Travel insurance for Australian seniors

Whether it’s sailing away on a round-the-world cruise, or visiting family and friends on distant shores, senior travellers enjoy living their life to the fullest. Taking the time to consider the right travel insurance that meets your needs is important. It’s vital you have coverage in place for your trip from unexpected events and includes cover for medical expenses, luggage, trip cancellation and more. Be sure to declare any pre-existing medical conditions as this could affect your coverage options and benefits. 

 

What to consider when choosing seniors travel insurance

Travel insurance is an important item for any holiday. But for older travellers, finding the right policy can be a confusing tangle of pre-existing conditions, age limits, cover restrictions and additional premiums.

Our policies are built to balance coverage and cost, with clear information available before purchasing to help you understand your options and how reimbursement works if you need to make a claim.

Travelling overseas from Australia

Our International Comprehensive insurance offers coverage for:

• Unlimited medical and evacuation expenses that arise due to unexpected events while on your journey
• Cancellation fees and lost deposits
• Damaged or lost baggage
• Personal items if they are stolen or damaged
• Rental car excess
• Emergency dental treatment
• Personal Liability

If you need to make a claim, our process is supported by clear details and dedicated assistance.

Taking more than one overseas trip this year?

Sometimes one overseas trip per year just isn’t enough! Our Annual Multi-trip policy covers you for an unlimited number of return journeys for a year – which often works out cheaper than taking out individual policies for each trip.

When buying your policy, you will be asked to enter the destinations you’re planning to travel to. If you decide to add another destination to your annual itinerary that isn’t on your policy, get in touch so that we can consider adding it on to your policy. Depending on where you’re travelling, you may need to pay an additional premium.

Under our Annual Multi-trip policy, you can choose cover for trips that last up to 30, 60 or 90 days.

Benefits covered are similar to our single-trip policy, but be sure to check the policy wording and eligibility criteria before making your decision. 

Travelling within Australia?

Domestic insurance is essential for covering you when travelling your own backyard, whether it’s a weekend city break or a month-long road trip.

Our Domestic insurance includes coverage for: 

• Cancellation fees and lost deposits – with the option to increase your cover depending on the cost of your journey
• Damaged or lost baggage
• Personal items if they are stolen or damaged
• Rental vehicle excess
• Pet services
• Childcare expenses

You can also select to pay an additional premium for cover for domestic cruises. 

Our travel insurance policies provide access to our worldwide Emergency Assistance team who are just a phone call away, and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

 

 

Travel insurance for seniors with pre-existing medical conditions

We consider a pre-existing medical condition as any illness, injury or health symptom of any person named on your Certificate of Insurance, which that person should be aware of. Please refer to the policy wording for the complete definition of a pre-existing medical condition and other applicable terms and conditions. You can add your pre-existing medical conditions when getting a quote from us. Information is available to help you understand how declared conditions affect your premium and coverage before you buy.

It is important to read your Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) for information about our definition of pre-existing medical conditions, excesses, sub limits, exclusions, and other terms and conditions. 

 

Do pre-existing medical conditions affect the price of my policy?

In a nutshell, yes. Seeking cover for pre-existing medical conditions will affect the price of your travel insurance policy. Any additional costs are displayed to you before you buy your policy, so you can choose whether or not you wish to pay the additional premium.
To find out more about pre-existing medical conditions, including when you must declare your conditions, you can read our Product Disclosure Statements for each policy here.

Remember, overseas medical emergencies can be astronomically expensive for uninsured travellers, as some of our highest medical claims show. So, declare your pre-existing medical conditions so you know if you're covered.

 

 

Cruise cover for seniors

Cruises are a great way to explore exotic and exciting locations with premium comfort and convenience. But whether it’s a misplaced bag or a bout of the flu, there’s still the risk of something spoiling your trip.

The good news is that you can add-on cover for overseas cruises to our International Comprehensive policy.

If you’re embarking on a cruise holiday, consider:

• Selecting coverage for all of the destinations you’ll be visiting on your cruise.
• Starting your policy as soon as you’ve booked your cruise, so your cover is in place for unexpected cancellations and illnesses before you leave.
• If you plan to enjoy any adventure sports or activities on your trip, check the Product Disclosure Statement to see if they’re covered.

Seniors' travel insurance for domestic cruises in Australia

If you’re looking to take to the water but would prefer to stay local, a domestic cruise could be the perfect alternative! Domestic cruises are often shorter in length, and you get to experience the beautiful Australian coastline and waterways.

You can select the option to cover your domestic cruise when purchasing your policy.

Our Domestic insurance includes cover for:

• Cancellation fees and lost deposits – with the option to increase your cover depending on the cost of your journey
• Damaged or lost baggage
• Personal items if they are stolen or damaged
• Rental vehicle excess
• Pet services
• Childcare expenses

Cover for seniors over 85

Some insurers don’t offer policies to people over 85. Few providers offer this level of access, giving seniors more plans, clearer information, and ongoing coverage later in life. We believe that everyone should be free to experience the joy of travelling, no matter their age, which is why our age limit is 118!

So if you’re over 85 and travelling overseas, you can purchase either our International Comprehensive, Domestic or Working Overseas policy as long as you meet our eligibility criteria. You can view the relevant eligibility criteria here: International Comprehensive, Domestic, Working Overseas. 

 

Travel insurance tips for seniors

We know that finding the right policy for your holiday can be confusing. But with the right research, you can find great value cover that is suitable for your needs. When researching your travel insurance, remember to:

• Understand your pre-existing medical conditions and what they cost to cover.
• Look out for any age limits.
• Start your insurance as soon as you book your flights and accommodation, so your cover is in place for unexpected cancellations.
• Research customer reviews to find great quality cover.
• Be sure to check the coverage limits, as medical cover could be reduced for people over 70.
• Read the Product Disclosure Statements before you buy, to make sure you understand the details of exactly what you are covered for and what you aren't covered for.

If you suffer from any illness or injury (symptoms included) after starting your insurance but before you travel, remember to notify us.

 

  

The content of this article is general and provided for information purposes only. Southern Cross Travel Insurance (SCTI) doesn’t guarantee or warrant the accuracy, completeness or currency of any article, and the information should not be relied on as a substitute for independent advice or personal judgment.

This article may contain hyperlinks to other websites owned or operated by third parties, or references to third party products or services. SCTI isn’t responsible for, and makes no recommendation about, the content or accuracy of any third party website, or for the suitability or performance of any product or service. The inclusion of a link in this article doesn’t imply that SCTI endorses the website or third party product/service.

What you need to know

This page includes some information about our products but, as with all insurance policies, eligibility criteria, terms and conditions apply. For our terms and conditions (including information about exclusions, excesses and sub limits) we recommend you read the relevant Financial Services Guide (FSG), Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Target Market Determination (TMD) to ensure our travel insurance products are right for you.  

You can find the relevant documents here: International Comprehensive, Annual Multi-trip, International Medical Only, Working Overseas, Domestic.