Travel insurance for Aussie travellers

[Tara Jane]

Couldn't agree more. A friend had a knee replacement, and about 6 years later she was found to have an infection, requiring immediate surgery, which meant their 50th anniversary cruise to NZ had to be cancelled. Covermore who they had insured with denied the claim for cancellation as it was considered pre existing. I also had to cancel a trip to Europe when I got my cancer diagnosis, and southern cross tried to deny it saying it was pre existing. Who knows how long the cancer was there but I had always had mamogramms every 2 years and the previous was all clear. Only through the fighting of my GP did I succeed with that claim. We could all have things going on in our body that we dont know about that insurance companies will claim are pre existing.

I am fed up with insurance companies but unfortunately we cant ever risk not having cover but I never feel that I really am covered as I expect they will fight any claim.

Edited May 12, 2016 by Tara Jane

[Russell21]

You raise some interesting points. My big bugbear with travel insuance is that pre-existing conditions are not necessarily black or white but online travel insurance quotes always seem to think they are. I wish to goodness there was the opportunity to actually sit down person to person and work through a travel insurance quote but the providers don't seem to want to offer that. I even suggested to my GP that he ought to get together with a few other doctors and start a travel insurance business - that way they would know all about your existing and pre-existing medical conditions and quote accordingly.

Joybook try Insure and Go next time, over the phone discussion works well for me and my wife.

[joybook]

Thanks Russell21. I use InsureandGo now after becoming disgusted with CoverMore but I have never taken the course you suggest - maybe I will next time. I will say that I have found InsureandGo so much better than the others but there is always that niggling little doubt that you have covered yourself properly. Thankfully I have never had to make a claim but of course there is always the possibility.:)

[Rusty1963]

Please read the small print before relying on credit card insurance cover. For example ANZ Platinum insurance will only cover you if an overseas port is included in your cruise itinerary. So if you are on a short break leaving Sydney, enter international waters and return to Sydney without stopping off at an overseas port then your not covered.

[Aus Traveller]

Please read the small print before relying on credit card insurance cover. For example ANZ Platinum insurance will only cover you if an overseas port is included in your cruise itinerary. So if you are on a short break leaving Sydney, enter international waters and return to Sydney without stopping off at an overseas port then your not covered.

I realise that this travel insurance does not cover domestic travel. The bank has a separate insurance for that. :)

[Blue Elephant]

So I have been on the lookout for another cc provider and have been researching and researching with no answer. My query is and in the fine print I think it isnt explained, If I dont cover for breast cancer which I know they wont cover me for, does that mean I wont have cover for anything medical. I have maybe incorrectly believed that I would be covered for anything else medical just nothing related to the cancer. I am now just thinking maybe I have to advise them of the cancer history even though I dont want cover for it.

Wish I was able to decipher that fine print!!

 

 

I would be interested to know the answer to this question. I have a pre existing illness or which they will offer me cover at an additional cost, but I don't want to take their cover. Why? The questions they ask for this condition include "Have you been hospitalised in the last 2 years for this condition?" I have had the condition for over 20 years and have NEVER been hospitalised, so the cost of their cover greatly exceeds the risk. If I get a seious, nprecendented form of the illness, I intend to fly home business class at my own expense immediately.

 

I am thinking I probably should have a chat on the phone with them before my next trip (which is 12 months away).

 

btw, Tara Jane, we have just adopted a little 12 year old dog from the RSPCA. Figured her future might be grim if we left her there.

[Tara Jane]

I'll let you know if i get a reply. I don't really feel comfortable chatting on the phone even though I always note time and name of person, it is my word against theirs unless they can produce a recording of the conversation which I expect they wouldnt be able to do if there was a dispute that should go my way.

Wonderful news on adopting your new dog. My friends mum when its time for a new dog goes in to the shelter and basically adopts whoever is next on death row. she doesnt have them for long but they certainly have a wonderful life for the short time they are with her.

Funny I was just going through the emails about our santorini trip.

I reckon you might just book another cruise before 12 months. We did QM2 in March to HK and going back to Japan in August. Love Japan. A bit nervous about Europe at the moment.

Hi to hubby from us both.

:)

[Blue Elephant]

Wonderful news on adopting your new dog.

 

A bit nervous about Europe at the moment.

 

Dog is going well. She is a little lap dog and is just adjusting to these other little "dogs" that say "miouw".

 

I am not perceiving Europe as all that different - at least for the places hat we intend to go. However, travelling to Istanbul may be an issue with respect to travel insurance due to the warnings on Smarttraveller.

[aussielil]

I think I got a good travel insurance deal with Insure and Go - Promo code fiftyup will give you 15% discount

[Swissmiss6253]

We are using insure and go now. I was using Medibank Private travel insurance but they refused to pay some change of airfare costs when my mother died. She was ill but died more quickly than expected. I had airfares booked for 10 days after she died as I had been with her the week before and she was doing reasonably well. The insurer said that as Mum was already sick it counted as a pre existing condition. I had always thought that pre existing conditions only counted for travellers. Anyway Qantas ended up letting me change without cancellation fees but there were increased costs between the airfares booked earlier and the ones booked that day. Just a heads up for people