What the Insurance Council of Australia says
The Insurance Council of Australia provide the following General Tips within their Travel Insurance – Guide for travellers. We have added in our comments to show we are committed to you the consumer.
- Always read your product disclosure statement prior to purchasing your travel insurance. Travel insurance policies are competitive so it pays to shop around to find a policy that suits your individual requirements.
You won’t have to hunt around our website looking for the policy wording; you can read it by clicking here.
- Travel insurance cover is not unlimited. It is recommended that you check your policy for any limits and what they apply to.
All of our limits are shown before you purchase the policy so you can choose the policy that best reflects your needs.
- Speak to your insurer to clarify any issues about your policy that you may be unsure of.
Call us on 1300 401 177. We are more than happy to assist in any way we can.
- Some travel insurance policies have an excess clause. This excess is the amount payable when you make a claim. You can also pay a higher premium to remove any excess. It is important to read all the conditions of your policy and make sure you are aware of excess and where it applies.
All of our policies display exactly what excess is included. If you don’t require an excess you can either take out Platinum cover or remove the excess on any of our other policies by buying excess waiver. We believe it’s important to allow you to tailor the policy to your needs and budget.
- It is important to make a record of all your personal effects and belongings before you travel, and place the record in a safe location at home. It is also important to keep original receipts and/or statements if relevant as you may need them as evidence if you make a claim.
Should you need to make a claim, we agree it’s good to have receipts, but we also except this isn’t always possible, so we can accept any other proof of ownership such as a photo of you and the item or the packaging it came in.
- Medical expenses can be expensive when you are overseas. In regions such as North America, Europe, Africa and some parts of Asia they can be extremely expensive. Therefore, it is important to obtain the maximum amount of cover for medical expenses when travelling.
You can get policies without any limits on your medical expenses making sure you’re comfortable with the cover you buy.
- Make two copies of your policy. Keep one copy with you in a separate place to the original and leave a copy with someone at home.
Good advice, we will email you a copy so even if you lose you certificate abroad you can log on in at a hotel, or internet café, to retrieve a copy.
If you want to read the consumer guide you can find it here