and items. But they do differ from standalone policies, so it’s essential you check the fine print.

Fees: You’ll pay a premium for these credit cards, usually between $100 and $450 per year.
Excess: The excess on credit card policies tends to be fixed at a higher rate (usually around $250), whereas it’s more variable on standalone policies.
Age limits: Some credit card policies have no age limit, which can be handy for older travellers.
Regions: Credit card travel insurance is not based on location, which means you can travel from Europe to the US without having to worry if your policy covers both areas. Bear in mind though that some regions (such as countries under United Nations embargo) may be excluded, and sometimes with US underwriters, travel to Cuba is excluded.
Baggage cover: Credit card insurance often offers higher coverage for baggage loss and damage.
Trip duration: Credit card insurance policies vary in how many days of coverage they’ll give you per trip – anywhere from a few weeks to 365 days – so check your limit if you’re going on a long holiday.
Pre-existing conditions: Chances are your credit card insurance won’t automatically cover your pre-existing condition. You’ll need to call your insurer and see if you need to pay an extra fee or premium.
Domestic travel: Credit card insurance doesn’t apply to domestic travel, although some cards will reimburse expenses associated with domestic flight delays and missed connections to international flights.
Making a claim: You may not be able to claim reimbursement unless you pay for purchases (such as emergency items after a baggage delay) with the same credit card.

27% of travellers who plan to buy travel insurance will get it through their credit card.

Is it activated?

Credit card insurance usually activates when you buy your air tickets (or sometimes other transport or accommodation expenses) using your card.

Policies require a minimum spend to activate – usually around $500. So if you scored your tickets on sale for $499, you won’t be covered.
If you want cover for your spouse or dependants, you must also buy their tickets on your card.
Some policies only activate if you book a return ticket. A one-way flight, or even 2 one-way flights, will leave you uninsured.
Some banks require you to notify them in order to get full coverage for each trip. While base coverage will still give you emergency medical treatment, you might not get coverage for property damage or luggage delays. Check whether you need to do anything to activate any extra features.
Some cards will cover you if you use rewards points to buy your tickets. Others won’t.

Is it worth it?

If you already have a credit card and use it regularly, the free comprehensive travel insurance on your card can save you money. And if you’re a regular traveller without a credit card, it’s worth considering if you travel at least once a year or every second year internationally.

David* booked a trip to North America for himself and his family, including his 11-year-old daughter Petra. The trip was cancelled because Petra got pneumonia. Unfortunately, David only activated his credit card travel insurance about an hour before the family was scheduled to fly out of Australia. The travel insurer denied his claim for cancellation costs because he knew about his daughter’s illness when he activated the policy. *To protect privacy we have changed names and some details

Have you been knocked back on an insurance claim and want to dispute it?

Internal dispute resolution

Complain to the insurer first. They’ll usually keep you up to date about the progress of your complaint every 10 business days.

Once you’ve lodged your case and all the supporting information and documents, the insurer has 45 days to complete its internal dispute resolution process.

External dispute resolution

If you aren’t happy with the insurer’s decision, you can take your complaint to the Australian Financial Complaint Authority (AFCA). They’ll handle your case for free.

The AFCA will mediate between you and the insurer to find a resolution.
If mediation is unsuccessful, they may make a preliminary assessment or give a determination straight away on your dispute.
A determination is legally binding on the insurer but not on you.
There’s no appeal process with AFCA.
For more information, visit afca.org.au .

Legal action

If you’re unhappy with the AFCA determination, you might want to consider taking legal action against the insurance company.

Keep your travel insurance details with you at all times while on your trip and share them with family or friends before you leave.

Understanding What Travel Insurance Covers

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Travel insurance is intended to cover risks and financial losses associated with traveling.
Coverage can include trip cancellation, baggage protection, medical care, and emergency evacuation.
When filing a claim, be specific and comprehensive in your documentation to ease the process.

Whether it's a trip across the world or a trip across the state, having travel insurance provides major relief if things go awry. Flight delays, lost baggage, illness, injuries, and other unforeseen events can disrupt even the best-laid plans. With a major disruption comes the potential for unanticipated expenses.

Travel insurance and the coverage it offers can help keep you protected and save you money in the long run.

Overview of Travel Insurance Coverage

Travel insurance policies protect travelers from financial losses should something go wrong during their trip. You can customize which coverages you want to include, and there are several to choose from.

"Common types of coverage include trip cancellation, trip interruption, baggage protection, coverage for medical care if you get sick or hurt during your trip, and emergency medical evacuation," says Angela Borden, a travel insurance expert and product strategist for travel insurance company Seven Corners.

Travel insurance plans offer nonrefundable payments and other trip-related expenses. While monetary compensation is a primary benefit, there is another valuable perk of travel insurance. It can provide peace of mind.

What does travel insurance cover?

Your specific travel insurance plan (and its terms and conditions) will determine the minutia and specifics of what is covered. As with most other forms of insurance, a general rule of thumb is the more you spend, the better your coverage.

"Travel insurance can be confusing, so it's best to research a reputable company that specializes in travel insurance and has a long history of successfully helping travelers all over the world," says Borden.

Trip cancellation and interruptions

A travel insurance policy can reimburse you for a prepaid, nonrefundable trip if it is canceled for a covered event, such as a natural disaster or a global pandemic.

Trip interruption insurance covers you if you're already on your trip and you get sick, there's a natural disaster, or something else happens. Make sure to check with your travel insurance providers to discuss any inclusions, coverage, and more.

Travel delays and missed connections

Travel delay insurance coverage provides reimbursement for any expenses you incur when you experience a delay in transit over a minimum time. Reimbursements can include hotels, airfare, food, and other related expenses.

Medical emergencies and evacuations

Typically, US healthcare plans are not accepted in other countries. So travel insurance with medical coverage can be particularly beneficial when you are abroad. Medical coverage can also help with locating doctors and healthcare facilities.

Medical transportation coverage will also pay for emergency evacuation expenses such as airlifts and medically-equipped flights back to the US. Out of pocket, these expenses can easily amount to tens of thousands of dollars. Certain plans may even transport you to a hospital of choice for care.

Travel insurance generally does not include coverage for pre-existing conditions. That said, you can obtain a pre-existing condition waiver, which we will talk about later.

Baggage and personal belongings

Most airlines will reimburse travelers for lost or destroyed baggage, but be prepared for limitations. Travel insurance plans will typically cover stolen items, such as those stolen out of a hotel room. This may not include expensive jewelry, antiques, or heirloom items. Typically, airlines have a few days to recover your bag.

In the meantime, you can make a claim to pay for items like certain toiletries and other items you need to pick up. If your bag is truly lost or you don't get it for an extended period, you can file a true lost baggage claim.

What does credit card travel insurance cover?

A major perk on several travel credit cards is embedded credit card travel insurance . Typically, you will need to use the specific card for the transaction (at least with partial payment) for travel coverage to kick in.

Each card has specific rules on what exactly is covered. But one of the industry leaders is the $550-per-year Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card. Here's a snapshot of what is covered with this specific card:

Baggage delay: up to $100 reimbursed per day for up to five days if a passenger carrier delays your baggage by more than six hours.
Lost and damaged baggage: up to $3,000 per passenger per trip, but only up to $500 per passenger for jewelry and watches and up to $500 per passenger for cameras and other electronic equipment.
Trip delay reimbursement: up to $500 per ticket if you're delayed more than six hours or require an overnight stay.
Trip cancellation and interruption protection: up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip for prepaid, nonrefundable travel expenses.
Medical evacuation benefit: up to $100,000 for necessary emergency evacuation and transportation when on a trip of five to 60 days and traveling more than 100 miles from home.
Travel accident insurance: accidental death or dismemberment coverage of up to $100,000 (up to $1,000,000 for common carrier travel).
Emergency medical and dental benefits: up to $2,500 for medical expenses (subject to a $50 deductible) when on a trip arranged by a travel agency and traveling more than 100 miles from home.
Rental car coverage: primary coverage for damages caused by theft or collision up to $75,000 on rentals of 31 days or fewer

More protections are included with cards with an annual fee, but there are exceptions. The no-annual-fee Chase Freedom Flex , for instance, includes up to $1,500 per person (and up to $6,000 per trip) in trip cancellation and trip interruption coverage.

However, there are some differences between credit card travel coverage and obtaining coverage from a third party.

"Credit card coverage does not typically provide travel medical benefits," Borden says. "For protection if you get sick or hurt while traveling, you'll want a travel insurance plan with medical coverage."

Whether you get your travel insurance in a standalone policy or through a credit card, it's important to review your plan details carefully. In either case, there may be exclusions and other requirements such as deadlines when filing a claim, Borden notes.

What travel insurance coverage do you need to pay more for?

Knowing what travel insurance doesn't cover is as important as knowing what it does cover.

"Travelers should understand that travel insurance benefits come into play only if a covered reason occurs," Borden says. Most standard travel insurance plans won't reimburse you for the following:

Cancel for any reason (CFAR)

Cancel-for-any-reason travel insurance covers a trip cancellation for any reason, not just a covered event. your standard benefits won't kick in unless it's a covered event. For instance, you'll be reimbursed simply for changing your mind about taking a trip.

That said, CFAR travel insurance is not without its downsides. For one, it's more expensive than traditional insurance, and most CFAR policies will only reimburse you for a percentage of your travel expenses. Additionally, CFAR policies aren't available for annual travel insurance .

You can find our guide on the best CFAR travel insurance here.

Foreseen weather events

Sudden storms or unforeseen weather events are typically covered by standard travel insurance plans. There are exceptions to be aware of. For example, an anticipated and named hurricane will not be covered.

Medical tourism

If you're going to travel internationally for a medical procedure or doctor's visit, your travel insurance plan will not cover the procedure itself. Most medical travel plans also won't cover you if something goes wrong with your procedure.

Pre-existing conditions and pregnancy

Those with specific pre-existing conditions, such as someone with diabetes and needing more insulin, will not be covered by most plans. In addition, pregnancy-related expenses will likely not be covered under most plans.

That said, you can obtain a pre-existing condition waiver for stable conditions. In order to obtain a wavier, you will need to purchase travel insurance within a certain time frame from when you booked your trip, usually two to three weeks, depending on your policy.

Extreme sports and activities

Accidents occurring while participating in extreme sports like skydiving and paragliding will typically not be covered under most plans. However, many plans offer the ability to upgrade to a higher-priced version with extended coverage.

Navigating claims and assistance

When a trip goes awry, the first thing you should do is document everything and be as specific as possible with documentation. This will make the claims process easier, as you can substantiate and quantify your financial losses due to the delay.

For example, your flight home has been delayed long enough to be covered under your policy, you'll want to keep any receipts from purchases made while waiting. For instances where your luggage is lost, you will need to file a report with local authorities and document all the items you packed.

Cancellation protection also requires meticulous attention to detail. If you're too sick to fly, you may need to see a doctor to prove your eligibility. If an airline cancels a flight, you'll also need to document any refunds you received as travel insurance isn't going to reimburse you for money you've already gotten back.

Part of the benefit of CFAR insurance is the reduced paperwork necessary to file a claim. You'll still need to document your nonrefundable losses, but you won't have to substantiate why you're canceling a trip.

Choosing the right travel insurance

Each plan should be personalized to meet the insured party's needs. Some travelers prefer to stick to the bare minimum (flight cancellation benefits through the airline). Others want a comprehensive plan with every coverage possible. Before you buy anything, set your destination. Are there any travel restrictions or changes pending? Does your destination country require emergency or other medical coverage?

If the destination airport is known for lost or delayed luggage, travelers should keep important items in carry-ons. Lost or delayed luggage coverage protects insured parties in the event of a significant delay or total loss.

Second, check current credit card travel benefits to avoid redundancies. Savvy travelers don't need to pay for the same coverage twice.

Finally, consider your individual needs. Do you have a chronic medical condition, or do you feel safe with emergency-only medical coverage? Keep in mind, this does not include coverage for cosmetic surgery or other medical tourism. Do you have a budget limit for travel insurance? Asking and answering these important questions will help every traveler find the right product.

Most travel insurance plans are simple, and Business Insider's guide to the best travel insurance companies outlines our top picks. Remember, read your policy and its specifics closely to ensure it includes the items you need coverage for.

No one likes to dwell on how a trip might not go as planned before even leaving. However, at its core, travel insurance provides peace of mind as you go about your trip. While the upfront cost may seem significant, when you compare it to the potential expenses of a canceled flight, emergency evacuation, or a hefty medical bill, it's a small price to pay in the grand scheme of things.

Get Travel Insurance Quotes Online

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What does travel insurance cover frequently asked questions

Does travel insurance cover trip cancellations due to a pandemic like covid-19.

Coverage for pandemics vary from policy to policy. Some travel insurance companies have specific provisions for pandemic-related cancellations, while others may exclude them entirely.

Are sports injuries covered under travel insurance?

Sports injuries are often covered under travel insurance, but high-risk or adventure sports might require additional coverage or a special policy.

Can travel insurance provide coverage for travel advisories or warnings?

Travel advisories have different effects on your travel insurance depending on your policy. Traveling to a country already under travel advisory may invalidate your coverage, but if you're already traveling when a travel advisory is announced, you may be covered.

How does travel insurance handle emergency medical evacuations?

Travel insurance usually covers the cost of emergency medical evacuations to the nearest suitable medical facility, and sometimes back to your home country, if necessary.

Are lost or stolen passports covered by travel insurance?

Many travel insurance policies provide coverage for the cost of replacing lost or stolen passports during a trip.

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Best COVID-19 Travel Insurance in April 2024

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Table of Contents

Factors we considered when picking travel insurance that covers COVID

An overview of the best travel insurance for covid , top travel insurance for covid options , additional resources for covid-19 travel insurance shoppers.

No matter how well you prepare, travel plans don’t always go as expected. Some travelers buy travel insurance to protect their investment in prepaid travel costs. Amid the ongoing pandemic, exploring travel insurance with COVID-19 coverage is recommended. With the right policy, you can protect yourself if you need to cancel your trip or end it early due to illness. Many insurers offer travel insurance policies with this kind of coverage.

This is the shortlist of the best travel insurance for COVID options:

Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection .

John Hancock Insurance Agency, Inc.

Seven Corners .

Travelex Insurance Services .

Travel Insured International .

WorldTrips .

We used the following factors to choose insurance providers to highlight in our best travel insurance for COVID list:

Range of coverage: We looked at how many plans each company offered with COVID-19 coverage, plus the range of available plans.

Depth of coverage: We compared the maximum caps for trip cancellation and trip interruption claims between carriers and plans.

Medical benefits: We examined whether plans included emergency medical benefits for COVID-19 reasons and whether plans included medical evacuation and repatriation benefits.

Cost: We determined an average cost for shoppers to benchmark plan prices by looking at the basic coverage costs for plans with COVID-19 benefits across multiple companies.

We looked at quotes from various companies for a six-night trip in May 2023 to Croatia. The traveler was 30 years old, from Texas and planned to spend $1,500 on the trip, including airfare.

On average, the price of each company’s most basic coverage plan with COVID-19 coverage was $47.22. The prices listed below are for the most basic COVID-19 travel insurance coverage. All insurers offer multiple COVID-19 policies with greater coverage coming at a higher cost.

Let's take a closer look at our eight recommendations for travel insurance with COVID coverage:

Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection

What makes Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection great:

Several plans allow policyholders to cancel for COVID-19 sickness as part of trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance benefits.

Several plans include COVID-19 medical coverage benefits.

Medical evacuation benefits are included in these plans.

Plans include limited sports and activities coverage and sports equipment loss benefits.

Basic Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection will run you $50 for an ExactCare Value policy, the company’s most basic COVID-19 travel insurance coverage option.

What makes IMG great:

Many plans include COVID-19 cancellation benefits.

Most of these plans also include COVID-19 medical benefits (the Travel Essentials plan doesn’t include this).

Medical evacuation coverage is available on select plans.

Coverage for adventure travel is available for an extra cost.

IMG is a good option for the budget-minded: Its Travel Essential plans cost more than $10 less than average based on our comparison.

John Hancock Insurance Agency, Inc.

What makes John Hancock Insurance Agency great:

Multiple plans offer COVID-19 cancellation benefits as part of the included trip interruption and trip cancellation coverage.

These plans offer COVID-19 medical benefits.

Medical evacuation coverage is included in all COVID-19 coverage plans.

The John Hancock Insurance Agency, Inc. basic plan (Bronze) costs $56.

Seven Corners

What makes Seven Corners great:

Multiple plans offer COVID-19 cancellation benefits as part of the included trip interruption and trip cancelation coverage.

These plans include COVID-19 medical benefits and evacuation and repatriation benefits.

There is no medical deductible.

Seven Corners’ basic coverage plan (RoundTrip Basic) for our trip to Croatia costs $44.

Travelex Insurance Services

What makes Travelex Insurance Services great:

Multiple plans include Covid-19 sickness coverage, which reimburses prepaid and nonrefundable trip payments if a trip is canceled or interrupted due to a traveler contracting the virus.

These plans also include COVID-19 medical benefits.

Medical evacuation and repatriation benefits are included.

Basic coverage (Travel Basic) from Travelex Insurance Services costs $44 for our sample trip, which is slightly cheaper than average.

Travel Insured International

What makes Travel Insured International great:

Multiple plans cover COVID-19 cancellation benefits as part of the included trip interruption and trip cancelation coverage.

These plans also include COVID-19 medical benefits, including medical evacuation.

Limited sports and activities coverage is included in plans with COVID-19 coverage.

Travel Insured International's basic coverage (Worldwide Trip Protector Edge) begins at $55 — only a few dollars more than the average basic policy price.

What makes Tin Leg great:

A wide range of plans offer COVID-19 cancellation benefits as part of the included trip interruption and trip cancelation coverage.

All of these plans also include COVID-19 medical benefits.

All of these include medical evacuation benefits.

An adventure travel policy is available.

Another plus: Tin Leg’s basic coverage plan (Basic) for our trip to Croatia costs $48.85 — making it right around the average price for the policies we covered.

WorldTrips

What makes WorldTrips great:

Several plans include medical coverage for COVID-19.

Sports and activities and sports equipment loss are included.

Coverage can be extended for up to thirty days, including for medical quarantine purposes.

WorldTrips’ most affordable plan with COVID-19 coverage (Atlas Journey Economy) starts at $44, making it a low-cost option.

Do you want to learn more about travel insurance before you spend money on a policy? Take a look at these resources:

What is travel insurance?

What does travel insurance cover?

The best travel insurance companies

How to find the right travel insurance for you

10 credit cards that provide travel insurance

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℠.

Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card

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.

Travel Insurance Compare Our Plans Popular Benefits COVID-19 Benefits International Plans Domestic Plans Comprehensive Insurance Annual Multi-Trip Inbound Plan Cruise Ski & Snowboard Motorcycle & Moped Adventure Activities Seniors Medical Conditions
Emergency Assistance
Travel Alerts COVID-19 International Travel Tool Cover-More App
Manage Policy
travel_explore Not sure? See region list.

Where are you going?

Enter the destination(s) you plan to visit or select them from the list of countries and regions in the dropdown.

Planning a stopover? If you’re in a country for less than 72 hours, you do not need to list it as a destination.

Don’t currently know all the countries you’ll be visiting? You can select a region to obtain cover for all countries within that region, or you can select “Anywhere in the world”. Important: If selecting “Anywhere in the world”, your policy will not provide cover for claims arising in countries that are subject to sanctions. Your safety is paramount, so please read and familiarise yourself with the “ Standing Travel Alert for High Risk and Sanctioned Countries ” when undertaking worldwide travel – and before making any side trips to neighbouring countries – to ensure you have adequate cover.

Going on a cruise? If your cruise is in inland Australia (e.g. on the Murray River) or in Australian coastal water (e.g. the Kimberley), enter or select “Australia”. If your cruise embarks and disembarks from Australia ports only without any stopover at a port outside of Australia (e.g. a “Sampler Cruise” or cruise from Sydney to Brisbane), enter or select “Domestic Cruise”. If your cruise is overseas (e.g. a European river cruise, a Caribbean cruise, or a cruise from Sydney to Hong Kong), enter or select the country or region you will spend the most time in during your trip.

Want to come to Australia on our Inbound Plan? Select “Australia Inbound”.

When do you depart?

Enter the date you will leave your home to start your trip.

When do you return?

Enter the date you will arrive home based on AEST (considering any time differences/zones and travel times).

Duration of each trip?

Select the maximum trip duration that best suits your needs.

The maximum trip duration you select will apply to each separate trip you take during the 12-month period of your policy.

For cover to apply, you cannot take trips that exceed this maximum duration. If you make a claim related to a trip that exceeds this maximum duration, it may be declined.

The maximum trip duration you select will be shown on your Certificate of Insurance.

Age of each traveller?

Enter the age (as of today) of each adult and child to be included on the policy.

COVID-19 Travel Insurance Cover

The below information relates to COVID-19 cover included in policies sold on or after 26 July 2023. For policies purchased prior to this date, please consult the relevant PDS and/or your Policy Wording.

IMPORTANT: Our customer service team cannot provide customers with personal advice over the phone or confirm if a claim will be approved. All claims need to be submitted for consideration via our claims portal . For general questions related to our Cover-More COVID-19 cover, please read the PDS and/or your Policy Wording, read our COVID-19 Travel Guide and review our COVID-19 FAQs before calling us. For helpful information on your destination's rates of COVID-19 infection, entry and quarantine requirements, and rules for public spaces, check our COVID-19 Travel Risk Tool before and during travel.

Family going on holiday at airport wearing face masks

Protect your international or domestic trip with our COVID-19 benefits

Looking for travel insurance with COVID-19 cover for trips within Australia and overseas?

At Cover-More, we provide several COVID-19 travel insurance benefits across our international and domestic plans to help you book and travel with confidence. Yes, this means you can focus on planning your getaway knowing we’re by your side to support you during the coronavirus pandemic.

For more information on our travel insurance with COVID-19 cover, keep reading below or skip ahead to learn:

What COVID-19 travel insurance cover is
If Cover-More travel insurance offers cover for COVID
What Cover-More’s COVID-19 benefits do cover
What Cover-More’s COVID-19 benefits don’t cover
What Cover-More international travel insurance plans cover COVID-19
What Cover-More domestic travel insurance plans cover COVID-19
Why choose Cover-More travel insurance

You can also read the COVID-19 travel insurance cover FAQs or get a quote online now.

What is COVID-19 travel insurance cover?

A travel insurance policy that includes cover for unforeseen COVID-19-related scenarios can help reduce the financial risk of travelling during the novel coronavirus pandemic. It is common for travel insurance with COVID-19 benefits to include cover for incidents relating to overseas medical expenses, trip amendment or cancellation costs, and additional expenses.

However, policies will vary from provider to provider, so it’s important to understand what you are – and aren’t – covered for when it comes to international and domestic travel insurance with COVID-19 cover when choosing the best travel insurance for you during the current pandemic.

Does Cover-More provide travel insurance with COVID-19 cover?

We have provided some COVID-19 travel insurance cover since December 2020 to help support our Cover-More customers who continued to travel throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

As of 26 July 2023, many COVID-19 travel insurance benefits are still available on all our plans; however, coverage varies between our International Plans and Domestic Plans, and across our three tiers of cover: Basic, Comprehensive, and Comprehensive+.

Before deciding if our travel insurance with COVID-19 cover is right for you, we recommend you read the PDS and compare our International Plans ' and Domestic Plans' COVID-19 cover below.

What do Cover-More’s COVID-19 benefits cover?

At Cover-More, our COVID-19 travel insurance benefits help protect you from unforeseen expenses related to the current coronavirus pandemic. These benefits include:

Cover for COVID-19 Overseas Medical Costs*#~

Cover for COVID-19 Amendment or Cancellation Costs*^

Cover for COVID-19-Related Additional Expenses*#^

What don’t cover-more’s covid-19 benefits cover.

Unfortunately, our COVID-19 travel insurance cover can’t protect against absolutely every scenario resulting from the global coronavirus pandemic. To help provide clarity from the get-go, our travel insurance COVID-19 benefits don’t cover the following:

Government Border Closures, Lockdowns, Self-isolation, or Quarantine

Mandated COVID-19 Tests (PCRs and Rapid Antigen Tests)

Close Contacts of a Person Diagnosed with COVID-19

Cruise Cabin Confinement Costs Related to COVID-19

To ensure you understand the COVID-19 scenarios you aren’t covered for – plus more details on any general exclusions beyond our COVID-19 travel insurance benefits – we encourage you to read the PDS .

Ready to travel? To understand the latest information on COVID-19 and government travel restrictions when planning your trip, please visit  smartraveller.gov.au or the relevant Australian State or Territory Government website before getting a quote online .

Important reminder: No travel insurance cover for COVID-19 is provided if you enter a country with an active “Do not travel” warning from the Australian Government if the reason (or one of the) reason(s) for the advice was the presence of COVID-19 or if you do not follow travel advice or warnings published in the mass media. To find out the current overall advice rating of your intended destination, visit Smartraveller’s destinations page .

What COVID-19 cover do Cover-More’s international travel insurance plans provide?

If you’re wanting to find the best COVID-19 travel insurance cover for your overseas trip, we can help. At Cover-More, we offer three tiers of international travel insurance with COVID-19 cover to assist you in finding the right cover for your trip, travel style and budget.

You can compare all the benefits of our International Plans here or compare our international Cover-More COVID-19 cover below:

~Medical cover will not exceed 12 months from onset.

Please note: If the amount of Amendment or Cancellation Costs cover shown on your Certificate of Insurance is less than the maximum limit listed above, the Amendment or Cancellation Costs amount shown on your Certificate of Insurance will be the maximum cover available.

For full details on our international COVID-19 travel insurance cover, please read the PDS .

Ready to cover your overseas trip? You can get a quote online now.

Tip: Want protection against unforeseen COVID-19 scenarios both before and during your international holiday? Consider purchasing our International Comprehensive Plan or Comprehensive+ Plan with Amendment or Cancellation Costs cover included as soon as you book any part of your trip to benefit from pre-trip protection.

What COVID-19 cover do Cover-More’s domestic travel insurance plans provide?

If you want to protect your Australian trip with domestic travel insurance with COVID-19 cover, we can help provide extra peace of mind. Whether you’re planning a city break in one of our beautiful major cities or planning a relaxing escape to the countryside, our travel insurance could help prevent unforeseen expenses from ruining your trip.

You can compare all the benefits included in our Domestic Plans here or view the tables below to compare our domestic travel insurance COVID-19 cover for Australian trips:

To understand more about our domestic COVID-19 travel insurance cover for Australian residents, please read the PDS . If you’ve got questions about our domestic cover – including why we can’t cover medical costs in Australia – check out our domestic plans and domestic FAQs pages.

If you’re a non-Australia resident looking to protect your trip to Australia, our Inbound Plan may be suitable for you. To find out more, read our Inbound Plan page and consult the PDS for details on our Inbound COVID-19 benefits.

Ready to cover your Australian trip? You can generate a quote online now.

Tip: Looking to protect your Australian trip from unexpected COVID-19 events that occur before you leave home? Consider purchasing our Domestic Comprehensive Plan or Comprehensive+ Plan with Amendment or Cancellation Costs cover included as soon as you book any part of your trip to benefit from pre-trip protection.

Why should I choose to travel with Cover-More travel insurance?

You can trust our Cover-More team to support you with more than COVID-19 travel insurance benefits. Our customers choose to travel with us by their side because we provide:

24/7 Access to Our Emergency Assistance Team

Cover for Over 80 Adventure Activities as Standard

35+ Years of Travel and Medical Assistance Expertise

…and more. To learn more about us and our cover, visit our Cover-More Australia About Us page and read about our most popular benefits here .

FAQs about our Cover-More COVID-19 travel insurance cover

Good news: we’ve answered common questions about our Cover-More COVID-19 cover over on our COVID-19 FAQs page and within our COVID-19 Travel Guide .

If you can’t find the answer to your general question on this page, you can call our friendly team on 1300 72 88 22 or speak with them via Live Chat during Australian business hours.

Eager to travel again?

Find out how much it costs to protect your international or domestic trip with our travel insurance.

*Limits, sub-limits, conditions, and exclusions apply. For full details on exactly what’s covered by our COVID-19 travel insurance benefits, please read our Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) document. ~Medical cover will not exceed 12 months from onset. #Cover for medical costs related to COVID-19 is not available on our Domestic Plans. ^A special excess will apply to COVID-19 claims under the Amendment or Cancellation and Additional Expenses sections of the policy. If you make a claim that falls under both sections, the higher special excess will be deducted. The special excess applies in addition to any other applicable excess. You cannot remove this special excess.

The information contained on this page is indicative and for illustrative purposes only to help provide information regarding likely coverage under the relevant terms and conditions of a policy. The information relates to policies sold on or after 26 July 2023, is correct at the time of writing on 20 June 2023, and may change at any time, so be sure to check here regularly for updates. For definitive confirmation for your situation, you will need to submit a claim for consideration via our online claims portal .

Travel Insurance

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When covering investment and personal finance stories, we aim to inform our readers rather than recommend specific financial product or asset classes. While we may highlight certain positives of a financial product or asset class, there is no guarantee that readers will benefit from the product or investment approach and may, in fact, make a loss if they acquire the product or adopt the approach.

To the extent any recommendations or statements of opinion or fact made in a story may constitute financial advice, they constitute general information and not personal financial advice in any form. As such, any recommendations or statements do not take into account the financial circumstances, investment objectives, tax implications, or any specific requirements of readers.

Readers of our stories should not act on any recommendation without first taking appropriate steps to verify the information in the stories consulting their independent financial adviser in order to ascertain whether the recommendation (if any) is appropriate, having regard to their investment objectives, financial situation and particular needs. Providing access to our stories should not be construed as investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any security or product, or to engage in or refrain from engaging in any transaction by Forbes Advisor Australia. In comparing various financial products and services, we are unable to compare every provider in the market so our rankings do not constitute a comprehensive review of a particular sector. While we do go to great lengths to ensure our ranking criteria matches the concerns of consumers, we cannot guarantee that every relevant feature of a financial product will be reviewed. We make every effort to provide accurate and up-to-date information. However, Forbes Advisor Australia cannot guarantee the accuracy, completeness or timeliness of this website. Forbes Advisor Australia accepts no responsibility to update any person regarding any inaccuracy, omission or change in information in our stories or any other information made available to a person, nor any obligation to furnish the person with any further information.

Tick Travel Insurance Top Cover Review: Pros and Cons

Published: Apr 24, 2024, 1:46am

When comparing Tick Travel Insurance’s pricing against cover levels in key areas, such as emergency medical expenses and trip cancellation, it can be considered a highly competitive player in the market. Travellers will likely appreciate the unlimited medical cover and $20,000 of cancellation cover available. Plus, the 24-hour medical emergency assistance line may offer added peace of mind. However, whether Tick Travel Insurance Top Policy will be suitable for you, will likely come down to whether cover levels across other areas of need will be high enough.

Competitive pricing
High levels of medical and cancellation cover
High customer service rating
Credit card fraud not covered
Higher levels of luggage cover elsewhere
Missed connections not covered

About tick travel insurance, what does tick travel insurance cover, does tick travel insurance cover me for covid, pricing comparison, customer service, the bottom line.

Featured Partners

Fast Cover Travel Insurance

On Fast Cover’s Secure Website

Medical cover

Unlimited, 24/7 Emergency Assistance

Cancellations

Unlimited, (Trip Disruption $50,000)

Key Features

25-Day Cooling Off Period, Australian Based Call Centre, 4.6 Star Product Review Rating

Cover-More Travel Insurance

On Cover-more’s secure website

Unlimited, with a $2000 limit to dental

Yes, amount chosen by customer

Southern Cross Travel Insurance

Medical Cover

Including medical treatment, doctors’ visits, prescribed medication, specialist treatment & medical transport costs

$2,500 with option to increase to unlimited

Tick Travel Insurance is owned by Europ Assistance which is a part of the global Generali Group, and underwritten by Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Company Limited.

Generali is a large global insurance and asset management provider, while Europ Assistance says it has a presence in over 200 countries, providing comfort and empathy to customers in emergency situations, and an immediate global response.

Tick Travel Insurance’s aim is to make travel insurance simple, covering travellers up to age 100. It offers three levels of domestic travel insurance: Basic, Standard and Top and four types of international travel insurance: Basic, Budget, Standard and Top.

This review will focus on the most comprehensive offering for international travel, being the Tick Travel Insurance Top plan.

Tick Travel Insurance provides domestic and international cover, offering policies for single trips and annual cover for multiple trips in a year. The provider covers adults up to the age of 100, while dependent children, up to 18-years-old at time of purchase, are insured for free on an adult’s policy.

As typical of travel insurance, its policies cover trip cancellation or curtailment and journey resumption, due to unforeseen circumstances such as injury or illness, as standard. Cover for travel delay is available on the top policies, with a pay out of $100 per completed hour up to $1,000. Valid reasons for claiming include bad weather, a vehicle breakdown or strike, and experiencing a delay of more than 12 hours.

Tick Travel Insurance’s Top plan also includes the following standard benefits that form a part of most comprehensive travel insurance policies:

Lost Luggage

This insurer covers the cost of repairing or replacing your lost, stolen or damaged personal belongings up to $7,500. Take note of the $3,000 sublimit— individual limit— on how much you can claim for devices such as laptops, tablets, phones, video cameras and cameras.

Tick Travel Insurance offers unlimited medical cover, which includes cover for ambulance and emergency surgery, repatriation if necessary, and the death of you, or another person insured on the policy.

While the insurer can cover pre-existing conditions (medical conditions you had before taking out the policy), whether you will be eligible for this cover will depend on the details you provide, outlining the condition and its severity, in the medical screening section of the application.

Is Dental Cover Included?

This insurer also extends its cover to dental treatment, paying out up to $500. This is half of what many providers offer, and bear in mind that you can only claim for dental cover for situations where you need immediate pain relief.

Yes, protection against risks in relation to Covid-19 are covered by Tick Travel Insurance’s Top policy. The insurer accepts related cancellation and disruption claims, as well as medical claims for trips outside of Australia.

What About Pregnancy?

You can claim for an extensive range of pregnancy or childbirth complications up to 31 weeks into your pregnancy with this insurer. These include toxaemia, gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia.

What About Sports And Activities?

From abseiling, to jet skiing and motorcycling, insurance for 90 sports and activities is included automatically with Tick Travel Insurance.

Remember to look out for conditions for claiming. For instance, you will only be covered for three bungee jumps and can only kayak in grades 1 and 2 rapids or lower. Also, some activities may require safety gear that you will need to wear to make a valid claim.

Cover for personal liability and accidental injury only apply to certain activities, as specified in the PDS.

Compared to the competition, Tick Travel Insurance offers relatively decent to high levels of cover across the board for a super competitive price.

When comparing the price of its most comprehensive policy against those of Travel Insurance Direct and Allianz—two providers we rated highly for their comprehensive offering—it comes out on top.

The data below is based on a 28-year-old who needs insurance for Indonesia for seven days.

The above table shows how important it is to shop around for travel insurance, and weigh up your needs with your budget when comparing policies. Tick’s Travel Insurance’s Top policy is only $77, offers considerably more cancellation cover than its competitors for this price, and levies less in excess—the set portion of each claim you must pay.

However, it may not be suitable for those who need higher levels of cover in other areas such as lost luggage and rental car excess. You can find out exactly what a policy includes and excludes in its PDS, which is usually published on the insurer’s website.

You can also find out more about the comprehensive travel insurance providers Forbes Advisor Australia has independently rated the best.

Customers award Tick Travel Insurance a high score of 4 out of 5 stars across 2832 reviews on ProductReview, Australia’s leading consumer opinion site.

Satisfied customers were pleased with how simple they found the process of taking out insurance, and the price of their policy.

However, disgruntled customer complaints were varied. Some speak of technical difficulties with the provider taking payment and not offering a refund instead, trouble accessing their policy documents and rejected claims.

To speak to someone on Tick Travel Insurance’s customer service team, you can fill in the online query form or email: [email protected] .

For 24-hour emergency assistance, you can call: +612 9333 3963, and for emergencies and claims, email: [email protected] .

You can also send written correspondence to:

Customer Services Tick Insurance Australia Suite 1.04, Level 1, 19 Harris Street Pyrmont, 2009 Sydney NSW

Additionally, you can send a complaint via post, or email: [email protected] .

Tick Travel Insurance may be considered most suitable for those looking for reasonable to high levels of cover in key areas, for a competitive price. This includes unlimited medical cover and $20,000 for trip cancellation. In other areas cover levels are decent, but may not be suitable for all. Those taking away belongings worth over $7,500 or needing more than $4,000 in rental car excess may want to look elsewhere.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Where can i find the tick travel insurance pds.

A policy’s product disclosure statement (PDS) details what it covers, any exclusions and limitations or sublimits. It’s crucial that travellers read through this document before deciding whether to purchase the policy.

Typically, an insurer will provide a link to a policy’s PDS on its website. The PDS for Tick Travel Insurance’s policies, including its comprehensive cover, are also online .

What is Tick Travel Insurance’s phone number?

Existing customers and those with service queries can fill in Tick Travel Insurance’s online query form should they need assistance, or contact at [email protected].

For 24-hour emergency assistance customers can call: +612 9333 3963.

How good is Tick travel insurance?

We have awarded Tick Travel Insurance 3.7 out of 5 stars based on factors such as the unlimited amount of medical cover, and high level of cancellation cover, it provides. It also scores highly on customer review site productreview.com.au.

However, customers should note it does not cover you, if you fall victim to credit card fraud while away. Neither are you able to choose the amount of cancellation cover you need as with some other insurers. This may not be of concern, considering $20,000 for cancellation is automatically provided, which is a considerable amount, and Tick Travel Insurance policies are competitively priced.

I have been writing for newspapers, magazines and online publications for over 10 years. My passion is providing, in a way that is easily accessible and digestible to all, the knowledge needed for readers to not only manage their finances, but financially flourish.

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