Medical-only travel insurance is the cheapest type of cover you can get.
It can cover 24/7 emergency assistance, medical expenses (including medication) and evacuation.
It does not cover trip cancellation and delays or lost or stolen luggage.
Compare medical-only travel insurance
Use the Finder travel insurance engine to compare medical-only travel insurance. Pop in your trip details, click on the basic policies and you'll be able to compare medical-only options.
Got a quote before?
Who offers medical only travel insurance?
Some medical only policies, are also named "Basic". Different insurers include other benefits or differing amounts which why it pays to compare. Medical cover doesn't always include cover for accidental death or permanent disability.
Medical travel insurance is the most basic form of travel insurance you can buy, meaning it's also typically the cheapest. It's designed to come in handy if you get sick or injured while you're overseas. International travel insurance with medical-only cover usually includes:
24/7 emergency medical assistance
GP visits and medication
Hospital expenses if you need to be admitted for an injury or illness
Emergency evacuation and repatriation back to Australia due to a medical emergency
Emergency dental treatment up to a set benefit limit (depending on the policy)
Funeral costs (if you pass away as a result of your injury or illness)
Many basic travel insurance policies also include personal liability cover. This covers you if you injure another person or damage their belongings.
Medical exclusions you should note
All insurance policies contain exclusions. In the case of medical-only travel insurance, these can include:
Emergency medical assistance
Any expenses you incur that have not been pre-approved by the Assistance Provider
Failing to follow the medical advice of the Assistance Provider
Any medical evacuation or transport of remains from Australia to another country
Any medical or hospital expenses incurred in Australia.
Failing to notify your insurer or their Assistance Provider of your hospitalisation as soon as possible
Failing to heed the advice of the insurer or their Assistance Provider
Any treatment by a chiropractor, physiotherapist or dentist lasting more than two weeks that has not been approved by the insurer or their Assistance Provider
Any medical care that is covered under a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA)
Any damage to dentures, prostheses, bridges or crowns (if applicable)
Cosmetic dentistry or treatment involving precious metals (if applicable)
How much does medical-only travel insurance cost?
Medical-only travel insurance generally costs between $2.40 to just over $5 per day, depending on the travel insurer, your age, the destination and a few other factors. For context, we found a basic policy to cost between $34 and $50 for a 2 week trip to Bali. We got these quotes in August 2023.
Why you can trust Finder's travel insurance experts
You pay nothing. Finder is free to use. And you pay the same as going direct. No markups, no hidden fees.
You save time. We spend 100s of hours researching travel insurance so you can sort the gold from the junk faster.
You can trust us. We say it like it is. We aren't owned by an insurer and our opinions are our own.
Best travel insurance FAQs
A handful of travel insurers offer medical-only cover. This is the most basic (and cheapest) type of travel insurance you can get. It's designed to cover medical assistance overseas.
Medical-only travel insurance, as the name implies, only covers overseas medical expenses. Comprehensive travel insurance covers costs associated with cancellations, lost luggage, delayed luggage, COVID-related expenses and more.
Most medical-only travel insurance policies cover evacuations due to a medical emergency. For example, if you need to be evacuated or repatriated back to Australia to receive adequate medical care.
Gary Ross Hunter was 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, The Guardian and news.com.au. Gary holds a Kaplan Tier 2 General Advice General Insurance certification which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). See full bio
Gary Ross's expertise
Gary Ross has written 729 Finder guides across topics including:
Compare Travel Insurance Direct policies online to save time and money. Travel Insurance Direct offers various policies including Annual multi-trip, The Works, The Basics and Domestic travel.
If time is valuable to you, Travel Insuranz may be suitable for you. With its fast online processing process, Travel Insurance provides easy access to protecting yourself for travel. Read its policy online.
Domestic travel insurance can provide cover for trip cancellation (domestic flights), loss or damage to luggage and expensive items, car rental excess charges and much more. Find out why domestic travel insurance is worth getting and compare policies from Australian insurers.
Feedback
How likely would you be to recommend Finder to a friend or colleague?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Very UnlikelyExtremely Likely
Required
Thank you for your feedback.
Our goal is to create the best possible product, and your thoughts, ideas and suggestions play a major role in helping us identify opportunities to improve.
Important information about this website
finder.com.au is one of Australia's leading comparison websites. We are committed to our readers and stands by our editorial principles
We try to take an open and transparent approach and provide a broad-based comparison service. However, you should be aware that while we are an independently owned service, our comparison service does not include all providers or all products available in the market.
Some product issuers may provide products or offer services through multiple brands, associated companies or different labeling arrangements. This can make it difficult for consumers to compare alternatives or identify the companies behind the products. However, we aim to provide information to enable consumers to understand these issues.
We make money by featuring products on our site. Compensation received from the providers featured on our site can influence which products we write about as well as where and how products appear on our page, but the order or placement of these products does not influence our assessment or opinions of them, nor is it an endorsement or recommendation for them.
Products marked as 'Top Pick', 'Promoted' or 'Advertisement' are prominently displayed either as a result of a commercial advertising arrangement or to highlight a particular product, provider or feature. Finder may receive remuneration from the Provider if you click on the related link, purchase or enquire about the product. Finder's decision to show a 'promoted' product is neither a recommendation that the product is appropriate for you nor an indication that the product is the best in its category. We encourage you to use the tools and information we provide to compare your options.
Where our site links to particular products or displays 'Go to site' buttons, we may receive a commission, referral fee or payment when you click on those buttons or apply for a product. You can learn more about how we make money.
When products are grouped in a table or list, the order in which they are initially sorted may be influenced by a range of factors including price, fees and discounts; commercial partnerships; product features; and brand popularity. We provide tools so you can sort and filter these lists to highlight features that matter to you.
Please read our website terms of use and privacy policy for more information about our services and our approach to privacy.
We update our data regularly, but information can change between updates. Confirm details with the provider you're interested in before making a decision.