The Bali earthquake could affect your travel insurance
If you're travelling to Bali soon, Tuesday's earthquake could impact your cover.
A 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit the popular holiday island of Bali on the 16th of July, and was felt by locals in Kuta, Canggu, Seminyak and Ubud.
If you were planning to travel to Bali and bought travel insurance from the 16th, 10am AEST onwards, you might not be covered for any claims related to the earthquake. This could include cancellation, medical and more, depending on the policy. However, if you had already taken out travel insurance before the earthquake hit, you should be covered (although some policies require you to buy separate natural disaster cover).
This is because Tuesday's 5.7 magnitude earthquake is considered a 'known event' for insurance purposes. A known event is considered to be something that any reasonable person should have known about in advance due to the media attention it receives.
Put simply, buying a travel insurance policy after a known event is similar to buying car insurance after you've crashed. Insurers provide cover based on events that might happen - which means that in this case, you wouldn't be covered for the Bali earthquake or anything related to that event if you bought cover after it happened.
However, if you do purchase a policy after this time, your cover isn't worthless. You'll still be able to claim for unrelated situations (for example, if you get food poisoning) and you'll still be covered for things like lost, stolen or damaged items.
We've checked over 20 Australian travel insurance brands' websites to see if any explicitly said that future earthquakes in Bali are not covered. The brands listed below have stated that no policies will cover travel plans affected by the earthquake and its aftershocks from the dates stated. This doesn't mean that all insurers will respond in the same way, so if you have an upcoming trip to Bali and don't have travel insurance, it's always a good idea to check directly with your chosen insurer to see how your cover will be affected.
Which brands are no longer covering the Bali earthquake?
| Provider | Update | How am I affected? |
|---|---|---|
| Budget Direct | Tuesday 16th, approximately 10am | If you purchased your Budget Direct policy after this time and date, you are not covered for any issues related to the Bali earthquake. |
| Fastcover | Tuesday 16th, from around 10am | No cover for earthquake-related claims in Bali, if you purchased your policy after this date and around this time. |
| itrek | 16 July 2019 | Cover is only available for the Bali earthquake if you purchased a policy before Midday Tuesday 16th July 2019 (AEST). |
| Skiinsurance.com.au | 16 July 2019 | No coverage for earthquake-related claims in Bali, Indonesia, if you purchased your policy after Tuesday 16th July 2019 (AEST) Midday. |
| 1Cover | 16 July 2019 Midday | If you purchased your policy after this time and date, there is no longer coverage for earthquake-related claims in Bali, Indonesia. |
Travel insurance news
- 12 Days of Holiday Offers: Enter the draw for $5,000 cash with SCTI
- 12 Days of Holiday Offers: 15% off Travel Insurance with InsureandGo
- Cheap but deadly: Australian travellers skimp on insurance
- Buying Taylor Swift resale tickets? Don’t forget your travel insurance
- Jetstar teases new business class points options
Picture: GettyImages
