Travel Insurance for Over 70's

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bfm

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A subject that doesn't get much airing is Travel Insurance for those over 70.

Many firms don't offer (being limited to up to 70), some only offer single excursions, and a few do offer full year coverage (which is what I usually buy).

I don't know of any site that lists travel insurer's that offer product for over 70's.

Perhaps the more pertinent point is 'which firms offer a reasonable cover for a reasonable price'

Any suggestions?

Cheers
 
My parents were unable to find an annual policy as they are over seventy. Not sure how exhaustive their search was though.
 
A subject that doesn't get much airing is Travel Insurance for those over 70.

Many firms don't offer (being limited to up to 70), some only offer single excursions, and a few do offer full year coverage (which is what I usually buy).

I don't know of any site that lists travel insurer's that offer product for over 70's.

Perhaps the more pertinent point is 'which firms offer a reasonable cover for a reasonable price'

Any suggestions?

Cheers
AFAIK RACQ TI covers seniors over 70, with exclusions for some medical conditions.
 
I am in exactly this situation.

Many credit card insurances will cover over seventies.

For example I use ANZ and Westpac cards which both cover one up to eighty years of age.
 
I don’t know anything about the extent of the policy coverage, nor it’s applicability to your needs, nor it’s pricing, etc...
But I notice that the InsureAndGo policy has Annual MultiTrip policies for travellers up to 100 years old...
 
I’ve been using HBF in WA for my last few trips. Reasonable rates and coverage, especially with pre-existing conditions.
 
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I have an annual multi trip with TID . I suppose the rate is reasonable compared to some. However I will be looking at InsureAndGo for my renewal in October
 
I am in exactly this situation.

Many credit card insurances will cover over seventies.

For example I use ANZ and Westpac cards which both cover one up to eighty years of age.


Fully endorse the ANZ credit card insurance. ANZ basic platinum card - $79 annual fee - provides comprehensive travel insurance for trips up to 6 months duration. Must activate coverage before 81st birthday (so need to book at 80 years and 364 days, travel can be up to a year after that).

Very low $250 activation, which can be on anything - including the taxes on an award ticket. Or even just a connecting flight somewhere.

If a credit card application is not possible, shop around. Bearing in mind that if you are traveling to a country with reciprocal medicare benefits with Australia (which covers many European countries), you might be able to get away with a very basic level of cover (and lower premiums).
 
I have been burned on card insurance and now buy trip insurance as required
Covermore through a ta have been cheapest in recent years but a recent quote was usurious
An annual policy through national seniors will be the next purchase but annual policies only available up to 75
 
I have been burned on card insurance and now buy trip insurance as required
Covermore through a ta have been cheapest in recent years but a recent quote was usurious
An annual policy through national seniors will be the next purchase but annual policies only available up to 75

Appreciate your personal experience, which is unfortunate, but there have been extensive threads elsewhere on AFF... it really depends on which credit card you use for travel insurance. Comprehensive policies are usually indistinguishable from paid ones. The only difference is usually the eligibility threshold (some are very low), and things like cover for extreme sports. Reading the
PDF is key.

In many cases credit card insurance far exceeds paid cover, particularly for things like maximum age limits.
 
My Westpac credit card insurance covers up to and including 80.
 
I have been burned on card insurance and now buy trip insurance as required
Covermore through a ta have been cheapest in recent years but a recent quote was usurious
An annual policy through national seniors will be the next purchase but annual policies only available up to 75
Funny this year-at the age of 71-Covermore were the cheapest for an over 70 but also allowing a 60 day trip on the annual policy.
 
When you are over 70 and wanting a policy to cover 60 day trips the reviews have them no worse than any of the others offering that sort of annual policy.
 
A tad tangental , but I wonder how many holders of plat cards with insurance , also buy conventional policies ?
One driver might be cover for pre existing conditions…..
 
A tad tangental , but I wonder how many holders of plat cards with insurance , also buy conventional policies ?
One driver might be cover for pre existing conditions…..
Probably a few do have both policies for various reasons.

Particular travel patterns, being cautious, employer’s overall policies, or maybe not realising that they are already covered by the CC.

Pre-existing conditions should not be an issue. All disclosure statements whether CC or paid policies have pretty standard (almost identical) lists of pre-existing conditions covered by the policies.

In our case we just submit details of our un-listed pre-existing conditions on line, pay the fee, and we are covered. This would be the same for either type of insurance.

In fact some of the online policy sellers do not allow nomination of conditions that are not on the standard list.

The only independent review that I know of for CC insurance is the Choice report (strongly in favour).

Most other reports even from travel writers seem to just quote comments from people who get paid to sell insurance.
 
A tad tangental , but I wonder how many holders of plat cards with insurance , also buy conventional policies ?

Probably quite a few (but only those that really read the PDS). Sometimes it is activation issues, but at other times exact extent of coverage. I am one in this camp - in general the CC insurance is better, and no problems with activation for personal trips (in general), but one specific sporting exclusion = need to obtain coverage.

Whilst this thread is about over 70, there are some participants over 70 still working, so that raises another relevant reason for paid policies in addition to CC. Whilst CC may be fine for personal trips, when travelling for work and someone else has paid, the CC won't cover - so have the paid as the backup.
 
Ugh, I know the struggle. When I was trying to get cover for my grandmother, the customer service for one brand said they wouldn't tell me how much medical cover would be limited to until after I had purchased the policy (...surely that's illegal?).

This site has a summary of age limits: Seniors Travel Insurance Age Limits. Something to check though is that lots of brands have an increased for people or limited cover for older people (two that I know of are Zoom and 1Cover - great brands unless you're over 80, at which point they have an excess of $2000 for medical claims). Do a comparison on that site to get a sense of the prices. If you're under 80 and have pre-existing conditions, 1Cover, Columbus Direct and InsureandGo are worth a look as they have an online medical screening form so you get an immediate answer as to whether they'll cover you/if there is an increase in the premium.

Hope that helps!
 
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I have an annual multi trip with TID . I suppose the rate is reasonable compared to some. However I will be looking at InsureAndGo for my renewal in October

I used to have TID annual multi-trip, but the year after a small claim they bumped the premium significantly and declined to say why. This was still pre-70yo. Since then I've used Medibank Private, the rate was much better and I get a fund member discount and they have periodic special deals. The rate for me went up when I turned 70. The total cost for myself and my wife (<70) last year was $618.80 on a $250 excess, max trip duration 30 days each.
 
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