How good are credit card free travel insurance offers

[casanovawa]

Sorry if its been asked before, I am thinking of taking out the AMEX Platinum Edge Credit Card and one of the reasons is the complimentary travel insurance.

Do members have views on these sorts of travel insurance deals and have they run into any issues claiming things that would make them choose a dedicated travel insurance provider in the future?

 

[wingspan]

I too am interested in what responses people have for this.

I currently just pay for worldwide annual travel insurance through the same company who provide my health insurance and it works quite well. But I would be interested to see if these credit card free travel insurance offers have caveats regarding exactly what is claimable.

 

[Moopere]

My last couple of trips o/s I've been happy to use the insurance provided by my CBA Gold card. I've never had to actually claim on any type of travel insurance though, not card provided nor regular, so don't really know how they compare when push comes to shove.

I always completely read the PDS of these types of products, literally cover to cover, and so far have not been able to spot any differences between the card based cover and regular travel insurance which I feel strongly enough about to warrant the extra expense. YMMV of course.

 

[pyffii]

Have an ANZ Gold Card with complimentary travel insurance and claimed for the first time last June as a result of the French Air Traffic Controllers strike that caused missed flights and extra accomodation...Chartis ( the ANZ Insurers ) paid the claim within 7 days of submission and I was very happy with the whole process...Have checked out the AMEX insurance and dont believe it has an adequate cover when compared to ANZ/CBA...Just remember to check how the insurance cover kicks in..ie spend on tickets or $250.00 before leaving for overseas

 

[Timba-Jet]

I always completely read the PDS of these types of products, literally cover to cover, and so far have not been able to spot any differences between the card based cover and regular travel insurance.

Same here, take the time to read the PDS, and if you are hapy with the cover, then i say go with it. I've relied on my c/card free cover for the last 2 year travelling. I work for an insurance company and the cover provided by them was inferior in terms of limits then the cover by my Westpac Earth Platinum (Zurich).

The only drawback i can think of is you do not have a policy number, so it may take time/effort to verify your cover eligibility (proof you paid for airfares with card). But if your organised and have this documented with you on your trip it should be fine, well hopefully as I have yet to claim.

Some tour operators may not accept bulk cover provided by c/cards, but on my recent your i documened my proof of cover, and they were satisfied with this.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

The only drawback i can think of is you do not have a policy number,

A few others:

One needs to check what qualifying spend is in order to actually be covered.

Also if flying on Awards via points...check this carefully as many card insurances will not cover you unless the points were earnt on that card in the first place.

 

[Moopere]

A few others:

One needs to check what qualifying spend is in order to actually be covered.

Also if flying on Awards via points...check this carefully as many card insurances will not cover you unless the points were earnt on that card in the first place.

Yes, a really good heads-up this. A flight paid for with points may not reach the minimum spend and/or other requirement.

 

[Katalyze]

Sorry if its been asked before, I am thinking of taking out the AMEX Platinum Edge Credit Card and one of the reasons is the complimentary travel insurance.

Do members have views on these sorts of travel insurance deals and have they run into any issues claiming things that would make them choose a dedicated travel insurance provider in the future?

Check this out:

ausbt.com.au/avoid-american-express-platinum-edge-credit-card-travel-insurance

 

[Moopere]

Check this out:

ausbt.com.au/avoid-american-express-platinum-edge-credit-card-travel-insurance

Good link, thanks for posting. I'm not going to defend Amex but as always best to understand that errors can be made and articles like that are always subjective. For instance:

The article written 6/12/2010 states:

"In order for the insurance cover to be activated, 100% of the cost of your return international travel ticket must be purchased on the Amex Platinum Edge credit card."

Which is simply not true. The article itself links to the relevant insurance PDS which is valid as of 1/10/2010 and states:

"For which the entire fare has been charged to Your American Express Platinum Edge Credit Card (or equivalent in American Express Membership Rewards points)."

So, reading the real PDS you can use points and still be covered, no doubt points + pay, so long as the pay is on the Plat card would also be valid.

Other points made in the article appear to be broadly true of this card though each of us has to make a judgement call on the value I guess. For essentially free insurance I don't necessarily find the limits or requirements overly onerous. If I had pre-existing issues with health or other issues then I'd use a different card or perhaps gain separate insurance.

Nevertheless, a good link and I'm going to nip off now to read the summation of some of the other cards that are out there.

 

[Katalyze]

Well what im worried about is the medical coverage in this card and lack of income protection.

 

[joeymelb]

I am with Westpac KF Plat. I have yet to claim Travel Insurance thru them. But from the conversation I had with Zurich people (to clarify PDS items), they seemed to be knowledgeable and helpful.

Word of warning: If you "redeem" points for flights and the points are fully earned by the CC, you must send in all the statements to show the "total points" accumulated should you wish to claim TI via the CC people.

I had claimed CC Insurance for Extended Warranty on my Plasma TV. Absolutely no issues, just fill out forms and fax everything in (plus post the original). The claim is paid within days.

 

[flychrisfly]

The only drawback i can think of is you do not have a policy number, so it may take time/effort to verify your cover eligibility (proof you paid for airfares with card). But if your organised and have this documented with you on your trip it should be fine, well hopefully as I have yet to claim.

You can always ring the phone number provided for claims or admin and get the policy number beforehand. Some tour/travel companies require the policy number of your travel insurance to make sure you are covered and also to facilitate the claim should you end up in hospital or dead :shock:

I use the insurance that comes with the ANZ Visa/Amex Platinum Frequent Flyer Card. The medical limits are sufficient for US travel and a tour company I used recently was happy with the level of coverage. Here is a link to the PDS

 

[casanovawa]

Hmmm, thanks for this link as well...

the AMEX Plat Edge looks pretty dodgy... The Comm Bank Gold and Plat rate 3rd and 2nd... and seeing they are free for the first year at the moment, i might go with them...

will call up Zurich and see if they cover travel that is booked with QFF award points not earned with the card.. if not i will book my award around the world trip and then pay for my internal flights around South America and Europe with it and get free coverage for the 7 weeks or so i am in those places and maybe just take out a 3 week paid travel insurance policy for the 3 weeks or so i am in the US...

 

[BAM1748]

Remember, insurance is a promise to pay.

To many out clauses on the card cover.

I don't rely on any card insurance for overseas travel. (unless maybe NZ, but that's hardly o/s)

Matt

 

[Timtammi]

I use the "free" travel insurance that comes with the AMEX Platinum charge card. This insurance does not require any spend on the card, simply that you are a card holder and it also covers all immediate family members if travelling with you.

I recently had to make a claim and was very happy with the way they handled it and the speed I got my money (within 10 days of claim).

Cheers

 

[joeymelb]

will call up Zurich and see if they cover travel that is booked with QFF award points not earned with the card.. if not i will book my award around the world trip and then pay for my internal flights around South America and Europe with it and get free coverage for the 7 weeks or so i am in those places and maybe just take out a 3 week paid travel insurance policy for the 3 weeks or so i am in the US...

I don't believe you will be covered for your RTW trip booked on points not earned by the CC. Secondly, your internal (paid for) flights in South America and Europe will unlikely to be covered either as "Majority of your travel is not paid by the card".

I have booked the following trip:

MEL-SIN-FRA - KF Redemption, Zurich will cover if I can prove all the points redeemed are from the CC. (which I can.)
FRA-BER-GRZ-NUE-FRA - Paid LH Flight. (Zurich will only cover if I can prove MEL-SIN-FRA's insurance coverage is valid. Otherwise, Zurich will not cover because my departure point IS NOT from Australia, plus majority of the fare is not PAID on the card. That being MEL-SIN-FRA valued higher than Intra-Europe flight.)

I did call and clarified... but that's my case, it might be different to you. All the best! Let us know the outcome.

 

[casanovawa]

I called up Zurich today and said i was travelling with QFF points not redeemed through Comm Bank's award scheme and would I still qualify and the lady said as long as i spend $950 on trip related expenses before I left the whole trip would be covered?? i said i would be paying for all the taxes and charges for the award on the card coming to something like $600-700 and then other flights as well... So applied for it then and there...

hmmm, differeing answers, maybe i might call back tomorrow and see what response i get?? probably would have been good to ask her to send something through by email so i could of had it in writing but no doubt she would have baulked at that???

Anyway, maybe will call and try again as i said and see if i get the same response from a different Zurich rep....

 

[Moopere]

I called up Zurich today and said i was travelling with QFF points not redeemed through Comm Bank's award scheme and would I still qualify and the lady said as long as i spend $950 on trip related expenses before I left the whole trip would be covered??

I don't understand the relevance of the 950$ spend. I don't remember reading such a thing in the CBA Gold PDS anyway. Which card are you holding which is accruing your CBA awards points?

 

[casanovawa]

I went for Comm Bank Platinum and in the conditions for the complimentary travel insurance:


How will I know I am covered for International Travel Insurance?

Gold and Platinum cardholders, their spouses# and dependent children# are generally automatically eligible for International Travel Insurance provided that, before leaving Australia on an overseas journey, at least:

• $950 of each of the cardholder’s, spouse’s and dependent children’s prepaid travel costs (i.e. costs of the overseas travel ticket, and /or airport/departure taxes; and /or prepaid overseas accommodation/travel; and/or prepaid overseas itinerary items); or
• 90% of each of the cardholder’s, spouse’s and dependent children’s overseas travel ticket(s);

is paid for by one or a combination of the following payment methods:

• charged to the cardholder’s eligible credit card account; or
• the redemption of the cardholder’s Commonwealth Awards points through the Commonwealth Awards Travel Service (this does not include Qantas Frequent Flyer or Velocity points redemptions).

Personal - Complimentary Insurance Cover - Commonwealth Bank Group

 

[serfty]

I use the "free" travel insurance that comes with the AMEX Platinum charge card. This insurance does not require any spend on the card, simply that you are a card holder and it also covers all immediate family members if travelling with you. ..

This facet alone cuts the $900 annual fee by around $300.