Insurance question please.

[Cbtours]

6 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

Currently four of the cc companies have no age limit, but only Macquarie seems to cover COVID. On reading their pds I cannot find mention of either an age limit of an exemption relating to a pandemic. but I want to phone them on Monday just to be sure that I haven't missed something on multiple reading of the pds.

 

Currently we are OK with ANZ because neither of us havs reached the major figure of 81, but I am looking to the future.

The pds are eye boggling! But a necessary evil!

[cheznandy]

Just wanted to say your husband looks amazing😀

[Aus Traveller]

2 minutes ago, Cbtours said:

The pds are eye boggling! But a necessary evil!

I read through the pds for the ten companies - with many sections re-read and re-read. I agree it is necessary. The aim of my spreadsheet is to have pertinent info in one place. Anyone interested in one or more of the products, just has to read the relevant pds. With the info set out as it is, it means that a person can immediately eliminate some of the companies because (maybe) of the age limitation. It also means that we can consider less well-known banks we might not have thought of.

[Cbtours]

8 minutes ago, cheznandy said:

Just wanted to say your husband looks amazing😀

I think so too 🥰🥰🥰🥰

[arxcards]

52 minutes ago, cheznandy said:

Just wanted to say your husband looks amazing😀

A great looking couple 😀

[JohnGc]

Just been giving myself a headache looking at  insurance cost for two 80 year olds & daughter 56 years going on a trans pacific cruise from honolulu to Brisbane ( way off yet ) but thought I could get some idea by entering a date of 2022 cruises. So far on Covermore insurance it looks like $2800  eek, if I filled in the online questions right, it kept informing me I also needed domestic cover. Does this mean you can' t insure the flight to Honolulu in with the cruise insurance ? First time taking a cruise from overseas back to Australia and vice versa  so unsure at the moment. I know you long time cruisers have the knowledge so prefer to ask you rather than phoning agents this early before the cruise. Off subject but do I need a visa  if staying only 2 days in honolulu.  Any info appreciated.

 

Cheers John

[Aus Traveller]

20 minutes ago, JohnGc said:

Just been giving myself a headache looking at  insurance cost for two 80 year olds & daughter 56 years going on a trans pacific cruise from honolulu to Brisbane ( way off yet ) but thought I could get some idea by entering a date of 2022 cruises. So far on Covermore insurance it looks like $2800  eek, if I filled in the online questions right, it kept informing me I also needed domestic cover. Does this mean you can' t insure the flight to Honolulu in with the cruise insurance ? First time taking a cruise from overseas back to Australia and vice versa  so unsure at the moment. I know you long time cruisers have the knowledge so prefer to ask you rather than phoning agents this early before the cruise. Off subject but do I need a visa  if staying only 2 days in honolulu.  Any info appreciated.

 

Cheers John

First, the easy question. Yes - they will need a visa for USA but that is very easy on line. It is actually a 'visa waiver' called an 'ESTA'. Take care that they do this on the official website, not a company that charges a heap more to do virtually nothing extra. From memory, you get the waiver for a three-month period so don't do it too soon. Be warned, they ask a lot of questions.

 

Insurance - Depending on pre-existing health conditions, I suggest they consider the complimentary travel insurance offered by the ANZ bank with platinum visa cards. This costs $87 p.a. A card would be needed for the two 80 year-olds (presuming they are a couple) and a separate one for their daughter (presuming she is not their dependant at that age). Another alternative, is to get one account, but have the three of them as cardholders (with separate card numbers). This would incur  only one $87 outlay. To quality, they would have to pay at least $250 of the travel cost on the card. If they are all on the one account, the travel cost for the couple could be paid with one card and the travel cost for their daughter, paid on her card to be sure she is covered. Currently, the ANZ Platinum Visa is the only credit card insurance that I could find that covers COVID related claims.

 

I have the feeling that some people feel credit card insurance sounds "too good to be true", but we have used it for donkeys' years and when we had to claim we had no problem whatsoever. Our son had an even larger claim for hospitalization in Germany, and had no problem getting paid.

 

 

Edited April 16, 2022 by Aus Traveller

[JohnGc]

1 hour ago, Aus Traveller said:

First, the easy question. Yes - they will need a visa for USA but that is very easy on line. It is actually a 'visa waiver' called an 'ESTA'. Take care that they do this on the official website, not a company that charges a heap more to do virtually nothing extra. From memory, you get the waiver for a three-month period so don't do it too soon. Be warned, they ask a lot of questions.

 

Insurance - Depending on pre-existing health conditions, I suggest they consider the complimentary travel insurance offered by the ANZ bank with platinum visa cards. This costs $87 p.a. A card would be needed for the two 80 year-olds (presuming they are a couple) and a separate one for their daughter (presuming she is not their dependant at that age). Another alternative, is to get one account, but have the three of them as cardholders (with separate card numbers). This would incur  only one $87 outlay. To quality, they would have to pay at least $250 of the travel cost on the card. If they are all on the one account, the travel cost for the couple could be paid with one card and the travel cost for their daughter, paid on her card to be sure she is covered. Currently, the ANZ Platinum Visa is the only credit card insurance that I could find that covers COVID related claims.

 

I have the feeling that some people feel credit card insurance sounds "too good to be true", but we have used it for donkeys' years and when we had to claim we had no problem whatsoever. Our son had an even larger claim for hospitalization in Germany, and had no problem getting paid.

 

 

Hi Aus Traveller.  Sounds good but I think I need to call into a branch as I have several  questions I need to ask. Some of the eligibility questions make me feel that maybe I won't qualify for the card seeing I am on a pension plus few other things I am not sure of. I wonder why they would let me have the platinum card if all my accounts are with another bank and I might not use that card much.  Thank you for the information. I will let you know the results once I have the answers.

 

Cheers John

[Aus Traveller]

39 minutes ago, JohnGc said:

Hi Aus Traveller.  Sounds good but I think I need to call into a branch as I have several  questions I need to ask. Some of the eligibility questions make me feel that maybe I won't qualify for the card seeing I am on a pension plus few other things I am not sure of. I wonder why they would let me have the platinum card if all my accounts are with another bank and I might not use that card much.  Thank you for the information. I will let you know the results once I have the answers.

 

Cheers John

Some banks require a person to have a certain amount of income to be eligible for a credit card ($35,000 pa or even $50,000 pa for Macquarie). ANZ say they require "a good credit rating". They might try to woo you from the other bank. Don't tell them you won't use the card much.

[JohnGc]

13 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

Some banks require a person to have a certain amount of income to be eligible for a credit card ($35,000 pa or even $50,000 pa for Macquarie). ANZ say they require "a good credit rating". They might try to woo you from the other bank. Don't tell them you won't use the card much.

That could be a problem we have not used any credit for many years have always paid cash and house owned. Another problem is when I said we were 80 years old I should have mentioned the wife is 83. It was implied earlier in this topic by CBtours  # 51  that 81 was the cut off point For ANZ. Jeez this getting older even though we could leave youngsters behind in a race ( well nearly ) is a royal pain in the !!!!!!

Edited April 16, 2022 by JohnGc

[Aus Traveller]

Just now, JohnGc said:

That could be a problem we have not used any credit for many years have always paid cash and house owned. Another problem is when I said we were 80 years old I should have mentioned the wife is 83. It was implied earlier in this topic by CBtours  # 51  that 81 was the cut off point For ANZ. Jeez this getting older even though we could leave youngsters behind in a race ( well nearly ) is a royal pain in the !!!!!!

Yes. I don't think the lack of a credit card would adversely affect your credit rating - not paying your bills does. 🙂 However, 81(when you book the trip) is the cut-off age. I don't know when the trip is. The next option would be to watch what happens with other banks regarding coverage for covid, or take the chance that covid won't be a problem.

 

Bank of Qld has no age limit, but at the moment they don't cover covid. The other problem could be that they require the total cost of the overseas ticket to be on their card.

 

Suncorp has no age limit and don't cover covid. From what you said, you might not qualify for their minimum annual income of $35,000. That is my understanding from reading their website, but it could be worth checking.

[JohnGc]

1 minute ago, Aus Traveller said:

Yes. I don't think the lack of a credit card would adversely affect your credit rating - not paying your bills does. 🙂 However, 81(when you book the trip) is the cut-off age. I don't know when the trip is. The next option would be to watch what happens with other banks regarding coverage for covid, or take the chance that covid won't be a problem.

 

Bank of Qld has no age limit, but at the moment they don't cover covid. The other problem could be that they require the total cost of the overseas ticket to be on their card.

 

Suncorp has no age limit and don't cover covid. From what you said, you might not qualify for their minimum annual income of $35,000. That is my understanding from reading their website, but it could be worth checking.

I really appreciate all your feedback on this post thank you. Our income is about the $40.000, we are just good at saving for our cruises. Royal Caribbean as I understand it will cover when on the ship . Still looks like you may have to find your way home if you test positive in Honolulu just before your cruise, mind you we are only planning to stay only 1 or 2 days in Honolulu before embarking. I am not shouting with the following that is how it has copied from R.C.I ha ha.

 

Royal Caribbean    Healthy Sail Center

Get a 100% refund if anyone in your travel party tests positive for COVID-19 within 10 days of your cruise.*

If you test positive for COVID-19 during your cruise, costs related to onboard medical care and your travel home – even a private jet, if needed – are on us.^ 

 

[Aus Traveller]

The other credit card with complimentary travel insurance that could work for you is the HSBC (Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corp). They have no age limit, but don't cover COVID at the moment. 90% of the cost of the international ticket has to be paid on the card. There is no annual fee for this card.

 

Two members of CC whom I have met on a few cruises (Yvonne and Colin Morris) use this card and find it works well. 

[JohnGc]

10 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

The other credit card with complimentary travel insurance that could work for you is the HSBC (Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corp). They have no age limit, but don't cover COVID at the moment. 90% of the cost of the international ticket has to be paid on the card. There is no annual fee for this card.

 

Two members of CC whom I have met on a few cruises (Yvonne and Colin Morris) use this card and find it works well. 

 

10 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

The other credit card with complimentary travel insurance that could work for you is the HSBC (Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corp). They have no age limit, but don't cover COVID at the moment. 90% of the cost of the international ticket has to be paid on the card. There is no annual fee for this card.

 

Two members of CC whom I have met on a few cruises (Yvonne and Colin Morris) use this card and find it works well. 

Silly question but is it the Platinum card the above bank uses cover cruise travel insurance ?

[Aus Traveller]

33 minutes ago, JohnGc said:

 

Silly question but is it the Platinum card the above bank uses cover cruise travel insurance ?

The HSBC credit card is a platinum card. I suggest you read the pds. It is available on line. BTW, Yvonne and Colin are both 83/84 years of age. I don't think I am giving away secrets. 🙂

Edited April 16, 2022 by Aus Traveller

[JohnGc]

Just now, Aus Traveller said:

The HSBC credit card is a platinum card. I suggest you read the pds. It is available on line.

I will do that thanks for all your help. 

 

Cheers John

[Cruisers47]

3 hours ago, JohnGc said:

Hi Aus Traveller.  Sounds good but I think I need to call into a branch as I have several  questions I need to ask. Some of the eligibility questions make me feel that maybe I won't qualify for the card seeing I am on a pension plus few other things I am not sure of. I wonder why they would let me have the platinum card if all my accounts are with another bank and I might not use that card much.  Thank you for the information. I will let you know the results once I have the answers.

 

Cheers John

I think you would find that the bank staff in the branch would just refer you to the HO and somebody with the actual insurance company.

 

branches don’t seem to have any specialists.

 

good luck!

 

eileen

[JohnGc]

7 minutes ago, Cruisers47 said:

I think you would find that the bank staff in the branch would just refer you to the HO and somebody with the actual insurance company.

 

branches don’t seem to have any specialists.

 

good luck!

 

eileen

Thank you eileen.  It is certainly harder to sort out the insurance than booking the cruise.

[Elorac123]

8 minutes ago, Cruisers47 said:

I think you would find that the bank staff in the branch would just refer you to the HO and somebody with the actual insurance company.

 

branches don’t seem to have any specialists.

 

good luck!

 

eileen

Agreed, many years ago I had a question about my card and they told me to call the number on the back of my card.

Cheers Carole

[Aus Traveller]

2 hours ago, JohnGc said:

 

Silly question but is it the Platinum card the above bank uses cover cruise travel insurance ?

If you have any specific questions about the insurance (in addition to what is in the pds) you might have to call the underwriter. That is what I had to do when I wanted to check whether the Suncorp CC had an age limit for travel insurance. The underwriter for HSBC, Bank of Q'ld and Suncorp is Allianz. These three have no age limit on their travel insurance. Macquarie's underwriter is Chubb, but Macquarie require an annual taxable income of $50,000. The phone number for Allianz is on page 1 or page 2 of the pds of each bank credit card. BTW, just because Allianz is the underwriter for all of these and many other banks, it does not mean the terms and conditions are the same.

[JohnGc]

3 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

If you have any specific questions about the insurance (in addition to what is in the pds) you might have to call the underwriter. That is what I had to do when I wanted to check whether the Suncorp CC had an age limit for travel insurance. The underwriter for HSBC, Bank of Q'ld and Suncorp is Allianz. These three have no age limit on their travel insurance. Macquarie's underwriter is Chubb, but Macquarie require an annual taxable income of $50,000. The phone number for Allianz is on page 1 or page 2 of the pds of each bank credit card. BTW, just because Allianz is the underwriter for all of these and many other banks, it does not mean the terms and conditions are the same.

Cheers, good to know. I have a Suncorp branch 10 minutes from me so I will contact Alliance  and find out what the go is. 

[Cbtours]

13 hours ago, JohnGc said:

That could be a problem we have not used any credit for many years have always paid cash and house owned. Another problem is when I said we were 80 years old I should have mentioned the wife is 83. It was implied earlier in this topic by CBtours  # 51  that 81 was the cut off point For ANZ. Jeez this getting older even though we could leave youngsters behind in a race ( well nearly ) is a royal pain in the !!!!!!

the minute the clock ticks 12 on your 80th birthday you rise to the new level of insurance! If you cook your insurance while you are still in your 80's, it counts as the age you are at when you book so that covers that year. We got 1Cover for our domestic cruises in Australia waters (june and Oct 2022) no problem however the excess for anyone 80 and over for  a medical claim or cancellation claim is $3000. For all other claims it is same as me, $200 excess. So the main thing is medical expenses incl covid are unlimited. Note these are domestic cruises. I tried to book with them for our Melbourne to NZ cruise next February, and they now no longer cover 80 year olds for international travel, full stop. Not just cruises. I understand it though, this covid is such a global thing that the risks of the older age group getting sick somewhere on the other side of the world is a problem insurance companies jave to weigh up the risk for. So for us, its research again, or more likely just cancel out that cruise.

[Cruisers47]

9 hours ago, JohnGc said:

Cheers, good to know. I have a Suncorp branch 10 minutes from me so I will contact Alliance  and find out what the go is. 

Just for interest, we had a cruise , prior to Covid, and as I required a confirmation of insurance I called the bank and asked for a letter confirming that I had cover,  I received a letter addressed to me stating I had a policy and giving me a policy number.   It ofcourse was a policy number that covered everybody, but I think when we go on a cruise in the UK in July I will ask for a new letter.   Makes you feel a bit more comfortable!

[Aus Traveller]

2 hours ago, Cruisers47 said:

Just for interest, we had a cruise , prior to Covid, and as I required a confirmation of insurance I called the bank and asked for a letter confirming that I had cover,  I received a letter addressed to me stating I had a policy and giving me a policy number.   It ofcourse was a policy number that covered everybody, but I think when we go on a cruise in the UK in July I will ask for a new letter.   Makes you feel a bit more comfortable!

I got a letter confirming my credit card insurance when I went on a cruise to Antarctica. On that cruise, all passengers had to have travel insurance. No-one looked at my proof.

[JohnGc]

Has anyone used the Commonwealth bank Platinum card travel insurance on their cruise ,if so any any comments good or bad ?

 

Cheers John