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Who doesn’t love free stuff? When it comes to credit cards, ‘free’ stuff will always be appealing. From free insurances, to bonus rewards points, to cashback, to gift cards, credit card providers are always coming up with new incentives to attract new customers.
To help you make the right decision, we’re going to look at the pros and cons of credit card travel insurance, and what it does and doesn’t cover. We’re also going to look at which credit cards offer free travel insurance – from American Express, all the way to Westpac.
In the past, only premium credit cards offered incentives such as free travel insurance. Nowadays however, standard credit cards, rewards cards and frequent flyer credit cards often offer complimentary insurances as well.
Scroll down for our list of credit cards currently offering free travel insurance.
When credit card providers offer ‘free’ features such as insurance, it can often mean the card is more costly in fees and interest. Just as you would do when comparing rewards credit cards, think about what you are getting from the card, and how much you are paying for those features. (Find out more about making the most of your rewards card here.)
The key to choosing the right credit card – in any circumstance – is making sure it offers value for money. Think about what you are getting from the travel insurance, what cover it offers, what exceptions there are, and how often you are going to use it.
The main benefit of credit card travel insurance is the cover it provides. Your credit card provides you with travel cover, so you don’t have to buy standalone travel insurance, which should save you money – and the hassle of looking for cover.
Depending on your insurer, you could be covered for medical costs, travel delays and cancellations, lost baggage and personal belongings, and lost money and travel documents. You may also be covered for flight ‘inconvenience’, transit accidents, and car rental excess.
Here are the main types of insurance available on credit card travel insurance (bear in mind that most of the travel insurance is for overseas trips only).
In order to make the most out of your credit card travel insurance, be sure to read the terms and conditions of the cover, and find out about any possible exclusions.
And remember…
Find out more about credit card travel insurance and what it covers here.
American Express cards provide extensive free travel insurance options. The most important difference is the domestic cover – most other providers don’t offer this. American Express free travel insurance is provided by ACE Insurance. The Platinum card has 18 different insurance benefits including roadside assistance and hijack cover.
American Express credit cards | International Travel Insurance | Interstate Flight Inconvenience | Transit Accident Insurance | Rental Excess cover |
Velocity Platinum | Up to 2.5 million on medical expenses, trip cancellation and amendment cover up to $10,000, personal liability up to $1 million, baggage, money and document cover varies | Flight delays, missed connections or luggage delays – pay outs vary according to the card range | Up to $400,000 | N/A |
Velocity Business | ||||
Qantas Premium | ||||
Qantas Ultimate | ||||
Platinum Edge | ||||
Platinum Card | ||||
Platinum | Yes | |||
Platinum Business |
ANZ’s four platinum cards all feature free travel insurance. The travel and medical insurance covers a trip of up to 6 months. Interstate flight inconvenience covers you for return flights purchased for up to a 14 day period, and transport accident insurance covers plane, bus, ferry or train journeys when you’ve bought the full fare on your ANZ Platinum card.
ANZ credit cards | International Travel Insurance | Interstate Flight Inconvenience | Transit Accident Insurance | Rental Excess cover |
Frequent Flyer Platinum | Up to 6 months for a minimum trip purchase of $250 | Return flights up to 14 days – trip cancellation, | Up to $350,000 for injuries on plane, train, ferry or tourist bus | Reduced excess for hiring on the card |
Platinum | ||||
Low Rate Platinum | ||||
Rewards Platinum |
Bank of Melbourne, BankSA and St George all provide the same products under different branding, and therefore the same insurance cover. All cover is for the main cardholder, their spouse and dependent children.
Bank Of Melbourne, Bank SA, St George cards | Overseas Travel Insurance | Domestic Flight Inconvenience | Transit Accident Insurance | Rental Excess cover |
Platinum card | Up to 6 months | Up to 14 day return trips flight & luggage delay, | Plane, train, ferry or tourist bus | Included |
All Citi credit cards shown on this site are regarded as premium and include international travel insurance. The Signature and Prestige cards are more comprehensive than the Platinum cards in terms of domestic cover – there is no domestic flight inconvenience insurance included on those.
Citi credit cards | International Travel Insurance | Interstate Flight Inconvenience | Transit Accident Insurance | Rental Excess cover |
Clear | Up to 6 months | n/a | The cardholder and immediate family are covered if entire trip paid for on the card | Included in travel insurance if you have taken comprehensive insurance on the rental |
Emirates Platinum | ||||
Rewards | ||||
Prestige | Up to 14 day return trips | |||
Premier |
Commonwealth Bank credit cards’ free travel insurance is only really extensive on the Awards Platinum card option. The other credit cards provide overseas travel insurance but not interstate flight inconvenience or transit accident insurance. The cardholder’s spouse and dependent children are automatically covered.
CommBank credit cards | International Travel Insurance | Interstate Flight Inconvenience | Transit Accident Insurance | Rental Excess cover |
Low Fee | Trips up to 3 months | n/a | n/a | Limit of $2250 |
Low Fee Gold | ||||
Awards Gold | ||||
Awards Platinum | Trips up to 6 months | Yes | Yes |
Diners Club (yes it still exists) offers extensive free travel insurance as it’s a premium credit card offering. It offers cover for the card holder, spouse and dependent children for all items, the cover of which is provided by Zurich Insurance.
Diners Club credit cards | International Travel Insurance | Interstate Flight Inconvenience | Transit Accident Insurance | Rental Excess cover |
Qantas Card | Unlimited medical cover (with some small conditions) Up to 3 month trips | Up to 14 day trips, loss of items, cancellations, delays of 4 hours or more | Up to $250,000 | Up to $2,250 |
HSBC updated the free travel insurance for its HSBC credit cards in 2022 to include a spouse and dependants aged under 16, making it a better all-round option for travelling overseas with family. It also includes rental vehicle excess insurance up to $3000, funeral expenses if you’re travelling for an overseas funeral or return of remains, and domestic pet travel cover if your journey is delayed.
HSBC credit cards | International Travel Insurance | Interstate Flight Inconvenience | Transit Accident Insurance | Rental Excess cover |
Qantas Platinum | Unlimited medical cover + up to $20,000 for belongings | n/a | n/a | Limit of $3000 |
Platinum |
NAB credit cards’ free travel insurance covers the cardholder and their immediate family, it is limited however, if you or another family member is 75 years old or older. NAB does include some interesting additional extras such as domestic hotel burglary insurance, kidnappings and hijacks.
NAB credit cards | International Travel Insurance | Interstate Flight Inconvenience | Transit Accident Insurance | Rental Excess cover |
Premium Card | All actual incurred medical costs, up to 6 months trips | Up to 14 day trips – lost baggage cover and food allowances up to $200 per person | Up to $500,000 per person, though may be some limits on non-card holders | Up to $5,000, no excess payment required |
FlyBuys Rewards Card | ||||
Qantas Rewards Premium | ||||
Velocity Rewards Premium |
Virgin credit cards only provide free overseas travel insurance on their premium High Flyer card, but do provide transit accident insurance on the Flyer Card. Insurance is applicable to spouse and dependant children too.
Virgin Money credit cards | International Travel Insurance | Interstate Flight Inconvenience | Transit Accident Insurance | Rental Excess cover |
Flyer Card | n/a | n/a | up to $500,000 | n/a |
High Flyer Card | Unlimited medical cover, up to 16K personal/business effects | Up to 14 day trips, up to $3,000 for cancellations | Up to $2,250 |
All in all, there is a huge range of options to consider. If you are travelling with family and book the whole trip on the card, there are good options to save yourself a lot of money on separate travel insurance – if you’re sure your credit card has you covered. Always check the terms and conditions thoroughly.
Pauline is a personal finance expert at CreditCard.com.au, with 8 years in money, budgeting and property reporting under her belt. Pauline is passionate about seeing Aussies win by making their money – and their credit cards – work smarter, harder and bigger.
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