5 Steps to Buy Travel Insurance

Purchasing Travel insurance doesn't need to be difficult! Follow these simple 5 steps to cover you while you travel.

Purchasing travel insurance can be simple and easy with Fast Cover

Finally, the time of year rolls around where you get to go on vacation! After carefully picking out your destination, finding just the right places to stay, and checking all vaccinations, you take the plunge and book the flight ticket. Immediately, a question pops up on the screen: ‘Would you like to purchase travel insurance?’ While ticking a box during your ticket purchase may seem nice and convenient, buying your insurance this way may not be in your best interest. Following are a few tips on how to buy travel insurance to make sure you not only get the cover you need, but also don’t end up paying too much for it.

Before you buy…

Generally speaking, one in five Australian travellers need some sort of assistance on their trip. Whether it’s lost luggage, a cancelled hotel, or a medical emergency, with the right insurance policy you are covered. Pick the wrong insurance plan though, and you end up with out of pocket expenses and a bitter taste in your mouth.

Before purchasing any travel insurance, check out your existing insurance packages. Sometimes you are already covered for certain eventualities by your private medical insurance, and often credit card companies also offer a certain insurance cover when using them for buying flights or booking hotels. Knowing what you are already covered for means that you can either opt for additional cover through a travel insurance or simply cherry pick a policy that suits your requirements.

Step 1 – Consider what level of cover you need for your trip

Most insurance companies offer policies with various tiers of coverage for both domestic and international travel. These can range from emergency medical-only policies, to comprehensive policies which may include cover for lost or stolen luggage, missed connections or cancellation costs.

Also consider if you need any extra cover for:

Pre-existing medical conditions
Cruising
Adventure sports and activities
Skiing or snowboarding
Specified item cover for high value items
Rental vehicle insurance excess

Step 2 – Compare Travel Insurance Providers & Policies

Compare policies and prices, but remember the old adage: you get what you pay for! While it may be tempting to simply scrounge for the cheapest policy you can find, make sure you check for loopholes and exclusions hidden in the fine print that might come back to bite you later.

Check for features such as:

24-hour emergency contact centre
Unlimited medical cover
Unlimited cancellation cover
No limits for partners or dependents on family policies
Options to reduce the excess
Price guarantee

Step 3 – Read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS)

It’s important to understand exactly what you are and aren’t covered for, so read the PDS carefully. Insurers will have their PDS available on their website or you can request a copy to be emailed or posted to you.

The PDS should include:

Words with special meanings
Eligibility criteria to purchase a policy
What you ARE and AREN’T covered for
A table of benefits (the limits and sub-limits of your cover)
General exclusions
Information on how to make a claim

Step 4 – Get a travel insurance quote

Now you’ve researched and compared policies, it’s time to get a quote for your travel insurance.

To get an accurate quote you’ll need to know:

Your travel departure and return dates
The regions you’re travelling to
The names of all travellers
The birth dates of all travellers

Step 5 – Purchase a travel insurance policy

The last step is to purchase your policy. At Fast Cover we’ve made it as fast and simple as possible. You can find and purchase your desired level of cover within a few clicks online or give us a call and we’ll be happy to arrange it for you.

To purchase a travel insurance policy:

Go to our website: fastcover.com.au
Or call us on: 1300 409 322

Medical Benefits	Basics	Domestic Plus	Standard Saver	Comprehensive	Snow Sports Plus	Frequent Traveller Saver
Overseas 24/7 Emergency Medical Assistance^ sub-limits:	Unlimited	–––	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Funeral/cremation Overseas and/or bringing your remains home (per person)	$20,000		$20,000	$20,000	$20,000	$20,000
Overseas Emergency Medical & Hospital Expenses^	Unlimited	–––	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Overseas Emergency Dental	$500	–––	$750	$1,000	$1,000	$1,000
Overseas Emergency Evacuation & Repatriation	Unlimited	–––	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Overseas Hospital Cash Payment^ sub-limits:	–––	–––	–––	$5,000	$5,000	$5,000
Daily Limit (per person)				$50	$50	$50
Accidental Death Travellers Aged 80 to 89:	–––	$25,000 $20,000	–––	$25,000 $20,000	$25,000 $20,000	$25,000 $20,000
Death of a Dependant (per Dependant)		$5,000		$5,000	$5,000	$5,000
Permanent Disability^ Travellers Aged 80 to 89:	–––	–––	–––	$50,000 $20,000	$50,000 $20,000	$25,000 $20,000
Permanent Disability of a Dependant (per Dependant)		$5,000		$5,000	$5,000	$5,000
Loss of Income^ sub-limits:	–––	–––	–––	$10,400	$10,400	$10,400
Weekly Limit (per person) - up to 26 weeks				$400	$400	$400

Financial Benefits	Basics	Domestic Plus	Standard Saver	Comprehensive	Snow Sports Plus	Frequent Traveller Saver
Trip Cancellation Expenses sub-limits:	–––	Unlimited	$25,000	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Travel Agents Cancellation Fees		$1,500	$1,500	$1,500	$1,500	$1,500
Close Relatives with a Pre-existing Medical Condition		$2,000	$2,000	$2,000	$2,000	$2,000
Personal Liability	$1,000,000	$5,000,000	$2,500,000	$5,000,000	$5,000,000	$5,000,000
Trip Disruption Expenses sub-limits:	–––	$50,000	$30,000	$50,000	$50,000	$50,000
Close Relatives with a Pre-existing Medical Condition		$2,000	$2,000	$2,000	$2,000	$2,000
Trip Resumption Expenses	–––	$3,000	$2,000	$3,000	$3,000	$3,000
Luggage & Personal Effects sub-limits:	Optional	$7,500	$5,000	$15,000	$15,000	$15,000
Personal computers,video recorders or cameras (per item)	$3,000	$3,000	$3,000	$3,000	$3,000	$3,000
Mobile phones (per item)	$1,500	$1,500	$1,500	$1,500	$1,500	$1,500
Tablets (per item)	$1,000	$1,000	$1,000	$1,000	$1,000	$1,000
All other unspecified items (per item)	$750	$750	$750	$750	$750	$750
Luggage and Personal Effects stolen from a Locked Storage Compartment of an unoccupied vehicle during daylight hours	$2,000	$2,000	$2,000	$2,000	$2,000	$2,000
Passports, Credit Cards & Credit Card Fraud^	–––	–––	$2,000	$5,000	$5,000	$5,000
Special Event Transport Expenses	–––	$5,000	–––	$5,000	$5,000	$5,000
Rental Vehicle Excess sub-limits:	–––	$5,000	Optional	Optional	Optional	Optional
Return of Rental Vehicle		$500	$500	$500	$500	$500
Travel Delay Expenses sub-limits:	–––	$2,000	–––	$2,000	$2,000	$2,000
Daily Limit (per person) (we will pay up to $200 for each full 24 hours beyond the initial 6 hour delay)		$200		$200	$200	$200
Delay of Luggage and Personal Effects^	–––	–––	–––	$750	$750	$750
Theft of Cash^	–––	–––	–––	$250	$250	$250

Snow Sports Benefits	Basics	Domestic Plus	Standard Saver	Comprehensive	Snow Sports Plus	Frequent Traveller Saver
Snow Sport Equipment	–––	$1,500	–––	–––	$1,500	–––
Snow Equipment Replacement Hire	–––	$1,500	–––	–––	$1,500	–––
Snow Prepaid Expenses	–––	$750	–––	–––	$750	–––
Snow Resort Closure sub-limits:	–––	$1,000	–––	–––	$1,000	–––
Daily Limit (per person)		$100			$100

COVID-19 Benefits	Basics	Domestic Plus	Standard Saver	Comprehensive	Snow Sports Plus	Frequent Traveller Saver
COVID-19 Overseas Emergency Medical, Hospital & Medical Evacuation Expenses	Unlimited	–––	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Funeral/cremation Overseas and/or bringing your remains home (per person)	$20,000	–––	$20,000	$20,000	$20,000	$20,000
COVID-19 Trip Cancellation & Disruption	–––	$3,500	$3,000	$5,000	$5,000	$5,000

Please note: This is only a summary of benefits. Policy terms, conditions, limits, sub limits and exclusions apply to each cover type. Benefit limits shown are for Single and Duo (per person) policies. Pooled Benefits mean that Family policy benefit limits apply for the whole family and are double the corresponding benefit limit under a Single policy, except for certain benefits - please refer to the Product Disclosure Statement for full details. ^Cover under these Benefits are excluded while travelling within Australia.

Traveller Testimonials

Such a good insurance company

After having insured with Fast Cover many times I find the policy is of excellent value, and so easy to set up online. I have recommended this company to many of my friends as I am extremely satisfied with how friendly and helpful they are.

Mim – Productreview.com.au

Comprehensive travel insurance

We have used Fast Cover many times and find this company in particular good value for money and cover all the items we need as senior travellers.

Rainy – Productreview.com.au

Helpful service

The policy was very well priced and options were available so I could tailor what I purchased to my needs. I set it up online, paid and had confirmation and printable paperwork in less than 15 minutes. On the occasion I needed to make a claim, this was dealt with quickly and satisfactorily by helpful telephone assistants. I continue to buy my travel insurance from Fast Cover.

Sandy – Productreview.com.au

Our call centres are based in Australia so you'll only ever talk to Australian based sales & claim staff.

The price on your quote is 'Locked In' for 48 hours.

Wherever you're travelling and whenever you need us, our 24/7 worldwide expert assistance team are ready and waiting to help.

We're Australian, so we understand how Aussies travel and you'll only ever talk to Australian based sales and claim staff.

Things you need to know

^* See Product Disclosure Statement for full terms and conditions and exclusions and limits that apply.

^# Available with our Comprehensive policies only.

^** No cover is provided for pregnancy, childbirth or related complications unless it is a single, uncomplicated pregnancy up to and including 23 weeks. In any event we will not pay medical expenses for regular antenatal care, childbirth at any gestation or care of the newborn child. Complications mean any secondary diagnosis occurring prior to, during the course of, concurrent with, or as a result of the pregnancy, which may adversely affect the pregnancy outcome.

⁺ Statistics based on 'Travel by Australians' quarterly report for June 2013, 'Tourism Industry Facts & Figures at a Glance' September 2012, Cruise Industry Source Market Report: Australia 2013 and Fast Cover Customers.

² 5% saving is based on the cost of a Duo policy versus the cost of two single policies. Excess reduction discount based on excess reduction cost under a Duo policy versus cost under two single policies. Duo policies do not provide cover for any dependent children.

⁴ Price based on an 18 day Basics policy to South Pacific region for Single traveller aged 50 years old or younger with $200 excess.

⁶ Must be accompanied by a professional instructor or guide.

Dubai & The UAE

5 Steps to Buy Travel Insurance