Travel Insurance for Luggage and Personal Effects

When going on holidays, we all need to bring some luggage and personal belongings. There’s nothing worse than buying a new $500+ suitcase and then having it or your belongings either lost, damaged or even worse, stolen. Luckily, Fast Cover’s travel insurance for Luggage and Personal Effects Benefit, may be able to provide you with certain protection for being out of pocket due to theft, loss or damage. It is important to note that you will need to add luggage and personal effects cover to a Basics policy as it is not automatically included under Basics policies. 

Any advice is general advice only and does not take into account your individual objectives, financial situation or needs. Consider the PDS eligibility criteria, policy terms, conditions, exclusions and limits apply, prior to deciding on which policy is right for you and your needs.

What is luggage and personal effects insurance and what does it cover?

Fast Cover’s benefit for luggage and personal effects provides certain cover for damage, loss or theft of your own personal items which you take with you on your trip. When looking at different coverage options, it’s worth noting that certain items have different limits, sub limits, and  terms and conditions that apply as outlined in the PDS. You should also be aware of relevant exclusions that may apply, for example, an exclusion applies in the event that you have not exercised reasonable care at all times to protect and secure your luggage and personal effects. 

This benefit is available under the Comprehensive, Snow Sports and Frequent Traveller Saver policies. 

In the event of your luggage being lost, stolen or accidentally damaged, provided you have complied with the conditions of cover listed in the PDS, we will determine whether we pay you for (whichever is lesser): 

• the cost to repair the item, 

• the cost to replace the item, or 

• the purchase price of the item less any depreciation that applies. 

Fast Cover’s benefit for delay of luggage and personal effects can reimburse you for the necessary expenses you incur if your luggage and personal effects are delayed, misdirected or misplaced by your transport carrier in the circumstances outlined in the PDS. 

This means that if you need to purchase toiletries, a change of clothes or other essentials while your bag is delayed, you can be reimbursed for these expenses. In order to be covered under luggage delay, luggage will need to be delayed, misdirected or misplaced for more than 12 hours.

What is considered luggage and personal effects? 

Under Fast Cover’s PDS, luggage and personal effects means any personal items owned by you and that you take with you, or buy, on your trip and which are designed to be worn or carried about with you.  

Luggage and personal effects include: 

• items of clothing 

• personal jewellery 

• photographic and video equipment 

• personal computers 

• electrical devices or portable equipment 

Throughout this page, we may refer to these items as baggage and luggage interchangeably, as we know some customers  call it baggage, while others call it  luggage!

What is not considered luggage and personal effects? 

You should be aware that under Fast Cover’s PDS luggage and personal effects does not mean: 

• a bicycle 

• any business sample 

• passports or travel documents 

• cash, bank notes, currency notes 

• unset precious or semi-precious stones 

• watercraft of any type (except surfboards) 

• furniture, furnishings, household appliances 

• hired items or items that you intend to trade 

There may be certain cover available under other Benefits for those items that are not covered above, such as Theft of Cash or as an add on such as the Bicycle Pack for lost, stolen, or accidentally damaged bicycles.  

Policy benefit limits for luggage and personal effects 

The most we will pay for unspecified and specified items combined depends on the level of cover you take out. We have summarised below, how the luggage and personal effects benefit works depending on the cover type you choose. It is not exhaustive and you will need to review the PDS for policy terms, conditions, exclusions, limits and sub limits that apply:

 The benefit limit for a Frequent Traveller Saver policy is $15,000 for all travellers combined.

What is the most Fast Cover will reimburse me for my luggage and personal effects? 

We distinguish your luggage and personal effects into 2 categories: 

1. Unspecified items 

1. Specified high value items

Unspecified items 

Unspecified items are your items which you have chosen to not declare and have not paid an additional premium to cover the item. Unspecified items are subject to the sub-limits and depends on the type of items you are claiming for. 

• $3,000 AUD for your stand-alone personal computers, cameras and video recorders– whether digital or manual (excluding devices with integrated cameras or recording functions, such as mobile phones, drones or similar devices) 

• $1,500 AUD for mobile phones, other portable communication equipment  

• $1,000 AUD for small mobile hand-held computers including tablet devices like iPads 

• $750 AUD for other unspecified items or sets 

We will pay up to the original purchase price of the item less the depreciation that applies.

Depreciation Table for Unspecified Luggage and Personal Effects

Depreciation will be applied to claims for unspecified luggage and personal effects and relevant items as follows (not applicable to Specified High Value Items or items purchased whilst on your trip): 

Specified high value items 

Specified high value items are high value items which you declare and pay an additional premium to cover the item. If you have valuable items worth more than the sub-limits for unspecified items, you can choose to pay an additional premium to declare that item, subject to the Specified high value item limits below. These are classified as ‘Specified High Value Items’ and are not subject to depreciation. 

Specified high value item limits 

We will pay up to the cost price of the Specified High Value Item or set, up to the maximum limit of $5000 AUD, and the maximum we will pay for all specified high value items combined is $10,000 AUD. 

Jewellery, watches (other than Smart watches), fragile or brittle items, bicycles and water craft (other than surfboards) cannot be declared as Specified high value items. 

Pairs or sets 

If your item is a part of a pair and set, we will pay no more than the value of the item lost, stolen or damaged regardless of any special value that the item may have had as part of a pair or set. This does include items that are used as a pair, related to one another or considered one item such as: 

• Cameras, lenses, whether they are attached or not, tripod and accessories 

• Matching pair of earrings. 

Items stolen from your car 

If your luggage and personal effects, including specified high value items, are stolen from a locked compartment, boot or unattended motor vehicle during daylight hours, the most we will pay is: 

• $200 AUD for each item, and 

• $2000 AUD in total for all stolen items. 

No cover is available if you leave your luggage and personal effects in an unattended motor vehicle overnight under any circumstances. 

What is not covered by luggage travel insurance? 

As much as we would like to cover you for everything, there are some situations where we cannot provide cover under our policies. Some examples of these include but are not limited to: 

1. If you have not exercised reasonable care at all times to ensure your personal belongings are safe and secure. For example, if your luggage and personal effects  are left unsupervised or in a public place such as at the restaurant table whilst you go to the restroom. 

2. If your luggage and personal effects  are stolen, lost or damaged as a result of them being left behind in your accommodation, hotel or motel room after you have checked out. This also includes items that have been left behind in: 

• Any aircraft 

• Cruise ship 

• Ferry 

• Train 

• Tram 

• Taxi or bus 

• Rental vehicle 

• Restaurant, bar or café 

3. For the loss, theft, or damage of jewellery, mobile phone, camera, video camera, drone, tablet device, personal computer, computer equipment or their accessories that are transported in the cargo hold of any carrier, unless you have been instructed by the airline or relevant authority to check the devices in due to government regulation. 

4. If your jewellery, watches, mobile phones, camera, video camera, personal computer, tablet device, computer equipment, are lost or stolen from your accommodation where a safe or locker has been provided and you have not used it. 

5. If the luggage and personal effects are left in an unattended motor vehicle overnight, even if they are locked in the boot or a locked storage compartment. 

You should refer to the PDS for full details on policy terms, conditions, exclusions, limits and sub-limits that apply.  In the event of a claim, our claims team will fully assess your claim as every individual’s circumstances are different and claims are assessed on a case by case basis and in accordance with the terms and conditions of your policy and certificate of insurance. 

How much can I claim if my luggage is delayed by my carrier?

Comprehensive, Snow Sports Plus and Frequent Traveller Savers policies provide certain cover if your luggage is delayed by your transport provider under the Delay of Luggage and Personal Effects benefit. You can submit a claim for the cost of purchasing essential items, such as: 

• Toothbrush and other toiletries 

• Clothing (undergarments if appropriate) 

• Food or items for children that are considered important or essential

What can’t I claim if my luggage is delayed?

Some examples of situations that are not covered under our policies include (but are not limited to): 

• If Your luggage is delayed for less than 12 hours 

• If You are claiming for someone else not insured on the policy 

• If your luggage is delayed on the final return leg of your trip home. 

You also need to ensure that you comply with the important cover conditions, for example, you will need to obtain written confirmation of the delay of your luggage from your travel provider otherwise your claim may be denied. 

See the PDS for full policy terms, conditions, exclusions, limits and sub limits that apply.

Making a claim for lost, damaged or stolen luggage or personal effects 

If you need to make a claim under your policy, follow the steps below. 

As each individual’s circumstances are different, we will assess each claim on a case by case basis and in accordance with your specific circumstances, policy terms and conditions and Certificate of Insurance.  

Report your missing luggage and items within 24 hours

You must report the items lost, stolen or damaged as soon as it is practicable to do so, but preferably within 24 hours of you being aware of the event to the police, bus, air, shipping line or rail authority or accommodation provider when the loss, theft or misplacement occurred. 

You will need to prove that you have made the report by providing us with a written statement from whichever authority you reported it to. 

Provide documents to support your claim

To support your claim, you will need to provide supporting documentation including, (but not limited to): 

• Police report or written report from a relevant authority or Travel Provider (Airline, hotel, Cruise Liner, Tour Company etc.) 

• Damage or Repair report 

• Quote for repair or replacement 

• Purchase receipt or other Evidence of Ownership for each item claimed   

• For losses caused by your Transport Provider, a 'Property Irregularity Report' from the Transport Provider 

• For mobile phone claims, please block the IMEI with your network provider and provide written proof of this 

If you are unsure of what documentation you need to provide, the claim form details the documentation that you need to support your claim. 

Understand depreciation and what impact it might have on your claim 

Depreciation is applied to all unspecified items. The Depreciation amount is applied from the date of purchase – for each month you have owned the item. 

No depreciation will be applied to luggage and personal effects purchased duty free prior to your departure, luggage and personal effects purchased during your trip, or Specified High Value Items listed on your Certificate of Insurance. 

Why is it important to consider luggage cover with travel insurance?

Depending on the type of policy you take out, your luggage and personal effects may be covered for up to $15,000 AUD. So, if an opportunistic thief takes off with your bag that has your camera inside or you accidentally trip on the cobblestones and your phone smashes onto the ground, you can reduce some of the stress of these situations by knowing that you can put a claim in for the cost to replace or repair the items.