InsureandGo receives top marks from CANSTAR

Sydney, 16 October 2013 – Online travel insurance provider, InsureandGo has received the highest possible ranking of 5 stars in the ‘Outstanding Value in the Domestic Travel Insurance’ category by independent reviewer, CANSTAR.

InsureandGo was announced as a national winner in CANSTAR’s comparison of 49 travel insurance brands in Australia.

InsureandGo also received top ratings within the ‘International Travel Insurance’ category for singles, couples and families – achieving 5 stars for all comprehensive policies to:

• New Zealand
• Fiji
• China
• Bali
• Thailand
• South Africa.

The CANSTAR Travel Insurance Star Ratings report provides an impartial and transparent analysis of insurance products where CANSTAR’s expert team collect, analyse a nd research hundreds of policies to determine the best products in each category.

Policies are judged against three common traveller profiles: a single person, a couple (based on two adults who travel together); and a family consisting of two adults and their two children.
InsureandGo General Manager Sebastian Kaisin said that InsureandGo Australia was delighted to have received the top accolade within the ‘Domestic Travel Insurance’ category as well as receiving the highest ratings for policies to New Zealand, Fiji, China, Bali,Thailand and South Africa within the ‘International Travel Insurance’ category.

“As a relative newcomer to the Australian travel insurance market; we are delighted to have been recognised by independent ratings experts, CANSTAR, for the outstanding value and comprehensive cover offered by so many of our travel insurance products,” Mr Kaisin said.

“Being a solely online travel insurance provider most certainly gives us a cost advantage; allowing us to pass significant savings on to our customers, without reducing the high level of coverage and assistance that we provide, in areas that really matter to travelers.”

CANSTAR reported that:

InsureandGo is a new entrant into the Australian domestic travel insurance market. CANSTAR’sresearch has found that InsureandGo offer the lowest premiums for couples and families among all providers rated in the Domestic Travel Insurance category, as well as offering good features.

Some features in particular to highlight include:

• Ability to claim online/over the phone
• Up to $5000 for luggage and personal effects
• Up to $10,000 for cancellation and loss of deposits
• Up to $5000 for unexpected travel expense/trip disruption

CANSTAR CEO, Andrew Spicer said his company’s star ratings system is designed to help consumers increase their chances of finding the right product.

“We would encourage you to add five star products to your shopping list,” Mr Spicer said.

The 2013 report compared 103 comprehensive travel insurance policies and 63 domestic travel insurance policies across 49 travel insurance brands. (Source: http://www.canstar.com.au/travel-insurance/star-ratings-report-travel-insurance/)

Five Star Outstanding Value for International Travel Insurance to Australia’s most popular travel destinations: New Zealand, Bali, Thailand, and Fiji

Significantly, InsureandGo has received CANSTAR’s five star outstanding value rating for policies to travel to some of the most popular destinations for Australians, including New Zealand, Bali, Thailand and Fiji.

In April 2013, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported the top five favourite destinations for Australians were New Zealand (1.1 million visitors), Indonesia (910,000 visitors), the US (819,000 visitors), Thailand (600,000 visitors), and Britain (487,000 visitors). (Source: http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/hottest-destinations-for-australians-revealed-20130430-2iqrq.html#ixzz2g3hqVuzh

“Australians travelling to New Zealand, Bali, Thailand, Fiji or indeed South Africa or China on holidays can be assured that they are getting outstanding value in booking their travel insurance through InsureandGo with our latest CANSTAR 5 star rating,” Mr Kaisin said.

Each travel insurance product reviewed for the CANSTAR Travel Insurance Star Ratings Report is awarded points for its comparative pricing and for the array of positive features attached to the product These points make up an overall value, which is then converted into a number of stars.

InsureandGo is one of world’s largest online travel insurance companies and recently launched in Australia in 2010. Globally, the company covers over 1.6 million travellers every year.

The InsureandGo brand was established in the UK in 2000 and launched in the Australian marketplace in 2010.

Have a pre-existing medical conditions but need travel insurance?

Source: The Australian – 18 September 2013 – For Australians who have a pre-existing medical condition, finding travel insurance to travel overseas can be harder than it may initially seem, particularly for seniors.

Online travel insurer, InsureandGo provides overseas travel insurance to customers with pre-existing medical conditions and all medical conditions are considered.

InsureandGo customer, 68-year-old Garry Wood who travels to Bali at least twice a year with his partner and who has a heart condition, said it can be really difficult to find travel insurance when you have a pre-existing medical condition.

“I checked out quite a few insurance companies and InsureandGo were definitely the most accommodating for someone with a medical condition,” Mr. Wood said.

On a recent trip, Garry had to be hospitalized for five days in a Bali hospital having developed a severe case of pneumonia. His medical expenses came to thousands of dollars.

“InsureandGo were very good in paying all of my medical expenses – it was no problem at all. I would definitely recommend InsureandGo to other travellers, especially for those with pre-existing medical conditions,” he said.

“We have a villa in Bali so we travel at least twice a year and love it, but I would never travel without the right insurance.”

Australians are travelling overseas in ever – increasing numbers. Overseas Arrival and Departure (OAD) data indicate that Australians took 8.2 million overseas trips (up 4.9 percent) over the last 12 months ending February 2013.

InsureandGo General Manager Sebastian Kaisin said travellers with a pre-existing medical condition may find it difficult to find travel insurance cover as some insurance companies may not be prepared to cover a customer where there’s a higher chance that they may require medical attention while travelling.

“The insurance companies that do cover pre-existing medical conditions, usually require the customer to provide a detailed medical certificate at the point of purchasing the policy, but not at InsureandGo,” Mr. Kaisin said. “But we will require a medical certificate and other supporting documents if a claim is made,” he said.

InsureandGo considers medical conditions by asking customers to complete a specifically designed online form which asks customers to indicate what type of medical condition they have and then provide a quote for a policy based on the level of cover they may require.

“InsureandGo will cover the large proportion of medical conditions but there are some cases where we would be unable to provide a quote,” Mr. Kaisin added.

“Customers aren’t required to provide a doctor’s certificate, medical report or a medical evaluation when purchasing insurance – they just need to truthfully complete one simple online questionnaire and if that condition is covered they will be provided with a quote. It’s that easy,” he said.

“If travellers don’t have the right travel insurance in place, the costs can come into the tens of thousands to get the help, be it medical attention, alternative flights home, or whatever the situation may be that they need,” Mr. Kaisin said.

Smartraveller spokesperson, Paula Ganly, said whatever your age and destination, properly preparing before you leave such as taking out comprehensive travel insurance can help make sure you have a happy and enjoyable trip.

“If you can’t afford travel insurance, you can’t afford to travel. The Australian Government will not pay for your medical treatment overseas or medical evacuation to Australia or a thirdcountry. Travellers without travel insurance are personally liable for covering any medical and associated costs they incur,” she said.

“You should ensure that your insurance policy covers all medical expenses for injury or illness, as well as theft of valuables, damage to baggage and cancellations or interruptions to flight plans. It will save you worry and a possible financial burden.

“Always read the product disclosure statement carefully and ensure that you understand exactly what your travel insurance covers.

“Medical costs overseas can be in the tens of thousands of dollars and some travellers face significant financial burden when things go wrong.

“Compare travel insurance policies and make sure the cover you choose suits your needs and is valid for the whole time you’ll be away,” Ms Ganly said.

InsureandGo is one of the world’s largest online travel insurance companies and recently launched in Australia in 2010. Globally, the company covers over 1.6 million travellers every year.

2013: the year of ski trips to Asia, more seniors travelling and lost or stolen smartphones

InsureandGo looks at the top trends in travel insurance for 2013

Sydney, 14 January 2014 – Online travel insurance provider, InsureandGo, reported an encouraging year in 2013 selling 95 per cent more insurance policies than in the previous year. The online travel insurance provider also recorded 140 per cent more claims last year than the previous.

InsureandGo‟s Managing Director Sebastien Kaisin said both the increase in claims and purchases in travel insurance policies^ reflects the current environment with more Australians travelled overseas than previous years.

Overseas arrival and departure (OAD) data indicates that Australians took 8.2 million overseas trips (up 4.9 per cent) over the last 12 months ending February 2013.

“The year on year increase in travel coupled with Smartraveller‟s latest campaign encouraging travellers to take out travel insurance has certainly played a role in the strong numbers that InsureandGo recorded in 2013,” Mr. Kaisin said.

“From our annual results, it appears Smartraveller’s key message that “if you can’t afford travel insurance, you can’t afford to travel”, is starting to resonate with Australians planning their travels overseas which is positive,” he said.

A review of the year’s highs and lows showed some interesting trends such as ski trips to Asia on the rise, more seniors travelling than ever before, while the loss or theft of personal goods and belongings remained the top claim.

Ski trips on the rise – more skiers travelling to Asia

Although insurance policies^ for ski trips rose only slightly in 2013 to the previous year, skiers travelling to Asian ski fields increased by a significant 15.7 per cent while ski policies to New Zealand saw a slight decline from 43.22 per cent down to 30.41 per cent.

In 2013, just over 29 per cent of all InsureandGo ski policies^ were sold to skiers travelling to Asian destinations.

A Roy Morgan Research survey released in 2013 found that a decade ago, around 4 out of 5 Aussies wanting a snow-capped holiday chose a domestic destination for their skiing and snowboarding fix. Today, almost half head overseas. Popular destinations included New Zealand, North America, Europe and Japan.

Increase in travellers over the age of 50

Australian seniors had international travel high on the agenda last year. 2013 saw an increase of 2.57 per cent in travellers buying insurance in the 50-59 age group. There was also an increase of 5.7 per cent of policies^ that included medical screening for travellers with a pre-existing medical condition.

“This may be due to the fact that we offer a quick and simple way to declare pre-existing conditions via an online medical screening questionnaire,” Mr Kaisin said.

“We consider all medical conditions and only require customers to produce a medical certificate at the claim stage, not at the policy^ purchasing stage which many customers find beneficial,” he said.

Furthermore, InsureandGo saw a slight increase in policies^ sold to travellers in the 70-79 age groups in 2013, making up 5.2 per cent of all policies.

Travellers in all age categories over 50 saw increases in 2013 with the greatest rise in 50-59 year olds.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics recorded that the age distribution of Australian residents travelling overseas has been older in the past decade, with the proportion travelling in the 50-69 years age group increasing from 26.1 per cent in 2002 to 28.9 per cent in 2012.*

Most common claims

InsureandGo processed 38 per cent of claims for the loss or theft of personal belongings and baggage (up from 25 percent), with the most popular item being smartphones.

“This is an obvious one,” says Kaisin “considering at 65 percent, Australia has one of the highest smartphone penetrations in the world. Smartphone usage is high and it is very common for people to depend on their smartphones to double up as cameras as well. They are a common accessory for many travellers.”

‘Medical expenses’ were the next most frequent claim, making up 37 per cent of all claims from travellers in 2013 (compared to 38 per cent in the previous year), with gastroenteritis being the most common medical condition, followed by food poisoning, then physical injuries from a slip or a fall.

Trips to the US received the most amount of claims, comprising 18.87 per cent of the total claims (compared to 13 percent), followed by Thailand (18.23 per cent up from 11 percent) and Indonesia (16.27 per cent up from 10 percent).

Medical expenses represent the top claims for trips made to both the US and Thailand reflected in almost 43 per cent and 45 per cent of claims to both countries respectively.

Asia Top Destination for Insurance Policies

Asia continued to be the most popular destination for travel insurance policies in 2013 with InsureandGo selling 35 per cent of all policies^ to Asia, an increase of 2.94 per cent from 2012.

Asia is a popular holiday destination for Australians with key destinations being Indonesia (recorded 910,000) and Thailand (625,000).

“This is not surprising”, commented Kaisin, with the strong Aussie dollar in 2013, and the low cost of holidaying in Asia, this region is likely to continue being a popular destination for Australians.”

Buyer behaviour

InsureandGo recorded that 15 per cent of policies^ were purchased via a tablet or smartphone in 2013, up five per cent on the previous year.

More couples travelling

As a traveller type, four percent more couples booked travel insurance in 2013, making up 30 per cent of all customers in the year, while single travellers decreased by five percent from 2012.

Families rose from nine to ten percent.

Insurance still a last minute purchase

InsureandGo General Manager, Sebastien Kaisin said the data revealed that travel insurance is still largely a last minute purchase for most customers.

“In 2013, we found that approximately 35 per cent of all the policies^ sold were from customers whose departure date was either the same day or within the next two days.

“This shows us that travel insurance is the final part of the holiday purchase process for most travellers. They may not necessarily want to make the purchase, but many travellers are realising they need to.”

InsureandGo received a CANSTAR award for its Domestic Travel Insurance policy^ in late 2013, as well as top ratings for ‘International Travel Insurance’ for singles, couples and families – achieving 5 stars for all comprehensive policies to New Zealand, Fiji, China, Bali, Thailand, and South Africa.

InsureandGo is one of world‟s largest online travel insurance companies and recently launched in Australia in 2010. Globally, the company covers over 1.6 million travellers every year.

For further information on InsureandGo’s award winning travel insurance policies^, visit https://www.insureandgo.com.au/

*(Source: 3404.0 – Overseas Arrivals and Departures, Australia, Dec 2012. www.abs.gov.au)

International travel on the rise for Aussie families

InsureandGo predict a bumper 2014 Easter holiday season

Sydney, 6 March 2014 – Online travel insurance company, InsureandGo is anticipating a bumper Easter holiday season with more Australian families choosing to holiday overseas than ever before.

Easter 2014 is set to be an exceptionally busy period for the travel industry this year due to the fact that in 2014 Australian workers only need to take three days of annual leave between the Easter weekend (Friday 18 April – Monday 21 April) and the Anzac Day public holiday (Friday 25 April) in order to receive a whopping 10 day holiday.

With online travel insurer InsureandGo offering family policy perks such as allowing kids under the age of 18 to be covered for free when travelling with mum or dad; there has never been greater incentives for families to make the most of the Easter period with a short break overseas.

InsureandGo Australia has seen an increase in the number of family policies sold in the last year with sales growing from 8.96% of all polices sold in 2012 to 9.74% of all policies sold in 2013.

The latest sales figures from InsureandGo show that families want to ensure that they have the best level of cover available with over 44% of family policy purchasers opting to take out the gold level of cover – the highest level of cover that InsureandGo offer.

The most popular region for families to travel to currently is Asia followed by New Zealand and the Pacific.

Recent research conducted for Tourism Australia showed that the greatest volume of travel and one of the largest growth groups travelling overseas year on year are Australian families. (Source: http://www.tourism.australia.com/news/research-australians-urged-to-embrace-domestic-travel.aspx)

A number of interrelated factors have contributed to the increase in overseas travel. These include the greater affordability of overseas holidays and accommodation (due in part to the strength of the Australian dollar and increasing competition among airlines), as well as being able to research, compare and book online.

InsureandGo General Manager Sebastian Kaisin said the travel insurance industry is currently experiencing wholesale change.

“Historically, travel insurance was sold via travel agents at or near the time of booking, but today, online travel insurers such as InsureandGo.com.au have made it easy for consumers to identify, evaluate, compare and purchase travel insurance directly. Ecommerce allows us to provide competitive prices as there are less overheads involved.” Mr Kaisin said.

Mr Kaisin said not only are more Australian families travelling abroad for short break holidays; they are booking their holidays online as well as their travel insurance.

“Given the sheer convenience that online shopping brings, it’s not surprising that more and more mums and dads are finding the best way to research best prices for holidays as well as travel insurance is online.

“Booking travel insurance online allows parents to research and shop around and feel comfortable that they are choosing the right level of cover and policy for their family, at a competitive price.

“They can be assured that they are getting value for money as well as all the necessary inclusions in their travel insurance which is added peace of mind for a family holiday,” he said.

Father of three, Dean Linden booked his travel insurance online with InsureandGo through a price comparison website when travelling for a holiday to Fiji with his wife and three children, aged 13, 11 and six.

“I had booked our travel insurance with another company for previous trips and decided to look on a price comparison website just to see if what we had paid previously was competitive,” Mr Linden said.

“I saw that InsureandGo was about $9 cheaper than what I was previously paying so I then googled InsureandGo to find some blogs to see what other people were saying about them.

“Most comments were positive so I thought just go for it.

“Having fully comprehensive travel insurance with a reputable, trustworthy travel insurance company is extremely important to my wife and I as I’m sure it is to most families.

“I wanted to make sure we were covered entirely if anything was to happen such as needing medical attention,” Mr Linden said.

InsureandGo recently received two of the highest rating CANSTAR awards of 5 stars in the ‘Outstanding Value in the Domestic Travel Insurance’ category as well as within the ‘International Travel Insurance’ category for policies to New Zealand, Fiji, China, Bali, Thailand and South Africa for families (as well as singles and couples).

“Australian families travelling to New Zealand, Bali, Thailand, Fiji, China or South Africa on holidays can be assured that they are getting outstanding value in booking their travel insurance through InsureandGo with our latest CANSTAR 5-star rating,” Mr Kaisin said.

For further information on travel insurance policies for families where children under the age of 18 are covered for free when travelling with mum or dad, please visit https://www.insureandgo.com.au/.

Things every traveller needs to know about travel insurance

InsureandGo provides its top tips to help you buy the right cover for your next holiday

Sydney, 30 April 2014 – Online travel insurance specialist InsureandGo looks at the most common questions that their customers ask and provides a comprehensive guide to travel insurance; from helping you select the policy^ that is right for you, to making sure you take the necessary steps to help process your claim if the worst happens.

Travel insurance provides peace of mind when you are travelling; should you become ill, fall victim to crime or have to cancel your trip due to unforeseen circumstances – you can recover some or all of your costs. However, as InsureandGo General Manager, Sebastian Kaisin explains, an alarming amount of travellers find themselves underinsured or have their claims rejected due to some common pitfalls and misconceptions.

“Unfortunately, due to a combination of lack of research and understanding the different levels of cover offered by providers, many travellers do not select the right level of cover for their needs. Every holiday you take is different, so it stands to reason that your travel insurance needs will also differ from trip to trip,” he said.

“The activities undertaken on a beach holiday in Bali will be very different to a skiing trip in New Zealand. Make sure that all of the activities you plan to do during your holiday are fully covered by your policy^ to avoid being caught out should you need to claim,” Mr Kaisin said

Most common claims

In 2013, InsureandGo processed 38 per cent of claims for the loss or theft of personal belongings and baggage (up from 25 per cent in 2012), with the most popular item being smartphones. Not all levels of travel insurance will cover lost or stolen phones and cameras so if you plan to take these or other gadgets away with you, research your level of cover and select the cover that will include these items.

‘Medical expenses’ were the next most frequent claim, making up 37 per cent of all claims from travellers in 2013, with gastroenteritis being the most common medical condition, followed by food poisoning, then physical injuries from a slip or a fall. Reassuringly, all InsureandGo policies, even the basic level of cover, offer unlimited medical cover if you become ill or are injured during your trip.

InsureandGo Claims and Operations Manager, Julius Paramour provides the most common reasons why claims are rejected:

• No official police report was obtained. If your belongings are lost or stolen whilst travelling, you will need to obtain an official police report from a police station in the region where the incident took place. Without this official documentation, your claim will not be valid.
• People not understanding what ‘unattended’ means in relation to a stolen goods claim. For example – leaving personal items outside a bathroom stall, leaving a wallet on a shop counter or leaving your items alone on a pool lounger or on the beach whilst you go swimming are all considered as leaving your goods unattended and any stolen goods claims that occur because of these actions are likely to be denied.
• Not lodging your claim in time – you must lodge your claim within 30 days after returning from your trip. Any claims made after this time will be rejected.
• Not buying cover for all your relevant travel destinations – if you travel to a destination that is not included in your cover, any claims made during that entire trip will be denied. This includes any transit or stopover destinations. Even if you are only stopping in a destination for a few hours, you should make sure that destination is covered by your policy, just in case something happens.
• Not having all the relevant documentation to submit with your claim – for any lost or stolen goods claims, you will require proof of purchase for all of the items that you are claiming for.
• Not having the right level of cover – read your PDS (Product Disclosure Statement) thoroughly before you purchase a travel insurance policy to ensure that it matches the needs of your trip.
• People not willing/ cannot afford to pay the excess – be aware that most insurance policies have an excess; if you do not want to pay an excess fee at the time of claiming you will need to include an excess waiver in your policy and pay a higher premium.

What to do if you are too sick to travel

If you fall sick prior to your trip, you must go and see a doctor. If your doctor deems you unfit to travel, you must not travel as you will not be covered by your travel insurance policy. InsureandGo Claims and Operations Manager, Julius Paramour advises that if you fall sick whilst overseas and are no longer able to enjoy your holiday, you must head to the nearest medical facility immediately.

“Remember to take your passport with you as most hospitals will require this to treat you. Whenever possible, call your insurer or ask your travelling companion to call them on your behalf and explain the situation.

“If required, InsureandGo are able to send a guarantee of payment to the medical facility to cover your cost. They will also send any information about any pre-existing conditions that you declared when you purchased the policy^,” Mr Paramour says.

Another important point to remember is that if you have to pay for any medical costs whilst outside of Australia, make sure to keep all original receipts as you will need these to support your claim.

What to do if you need to cancel your trip

Prior to departure, unforeseen circumstances can arise that may prevent you from travelling such as a medical emergency or the death of a family member. You will only be covered if you need to cancel your trip due to unforeseen circumstances. In each case, the insurer would seek relevant documentation to show when something happened. Insurers will not pay out if you just change your mind and decide you no longer want to go away.

Top 5 things to look out for with your next travel insurance purchase

1. Unlimited medical cover on international trips
2. Cover for lost baggage
3. Do they consider pre-existing conditions?
4. Medical evacuation
5. 24-hour emergency assistance and you should be able to contact them from anywhere in the world

Things to consider before you book your travel insurance:

• Declare any pre-existing medical conditions and ensure that you are not travelling against medical advice. All InsureandGo policies offer unlimited medical cover if you become ill or are injured during your trip.
• InsureandGo offers a simple online medical questionnaire to make it quick and simple for travellers to declare and get cover for their pre-existing medical conditions and all medical conditions are considered.
• Make sure you choose a policy that covers all the activities you plan to take part in during your trip. If you are doing any winter sports for example you may need to upgrade your policy to cover these activities.
• Check the latest travel warnings from DFAT (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade). You will not be covered if you travel against the government’s advice. Visit www.smartraveller.gov.au for up-to-date travel advice.
• Choose the appropriate level for your specific needs – make sure you choose a policy that covers all the activities that you plan to take part in and that the baggage cover is suitable for the items you plan to take away with you.
• Check that your provider has 24/7 assistance should an emergency arise – InsureandGo has a 24-hour emergency assistance line
• If you will be travelling a number of times per year, it may be more cost-effective to purchase an Annual Multi-Trip Travel Insurance product from InsureandGo. This policy^ covers you for an unlimited number of trips throughout the year, subject to maximum trip duration options of 30, 45 or 60 days.

InsureandGo is one of the world’s largest online travel insurance companies covering over 1.6 million travellers every year. The company launched in Australia in 2010. InsureandGo prides itself on its comprehensive and price-competitive travel insurance policies and are constantly creating new policies to meet the needs of their customers.

InsureandGo recently received top marks in the CANSTAR Travel Insurance Star Ratings report – announced as a national winner in CANSTAR’s comparison of 49 travel insurance brands in Australia winning the outstanding value for Domestic Travel Insurance. They also received the highest possible ranking of five stars for international travel insurance to New Zealand, Fiji, China, Bali, Thailand and South Africa.

For further information on InsureandGo’s award-winning travel insurance policies, please visit https://www.insureandgo.com.au/

InsureandGo gives top tips for Aussie World Cup fans travelling to Brazil

Sydney, 10 June 2014 – The month long feast of football, the 2014 World Cup, kicks off on the 12/6/14 in San Paulo, Brazil. With 3.3million tickets available to one of the world’s biggest sporting events of the year, football fans across the globe are now converging on Brazil to enjoy all that the event and the country has to offer.

With record numbers of Australians booked to watch the Socceroos do us proud, leading online travel insurance provider, InsureandGo has advised top tips for travellers to make the most of their holiday and best ways to avoid potential peril:

1. Book any tickets to World Cup events through a licensed agent (any loss of tickets from an unlicensed agent or ‘touted’ tickets are not covered)
2. Ensure you have emergency rescue and medical cover. Medical facilities in Brazil are among the best in the continent particularly in the larger cities of Rio, San Paulo and Brasilia. Regional medical facilities are more basic and therefore it is recommended that Australians ensure their particular policy includes emergency repatriation and evacuation cover.
3. Ensure you have adequate luggage and personal effects cover. Make sure you choose a policy that covers all the activities that you plan to take part in and that the baggage cover is suitable for the items you plan to take away with you. If cover for items like phones, cameras, laptops, tablets etc is important to you then consider upgrading your level of baggage cover to include these items.
4. Participating in deliberate, malicious, reckless, illegal or criminal acts – hooliganism will not be covered by travel insurance. Sporting events can turn passionate supporters into frenzied fanatics. Don’t get carried away in the moment. Remember to keep your wits about you and avoid illegal or reckless behaviour.
5. Make sure you choose a policy that covers all the activities you plan to take part in during your trip.
6. Check the latest travel warnings from DFAT (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade). You will not be covered if you travel against the government’s advice. Visit www.smartraveller.gov.au for up to date travel advice.
7. Ensure all your travel destinations are covered – this also includes any transit and stopover destinations. Even if you only stop off for a few hours you should make sure you’re covered, just in case.
8. Check that you can contact your provider 24/7 should an emergency arise – InsureandGo have a 24 hour emergency assistance line provided by MAPFRE ASSISTANCE, a multinational insurance, reinsurance and assistance services provider with more than 90 million people insured.
9. Top risks inherent to travelling in Brazil are no different to those when traveling anywhere in South America. Generally speaking, they include food poisoning, traffic accidents, and disease such as Dengue Fever and Malaria. The risk of disease can be addressed by seeking appropriate preventative care before leaving to go to Brazil.

InsureandGo has recorded a more than 40% increase in policies^ to South America during the first quarter of 2014 when comparing to the same period last year, indicating that many Australians are travelling to the World Cup with Insurance.

The Brazilian organisers of the epic event have attempted to ensure that all proceeds smoothly however when dealing with occasions of the scale of the World Cup things can just go wrong. InsureandGo’s General Manager Sebastian Kaisin said events of the scale of the World Cup, no matter how well planned, put a strain on infrastructure and emergency services that can cause unexpected consequences.

“Travellers are well advised to take out comprehensive travel insurance before going to enjoy all that Brazil has to offer,” Mr Kaisin said.

“Claims for the loss of personal items and baggage make up 50% of all claims made from Brazil. Whilst taking common sense precautions for personal belongings will reduce the chances of theft and damage, situations arise where no amount of personal vigilance can help plain bad luck,” Mr Kaisin said.

“The sheer numbers of visitors to Brazil will inevitably put existing infrastructure under additional stress. There will be more people, more bags, more planes, more trains, more buses… more everything. Simply put, more opportunities for things to go wrong.”

The balance of most claims travelling to Brazil relate to travel delay, medical, personal accident and emergency medical events

InsureandGo named Australia’s ‘Best Value Basic Travel’ insurance by Mozo

InsureandGo receives ‘Highly Commended Best Value’ Comprehensive Cover

Sydney, 19 June 2014 – Online travel insurance provider, InsureandGo has received the highest possible ranking, the gold medal, from Australia’s leading travel insurance comparison site, Mozo, in their inaugural Experts Choice Travel Insurance Awards.

InsureandGo received the ‘Gold Award’ in the ‘Best Value Basic Cover’ category for its popular One Trip Bare Essentials policy, making it Australia’s best value basic travel insurance policy according to Mozo’s team of impartial experts.

InsureandGo also received the ‘Highly Commended’ award in the ‘Best Value Comprehensive Cover’ category for its Silver policy which was found to be in the top 10% of best value comprehensive policies in the Australian marketplace.

The Mozo Experts Choice Awards were designed to highlight the banking and insurance products in the marketplace that offer the best value to Australian consumers.

Mozo rated 133 policies from 57 Australian travel insurers by gathering quotes for a range of common travel scenarios. Quotes for each scenario were averaged to determine the insurers with the lowest minimum average premiums in the categories of comprehensive and basic travel insurance.

Mozo – which stands for Money Zone – is Australia’s leading travel insurance comparison and reviews site and has one of the most comprehensive online travel insurance databases in Australia. Currently around 300,000 Australians per month use Mozo’s financial comparison services.

InsureandGo General Manager Sebastian Kaisin said that InsureandGo Australia was delighted to have received the gold medal within the ‘Best Value Basic Cover’ category as well as receiving the Highly Commended award in the ‘Best Value Comprehensive Cover’ category.

“This is a great achievement to be recognised by Australia’s leading travel insurance comparison site, Mozo, for the outstanding value and comprehensive cover offered by two of our most popular travel insurance products,” Mr Kaisin said.

“Being a solely online travel insurance provider most certainly gives us a cost advantage; allowing us to pass significant savings on to our customers, without reducing the high level of coverage and assistance that we provide, in areas that really matter to travellers.”

Mozo Director, Kirsty Lamont said that the Mozo Choice Awards are an initiative by Mozo that recognises Australia’s best value financial products and helps Australians save money by choosing the best value products.

“The inaugural Mozo Experts Choice Awards aim to help travellers find the best value insurance and avoid paying too much, allowing travellers to make an informed decision about which is the best travel insurance policy for their needs,” Ms Lamont said.

“Mozo is delighted to award InsureandGo with these two top awards in our independent comparison of 133 policies.

“Significantly, InsureandGo’s ‘One Trip Bare Essentials’ policy has been found to be the best value basic travel insurance policy in Australia.”

Mr Kaisin said we know that price is one of the strongest drivers for consumers when it comes to choosing a travel insurance policy so we are happy that Mozo has found one of our most popular policies to be the the best value basic travel insurance policy in Australia.

“This is further reinforcement of our company’s ambitions, to be Australia’s leading and best value online travel insurance provider,” Mr. Kaisin said

The Mozo Experts Choice Awards use a gold, silver and bronze awards classification system for the top three travel insurers in each category. The remaining top 10% of policies in each category received a Highly Commended award.

InsureandGo is one of world’s largest online travel insurance, established in the UK in 2000 and launched in the Australian marketplace in 2010. Globally, the company covers over 1.6 million travellers every year.

For further information on InsureandGo’s award winning travel insurance policies, please visit https://www.insureandgo.com.au/.