Pros
- Over 40 pre-existing medical conditions are covered as standard and cover for other conditions can be considered following a medical screening.
- There's no age limit for the snow sports add-on option, making National Seniors Travel Insurance one of the few brands that covers over 75s on the slopes.
Cons
- Cover is expensive. We requested a quote using the details of a 65-year-old traveller heading to the US for two weeks. Comprehensive cover came in at over $1,000.
- There's no option to add an adventure pack which means some higher risk activities aren't covered including rock climbing or riding a scooter.
| Overseas Medical and Hospital Expenses | Unlimited |
|---|
| Cancellation and Amendment Fees | Cover chosen |
|---|
| Luggage and Personal Effects | $12,000 |
|---|
| Maximum Age Limit | 110 |
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Table updated October 2023
National Seniors has strong cover for risks related to COVID-19. Here's what you can expect:
- Overseas medical costs, emergency assistance, and hospital costs.
- Relevant costs if you or a travelling companion are diagnosed with COVID-19 and you have to cancel or rearrange your trip
- Relevant costs if a close relative or business partner is hospitalised or dies due to COVID-19 and you have to cancel, reschedule or return home early.
- Relevant costs if you or travelling companion are permanently employed as a healthcare worker, residential care worker or law enforcement officer, and your or their pre-approved leave is cancelled due to COVID-19.
- Relevant costs if a pre-paid tour is cancelled due to your tour guide contracting COVID-19
- Relevant costs if you're not permitted to board scheduled public transport due to you being suspected of having COVID-19
- Childcare costs if you're unable to take care of your dependant children due to contracting COVID-19 on your trip.
- Pet care costs if you're unable to return home on your scheduled date due to contracting COVID-19 on your trip.
- Transport of your remains or burial costs if you die as a result of COVID-19 during your trip.
There are some scenarios that are not covered by National Seniors including costs incurred as a result of border closures or government travel bans.
Also, if you were diagnosed with COVID-19 before heading on your trip but you went anyway, you won't be covered for any COVID-related overseas medical expenses.
National Seniors offers four insurance policies to travellers. Comprehensive, Essentials, Multi-Trip and Domestic.
Comprehensive
Essentials
Multi-Trip
Domestic
The insurer of this product is Pacific International Insurance Pty Ltd. It comes with a cooling-off period of 21 days and choice of $250 standard excess for international plans.
Standard features
These are some of the main insured events that National Seniors will cover. Some of these benefits may only apply on the Comprehensive International policy.
- Overseas medical treatment
- Lost, damaged or stolen property
- Trip cancellation or amendment
- Additional accommodation and transport
- Rental vehicle excess
- Theft of money
- Luggage and travel delay
- Emergency dental costs
- Kidnap and hijack
- Personal liability
- Permanent disability
- Accidental death
Optional add-ons
National Seniors Travel Insurance also offers options to customise your cover, including:
- Snow Sports Cover. Cover for equipment and cancellation expenses if you're going skiing, snowboarding, tobogganing or snowmobiling.
- Additional rental vehicle insurance excess. Increase the amount covered for your rental car excess.
- Specific items. Increase the amount covered for specific items, such as tech or jewellery.
- Specified medical conditions. Apply to have specific pre-existing medical conditions covered by your policy.
Exclusions
Unfortunately, travel insurance doesn't cover everything. Generally, National Seniors will not pay your claim if it relates to:
- Unlawful, wreckless or unreasonably unsafe behaviour by you
- Behaviour while you were drunk or under the influence of drugs
- Expenses related to a pre-existing medical condition not listed on your policy
- An act of war, invasion or revolution
- Insolvency of a travel agent, tour operator or accommodation provider
- Mandatory quarantines or isolations
- An act of war, invasion or revolution
- You being unfit to travel or travelling against medical advice
- Childbirth or pregnancy complications after the 26th week of gestation or if you have had previous pregnancy complications
- An elective medical or dental treatment, cosmetic procedure or body modification (including tattoos or piercing)
- Self-inflicted injury or illness, suicide or attempted suicide
Make sure you review the National Seniors PDS for a detailed breakdown of what won't be covered, found under its list of general exclusions.
You can submit your claim online, via the National Seniors or nib website.
Alternatively, you can download a travel insurance claim form online and submit your travel insurance claim via post or email claims@nibtravel.com.
If you need help with your claim, you can call the claims hotline on 1300 62 52 29 (within Australia) or +61 2 8263 0487 (from overseas).
National Seniors is one of the few brands that offer snow sports cover to over 75s, making it a good option for older travellers who want to hit the slopes.
It also offers excellent cover for COVID-19, covers a wide range of pre-existing medical conditions as standard and allows medical screenings so travellers can apply to have other conditions covered.
However, cover is quite expensive and there is no option to add an activity pack, so some pastimes won't be covered, including riding a scooter or rock climbing outdoors.
If you're still not sure about National Seniors, you can compare other travel insurance companies here.
Request travel insurance quotes and compare policies
I need I need travel insurance to cover trekking I Tasmania. I have osteoporosis and have had a stress fracture in past 12 months. Will you cover me. What will be the premium cost
Thank you
Hi Christine,
Thanks for getting in touch. I’m sorry to hear about your osteoporosis and medication condition.
I might be able to tell you with you will be covered or not as we don’t represent any insurer. However, please note that pre-existing conditions are assessed on a case-by-case basis. With this in mind, you might want to check our guide about travel insurance for pre-existing conditions.
Open that link and on that page, there are travel insurance brands listed on our comparison table that may consider your situation. Compare them based on various details. Once you’re done, you can then get in touch with your chosen insurer.
While looking for insurers, please make sure you read the terms and conditions of the policy to learn more and know if it is the right policy for you or not.
I hope this helps. Should you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out again.
Have a wonderful day!
Cheers,
Zubair