Travel insurance that covers COVID

What travel insurance will cover COVID? Most actually. Pop in your details to compare quotes from 17 brands.

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By

Gary Ross Hunter

&

James Martin

Edited by

Tim Bennett

Updated

Fact checked
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Key takeaways

  • Many travel insurers cover COVID-related expenses.
  • It can cover you for medical expenses, cancellations and trip changes.
  • Travel insurance claims for COVID remain common – so cover is still important.

How does travel insurance cover COVID?

Travel insurance can cover you for:

  • COVID-19 medical expenses.
  • Trip rearrangement costs – if you, a fellow traveller or your host gets COVID and it impacts your trip.
  • Expenses if you're diagnosed with COVID on your trip and need to extend your trip.

Some brands go further when it comes to COVID benefits. Benefits can include:

  • The accommodation or venue you planned to stay at is suddenly closed.
  • A prepaid activity that's booked in Australia or New Zealand is shut down.
  • If you're denied boarding on transport due to symptoms.
  • Extra child care costs if you get COVID.
  • Added pet care costs if you're infected and can't return home.

Some providers, including Cover-More and Easy Travel Insurance, won't accept COVID-related claims within 21 days of your trip. Just one reason you should get insurance as soon as you book your trip.

Comparison of Australian insurers: Cover-More, Allianz, Tick and Bupa COVID-19 highlights

When choosing a provider, it is essential to compare how each brand structures its COVID-19 benefits. According to the latest Product Disclosure Statements (PDS) from these major insurers, here are the primary highlights:

  • Cover-More: Provides unlimited overseas medical expenses across Basic, Comprehensive and Comprehensive+ plans. Cancellation cover is typically capped at $5,000 unless a higher amount is selected and an additional premium is paid (Source: Cover-More PDS).
  • Allianz: Offers medical and hospital cover for COVID-19 as a standard feature on most international plans. However, cancellation cover is only available on Comprehensive, Multi-Trip and Domestic plans (Source: Allianz Australia).
  • Tick Travel Insurance: Their Standard and Top policies include unlimited overseas medical expenses for COVID-19. A notable highlight is that they may cover additional travel and accommodation costs if you are forced into quarantine due to a positive diagnosis (Source: Tick Insurance).
  • Bupa: Includes COVID-19 medical and cancellation benefits as standard on international plans. Bupa Health members may also be eligible for premium discounts (Source: Bupa Travel Insurance).
Coronavirus
How travel insurance can cover COVID: A real-life example

Jillian, Kerry and Tyson travelled from Sydney to Dallas. 10 days in, Tyson (Jillian's son) caught COVID, a day before the family was supposed to leave for a ski trip in Colorado. As a result, they had to rearrange their travel plans.

Unfortunately, Jillian got COVID later and the family had to send Tyson and Kerry home to Sydney, while Jillian stayed another 4 days until she tested negative. She then rebooked her trip home.

Their insurer, Southern Cross Travel Insurance, covered just under $3,000 in costs. The family paid a $500 excess to claim on 2 events.

Most Australian insurers now treat COVID-19 as a standard illness for overseas medical claims. This typically covers:

  • Emergency hospital admissions and surgical procedures.
  • Outpatient doctor visits and prescribed medications.
  • Emergency medical evacuation or repatriation to Australia if you are deemed unfit to continue your journey (Source: Insurance Council of Australia).

Comprehensive cancellation cover and trip amendment scenarios

Cancellation cover applies if you are forced to cancel your trip before departure or amend it while away. Common covered scenarios include:

  • A positive COVID-19 diagnosis for you or a travelling companion that is confirmed by a medical practitioner.
  • An essential healthcare worker having their pre-approved leave revoked due to a COVID-19 outbreak (Source: Medibank Travel Insurance).
  • A non-travelling relative in Australia or New Zealand contracting a life-threatening case of COVID-19 (Source: ahm Travel).

What's not covered by COVID travel insurance?

While many of these scenarios are uncommon now, it's worth keeping in mind you typically won't be covered for these COVID-19-related events:

  • You ignore a doctor's advice that you aren't well enough to travel.
  • You travel somewhere Smartraveller rates "Do not travel" (Level 4) and you claim for something connected to the reason for that warning. Claims unrelated to the warning are usually still paid, but check your policy.
  • PCR or rapid tests where you are required to be tested in order to travel.
  • You cancel plans due to government-enforced border closures or lockdowns.
  • You enter into quarantine or self-isolation that you knew about in advance.

Understanding additional expenses: Quarantine and emergency lodging

If you test positive while overseas, you may incur costs beyond medical bills. Many "Top" or "Comprehensive" plans provide cover for:

  • Additional accommodation expenses if you must self-isolate in a hotel.
  • Emergency lodging and meals over and above your original travel budget.

Note that these benefits usually require a formal diagnosis from a medical professional rather than just a self-administered home test (Source: Budget Direct).

List of standard and COVID-specific excluded events

Even the best policies have limits. Standard exclusions usually include:

  • Claims arising from government-ordered lockdowns or border closures.
  • Quarantine requirements that apply to everyone arriving in a country regardless of their health status.
  • Claims arising from the reason Smartraveller issued a "Do not travel" warning for your destination.
  • Costs related to "fear of travel" where there is no actual diagnosis (Source: CHOICE).
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Is COVID still a travel risk?

"Covid continues to be one of the main reasons our customers claim, and it looks like it's going to affect travellers for some time to come. Taking a look at the data for our International Comprehensive policy, it's clear claims spiked as travellers really started to take off around the world again. And, while there's been a dramatic slump since September '22, Covid still makes up 11% of all claims paid to customers across the two markets. On average we are paying out claims for cancellation and travel disruption due to Covid to the value of $1,500, which is a sizeable cost."

CEO - Southern Cross Travel Insurance

What to keep in mind with travel bookings

With travel plans changing all the time, you may want to choose flexible flight payment options – which have been offered by the likes of Qantas and Virgin – to help reduce out-of-pocket expenses if things go wrong.

It's a good idea to try booking with flexible conditions for minimum hassle. Keep in mind, if you book through a third party such as a travel agent, you'll also have to deal with it for any refund or change requests.

Finally, be sure to check your passport has at least 6 months' validity before it expires.

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Check the wording of your policy

"Look through each travel provider's terms and conditions, paying close attention to their wording on cancellations and refunds. If your terms and conditions are live on a website, make sure you print a copy for your records. In the event of a cancellation, you'll have the relevant evidence of your entitlements."

Travel expert and consumer rights advocate

Product Disclosure Statements (PDS) for COVID-19 terminology and fine print

To understand the fine print, you should look for specific terms in your PDS:

  • Medical Practitioner: Insurers usually define this as a person registered or licensed as a medical practitioner under the laws of the country in which they practise. This excludes you, your family or your travel companions.
  • Epidemic and Pandemic: Most policies contain a general exclusion for these events but then list COVID-19 as a specific exception for certain sections like medical and cancellation (Source: Australian Financial Complaints Authority).
  • Reasonable Costs: This refers to expenses that do not exceed the standard level of costs for the area where the expense is incurred.

Frequently asked questions

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To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Tim Bennett as part of our fact-checking process.
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Journalist
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Gary Ross Hunter has over 6 years of expertise writing about insurance, including life, health, home, and car insurance. Having reviewed hundreds of product disclosure statements and published over 800 articles, he loves simplifying complex insurance topics for everyday readers. Gary has contributed to major outlets like Yahoo Finance, The Sydney Morning Herald, and news.com.au, and holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English Literature from the University of Glasgow, along with a Tier 2 General Advice certification, ensuring his work adheres to ASIC’s RG146 standards. See full bio

Gary Ross's expertise
Gary Ross has written 519 Finder guides across topics including:
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James Martin was the insurance editor at Finder. He has written on a range of insurance and finance topics for over 7 years. James often shares his insurance expertise as a media spokesperson and has appeared on Prime 7 News, Insurance News, 7NEWS and The Guardian. An experienced journalist, James' work has featured in publications including The Irish Times, Companies100 and In Business. He holds a Tier 1 General Insurance (General Advice) certification and a Tier 1 Generic Knowledge certification, both of which meet the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). See full bio

James's expertise
James has written 167 Finder guides across topics including:
  • Car, home, life, health, travel and pet insurance
  • Managing the cost of living
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