Experience using Citibank credit card insurance?

[MonteCristo]

Hi brains trust.

I'm retiring in a few months, and looking at a 'forever' credit card (well, forever until T&Cs inevitably change!). Once my salary goes, it'll be harder to apply for a nice card with a decent limit. I hear they don't rate rental and dividend income too favourably. Anyhow. The Citi Prestige card has a pretty high annual fee, but it has caught my attention for two reasons.

1. Priority Pass membership. Great for travel, and we will be travelling around 4-5 months of the year - 3-4 of which will be international. Lounge access will make the transits so much more bearable. No concerns here.
2. Travel insurance. The PDS seems to show that you can be overseas for up to 90 days at a time, which is great. Most standalone annual multi-trip travel insurance policies only last for up to 60 days at a time (and after getting in contact with some insurers, they're void if you take out a separate policy to cover any gap beyond 60 days!!!!!). So this helps to negate the annual fee compared to longer standalone individual trip or annual multi-trip travel insurance policies.

Just wondering if anyone has had experience with using/claiming on the Citibank insurance, and if so, what was your experience like for better or worse?

 

[im.daniel]

I had to claim on Credit Card Travel insurance for the first time in my life a few weeks ago.

I had a flat tyre in Banff on the morning of driving back to YYC. Took a while for me to get it changed (rental-car, 4am, dark). By the time I had reached the airport, I missed the check-in/bag drop for Westjet. They wouldn't budge and I had to buy new tickets from YYC-LAX at 650 CAD x3 passengers.

Put in a claim thru Citibank Prestige that same day, they assessed the claim and I got my money back (minus 400 excess) within a week. I honestly couldn't believe how straightforward it was. I had no evidence (no photos etc - was so frazzled that morning) to substantiate my claim, other than the fact I had to waste 2k on new Y flights to LAX, which no sane person would do.

 

[Philosiphier]

Yes - it’s absolute cough. Be VERY careful with what you think is covered - for example NOTHING is covered unless you FLY somewhere. Don’t expect any coverage if you have a trip that you choose to DRIVE.
Found this out the hard way this morning when my husband turned up positive for covid - they won’t cover ANYTHING. So f$&@ing furious

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Cards can change over time. It might be worthwhile investing in a second card as well, in case Citi later changes its offering.

One that i would recommmend is ANZ platinum. Doesn’t earn any points, but has a good travel insurance, activated by a $250 spend (which can be anything… even taxes on an award ticket, or a hire car… no need to purchase your tickets on it).

The annual fee is $79. It has saved many hundreds over that in travel insurance policies, and had excellent help when i needed it in an ER in bali.

Pre-existing conditions are subject to an assessment. If they cover the pre-existing condition, and you agree, you pay a $75 fee. As long as your condition is under control they seem to be pretty good at covering you.

They cover you up to 81 years of age, and for a trip of three months.

 

[MELso]

Yes - it’s absolute cough. Be VERY careful with what you think is covered - for example NOTHING is covered unless you FLY somewhere. Don’t expect any coverage if you have a trip that you choose to DRIVE.
Found this out the hard way this morning when my husband turned up positive for covid - they won’t cover ANYTHING. So f$&@ing furious

Yes - that's in the cover.

Who is eligible?
If you are a Level 1 or Level 2 Card cardholder, you are eligible for the cover available if:

1. the entire cost of your return domestic flight ticket is charged to the accountholder’s card account prior to commencing the journey; or
2. before commencing your journey, you spend at least $250 on your prepaid travel costs and you charge these costs (e.g. cost of your return domestic travel ticket; and/or airport/departure taxes; and/or your prepaid domestic accommodation/travel; and/or your other prepaid domestic itinerary items) to the accountholder’s card account and you have a return domestic flight ticket prior to commencing the journey.

https://www.citibank.com.au/global_images/complimentaryinsurance/pdf/mcg7932_0319_citi_description_of_cover_final.pdf

 

[MELso]

...
Pre-existing conditions are subject to an assessment. If they cover the pre-existing condition, and you agree, you pay a $75 fee. As long as your condition is under control they seem to be pretty good at covering you.
...

I went through this the other day. I have a physical disability and they make you pay the $75 assessment fee before the assessment of whether they cover you. This was slightly frustrating because I have no way of knowing before paying the fee whether my particular issue is on the list and the criteria used to assess it (although they seem to have fixed it now to work as you describe it).

(I belatedly realised I probably wasn't covered for my disability - and have likely never been covered for it - after buying a Qantas travel insurance policy for a forthcoming trip to the USA where everything was either booked on points or below the $500 spending threshold. The Qantas policy didn't charge for the assessment but did charge a loading after the assessment. Still, at least I have cover now!)

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I went through this the other day. I have a physical disability and they make you pay the $75 assessment fee before the assessment of whether they cover you. This is slightly frustrating because I have no way of knowing before paying the fee whether my particular issue is on the list and the criteria used to assess it

(I belatedly realised I probably wasn't covered for my disability - and have likely never been covered for it - after buying a Qantas travel insurance policy for a forthcoming trip to the USA where everything was either booked on points or below the $500 spending threshold. The Qantas policy didn't charge for the assessment but did charge a loading after the assessment. Still, at least I have cover now!)

Ah, yes. But…

You complete the pre-existing medical form on line (in most cases I guess, there might be some where you need to speak to an agent).

At the end of the assessment they tell you if you are covered or not.

If you are covered and you choose to be covered, you *then* pay the $75.

If you aren’t covered, or if you choose not to be covered, you pay nothing.

You don’t pay the $75 and then have the possibility of not being covered.

The $75 is then the ‘extra premium’ to cover you. You don’t have to pay anything else.

 

[MELso]

Ah, yes. But…

You complete the pre-existing medical form on line (in most cases I guess, there might be some where you need to speak to an agent).

At the end of the assessment they tell you if you are covered or not.

If you are covered and you choose to be covered, you *then* pay the $75.

If you aren’t covered, or if you choose not to be covered, you pay nothing.

You don’t pay the $75 and then have the possibility of not being covered.

The $75 is then the ‘extra premium’ to cover you. You don’t have to pay anything else.

When I did it the other day, the website was broken and tried to charge before the assessment occurred.

Did it today and it worked as expected (and you described it). Might try to cancel the Qantas insurance and find something (anything!) I can charge to my card as $75x2 is a lot cheaper than the worldwide policy that Qantas Insurance charged.

EDIT - nope, still not covered it seems as I have separate outbound and inbound tickets, and you need a 'return overseas travel ticket means an air or cruise ticket departing from and returning to Australia' .

 

[MEL_Traveller]

When I did it the other day, the website was broken and tried to charge before the assessment occurred.

Did it today and it worked as expected (and you described it). Might try to cancel the Qantas insurance and find something (anything!) I can charge to my card as $75x2 is a lot cheaper than the worldwide policy that Qantas Insurance charged.

EDIT - nope, still not covered it seems as I have separate outbound and inbound tickets, and you need a 'return overseas travel ticket means an air or cruise ticket departing from and returning to Australia' .

You can call to confirm, but separate tickets - one out and one in is ‘ok’.

They just want to know you have some method of returning to australia booked, before you leave. So you could, for example, fly out on an award ticket, and back on a paid ticket. They are separate bookings, but constitute a ‘return’ to australia.