Travel Alert: India and Pakistan - Attacks India and Pakistan - Attacks
Attacks in India and Pakistan
On the morning of 7 May 2025 (AEST), the Indian government launched targeted missile attacks on terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan administered Kashmir. This is a response to a terror attack in the Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam, in Indian-administered Jammu & Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians on April 22, 2025. Smartraveller is advising that there may be flight disruptions due to airspace and airport closures and for customers to check with their airlines.
Smartraveller has not changed their overall advice for Jammu & Kashmir and continue to advise travellers to not travel to this region, which has been in effect since October 2019. They continue to advise ‘Exercise a high degree of caution in India overall' due to the threat of terrorism and crime and the risk of civil unrest’ and ‘Reconsider your need to travel to Pakistan overall’. Higher levels apply in some areas in India and Pakistan.
What to do
Follow local government and media advice.
Contact your airline, cruise company, travel agent, travel provider etc as they should be able to provide immediate help with rescheduling or providing you with your options.
Most companies that offer Travel insurance have a Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) where customers are able to look into their terms and conditions. Not all providers have the same benefits or limits in their policies.
Australians travelling with travel insurance
Australians love to travel. Before you embark on your journey, one of the things you should consider doing is compare travel insurance quotes and benefits before you make a commitment. Many travel agents and credit card providers do provide travel insurance but these could be more expensive and coverage may be inadequate or not appropriate.
Companies such as APIA Travel Insurance, Virgin Travel Insurance, Allianz Travel Insurance, TID Travel Insurance and Covermore Travel Insurance along with Fast Cover, offer Travel Insurance policies that provide medical coverage for you and your travel companions with many different levels of cover depending on your travel requirements.
Though it seems as though insurance companies are the same, this is simply not the case. Every travel insurance company provide different cover levels. The difference in cover level may not be immediately obvious. If you want to know the real differences, you will need to read their PDS. This is usually easily downloadable on the travel insurance providers website. Our PDS can be found .
Travel Insurance providers are here to be in your time of need while you travel*. It is important that you read the entire document to ensure you are fully aware of what you are covered for.
Different companies, similar cover
Australia has many insurance providers specialising in travel insurance from the basic medical cover to comprehensive coverage. Some companies include loss of luggage, cancellation, medical coverage and travel delays.
Though all of these travel insurance providers come with benefits that are similar to each other, every company has its own cover types and inclusions. It is important to do your research when choosing the right level of cover for your specific trip. Some holidays may require more coverage for activities and some may not need full coverage.
Tips for keeping the cost of travel insurance down from travel insurance providers
Comparison sites are obviously a great starting point for finding travel insurance. With just a few clicks of a mouse, you get quotes from a . However, this is just the starting point to finding the right travel insurance for you. Once you have selected a handful of policies that suit your needs, there is more you can do to lower the overall cost. By asking yourself these 3 questions below, you may be able to save on your travel insurance.
What is the cover you need?
Travel insurance policies can include anything from luggage cover to adventure sports cover, or just offer bare bones medical emergency cover. Whatever trip you have in mind will dictate the type of cover that you need! For example, if you are planning on taking a lot of electronic equipment with you, the policy you should consider is one that has a larger amount of luggage cover or the optional extra of insuring expensive electronics.
How much excess can you afford?
The excess is what you have to pay towards any claim. This excess can be as low as $0 if you are prepared to pay an additional premium upfront. The reason the excess is important is because each travel insurance handles it differently: say your backpack containing a tablet, a phone, and a camera gets stolen; is the excess applied to each item or all of them as a whole? Paying an additional premium for the excess reduction option when purchasing the policy may save you money when it comes to claims time!
Single trip or multi-trip?
If you are planning on travelling a lot in a given year, taking out multiple single trip policies may prove to me more expensive than one multi-trip policy where you can travel numerous times a year on just one policy. Obviously, each one has its pros and cons, and you have to keep an eye on how many days you are allowed to travel under multi-trip insurance policies.
Now that you are covered
Once you have found the right company that suits your budget to cover you for travel insurance, you can go ahead and enjoy your overseas adventures with peace of mind and with some extra money in your wallet!
*All information is subject to terms and conditions according to their Product Disclosure Statement (PDS). Fast Cover PDS can be foundhere
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.
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 back to Australia (per person)
$20,000
$20,000
$20,000
$20,000
$20,000
Repatriation of your mortal remains from a Schengen listed country back to Australia (only if you have an approved and valid Schengen visa)(per person)
$60,000
–––
$60,000
$60,000
$60,000
$60,000
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
Accidental Death for travellers up to age 79
$25,000
$25,000
$25,000
$25,000
Accidental Death for travellers aged 80 - 89
$20,000
$20,000
$20,000
$20,000
Accidental 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 for travellers up to age 79
$50,000
$50,000
$25,000
Permanent Disability for travellers aged 80 - 89
$20,000
$20,000
$20,000
Permanent Disability of a Dependant (per Dependant)
$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 that do not meet Close relative conditions
$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 up to $2,000
$7,500
$5,000
$15,000
$15,000
$15,000
Stand-alone personal computers, cameras and video recorders (excluding devices with integrated cameras or recording functions, such as mobile phones, Drones or similar devices) (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 unattended vehicle during daylight hours.
We will pay up to $200 for each item and $2,000 in total for all stolen items.
$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 up to $8,000
Optional up to $8,000
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 back to Australia (per person)
$20,000
–––
$20,000
$20,000
$20,000
$20,000
Repatriation of your mortal remains from a Schengen listed country back to Australia (only if you have an approved and valid Schengen visa)(per person)
$60,000
–––
$60,000
$60,000
$60,000
$60,000
COVID-19 Trip Cancellation & Disruption
–––
$3,500
$3,000
$5,000
$5,000
$5,000
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.
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.
†
Fast Cover has a referral arrangement with this company.
The entity that referred you does not act for Fast Cover and may receive remuneration from us.
You can ask them or us for more details. Make sure any information listed in any quote provided
remains accurate and if not, please change it on our website or you can contact us.
†
