Travel insurance with COVID-19 cover

If COVID 19 has affected your travel plans, date changes may be possible, but it depends on the status of your policy and what’s changing. The most practical first step is to contact the customer service team with your new intended travel dates, because they’ll need to check whether your policy can be amended under the policy rules, and whether any premium difference applies. 

If you’ve already started your trip or you’re trying to extend cover while you’re travelling, different conditions can apply, so it’s important the change is requested as soon as you know your plans have shifted. 

Every change and claim is reviewed individually on a case-by-case basis and will only be approved if it meets the terms, conditions, limits, and exclusions in your policy. Always check the PDS carefully so you know exactly what’s included before you travel. 

You may have cover for overseas emergency medical, hospital and medical evacuation costs if you are diagnosed with COVID 19 while you are in a country listed on your Certificate of insurance. This cover is available on all overseas policies and has unlimited benefit limits.  

There are a few key conditions, like COVID 19 testing is only covered if it’s undertaken as part of your hospitalisation, and your medical costs must be confirmed in writing by a medical practitioner. You also need to notify the emergency team as soon as practicable if you’re admitted to hospital. 

You may also have COVID 19 trip cancellation or trip disruption cover in certain situations, such as if you unexpectedly test positive and can’t meet a cross-border entry requirement, you are refused boarding due to a positive test or failed screening, or a medical practitioner confirms you are medically unfit to travel due to COVID 19.  

Every claim is reviewed individually on a case-by-case basis and will only be paid if it meets the terms, conditions, limits, and exclusions in your policy. Always check the PDS carefully so you know exactly what’s included before you travel. 

If you’re personally directed by a government health authority to isolate or quarantine overseas during your trip, you may be able to claim for reasonable additional accommodation and travel costs until you can continue travelling at the earliest possible time. This can include the extra accommodation costs linked to your isolation or quarantine. 

This can also apply if you’re directed to quarantine because you’re a close contact of someone listed on your policy who has tested positive, or if you’re prevented from boarding a carrier because you’ve tested positive or failed screening. 

If your trip end date needs to change because you can’t travel home yet, cover may be extended in some situations where your trip is necessarily extended due to an unforeseeable circumstance outside your control, but it needs to be approved first. 

Every claim is reviewed individually on a case-by-case basis and will only be paid if it meets the terms, conditions, limits, and exclusions in your policy. Always check the PDS carefully so you know exactly what’s included before you travel. 

It’s entirely your decision whether to take out travel insurance for your trip. However, it’s a good idea to check carefully whether your destination country, airline, cruise company, or tour operator requires you to have travel insurance as a condition of travel. Some may specifically ask for proof of cover, particularly for COVID-19 related medical expenses. 

Having a policy in place can also help protect you against unexpected costs if you become unwell with COVID-19 while overseas, need medical treatment, or are required to quarantine after a positive test, provided these are covered under your policy. Always check the details in PDS and TMD though before you decide whether you need travel insurance during COVID-19. 

Every claim is reviewed individually on a case-by-case basis and will only be paid if it meets the terms, conditions, limits, and exclusions in your policy. Always check the PDS carefully so you know exactly what’s included before you travel. 

If you contract COVID-19 overseas and need medical treatment, you may be able to claim for eligible overseas medical expenses, including doctors’ fees, as long as you’re travelling in a country shown on your Certificate of Insurance and your policy includes COVID 19 Overseas Emergency Medical, Hospital and Medical Evacuation Expenses. This benefit is available on our overseas policies, but it isn’t included on our Domestic Plus policy. 

A few key conditions apply. Your medical costs need to be medically necessary and confirmed in writing by a medical practitioner. COVID-19 testing is only covered when it’s part of your hospitalisation. If you’re admitted to hospital, you need to notify the emergency assistance team as soon as reasonably possible. 

Every claim is reviewed individually on a case-by-case basis and will only be paid if it meets the terms, conditions, limits, and exclusions in your policy. Always check the PDS carefully so you know exactly what’s included before you travel. 

If your trip is cancelled or rescheduled due to COVID-19, you should first contact your airline, cruise line, or travel provider to see if they will refund, credit, or rebook your travel. Travel insurance does not provide cover for every COVID-19 situation. 

Depending on the policy you purchased, you may have some cover for COVID-19 Trip Cancellation and Disruption if you personally test positive for COVID-19 and can no longer travel as planned. However, there is no cover if your trip is affected by government border closures, quarantine requirements not linked to a diagnosis, or general changes made by airlines or travel providers. 

Every claim is reviewed individually on a case-by-case basis and will only be paid if it meets the terms, conditions, limits, and exclusions in your policy. Always check the PDS carefully so you know exactly what’s included before you travel. 

The Loss of Income benefit only applies if you are injured on your overseas trip and, as a direct result of that injury, you are unable to return to your usual occupation in Australia due to circumstances as explained in the PDS. This benefit does not extend to claims that arise from illness, including COVID-19. 

This means that if your return home is delayed because you have contracted COVID-19, you would not be able to claim for loss of income under this benefit. 

Every claim is reviewed individually on a case-by-case basis and will only be paid if it meets the terms, conditions, limits, and exclusions in your policy. Always check the PDS carefully so you know exactly what’s included before you travel. 

There is cover for cancellation, rescheduling fees and lost deposits for travel and accommodation arrangements that you have paid in advance and cannot recover in any other way (such as a travel credit) if you are unexpectedly prevented from boarding an airline, bus line, shipping line or rail authority because you have tested positive for COVID-19 or failed a COVID-19 screening procedure administered by the airline, bus line, shipping line or rail authority. This cover is not available on the Basics policy.

There is no cover if your claim arises:

• from you acting unlawfully or breaking any government prohibition, laws or regulation including visa requirements (such as COVID-19 vaccination requirements). 
• from the denial of boarding of any airline, shipping line or other carrier due to COVID-19 vaccination requirements.

Please note: There is no cover for any claims directly or indirectly related to COVID-19 for any event that arises within the first 72 hours of purchasing your policy.

There is only cover for COVID-19 related claims if you purchased your policy after the 10^th February 2022, unless you purchased the optional COVID-19 Pack and it appears on your Certificate of Insurance. Cover is subject to the policy terms, conditions, limits and exclusions in the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS).

If you are diagnosed with COVID-19 while overseas and cannot return home on your planned date, you may have cover under your policy for certain additional costs. This can include: 

• COVID-19 Overseas Emergency Medical, Hospital and Medical Evacuation Expenses if you need treatment while overseas. 
• COVID-19 Trip Cancellation and Disruption for reasonable additional accommodation and travel costs until you are able to return home, provided the disruption arises because you unexpectedly tested positive to COVID-19 and a medical practitioner certifies that you are medically unfit to travel due to your COVID 19 diagnosis. . 

You will need to provide medical evidence, such as a report or test result from a qualified practitioner, to support your claim. 

It’s important to note that cover is not available for all situations. There is also no cover for any COVID-19 related event that arises within the first 72 hours of purchasing your policy. 

Every claim is reviewed individually on a case-by-case basis and will only be paid if it meets the terms, conditions, limits, and exclusions in your policy. Always check the PDS carefully so you know exactly what’s included before you travel. 

If a person named on your Certificate of Insurance tests positive for COVID-19 during your trip, and you are personally directed by a government health authority to isolate or quarantine as a result, depending on the policy chosen, you may be able to claim for your reasonable additional accommodation and travel expenses under the COVID-19 Trip Disruption benefit, up to the limits outlined in your policy. 

You will need to provide documentation, such as the positive COVID-19 test result from a medical practitioner for the insured person, along with official confirmation of your quarantine or isolation order. 

It’s important to note that there is no cover for general government-mandated quarantine requirements that are not linked to a COVID-19 diagnosis, or if your claim relates to COVID-19 within the first 72 hours of purchasing your policy. 

Every claim is reviewed individually on a case-by-case basis and will only be paid if it meets the terms, conditions, limits, and exclusions in your policy. Always check the PDS carefully so you know exactly what’s included before you travel. 

If you no longer wish to travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic and need to cancel your travel insurance policy, your options will depend on when you purchased the policy and whether your trip has started. 

• If you are within the 25-day cooling-off period and your trip has not yet begun, you can generally cancel your policy and receive a full refund of your premium. 
• If the cooling-off period has passed, but your trip has not yet started, you may still be able to make changes to the departure and return dates of your policy if your travel plans are postponed. Any premium differences will be adjusted depending on your new trip details. 
• If your trip has already commenced or if you have made a claim or intend to make a claim or have exercised any of your rights under policy such as using your travel insurance policy to obtain a visa or enter into a country, the policy cannot be cancelled for a refund. 

It’s important to note that travel insurance does not provide cover for every COVID-19 situation, and there is no cover for cancellation simply because of general concerns about the pandemic or government travel restrictions. 

Every request and claim is reviewed individually on a case-by-case basis and will only be approved if it meets the terms, conditions, limits, and exclusions in your policy. Always check the PDS carefully so you know exactly what’s included before making any decisions. 

If you decide to cancel your trip due to concern or fear of COVID-19, this is not a covered event under travel insurance. Policies only provide cancellation cover if your trip is disrupted by specific insured circumstances, such as being diagnosed as COVID-19 positive by a medical practitioner following a PCR test, or if another covered event directly prevents you from travelling. 

Changing your mind about travel or cancelling because you are worried about the general risks of COVID-19, is not considered a valid reason for cancellation. 

You have a 25-day cooling off period, in which you can request to cancel your policy within this period for a full refund, provided you have fulfilled the conditions outlined in the PDS.  

Every claim is reviewed individually on a case-by-case basis and will only be paid if it meets the terms, conditions, limits, and exclusions in your policy. Always check the PDS carefully so you know exactly what’s included before you travel.