Travel insurance for Aussie travellers

[Aus Traveller]

thats what i tell all cant believe people will travel with out then wonder why they have a $30,000 bill from falling off a bike in bali etc

My Mother-in-laws reasoning when she couldn't get insurance at 87 years old was "We never needed it anyway". :( She and her husband travelled around Europe for a few months every year for several years and never thought about insurance. :confused: We would have been the ones who had to pick up the pieces if anything went wrong.

[PerfectlyPerth]

I have been using Covermore pretty much exclusively since 2006 for all trips (with a couple of pre existing conditions).

 

Have only claimed once from memory and it was for something I didnt remotely think they would cover (12 hour delayed flight meant a missed hotel and to and from car service) - and I claimed about 3 months after their usual deadline - and they still paid it up without any additional questions and speedily.

[Hawka]

My Mother-in-laws reasoning when she couldn't get insurance at 87 years old was "We never needed it anyway". :( She and her husband travelled around Europe for a few months every year for several years and never thought about insurance. :confused: We would have been the ones who had to pick up the pieces if anything went wrong.

 

far out they would not give due to age what if they needed it for cancellation not due to health etc or bags missing etc etc they should be able to get some thats wrong they could not even if for health they still should be able to be covered for it , insurance companies make how much they are willing to take it in most cases but not give it thats so sad

[Cruizeee]

I work for an arm of medibank and know they use covermore, and i have a pre-existing condition - i didn't want to just get theirs out of convenience if it wasn't a decent one. Happy to pay for a good and fair cover - just like health insurance! I never thought to look at canstar either - thanks for the advice all

[Aus Traveller]

far out they would not give due to age what if they needed it for cancellation not due to health etc or bags missing etc etc they should be able to get some thats wrong they could not even if for health they still should be able to be covered for it , insurance companies make how much they are willing to take it in most cases but not give it thats so sad

Maybe if we searched long and hard we could have got insurance, but if it didn't cover her for serious medical while on board, it wasn't worth it. :)

[Hawka]

Maybe if we searched long and hard we could have got insurance, but if it didn't cover her for serious medical while on board, it wasn't worth it. :)

 

stinks though but yeah see your point

[stingau]

My Mother-in-laws reasoning when she couldn't get insurance at 87 years old was "We never needed it anyway". :( She and her husband travelled around Europe for a few months every year for several years and never thought about insurance. :confused: We would have been the ones who had to pick up the pieces if anything went wrong.

 

Tell them to try insure and go they insured my neighbour, OK the premium was a bit expensive I think 600 for a 11 day cruise. But he is 90 his partner is 79. He has had a heart bi pass surgery.

 

Not t sure if they had exclusions but still well worth it

[Aus Traveller]

Tell them to try insure and go they insured my neighbour, OK the premium was a bit expensive I think 600 for a 11 day cruise. But he is 90 his partner is 79. He has had a heart bi pass surgery.

 

Not t sure if they had exclusions but still well worth it

MIL is now 94 (nearly 95) and doesn't know what day or year it is. She loved travelling, but unfortunately, is well past it. (I can't find a 'sad' face in the smilies.)

[Hawka]

MIL is now 94 (nearly 95) and doesn't know what day or year it is. She loved travelling, but unfortunately, is well past it. (I can't find a 'sad' face in the smilies.)

 

there was a lady that was a career for a lady with dementia no ones past it if they do cruises too

[Aus Traveller]

there was a lady that was a career for a lady with dementia no ones past it if they do cruises too

Yes, but we have been the carers on all the previous trips and obviously we paid our own cruise cost and expenses. :(

[Hawka]

Yes, but we have been the carers on all the previous trips and obviously we paid our own cruise cost and expenses. :(

 

True :-(

[ozblue_7]

It depends which bank. As I said earlier in this thread, with the ANZ card you only have to spend $250 of the total cost of the trip on the card. With NAB I believe you have to put the total cost of the trip on the card. The clients you refer to obviously didn't do their homework. :)

 

If I had a claim rejected for the reason given, I would have fought the insurance company on the rejected claim. How many street vendors would have the facilities to have you pay by credit card, and even if they did, would you want to use your card in those circumstances?

 

Just to correct this quote. We use NAB platinum card insurance and you only have to put $500 on the card to activate. There is an excess of $200 per claim.

[Pushka]

I think the best way to judge if an insurance company is any good is unfortunately making a claim. I'll never use travel insurance direct again. However you should not leave home without insurance - if you can't afford insurance you can't afford to travel.

 

Well, we had a major major claim in Thailand with TID and they were brilliant!

[Aus Traveller]

Just to correct this quote. We use NAB platinum card insurance and you only have to put $500 on the card to activate. There is an excess of $200 per claim.

Good. I was going on information from several years ago when the requirement was to pay the whole amount.

 

Early in this thread 'RoyaltyX' mentioned that someone was knocked back on their claim with a credit card travel insurance because they didn't spend all of the costs (including food bought at a food stall) on the card. Obviously when this happened, one credit card insurer at least had the requirement of the whole cost on the card.

[windsor26]

My HSBC credit card (no annual cost) has the travel insurance and we have used it for 11 years now Small claim paid out immediately no trouble

 

So long as you use the card to pay for the 'leaving Australia cost' anything else you do while away can be paid for any way you like and will still be covered.

Edited January 18, 2016 by windsor26

[Cruizeee]

Looking into covers, there are huge differences in what is covered and what is included by way of pre-existing medical conditions. I work for an arm of Medibank who offers their own cover but it excludes any neck or back issues. 1 cover, on the other hand, has less exclusions and seems to cover back and neck.

Edited January 18, 2016 by Cruizeee

[NSWP]

I forgot to mention the ANZ Credit Card Insurance is not available for those over 80 years of age. So I shall fully retire from travelling @ 79.

 

Anyway I would not want to be a burden on others.

Edited January 19, 2016 by NSWP

[Cruizeee]

Nswp - you wouldn't be a burden, we all pay for insurance just in case, the percentage of people who make a claim would be small. I'm sure the travel bug does not disappear at 80!

[Hawka]

I forgot to mention the ANZ Credit Card Insurance is not available for those over 80 years of age. So I shall fully retire from travelling @ 79.

 

Anyway I would not want to be a burden on others.

 

come on dont retire from holidays there was a 102 yr old on my cruise you got to break that record [unless there has been older on one] he was i think in the services so i heard at my table as some were talking about him and he was having his 102nd birthday on the cruise at that

[Pushka]

How could someone 102 get Insurance?

[Bodogbodog]

How could someone 102 get Insurance?

Why would a 102 year old worry :D

What are they going to do - sue him?

Think of the negative publicity they'd get if they didn't look after someone that age

 

(Just kidding - I definitely agree that anyone cruising should have travel insurance)

[Hawka]

How could someone 102 get Insurance?

 

don't know but they were on the ship would they be covered being a retired service man ??

[Aus Traveller]

Several 'older' people we have met on cruiseships tell us that they are members of Probus and that they get their travel insurance through a company that has a deal with the club. They say they can get insurance at an age when it would otherwise be difficult. We shouldn't have a problem until we reach 80 (a long, long way in the future), but we might then have to look at joining Probus if we still want to continue cruising. :)

[cruisine21]

A lot of insurance companies don't cover if a relative over the age of 80 becomes sick or dies while you are overseas. My neighbours father passed away while she was in Europe and they had to return home early.

[Pushka]

A lot of insurance companies don't cover if a relative over the age of 80 becomes sick or dies while you are overseas. My neighbours father passed away while she was in Europe and they had to return home early.

 

 

Yes. I always worried about that too.