Many Australian credit cards offer complimentary travel insurance as an included benefit. This can save you money on having to buy a travel insurance policy for overseas holidays if you’re eligible to use it and it covers all your needs.
But there’s a key risk that isn’t covered by some of the major Australian credit card travel insurance plans: COVID-19.
The good news is that some banks have now caught up with the times. If you have a credit card with American Express, ANZ, NAB, Westpac or St George that comes with complimentary travel insurance, you may now be covered for some COVID-related risks. Since August 2022, CommBank and Bankwest credit card travel insurance also covers COVID-19 medical expenses – but not cancellation costs.
The free travel insurance that comes with credit cards from Citibank and Qantas Money generally exclude coverage for anything relating to COVID-19.
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Summary of major Australian credit card travel insurance policies
Each credit card travel insurance policy has different wording and exclusions, so it’s vitally important to read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) to understand what is and isn’t covered. If you’re reading the PDS on a computer, you should be able to easily find the section/s relating to COVID-19 by searching for keywords like “covid”, “pandemic” or “epidemic”.
Below is an overview of the complimentary credit card travel insurance offered by the major Australian banks with their premium credit cards. Please note that the conditions may be different for the less expensive credit cards offered by each bank. For each policy, we’ve provided a summary of the maximum trip duration and age limit that applies to the free insurance, as well as whether cover is offered for anything relating to COVID-19.
Here’s the table:
| Credit card issuer | Underwriter | Maximum trip duration (per return trip from Australia) | Age limit (inclusive) | COVID-19 cover? |
| Amex (Platinum, Explorer) | Chubb | 180 days | 79 | Yes |
| ANZ (Platinum, Black, Travel Adventures) | Allianz | 6 months | 80 | Yes |
| NAB (Premium, Platinum, Signature) | Allianz | 180 days (Signature card) or 90 days (other cards) | 75 (limited cover for 76-90) |
Yes |
| Westpac/St George (Black, Signature, Platinum) | Allianz | 6 months (Black/Signature cards) or 3 months (Platinum cards) | 80 | Yes |
| CommBank (Diamond, Ultimate, Platinum) | Cover-More | 12 months (Diamond/Ultimate) or 6 months (Platinum) | 79 | Yes (excluding cancellation costs) |
| Bankwest (World, Gold, Platinum) | Zurich | 6 months (World card) or 31 days (Gold & Platinum card) | 79 | Yes (excluding cancellation costs) |
| Qantas Money (Premier Titanium, Platinum) | Chubb | 30 days | 79 | No |
| Citibank (Prestige, Premier, Rewards) | Allianz | 6 months | 79 | No |
The 28 Degrees Platinum Mastercard, a popular credit card for overseas travel due to its lack of international transaction fees, does not normally offer complimentary travel insurance. But as a limited time promotion, 28 Degrees cardholders who spent at least $1,000 on international flights using their card between 13 December 2021 and 31 July 2022 are also eligible for free travel insurance covering that trip. This includes cover for COVID-19.
Most travel insurance policies cover lost frequent flyer points.
What COVID risks are covered by credit card travel insurance?
If you have a credit card travel insurance policy that doesn’t exclude claims relating to COVID-19, there are some key things that are generally covered. These include:
- The cost of medical treatment if you personally contract COVID-19 and need medical attention
- Additional quarantine or accommodation if you are diagnosed with COVID-19
- Trip cancellation costs if you or your travelling companion are diagnosed with COVID-19 and you can no longer travel or need to amend your trip
Some policies will also cover medical evacuation and/or repatriation costs, but not always.
There are also some things that are generally not covered, including:
- Government-imposed border closures, lockdowns or travel bans
- Quarantine costs of COVID-19 tests that you already knew would be required for your travel
- Cancellations due to concern about COVID-19 (you or your travel companion need to actually get COVID-19 in order to be covered for cancellation costs)
- Travelling against government, medical or public health advice (this could include travelling overseas if you are not vaccinated against COVID-19)
- Multi-night cruises
- Travel to countries classified by DFAT’s Smartraveller website as “Do not travel”
The international travel insurance policies that come with premium ANZ, Westpac, St George and NAB credit cards also do not provide cover for travel to any countries with a “do not travel” (level 4) or “reconsider your need to travel” (level 3) advisory on the Smartraveller website. However, the general exclusion on American Express travel insurance is only for countries with a “do not travel” warning.
Again, check the PDS from your bank’s insurance provider to see what is covered with your policy.
Other limitations of credit card travel insurance
Even if your bank’s insurance policy covers COVID-19, remember that credit card insurance policies are generic and purchased in bulk. If this policy is suitable for your needs, that’s great. But it may not be designed to cover your specific needs or circumstances.
For example, certain pre-existing conditions or activities might not be covered by your bank’s insurance provider. Some insurance companies offer paid upgrades on these plans to cover more activities or certain pre-existing conditions, but some pre-existing conditions might not be covered at all.
You should also check what you need to do to activate your credit card’s insurance cover. For example, you may be required to spend a certain amount of money on your trip or book the international flights using your credit card in order to activate the cover.
To be eligible to use credit card travel insurance, you generally need to start your trip in Australia and have a return ticket that will get you back to Australia within the maximum trip duration limit for your policy. (This could be as little one month or as much as 12 months, depending on your credit card.)
Finally, keep in mind that generally only the primary cardholder, supplementary cardholders or eligible family members travelling with a named cardholder are covered by the insurance. So, for example, if you booked a flight for a family member, they wouldn’t be covered if you’re not travelling with them.
If you’re in any doubt about whether an insurance policy meets your needs, call the insurance company for clarification. If you’re still not certain that you’ll be suitably covered, it might be a good idea to take out paid travel insurance instead. If something goes wrong while you’re away, it’s not worth risking being caught out without insurance!
Join the discussion on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: Travel Insurance which covers COVID-19?
