Cheap travel insurance

• Show summary

  Cheapest travel insurance in April 2024

  • Cheap basic travel insurance: Tick Basic Single Trip Travel Insurance
  • Cheap comprehensive travel insurance: Fast Cover International
  • Cheap domestic travel insurance: InsureandGo Domestic Gold

Cheap basic travel insurance: Tick Travel Insurance (International)

Our verdict

Tick's Basic Single Trip policy is typically the cheapest travel insurance policy on Finder. It's good if you're after cheap cover for the basics such as medical cover, but look elsewhere if you want more.

• It offered the cheapest travel insurance cover for 7 out of the 8 destinations we got quotes for. We looked at a minimum of 30 policies for every destination. You also get 10% off when you use the code Finder.
• For a 1-week holiday to destinations including Japan and the UK, a basic policy isn't likely to cost you more than $40. We also found prices for as little as $2.40 a day for a 2-week Bali trip.
• It covers the very basics and no more. This includes unlimited medical expenses, up to $2,000 for lost or stolen luggage and personal belongings and personal liability cover.
• Tick's budget policy does not cover COVID-related expenses but others, including Fast Cover do.
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Why we picked Tick Travel Insurance

We used the Finder travel insurance engine to determine our basic travel insurance top pick. We got 30 quotes on 17 May for for the following destinations: Bali, Italy, UK, New Zealand, Japan, Germany, Spain and a multi-destination option. Tick was the cheapest policy for 7 of the 8 destinations. In the one case where there was a cheaper option (Zoom Medical Only for Bali) it was only $3.12 more expensive. It also covers more than Zoom Medical Only.

For more top picks, head to our best travel insurance page.

Cheap comprehensive travel insurance: Fast Cover (International)

Our verdict

Fast Cover was the cheapest comprehensive travel insurance policy in our 2023 Finder Awards. Starting from around $11 per day, it's good if you want an affordable policy that covers medical expenses, some cancellations, delayed luggage and rearrangement costs due to COVID.

• It won Finder's Best Value travel insurance award. Out of 28 comprehensive international policies, it was the cheapest.
• It can cover cancellations, medical expenses and pay you up to $5,000 for COVID-related medical expenses and rearrangement costs.

• Like lots of other insurers, its product disclosure statement can be quite confusing.
• If you want a more comprehensive policy (that also has a much easier to understand PDS) consider Southern Cross Travel Insurance. It won the best comprehensive Finder Award and is on average only around $30 more expensive.

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Why we picked Fast Cover

Awards

We picked Fast Cover because it was the cheapest comprehensive travel insurance policy in our Finder Awards. As part of the awards research, we looked at over 100 international comprehensive travel insurance policies which was narrowed down to 28 based on an eligibility criteria put together by our editorial crew. The team collected 300+ quotes to get an average price. Fast Cover was the cheapest.

Fast Cover was also the Finder's 2023 value award winner. The value scores were ranked based on cost and features.

Cheap domestic travel insurance: InsureandGo

All of the top picks above were carefully researched and chosen by our insurance and innovations editor Gary Ross Hunter. Gary is the insurance expert at Finder, holds a Tier 1 General Insurance (General Advice) certification and has been helping Australians find good value cover for over 5 years.

What does cheap travel insurance policy cover?

Here's an overview of a basic and a comprehensive policy so you see the differences in price and inclusions.

^{*This table was updated on 2 April 2024 for a 30-year-old travelling to Bali for 7 days.}

I was looking for cheap travel insurance when I went backpacking in Europe and ended up getting a policy with Tick. I knew it would only give me the basics, but because I wasn't travelling with much luggage or anything too valuable, I was fine with the policy only covering a couple grand of my belongings.

— Michelle Kwong, publisher and avid traveller

Tips to find cheap travel insurance

If you're finding it tricky to get a cheap policy, these 3 tips could help you lower costs:

Take advantage of deals

Insurers often have coupon codes and deals offering you between 5% and 15% off. We've listed some below.

Take out a tailored policy

Insurers such as Freely let you tailor your policy to suit your needs. So rather than pay for a standard policy that typically covers you for a bunch of expenses, you could get a policy that covers you for medical care and cancellation costs

Increase your excess

This is the amount you need to pay when you make a claim. Choosing a higher excess means that it probably won't be worth making a claim for smaller expenses, but it ensures you're still covered if something more serious and expensive happens.

Save more with these travel insurance deals

Store	Discount
InsureandGo	Save 10% on InsureandGo policies with Finder Use this coupon code to save 10%. Ts&Cs apply. Last verified 1 Apr 2024	Show code
Freely Travel Insurance Exclusive	Get 10% off Freely travel insurance policies Use this promo code to get a 10% discount. T&Cs apply. Last verified 1 Apr 2024	Show code Exclusive
Qantas Travel Insurance Deals	Protect your next trip with Qantas Travel Insurance Plus, earn up to 10,000 Qantas Points. T&Cs apply. Last verified 12 Apr 2024	Get deal Deal ends 28 May 2024
Kogan Travel Insurance Exclusive	Get 12% off Kogan travel insurance policies Use this promo code to get a 12% discount. T&Cs apply. Last verified 1 Apr 2024	Show code Exclusive
Travel Protect Exclusive	Get 8% off your Travel Protect policy Use the promocode to get 8% off travel insurance. T&Cs apply. Last verified 1 Apr 2024	Show code Exclusive
Tick Travel Insurance	Get 10% off on Tick travel insurance policies Use this code to get a 10% discount. T&Cs apply. Last verified 1 Apr 2024	Show code
ahm Travel Insurance deals	ahm and Medibank members get 10% off travel insurance Get this discount if you're an ahm or Medibank Private member and save. Last verified 1 Apr 2024	Get deal
CoverMore Travel Insurance	Earn Velocity Points with Cover-More Get 3 Virgin Velocity Points for every $1 spent on travel insurance with Cover-More. Last verified 1 Apr 2024	Get deal
Wise and Silent Exclusive	Get 8% off your Wise and Silent policy Use the promocode to get 8% off travel insurance. T&Cs apply. Last verified 1 Apr 2024	Show code Exclusive
Medibank Travel Insurance Deals	15% off travel insurance for Medibank Private members Get this discount if you're a Medibank Private member and save. Last verified 1 Apr 2024	Get deal

Why you can trust Finder's travel insurance experts

We're free

Our travel insurance engine is completely free to use. You pay the same as buying directly from the insurer. Better still, we regularly run exclusive deals that you won't find on any other site.

We're experts

We've researched and reviewed almost every travel insurer on the market as part of our Finder Awards and our in-house experts regularly appear on Sunrise, 7News and various news publications.

We're independent

Unlike other comparison sites, we're not owned by an insurer. That means our opinions are our own and we work with lots of travel insurance brands, making it easier for you to find a good deal.

We're here to help

Since 2014, we've helped over one million people find travel insurance by explaining your options simply. We'll never ask for your number or email to see prices. We're here to help you make a decision.

Frequently asked questions

• How much does basic travel insurance cost?

  The cheapest travel insurance policies start at $2.45 a day. That said, most basic travel insurance policies are $5 to $25 a day, depending on how long you travel. Prices were lower than this before the coronavirus pandemic, which made travel insurance policies more comprehensive on the whole. Prices differ depending on your age, travel destination, cover level and if you have any pre-existing health conditions.

• Which company offers the cheapest travel insurance?

  Tick's Basic Single Trip policy is typically the cheapest travel insurance policy on Finder. Fast Cover and InsureandGo both offer cheap travel insurance options. It's important to think about whether you would benefit from more than just the basic coverage though. The cheapest option isn't always best.

• Is there any cheap travel insurance that covers COVID-19?

  Yes, a handful of basic travel insurance policies can cover some COVID-related issues such as medical expenses, trip rearrangement or cancellation costs and additional accommodation and travel costs. These include the following:

  • Travel With Jane Saver
  • Travel With Kit Saver
  • Insure4Less Medical Only
  • Fast Cover Basics

• What is the best travel insurance to go with?

  We aren't able to tell you who the best travel insurer is since everyone's needs differ slightly, but we can help you make a decision. Our best travel insurance page covers our top picks for comprehensiveness, value, domestic trips and more.

• Do all credit cards have travel insurance?

  No. While credit cards commonly offer complimentary travel insurance, it's not a given. Most will require you to book at least some part of your trip with the card to be covered.

  If your credit card does offer travel insurance though, this can be a cheap way to secure cover. Just make sure you look into what level of cover it offers.

• When should I buy travel insurance?

  Typically, it’s wise to buy travel insurance once you’ve made any non-refundable payments towards your holiday. This could be anything from flights or accomodation to tours or rental cars. Doing this means you’ve got peace of mind that you can likely get that money back in the event something happens and the trip is cancelled.