Southern Cross Travel Insurance

Compare Southern Cross Travel Insurance policies and find out why it's so popular in Australia and New Zealand.

If you’re looking for travel insurance cover for your next overseas trip, Southern Cross Travel Insurance is worth a closer look. Founded in New Zealand in 1982, this travel insurance specialist provides cover to travellers from Australia and New Zealand, with travel insurance options including medical and evacuation cover, worldwide emergency assistance and automatically included cruise.

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What policies can I choose from?

Southern Cross Travel Insurance offers its TravelCare insurance policy in two forms:

• Single Trip. Covering individual return trips up to 12 months in duration, the TravelCare Single Trip policy provides cover for your overseas medical and hospital expenses, including evacuation back to Australia. It also provides a comprehensive range of additional benefits to protect against a wide range of risks, including travel interruption, loss of baggage and personal items, baggage delay, stolen cash, personal accident protection, rental vehicle excess cover and more.
• Annual Multi-Trip. Designed for travellers who take two or more overseas trips per year, the TravelCare Annual Multi-Trip policy provides cover for an unlimited number of return trips you take during a 12-month period. With all the same benefits as the Single Trip policy, this option covers individual return trips up to a maximum duration of 30, 60 or 90 days depending on which option you choose.

  What am I actually covered for?

  The following are some of the included highlights in Southern Cross Travel Insurance policies. For more details, to see all inclusions and exclusions and where conditions apply, refer to the PDS.

  Medical

  • Medical expenses and evacuation so you can be reimbursed for unexpected medical expenses during your journey. Medical evacuation is also covered if you need to be repatriated to Australia.
  • Emergency dental treatment needed for relief of acute dental pain.
  • Cash allowance while in hospital to help you cover necessary expenses.
  • Extra travel and accommodation costs incurred if you are medically unable to travel.
  • A visitor's travel, accommodation and meal costs if you are hospitalised for at least 10 days while travelling alone, so someone can come and stay with you.
  • Funeral expenses or the return of an insured person's mortal remains to Australia.

  Cancellations or changes to your journey (before you leave)

  • Cancellation and alternate plans cover for additional costs incurred or unused pre-paid costs if you need to change the dates or cancel your plans before leaving Australia, for example due to an unexpected illness.

  Cancellations or changes to your journey (after you leave)

  • Cover towards additional costs due to unexpected delays in your journey of at least 12 hours (i.e. you cannot fly due to an illness and you require an extra night's accommodation and new flights).
  • Cover towards disruptions in your journey lasting 12 hours or more (i.e. you miss a connecting flight and need to book a new fare to your final destination).
  • Emergency cover to get you back to Australia if there's been an unforeseen incident back home (i.e. a family member has been admitted to hospital).
  • Special events cover when an event you're travelling for (i.e. a wedding or a concert) has been missed due to delays or an emergency.

  Baggage, personal items, cash and travel documents

  • Baggage and personal belongings cover for insured items that are lost, stolen and damaged items while travelling, including cover for lost or stolen cash.
  • Baggage delay. If an airline misplaces your baggage for 12 hours or more, you can be reimbursed up to the relevant limits for the cost of buying essential items of clothing and personal effects until your bags catch up with you.
  • If your essential bank cards, travel documents or passports are lost, stolen or damaged, SCTI can reimburse you for the cost of their replacement.

  Personal accident

  • Loss of income, if you are unable to work after returning home due to an injury sustained on your journey.
  • Total permanent disablement, if an injury sustained on your journey has resulted in permanent disability.
  • Loss of life, if you pass away unexpectedly (i.e. from an injury sustained on your trip) a payment will be made

  Personal liability

  • Personal liability insurance if you become legally liable for damages, compensation or legal expenses, if your negligence has led to a third party's bodily injury or property damage.

  Rental vehicle excess

  • If you hire a rental vehicle overseas and it is stolen or damaged on your journey, SCTI can reimburse you for the non-refundable excess payable to the rental company up to the relevant limits.
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  How much excess will I be charged?

  SCTI's policies default to a $100 excess, however you can choose to pay slightly more for $0 excess or slightly less for $250 excess.

  For example, we did a test quote for a seven-night trip to New Zealand for a 30 year old traveller to see what the difference would be. Here's what we found:

  Excess	$0	$100	$250
  Quote	$47.52	$44.00	$39.60

  *Quote retrieved on 23 September 2018 for a trip from 13-30 March 2019.

  The excess charge only applies once per unexpected event.

  Excesses aren't deducted for claims applying to funerals and return of remains, personal accidents, personal liability and rental vehicles.

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  Why should I consider getting a Southern Cross travel policy?

  Key Benefits

  SCTI offers comprehensive cover to help make sure you won't be unexpectedly caught short by basic cover. Here are some key advantages to going with a Southern Cross policy:

  • Automatically includes cruise cover and a range of sports/activities
  • Option to add on extra cover for skiing and snowboarding, mopeds and motorbikes and valuable items
  • Considers a range of pre-existing conditions, including heart-related illnesses and cancer
  • 24 hour worldwide emergency assistance
  • No maximum age limit on either Single Trip or Annual Multi-Trip policies

  What won't be covered under my policy?

  Southern Cross Travel Insurance will not provide any cover (except funeral/return of remains expenses) in the following situations:

  • If your claim arises due to a pre-existing condition that is not covered by your policy
  • If your claim arises due to a sexually transmitted infection (excluding covered conditions relating to HIV)
  • Pregnancy after the 20th week
  • If you travel against medical advice
  • If your claim relates to most elective or cosmetic procedures
  • If your claim arises because of being under the influence of alcohol, solvents or any other illegal drug
  • If you go hitchhiking or give a hitchhiker a lif

  • If you engage in any unlawful activity
  • If your claim is for loss of enjoyment
  • If you participate in any professional or contact sport, motorsport, hunting, abseiling or paragliding
  • If you work while overseas (except to attend a conference, trade fair, training course, business meeting or complete office-based work)
  • If you travel to a country for which the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has issued a “Do not travel” or “Reconsider your need to travel” advisory
  • If you intentionally or recklessly put yourself in harm’s way

  Read Southern Cross Travel Insurance’s product disclosure statement for a full list of situations that won’t be covered.

  Am I able to make changes to my policy?

  I want to extend my policy - is that possible?

  Yes, you can contact SCTI to request an extension of your Single Trip policy but some conditions apply:

  • You'll need to extend your policy before the original expiry date.
  • Events that have occurred before the policy extension is issued may not be considered unexpected by the extended policy.
  • You will need to let SCTI know reasons for the extension and where you plan to travel.

  You can't extend an existing Annual Multi-Trip policy, however SCTI does offer a couple of options, which are subject to approval on a case-by-case basis:

  • You may be able to get another Annual Multi-Trip policy starting immediately after the trip ends
  • You may be able to add on a single-trip policy to the end of your Annual Multi-Trip policy
  • If you are going to be away for a couple of days and just require a short extension, you can contact SCTI to apply a short extension

  I want to amend my policy - can I do that?

  • You can amend some features of your policy by contacting SCTI with your amendment details. An additional charge may apply and any changes must be made before your trip has started.
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  Can I get cover for a pre-existing condition?

  Southern Cross Travel Insurance's TravelCare policy doesn't automatically include pre-existing conditions, but if you declare them to SCTI you may be able to get cover for them after completing an online medical assessment.

  Depending on your condition, you may need to pay an additional premium in order to get that condition covered.

  Can I get cover for my camera, jewellery or other expensive items?

  You'll be automatically be covered for some unspecified items, but if you need extra cover for more expensive things like a camera or engagement ring you can get additional cover.

  The following is what's automatically included in your travel insurance policy:

  • $2,500 maximum per journey for unspecified jewellery/watches (also includes the value of a full pair or set, i.e. earrings or cuff links)
  • $3,000 per item maximum (Up to $10,000 per journey for all items) for unspecified laptops/tablets/personal computers/cameras (including related accessories, even if purchased separately such as lenses, are included in the total value)
  • $1,500 per item maximum (also includes the value of a full pair or set) including related accessories for other unspecified items per journey (i.e. designer handbags)

  If you're travelling with items that are more expensive than what's above, Southern Cross Travel Insurance provides the following extra cover for "specified items."

  • $10,000 maximum payment per item
  • $15,000 maximum total paid for all specified items per journey

  If you'd like to add this extra cover (for an additional premium) on when booking your policy, look for this on the Extras page:

  

  What evidence will be required for specified items in a claim?

  You will need documentation proving the value of the items if you do need to make a claim. Some examples of what you can use may be:

  • Original receipt dated within 12 months from when item was specified for cover or
  • Original receipt as proof of ownership and valuation dated within 12 months from when item was covered
  • Documentation showing items specified on contents insurance policy dated within 12 months that item was specified.

  How do I contact SCTI?

  If you need emergency assistance while overseas, you can contact the insurer’s emergency assistance hotline on +61 2 9191 1180. This line is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

  You can also get in touch with Southern Cross using the following methods:

  • Phone 1800 196 484 from 8:30am to 5pm Monday to Friday AEST
  • Email info@scti.com.au
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  How do I make a claim with Southern Cross?

  You can lodge a claim at any time through the Southern Cross Travel Insurance online claims portal. All you need to do is follow a few simple steps:

  • Enter your policy number, date of birth, last name and email address
  • Provide details of the incident and the costs you are claiming
  • Post supporting documents for your claim to Southern Cross Travel Insurance

  You’ll need to submit your claim as soon as possible after the event giving rise to the claim to ensure that it is processed as quickly as possible.

  How to get a quote

  If you’d like to get a Southern Cross Travel Insurance quote for your next trip, use the finder.com.au quote engine at the top of this page and follow these directions:

  • Select Single Trip or Annual Multi-Trip cover
  • Select your destination
  • Enter your travel dates
  • Enter your age and the ages of any other travellers you want to cover
  • Click “Get quote now”

  You’ll then be presented with a quote from Southern Cross Travel Insurance based on your trip details. You can review the cost of cover and the benefits included in the policy and, if you're happy with it, you can click the green “Go to site” button to be securely redirected to the Southern Cross Travel Insurance website to apply.

  Southern Cross Travel Insurance FAQs

  • Who is the underwriter?

    Southern Cross Travel Insurance is the underwriter.

  • Can I extend my Southern Cross Travel Insurance policy when I'm overseas?

    Yes. If you have a Single Trip policy. If you're overseas and you want to extend your journey, you can request an extension of your policy by emailing the insurer at info@scti.com.au. Keep in mind that the maximum duration for one trip, including any extensions agreed to by SCTI, is 12 months.

  • Can I change my policy after I have applied for it?

    Yes. It’s possible to make adjustments to your policy provided you have not yet departed Australia. An additional charge may apply.

  • I have a pre-existing medical condition – is it covered by Southern Cross Travel Insurance?

    While some pre-existing conditions are automatically covered, not all of them are and its best to declare everything at the time of policy purchase and fill out a medical assessment so SCTI is across your medical conditions.

    If your condition isn’t automatically included, SCTI can use the medical assessment to consider your cover and any applicable premium costs.

  • Is there a cooling-off period?

    Yes. A 14-day cooling-off period applies.

  • Am I covered if my tour company goes broke?

    No. Southern Cross Travel Insurance doesn’t provide any cover for financial insolvency.

  • Am I covered for cruise trips?

    Yes. Worldwide cruises are automatically covered by Southern Cross Travel Insurance’s TravelCare policy.

  • What is the maximum individual trip duration that can be covered with a Southern Cross Travel Insurance annual multi-trip policy?

    Depending on which policy you purchase, you can get cover for trips of up to 30, 60 or 90 days.

  • What’s the maximum trip duration I can cover with a single-trip policy?

    The maximum duration is 12 months.

  • Does Southern Cross Travel Insurance offer rental vehicle excess cover?

    Yes, cover of up to $5,000 is available when you hire a car.

  • How many people can I cover under my policy?

    You can buy cover online for up to 11 travellers.

  • Who is covered under a “family” policy?

    A Southern Cross Travel Insurance family policy will cover two adults or two adults and any of their dependent children.

  • Who is covered under an “individual” policy?

    Individual cover applies to one person or one adult and any of their dependent children.

  • Can I vary or cancel my excess?

    Yes. You have three excess options: $0, $100 and $250.

  • Does Southern Cross Travel Insurance provide cover for people who aren’t Australian residents?

    You’re covered if you’re on a visa or permit that allows you access to public healthcare (Medicare) until after the end date of your insurance policy.

  • Am I covered if I want to ride a motorcycle or moped while overseas?

    Southern Cross Travel Insurance doesn't automatically cover incidents related to riding motorcycles or mopeds overseas, but if it's part of your travel plans you can add on cover for this at for an additional premium.

  Is Southern Cross Travel Insurance any good?

  • An APRA and ASIC regulated general insurer, SCTI insures hundreds of thousands of travellers.
  • SCTI is a member of the Financial Ombudsman Service, the Insurance Council of Australia and a signatory to the Australian General Insurance Code of Practice.

  What's next?

  *Price displayed is for Single Trip NZ/South Pacific policy, with 2 days Individual cover for ages 18-54. Please note it does not include any specified items or surcharges for pre-existing medical conditions

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