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Comprehensive travel insurance
If you're looking for ultimate peace of mind while travelling, you'll want comprehensive travel insurance. Compare quotes from 11
brands – that’s more than any other site in Australia.
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Comprehensive travel insurance is the highest level of cover you can get. It covers overseas medical expenses, cancellations, delayed or lost luggage, personal liability and much more. While most brands have a comprehensive policy, not all policies are created equal so shop around to find one that works for you.
Best comprehensive travel insurance: Southern Cross Travel Insurance
It won Finder's comprehensive travel insurance award. It won because it covers more for a comparatively cheap price. Our research is based on over 300+ quotes.
It's cheaper than most insurers. Out of 28 international policies, it was typically the third cheapest.
It covers a lot – trip cancellations or changes before your journey because of an unexpected event, COVID related expenses, medical cover, lost luggage, delayed luggage, travel delays and more.
There may be a couple cheaper options. Fast Cover and Medibank travel insurance tend to offer slightly cheaper comprehensive options. But they don't cover as much.
We picked Southern Cross because it is Finder's 2023 Best Travel Insurance - Comprehensive winner. As part of the awards research, we looked at over 100 international travel insurance policies. We narrowed this number down to 28 based on an eligibility criteria put together by our editorial team. For example, an eligible brand must offer some type of COVID cover and be open to customers up to 80 years old.
We then gathered over 300 quotes to get an average price and scored the same 18 features for every policy out of 10. These included COVID medical benefits, COVID rearrangement costs, theft or damage to luggage, hospital cash allowance, cancellation and amendment fees, luggage delay and rental car excess insurance. The final score for the comprehensive rating was a 75/25 blend of features and price. SCTI came in first place.
In addition to the Finder Awards, SCTI has one of the best claims experiences and an easy to read product disclosure statement. It earned a finalist spot for General Insurance Claims Team of the Year at The International Travel & Health Insurance Journal Awards and won the Best Plain English Legal Document at the most recent Plain Language Awards.
Top 5 policies in Travel insurance - Comprehensive
Southern Cross International Comprehensive - Single Trip
What is covered by comprehensive travel insurance?
24/7 medical assistance
Most comprehensive travel insurance policies cover you for unlimited medical expenses and 24/7 medical care, including repatriation.
Delays and cancellations
Comprehensive travel insurance can cover you for cancelled or delayed flights. This is the most common reason for claims. According to Finder research, 29% of Australians, equivalent to around 5.8 million people, have had their flight delayed or cancelled in the last 12 months.
COVID-19 expenses
Comprehensive travel insurance policies now cover COVID. This includes medical expenses, cancellations and rearrangement costs.
Luggage and personal belongings
Unlike a basic policy, comprehensive policies typically cover lost and delayed luggage and personal items. They also come with high limits so it can cover all of your expenses.
Accidental death
Overseas emergency dental expenses
Hospital cash allowance
Loss of income
Overseas emergency assistance
Unlimited medical and hospital expenses
Permanent disability
Resumption of journey
Alternative transport for special events
Cancellation and amendment fees
Travel delay expenses
Daily delayed luggage allowance
Lost or stolen luggage and personal belongings
Theft of cash
Personal liability
Rental car excess insurance
COVID-19 medical expenses
Rearrangement costs if you get COVID-19
Is comprehensive travel insurance worth it?
Almost 1 in 3 Australians, equivalent to 3.5 million people, suffered a travel mishap while abroad in the past 12 months, according to a July 2023 Finder survey. 14% have endured travel delays, while 8% lost personal items. Comprehensive travel insurance can cover this but a basic policy often won't.
Reasons you might need better cover
If you're travelling with family. Because there are more of you travelling, there's more chance something could go wrong – and when it does, it's often very expensive.
If you're going on an expensive holiday. Planning that trip of a lifetime to North America or Europe costs a lot of money before you even get there. Cancellation cover here is vital. Can you imagine getting a bad flu or COVID a few days before take-off and your doctor advising against travel?
If you're going to a country where medical care is expensive. Making sure you have unlimited medical cover can be hugely important in countries such as US, Japan and Singapor.
If your luggage is expensive. Travelling for a longer period or as a family usually means your luggage is worth a lot. If it was to get lost, you could be out of pocket for hundreds or maybe even thousands of dollars.
If you're going to a country where petty crimes are common. It's so important to see different places in the world but that can sometimes mean theft and petty crimes are more common. A comprehensive policy can cover you for things like a stolen passport, phone or camera.
FAQs about comprehensive travel insurance
Comprehensive travel insurance is the highest level of cover you can buy. It typically covers medical expenses, cancellations, lost or damaged luggage, personal liability, family emergencies, alternative transport expenses, hospital cash allowance and dental expenses.
Most comprehensive travel insurance policies now cover COVID related medical expenses and cancellation or rearrangement costs.
The best travel insurance policy in Australia depends on your needs – for example, what you want cover for and the price you're willing to pay. The Finder Award winners are Southern Cross Travel Insurance and Fast Cover.
Gary Ross Hunter is an editor at Finder, specialising in insurance. He’s been writing about life, travel, home, car, pet and health insurance for over 6 years and regularly appears as an insurance expert in publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, news.com.au, The Telegraph, Explore Travel and Escape. Gary holds a Kaplan Tier 1 General Insurance (General Advice) certification and a Kaplan Tier 1 Generic Knowledge certification which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146).
I am an amateur photographer travelling overseas with a suite of camera equipment; what options do have for insuring a more expensive camera body and lens? My current travel insurance cover will not cover two of the most expensive pieces of equipment.
Thanks for getting in touch. You should look at our guide on travel insurance for expensive items. There are a handful of policies that will allow you to increase your cover on certain items for up to $10,000. Hopefully this helps.
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I am an amateur photographer travelling overseas with a suite of camera equipment; what options do have for insuring a more expensive camera body and lens? My current travel insurance cover will not cover two of the most expensive pieces of equipment.
Hi Denes,
Thanks for getting in touch. You should look at our guide on travel insurance for expensive items. There are a handful of policies that will allow you to increase your cover on certain items for up to $10,000. Hopefully this helps.
Thanks,
Gary
I am traveling to Fiji for business what insurance do I need?
Hello Kel,
Thank you for sending your inquiry. :)
Please feel free to compare travel insurance for Fiji. Kindly input the travel details on the form and click “Get Quote Now” green button.
Please take note of their benefits, exclusions and fees by looking at their individual product T&Cs.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Jonathan