Complimentary credit card insurance

[NSWP]

19 minutes ago, LittleFish1976 said:

 

I've used Amex credit card insurance once but be warned that you need to pay for your entire trip using that card to qualify for the insurance.

I believe many retailers hit you for a 4% credit card fee with Amex.

[LittleFish1976]

5 minutes ago, adelaidefc said:

 

I think that's only partly true in the new PDS (effective March 2022). For domestic you only need to have spent $500+ on the card for accommodation or the entirety of the outbound leg of a scheduled mode of transport (i e cruise, flight). Similarly for international (so paying for outbound flight alone to/from destination should activate it)

 

Thank you, adelaidefc for that clarification. You're right - just had a look at the new pdf and they have changed it. I notice that the requirements for the domestic and international are different from each other so people would need to be clear on what they need to charge to the card for the type of travel they're doing.

 

 

[Aus Traveller]

6 minutes ago, NSWP said:

I believe many retailers hit you for a 4% credit card fee with Amex.

Even the cruise lines charge a higher percentage if you use an Amex card than they do for the other cards.

[adelaidefc]

8 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

Even the cruise lines charge a higher percentage if you use an Amex card than they do for the other cards.

I just looked through the payments I've made with card for an RCI cruise in November and (now cancelled) Carnival for May... No fees at all for the Amex.

[Aus Traveller]

5 minutes ago, adelaidefc said:

I just looked through the payments I've made with card for an RCI cruise in November and (now cancelled) Carnival for May... No fees at all for the Amex.

That's good. I have seen a notice on a cruise ship about the credit card surcharge, with nil for debit cards, 1.1% for most credit cards, and a higher percentage for Amex. I have also seen a notice in a shop advising that Amex isn't accepted.

Edited April 13, 2022 by Aus Traveller

[adelaidefc]

1 minute ago, Aus Traveller said:

That's good. I have seen a notice on a cruise ship about the credit card surcharge, with nil for debit cards, 1.1% for most credit cards, and a higher percentage for Amex. I have also seen a notice in a shop advising that Amex isn't accepted.

Absolutely. It definitely happens, but not too widely these days. I use it as a points earning card predominantly, but have a personal policy to never 'pay extra' for points. And it still accounts for 80% of my monthly spend on all things (except mortgage), and has earned me enough points in a few years for around the world in Biz class.

There was definitely no fee to pay online direct through RCI, despite them saying there may be a higher fee for Amex. Other providers (major supermarkets, airlines, hotel sites like booking.com and agoda, fuel etc) also don't charge extra. In fact Agoda often has a long running deal of an extra 12% off for Amex . 

I'm yet to use the travel insurance, but have had great experiences with the smartphone screen insurance and the extended warranty, all of which are managed by Chubb. 

[Aus Traveller]

Interesting information.  Thank you. I will check a bit further into Amex.

[Cbtours]

On 4/11/2022 at 2:45 PM, Cbtours said:

Excellent work. Thank you so much. Sort of confirms complimentary is not going to work forcovid and 83 year olds. We have gone with 1Cover which insures both covid and over 80's at what I feel is a reasonable premium.

In an addendum to this, I found yesterday when I tried to get quote for our NZ cruise in Feb 2023, that 1Cover will not cover 80+ for any international travel (cruise or otherwise). It is a newly implemented policy. 

[Aus Traveller]

1 hour ago, Cbtours said:

In an addendum to this, I found yesterday when I tried to get quote for our NZ cruise in Feb 2023, that 1Cover will not cover 80+ for any international travel (cruise or otherwise). It is a newly implemented policy. 

Ouch. Maybe you could move to one of the bank credit cards that don't have an age limit. Currently they exclude claims for COVID, but I feel this will change in time. I hope it changes before your Feb cruise. At the moment the banks without an age limit are Bank of Q'ld, Macquarie, HSBC (Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corp) and Suncorp.

 

I will also mention (as an emergency fall-back option if you can't get medical cover) that NZ has a reciprocal agreement with Australlia that gives Australians free hospital care in that country.

 

Which cruise are you on in February?

Edited April 13, 2022 by Aus Traveller

[Cbtours]

1 hour ago, Aus Traveller said:

Ouch. Maybe you could move to one of the bank credit cards that don't have an age limit. Currently they exclude claims for COVID, but I feel this will change in time. I hope it changes before your Feb cruise. At the moment the banks without an age limit are Bank of Q'ld, Macquarie, HSBC (Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corp) and Suncorp.

 

I will also mention (as an emergency fall-back option if you can't get medical cover) that NZ has a reciprocal agreement with Australlia that gives Australians free hospital care in that country.

 

Which cruise are you on in February?

Melbourne to nz Feb 23 out of melb. I will be investigating options or cancel that cruise

[Ondine]

I did a dummy quote for a cruise in November with 1Cover and found that if I stated a NZ cruise it said it was unable to give me a quote for that but if I put in Aus it gave me a quote.  I assumed that because NZ is not open to cruise ships yet then they are not quoting at the moment.

[Aus Traveller]

6 hours ago, Cbtours said:

Melbourne to nz Feb 23 out of melb. I will be investigating options or cancel that cruise

I see that 1Cover offers medical cover only to under 80-year-olds.

[Ondine]

This is what they state.  Seems pretty steep if you need to cancel.  It also states that cancellation is unlimited so not sure how that works out.  I haven't read the fine print - if you can't claim medical why is there a $3000 excess?

Important note for travellers aged 80 and over: There's a non-removable excess of $3,000 if a medical, additional expenses, or cancellation claim is made. The standard $200 excess applies for all other claims.

[cruiser3775]

I just checked my 1Cover policy.  If you take out their Comprehensive level of cover (and you have to do that for a cruise), then there is no age limit.  .But there are a couple of restrictions, including the $3000 excess.   The other one is: Cover is only available up to a maximum of 6 months per 1 Journey for travellers aged 80 years or over.

I weighed those restrictions up against the level of cover and the premiums of other insurance companies.  One thing I found in 1Cover's favour was that for pre-existing medical conditions, they were more generous. Two of my own medical conditions were actually covered without paying any increase in premium.  I found it  pays to work your way though the medical questionnaire and see what they will cover and at what extra cost. It seems there is a lot of difference between various insurance companies.

Edited April 14, 2022 by cruiser3775

[Cbtours]

48 minutes ago, Ondine said:

This is what they state.  Seems pretty steep if you need to cancel.  It also states that cancellation is unlimited so not sure how that works out.  I haven't read the fine print - if you can't claim medical why is there a $3000 excess?

Important note for travellers aged 80 and over: There's a non-removable excess of $3,000 if a medical, additional expenses, or cancellation claim is made. The standard $200 excess applies for all other claims.

It is unlimited medical expenses, just the first $3000 is the excess for over 80’s.

if an over 80 claimed fir anything other than medical or cancellation then $200 excess applies

[Janet&Carl]

On 4/11/2022 at 2:45 PM, Cbtours said:

 We have gone with 1Cover which insures both covid and over 80's at what I feel is a reasonable premium.

 

 

Do they have specific cruise cover ?  and more importantly do you need it for a cruise ?  MSC are requiring insurance cover to include covid and cruise cover before you will be allowed to board.

[Cbtours]

Just now, Janet&Carl said:

 

 

Do they have specific cruise cover ?  and more importantly do you need it for a cruise ?  MSC are requiring insurance cover to include covid and cruise cover before you will be allowed to board.

Yes you have to select cruise cover and covid is covered unlimited medical etc. it’s the cancellation fees that mount up. Which we might go for basic seeing as our cruise was only $5k. To cover for unlimited cancellation was very expensive 

[JohnGc]

If using a debit card with free travel insurance can you pay for your cruise and does it attract any fees ?

[Aus Traveller]

1 minute ago, JohnGc said:

If using a debit card with free travel insurance can you pay for your cruise and does it attract any fees ?

Usually there are no fees when using a debit card.

[JohnGc]

Just now, Aus Traveller said:

Usually there are no fees when using a debit card.

What a great forum with so many helpful cruisers.Thank you Aus Traveller and thank you to all contributors for sharing your knowledge.

[NSWP]

17 hours ago, Aus Traveller said:

Usually there are no fees when using a debit card.

Not always, Raymonds Chinese Restuarant down here hit me with .08% card fee when I paid with my ANZ Visa Debit Card last Thursday night - Rogues.  I have not been to Aldi in ages but I think they hit it up too.

[possum52]

41 minutes ago, NSWP said:

Not always, Raymonds Chinese Restuarant down here hit me with .08% card fee when I paid with my ANZ Visa Debit Card last Thursday night - Rogues.  I have not been to Aldi in ages but I think they hit it up too.

One of our local cafes charges a similar fee on Visa/Mastercard debit cards too which is annoying as they serve great coffee and food.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Cafes and small restaurants have really been hit hard by credit/debit card fees since the pandemic "encouraged" most people to stop using cash. I wish they'd just raise their prices a bit though instead of adding the card fee when paying but I guess they're worried about stay competitive.  I really hate this card fee system. 

[Cruisers47]

6 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Cafes and small restaurants have really been hit hard by credit/debit card fees since the pandemic "encouraged" most people to stop using cash. I wish they'd just raise their prices a bit though instead of adding the card fee when paying but I guess they're worried about stay competitive.  I really hate this card fee system. 

Hi

 

i have noticed that some shops are asking for cash only now.

 

the nail salon and a couple of other shops in my area are now cash only.

 

given I used to work for the ATO I can only think that a lot of this cash is not being returned as income.!   Can’t help my background.

 

I am happy to pay a little more.  My hairdresser charges a credit card fee but that is usually less than $1.

 

Eileen

 

 

[Aus Traveller]

3 minutes ago, Cruisers47 said:

Hi

i have noticed that some shops are asking for cash only now.

the nail salon and a couple of other shops in my area are now cash only.

given I used to work for the ATO I can only think that a lot of this cash is not being returned as income.!   Can’t help my background.

I am happy to pay a little more.  My hairdresser charges a credit card fee but that is usually less than $1.

 

Eileen

I haven't worked for the ATO, but I agree with your comment that it's likely a lot of the cash isn't reported as income.