Any travel insurance covering the ANZ Travel Bubble

[Chief Wiggum]

Like many people here I'm used to having an active/rolling Annual Multi-Trip policy that covers me globally.

What are people doing now for new trips from AU to NZ with the bubble open?

I'm actually not worried so much about cover for COVID border-related cancellations. I knew the risks of potential snap closures etc when I booked. I knew the T&C's of what's covered and not for my flights & accom. I accept that will be on me.

I'm mostly wanting standard cover for emergency medical matters, lost/damaged property, car hire waiver etc. The regular travel insurance stuff.

Is anyone selling travel these policies to Australians at this time ?

 

[Mattg]

I think Covermore is offering travel insurance which would cover New Zealand - COVID-19 Benefits

There may be others as well.

 

[VPS]

I took out the annual multi trip with Covermore for $168 but they can't do the NZ quote on line

 

[Chief Wiggum]

I took out the annual multi trip with Covermore for $168 but they can't do the NZ quote on line

Nice to know. I've got three NZ trips booked in N12M so might be worth doing that rather than three separate policies. Does this AMT policy cover AU Domestic also?

 

[VPS]

Nice to know. I've got three NZ trips booked in N12M so might be worth doing that rather than three separate policies. Does this AMT policy cover AU Domestic also?

I'm not sure - I didn't bother in the end trying to add NZ. I was just about to go away and needed the car hire coverage but I'm happy with the price for Australia. The only issue I had was I normally pay a bit extra to have no excess but they don't offer this

 

[Jacques Vert]

Southern Cross and Aust Post are also offering policies covering international (plus a few others that were quite expensive when I requested quotes in the past couple of weeks).

 

[RooFlyer]

In regards to health coverage ... do Australia and NZ have reciprocal coverage? ie is getting ill / need hospitalisation in NZ almost the same as getting it in Australia (for Australian citizens)? Covid aside, for now.

 

[Jacques Vert]

In regards to health coverage ... do Australia and NZ have reciprocal coverage? ie is getting ill / need hospitalisation in NZ almost the same as getting it in Australia (for Australian citizens)? Covid aside, for now.

Good question.

I looked at this a coupe of days ago and noticed this on the NZ Govt Health site (Reciprocal health agreements):

There are a range of services that are not publicly funded, and these differ between countries. As neither reciprocal agreement provides full coverage, travellers should hold comprehensive travel insurance, including health insurance.

I'm not sure of the details of what is and isn't covered so I hope someone here can provide more information.

JV

 

[RooFlyer]

That sounds like a government discouragement to rely on them paying, even though they might in the majority of cases

 

[OZDUCK]

This is the Aust. Govt information. Looks like emergency hospital coverage pretty much the same but no GP consultation benefit.

Reciprocal Health Care Agreement - visiting New Zealand - Reciprocal Health Care Agreements - Services Australia

The Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) we have with New Zealand may cover some of your medical costs in the New Zealand public health system.

www.servicesaustralia.gov.au

When you follow the link to the NZ Ministry of Health you get this page.

New Zealand’s health system

An overview of New Zealand’s health system, including its statutory framework, major roles and organisations, funding and government priorities.

www.health.govt.nz

 

[VPS]

When I was working in NZ a couple of years ago I remember doctors appointments being very expensive but the prescriptions were cheap. I needed Physio and my Australian health fund didn’t cover anything but I was able to claim a lot of tax deductions

 

[kiwitripper64]

As a rule of thumb for Australians
Any medical event requiring hospitalisation is free including Emergency dept
Any accident is covered for hospitalistaion and some recovery. But not repatriation. see ACC page

If you're a visitor injured in New Zealand

If you're injured while visiting New Zealand, we may be able to help you. It doesn’t matter if you’re not a resident. You'll still need travel insurance for what we don't cover.

www.acc.co.nz

GP visit are not free for locals and are full charge for Australians
Pharmacueticals seem to be same cost as NZ local cost

 

[Port Power]

Like many people here I'm used to having an active/rolling Annual Multi-Trip policy that covers me globally.

What are people doing now for new trips from AU to NZ with the bubble open?

I'm mostly wanting standard cover for emergency medical matters, lost/damaged property, car hire waiver etc. The regular travel insurance stuff.

Is anyone selling travel these policies to Australians at this time ?

I bought an annual policy from HBF. It covers all domestic travel as well as the South Pacific region (includes NZ) on land and sea. $360. I had to buy the “international” policy to cover domestic cruising. Like you, I know nothing COVID related is covered, but wanted cover for missed connections, lost luggage, car hire waiver, etc, and the ship’s bill if I break a leg and need treatment.

 

[Prof Henry]

Annual multi-trip policies have been my mainstay for the last 7 years or so. I have a pacemaker (that requires annual monitoring only) and NIDDM )that requires no medication), so there are always the extensive medical questionnaires to complete ... and extra premiums. I also travel with some moderately expensive camera gear and a laptop so there are extra premiums for those too. Nevertheless, they've still be a good buy - even though some companies have gradually declined to cover certain conditions at all (yes, Southern Cross).

Like others in this thread, I realise that they can't offer cover for COVID-related delays, health issues, etc, etc but it wold be good to know how many decent annual multi-trip cover policies are still on offer.

 

[motef]

Any updates on these?

Is it really just Covermore?

 

[Anna]

I looked recently and it was more than Covermore but I can't remember who sorry. It was by no means everyone though. Some will even now offer cover if you or a travel companion cannot travel due to catching covid or being a close contact before travel starts. But no cover for being caught by a general lockdown, or by a govt quarantine requirement once the trip starts. Another thing that was sometimes unclear was if there was cover for medical repatriation to Australia if you caught covid while overseas and couldn't fly home independently any more.