RAA Travel Insurance

If you are travelling abroad, you could experience problems like injury, loss of luggage or travel documents, delays or trip cancellation to name a few. Travel insurance is a contract that helps protect you from these unforeseen events to ensure you do not experience financial hardship after suffering a loss overseas or on domestic trips. Many Australians face huge financial strain each year after suffering serious illness, injury or other loss and not having adequate travel insurance to cover the expenses incurred.

It is therefore essential to find and purchase adequate travel insurance for your trips away and RAA is one of the leading insurance providers for residents in South Australia and Broken hill, with a diverse range of products that includes insurance for motor vehicles, home and contents, valuables, pleasure craft and caravans. Finding the right travel cover is not only about the policy you choose but also being comfortable knowing that your travel insurance provider will offer the right assistance when needed most.

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A travel ban is in place for all Australians effective 25 March 2020. Most travel insurance brands will not cover you if you travel against a government warning. If you already have a policy, please contact your insurer directly for more information.
We are currently updating our site to reflect the Australian government’s advice. Some travel insurance policies will be temporarily unavailable.

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• Who Underwrites RAA Travel Insurance?

  RAA Travel Insurance is issued by Great Lakes Reinsurance (UK) PLC trading as “Great Lakes Australia”, an authorised Australian insurer, regulated by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (‘APRA’). Great Lakes Australia is a branch of Great Lakes Reinsurance (UK) PLC, which is a limited liability company incorporated in England and Wales, and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Munich Reinsurance Company, part of the Munich Re Group.

Who is RAA Travel Insurance?

RAA was founded 75 years ago and is one of the leading insurers in South Australia. When the company was first established, it was just an agency placing all business with Lloyd’s of London. In 1987 RAA began to create and underwrite its own insurance products.

In 2002 Suncorp Metway and RAA merged into RAA Insurance Limited as a joint venture company, using the products of RAA insurance. In 2010 RAA bought Suncorp Metway and is now a leading general insurer in South Australia.

As a general insurance provider RAA has developed a diverse range of products, from motor vehicle to home and contents, from valuables to pleasure craft and from caravan to travel insurance. All the products, including of course RAA Travel Insurance, are distributed through the RAA office network across South Australia and in Broken Hill, and also through a call centre located in Adelaide.

RAA Travel Insurance policies are competitively priced offering a range of extra benefits, such as special rates and discounts in case of reduced insurance risk or loyalty.

Reasons to consider taking out RAA Travel Insurance

RAA Travel Insurance can cover your journeys throughout Australia or to international destinations. RAA’s key policies include;

• Domestic travel – for travel within Australia
• International travel - for travel outside Australia
• Annual multi–trip –provides cover for an unlimited number of journeys in a 12 month period

The cover types are:

• The premium policy: RAA’s most comprehensive plan offering an extensive range of different benefits such as emergency medical and dental treatment, emergency travel and accommodation, trip cancellation, etc. While it may be the most expensive option, travellers can rest assured that they are travelling with quality travel cover to account for any nasty surprises that might pop up on their trip.
• The classic policy: a more affordable option to the premium policy that still maintains an excellent level of coverage for the essentials including emergency medical and dental expenses, trip cancellation and curtailment costs.
• The essentials policy: this policy is ideal for domestic travel or for budget travellers with not the same cover requirements. You will get essential coverage conditions, such as emergency medical and dental costs and trip cancellation costs. While it may be the most affordable option, some travellers will still find it provides all the cover they need for their trip.

RAA Travel Insurance policies

As previously mentioned, RAA Travel Insurance offers three types of plan:

• Domestic plans: you can choose from a Comprehensive Domestic Plan, a Domestic Cancellation Plan or Rental Car Insurance Excess.
• International plans: you can choose from an Essentials Plan, a Classic Plan and a Comprehensive Premium Plan. Alternatively you can choose your Car Rental Insurance Excess.
• Multi-annual plans: the best option if you are planning several journeys during a year. You get annual cover for more than 12 months. There is a maximum duration limit to any one trip (30, 45 or 60 days): the shorter the duration, the cheaper the policy.

You can also choose from the following options:

• Single: covers you and your accompanied children
• Duo: covers you and your travelling companion
• Family: covers you and your travelling companion and also your children

If you select one of the International plans, you will need to select the destination in which you will spend the most amount of time. Applicants should be aware that the worldwide area is compulsory if you spend more than 20% of your time in countries in areas such as the Americas, Africa and the Middle East. There are also other areas such as Europe, UK, Japan, the South Pacific, Indonesia and New Zealand.

The Annual Multi-Trip plan provides cover for a 12-month period for trips over 250 km from you home. You will need to select the areas such as worldwide and worldwide excluding the Americas, Africa and the Middle East.

RAA Travel Insurance benefit options

The RAA Travel Insurance benefit options are:

• Overseas medical and dental expenses: If during your trip you are hit by a disabling injury, sickness or disease, RAA will provide cover for medical treatment, emergency dental treatment and ambulance transportation provided outside Australia.
• Additional expenses: Will provide cover if you become sick, pass away unexpectedly or your home is destroyed by fire, earthquake or storm. Additional accommodation and additional transport expenses are covered when they arise due to unforeseen circumstances that are outside of your control.
• Amendment or cancellation costs: Provides cover for changes or cancellation of pre-paid travel arrangements such as tours, flights or accommodation due to circumstances that are outside of your control.
• Luggage and personal effects: In the event that your luggage or other personal effects are damaged or stolen, a benefit will be provided to cover the replacement costs or help cover the costs of purchasing new items.
• Ski Equipment Hire Cover: Will provide a benefit payment to cover the costs of equipment you have hired that has been damaged or stolen during the duration of the trip.
• Travel documents: Benefit provided for replacement of travel documents and credit cards lost or stolen during the journey.
• Delayed luggage allowance: Benefit provided for luggage delayed by a transport provider during the journey for more than 24 hours. A $375 limit per essential emergency item will be doubled if you have not received your luggage after 72 hours.
• Money: If you have lost cash, bank or currency notes, or they have been stolen, you will be reimbursed up to a maximum of $250 depending on the plan you have chosen.
• Rental Car Insurance Excess: A benefit for any rental car insurance excess can be paid if you become liable to pay as a result of damage to or theft of the rental car.
• Travel delay: Benefit provided if there is a delay of pre-booked a transport arrangement.
• Resumption of journey: In the event that you are forced to return home due to unexpected illness, injury or death of a family member, RAA will provide a benefit payment to enable you to resume your journey.
• Hospital incidentals: Will provide cover of hospital incidentals to a maximum of $50 per day.
• Loss of income: Benefit provided if you suffer any injury caused solely and directly by violent, accidental, visible and external means and if you are unable to attend work in Australia.
• Disability: Benefit payment provided if you suffer any injury caused solely and directly by violent, accidental, visible and external means that results in permanent loss or use of one or more limbs.
• Accidental death: Benefit provided for accidental death of the policyholder.
• Personal liability: Benefit provided if you are covered in case of damage caused to someone else’s property or the injury or death of someone else.

Additional cover options available with RAA Travel Insurance

RAA Travel Insurance has the following additional cover options to consider during application:

• Excess options: You have the power to choose your excess. The higher the excess, the lower the premium. This option is not available on all policies.
• Luggage item limits: You may increase the level of cover applied to the cover limit for different luggage items.
• Increased cover for your electronic equipment: Increase the sum-insured for electronic items to a combined maximum of $5,000.
• Skiing, snowboarding and snowmobiling: Take out extra cover for winter sports activities.

Extending your RAA Travel Insurance Policy

In the event that you wish to wish to extend your period of cover for longer than the original period of travel, you will be require to purchase a new policy prior to the expiration date on the original certificate of insurance. It is worth noting that in the event you suffer a new medical condition during the original period of insurance, this will be considered a pre-existing medical condition under the new contract of insurance and therefore may be excluded from cover.

What sports and activities will RAA Travel Insurance Cover?

RAA Provides automatic cover for a comprehensive list of different activities while you are away. These include:

Conditions apply for when a benefit will be paid for each of the activities listed.

Existing medical conditions

Existing medical conditions and pregnancy are not covered unless specifically approved by RAA and may incur an additional benefit payment.
An existing medical condition is recognises as:

• “Any physical defect, condition, illness or disease for which treatment, medication, surgery or advice has been received or prescribed by a medical practitioner, dental or health professional in the 180 days prior to the relevant time”
• “Any chronic or ongoing (whether chronic or otherwise medical condition, illness medically documented prior to the relevant time”

Relevant time is recognised as:

• The time of issue of the policy for single trip policies
• In case of Multi-annual trip plan, the first time any part of the relevant trip is paid

As previously mentioned, there are three categories of pre-existing medical conditions:

• Conditions automatically covered for free (i.e. acne, allergies, asthma, cataracts, glaucoma, coeliac disease, diabetes, glucose intolerance, ear grommets, epilepsy, gastric reflux, gout, hiatus hernia, hip/ knee replacement, hypertension, menopause, underactive/overactive thyroid)
• Conditions that cannot be covered (i.e. back, neck, alcohol or drug dependence, travels for medical treatment, any yet to be diagnosed conditions, etc
• Conditions that have to be accessed (all the medical conditions not stated in the two previous cases

Making a Claim with Raa Travel Insurance

Before submitting a claim with RAA Travel Insurance, you need to consider that;

• Loss or theft of luggage, personal effects and travel documents has to be reported within 24 hours to the police or to the transport provider and this report has to be sent to the RAA
• If you are admitted to hospital or anticipate your medical expenses are over $2,000, you need to call the RAA emergency assistance number
• Other claims have to be submitted within 60 days from the return date
• All the documents in support of your claims that you send to RAA are at your own expense
• If you are able to claim from a statutory fund, compensation scheme or transport provider, the RAA Travel insurance will cover only the remaining amount (if the statutory fund, transport provider or compensation scheme reimburses you partially).

To make a claim, you can

• Complete an online claim form and follow the steps
• Download and print a claim form and send it to RAA

Supporting documentation such as receipts or valuation documents must be provided along with the claim form.

The average timing to process the claim is within 10 working days from the claim reception.

RAA Travel Insurance Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Am I entitled to a benefit if I am already an RAA member?

• A. Yes RAA members are entitled to a discount of 10%

Q. What is considered a pre-existing medical condition?

• A. RAA provides a full description of what will be considered a pre-existing medical condition in the product disclosure statement. It is important that applicants review this section to get an idea of what conditions will and won’t be covered. Typically, a medical condition is any condition that has received treatment, medication, surgery or has received advice for within 180 days of the policy being taken out.

Q. Is it possible to take out RAA travel insurance if I am pregnant?

• A. Yes it is still possible to take out cover if you are pregnant though there are various conditions in place for applicants to be aware of.

Q. Are medical expenses incurred within Australia covered?

• A. No. RAA does not cover medical expenses incurred within Australia because most policyholders will be entitled to cover from their health insurance.

Q. Can I take out RAA Travel Insurance if I am over 70?

• A. Yes it is possible to take out cover if you are over 70 though there will most likely be a premium loading.

Q. If I undertake work while travelling, am I covered?

• A. RAA will typically not provide cover for losses that have been suffered as a result of work undertaken overseas. It is important that travellers planning to work and travel are aware of any cover that their employer has in place for them.

Q. Can I take out an RAA Travel Insurance policy if I am already working overseas?

• A. No. RAA Travel Insurance policies are only available to applicants that have not commenced their travels.

Q. Is there an excess charge applied for claims?

• A. Yes. Applicants can select the maximum excess that they will pay for a claim. Higher excess will reduce the cost of the cover.

Q. Can I cancel my policy?

• A. Each policy is issued with a 15-day cooling off period whereby the cover can be cancelled and a full refund of any premium payments made will be provided. This cooling-off period can only be exercised if the journey has not already commenced.

Q. How much will my RAA insurance policy cost?

• A. This is dependent on a number of factors including:

Q. What evidence do I need to provide in the event of a claim?

• A. Typical documents that may be required by RAA to validate your claim include:

Interested in applying for RAA Travel Insurance?

If the cover benefits offered on the different RAA travel cover plans sound like a suitable fit for your trip, you can purchase cover entirely online via the RAA website. RAA has taken great steps to ensure your card details remain safe throughout the entire transaction process. Cover can be put in place in as little as 10 minutes provided you do not have any special conditions to disclose. finder.com.au always recommends that anyone taking out travel cover take the time to review the terms and conditions stated in the product disclosure statement prior to application to be crystal clear on exactly when they will and will not be covered and the conditions for claim payment.