Comprehensive Travel Insurance
Looking for fully comprehensive travel insurance? Compare policies here with Savvy.
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If you want to relax and enjoy your holiday without worrying about the unexpected, comprehensive travel insurance may offer you peace of mind knowing you could be covered for an insured event that qualifies for claim approval. This top-level policy type has many benefits, and Savvy can help you compare them.
We offer a quick and easy comparison service to help you compare online travel insurance policies side-by-side from a panel of Australia's leading insurance companies. Consider your options with us today and get the wheels in motion on your insurance quote.
What is comprehensive travel insurance?
A comprehensive policy is a type of travel insurance which provides top-level coverage for your domestic or overseas holiday. Unlike basic insurance policies, which usually only cover the bare essentials, comprehensive options provide coverage on a wide range of incidentals. However, you generally have to pay a higher premium if you purchase comprehensive insurance. You can also choose optional extras that can be added to your coverage, such as high-risk activities protection.
What does comprehensive travel insurance cover?
The main reason people choose comprehensive travel insurance is for the extra coverage and higher benefit limits.Â
Some of the coverage comprehensive insurance can provide you includes:
- Medical expenses: If you require urgent medical attention because you’ve fallen ill or sustained an injury overseas, your insurance company may cover some or all of your medical treatment (depending on eligibility and the terms and conditions of the policy you have purchased)
- Accidental death: Your insurer may be able to liaise with local authorities to organise the repatriation of your body and cover the cost of your funeral if you die suddenly overseas.
- Loss of income: If you suffer an illness or injury which prevents you from returning to your regular work, your insurance company may cover your wages up to an agreed limit.
- Permanent disability: Your insurance company may pay you a capped amount if you’re involved in an insured accident which results in your permanent disability. However, if you’re involved in a non-covered event, you may not be eligible for a payout. For example, some insurers may pay out $50,000 if you are permanently disabled due to a covered accident or illness. Naturally, this would be subject to eligibility criteria, and all insurers have differing payout limits.
- Cancellation or disruption costs: If your flights are delayed, and you suddenly need a place to spend the night and something to eat, comprehensive insurance can cover the cost of a hotel and your meals if these are not already provided by the airline, and subject to eligibility criteria.Â
- Pre-existing conditions: Comprehensive insurance may possibly cover some pre-existing medical conditions (for example, asthma) but others pre-existing conditions may be excluded from cover (such as cancer, terminal illness and some heart conditions.)
- Personal liability: If you’re held responsible for an accident or injury sustained by another person, your insurance company may offer cover up to $5 million.
- Rental car excesses: Hiring a rental car can be handy if you need a set of wheels to get around. If an accident occurs, you could potentially be covered for the excess on the damaged vehicle.
- Loss, theft or damage to your luggage: If your luggage is lost, stolen or damaged while securely in your possession (ie. not left unattended), your insurance company may cover the cost of replacing your stolen items up to a certain amount (usually between $5,000 and $15,000, depending on your coverage).
- Passport or credit card fraud: Lost your credit card or passport on holiday? Your comprehensive travel insurance may cover their replacement.
Certain adventure sports and high-risk activities aren’t covered in the standard comprehensive coverage, but you can pay a little extra to get the protection you need. These activities include:
- Motorcycle, moped or scooter riding
- Hiking or trekking
- Skiing or snow sports
- Boxing
- Deep sea fishing
- Martial arts
- Outdoor rock climbing
- Quad biking and recreational all-terrain touring
How do I compare comprehensive travel insurance policies?
When you’re weighing up which comprehensive travel insurance policy is right for you, it’s a good idea to look at the various factors that make up your policy. These include:
Inclusions and exclusions
Not all comprehensive travel insurance policies have the same inclusions and exclusions, so it’s important to compare various travel insurance providers to find a comprehensive policy that meets your needs. Comparing with Savvy will enable you to get a side-by-side comparison of the benefits, so you can see which option works better for you.
Limits
Make sure the claim limits on the policy you want are sufficient. Look around and compare comprehensive travel insurance policies to ensure you find a product with a claim limit that is sufficient to cover the items you’re insuring.
The cost of premiums
Getting a few quotes on your travel insurance allows you to compare the cost of premiums from different providers so you can gain a better idea of which offers the best price and the most suitable coverage.
Excesses
If you need to make a claim on your travel insurance while you’re away, you may need to pay an excess. The excess on your travel insurance is the lump sum you pay when making a claim. This can range from between zero up to $250 or more. However, in most cases, lower or no excesses will cost more in premiums, so it’s worth considering your priorities. Comparing can help you to potentially reduce out-of-pocket costs.
Types of policies available
Travel insurance providers will usually offer you a range of varied options when you’re looking for a policy. Some of these include domestic or international, family or group, backpacker or cruise or even one-day travel insurance. Comparing companies will allow you to find a type of policy that suits your intended type of travel.
What factors impact the cost of my comprehensive travel insurance?
How much your travel insurance costs will come down to several specific variables which help make up your risk profile. Once you share some basic information with your insurer, they’ll be able to give you a cost based on your personal details. Some of these factors include:
Age
Your birth date will play a significant role in how much you pay for your travel insurance. Policies tend to be more expensive the older you are, as more insurers deem the risk of an accident or illness to be heightened with age.
Countries you visit
Insurers will let you take out cover for specific countries or opt for worldwide coverage that provides protection no matter where you are. Handpicking the countries you intend to visit on your holiday can be cheaper than opting for global coverage. Some countries are more expensive than others to get coverage for, which is also important to consider.
Length of your trip
The longer your holiday, the more expensive your travel insurance will be when you take it out. This is because there’s a greater risk of unexpected things happening which may lead to a claim.Â
Pre-existing conditions
Travel insurance is important if you suffer from an ongoing medical condition, in case you need medical attention while you’re on holiday. Insurers will spell out any pre-existing conditions covered under their standard policies, such as asthma. Not all pre-existing conditions will be covered by all insurers. If you suffer from a more serious condition, the range of insurers who are prepared to offer you cover may be more limited.Â
Extras
If you’re travelling to the Netherlands to do some hiking or planning a ski trip to Japan during the snow season, you’ll need extra coverage in the event something unexpected happens. Travel insurance companies can offer a range of extra packages (for example, an adventure pack) that you can add to your comprehensive travel insurance to provide the coverage you need if you intend to try more risky activities during your holiday.
Types of travel insurance
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Top tips for saving money on your comprehensive travel insurance
Compare with Savvy
Using Savvy to help make your decision allows you to easily see which provider from our trusted panel gives you the best coverage for the lowest price. You can compare policies side-by-side so you can weigh up the inclusions, exclusions and the price of your premium, as well as any other factors that are important to you.
Consider your destination
Some destinations without universal healthcare are more expensive to travel to when you’re wanting travel insurance. For example, if you’re planning a trip to America, your premium will be more expensive than if you planned a trip to Greece, where you can use your Medicare card to get free medical treatment because Greece has a reciprocal health care arrangement with Australia.
Find a policy with your preferred coverage rolled in
Find yourself a travel insurance policy that is tailored to the type of holiday you’re planning. If you’re planning to go rock climbing or scuba diving, some providers may automatically cover these as part of their comprehensive policies, which can make your trip cheaper. Other insurers may require you to purchase an additional adventure pack in order to get cover for more risky activities.
Choose a higher excess
Choosing to pay a higher excess will usually reduce the price of your premium. This is because you’re offering to pay a larger amount out of pocket if you need to make a claim. Setting your excess too high could potentially make it difficult for you to afford it, while increasing the excess could help you save on the initial cost of your premiums.
Pros and cons of comprehensive travel insurance
PROS
Extensive coverage
Comprehensive travel insurance can offer a higher level of coverage for medical treatment, lost and stolen luggage and other incidentals compared to a basic policy.
Wide range of options
Most travel insurance providers offer comprehensive coverage, so you should have plenty of choice when comparing your options with Savvy.
Can save you money
By taking out top-level coverage, you’ll enjoy a comprehensive level of cover for eligible insured events which could happen when you’re on holiday. By paying a little extra for coverage, you could potentially save a stack of money on medical expenses if something goes wrong.
Peace of mind
Comprehensive insurance gives you wide-ranging coverage, so you can have peace of mind you'll be covered for any event which qualifies for claim approval under your policy terms.
CONS
More expensive
You’ll pay more for comprehensive travel insurance than basic coverage. However, comprehensive policies may come with more benefits and higher cover limits.
May not cover your pre-existing condition
Travelling with a pre-existing condition may result in you not receiving the coverage you need from some insurers, but there may be companies out there who can help you if you’re in this position.
Won’t cover all activities
Even though you’re taking out top-level coverage, you may need to pay a little extra to get insurance if you’re planning a ski trip or partaking in other high-risk activities.
Frequently asked comprehensive travel insurance questions
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Disclaimer:
We do not compare all travel insurance brands currently operating in the market. Any advice presented above or on other pages is general in nature and does not consider your personal or business objectives, needs or finances. It’s always important to consider whether advice is suitable for you before purchasing an insurance policy.
Savvy earns a commission from our partners each time a customer buys a travel insurance policy via our website. We don’t arrange for products to be purchased from these brands directly, as all purchases are conducted via their websites.
Before purchasing your policy, we recommend you refer to the provider’s PDS for any further information on the terms, inclusions and exclusions.