Most travel insurance policies will pay benefits to a policyholder's estate or beneficiaries if they pass away on their trip. A death benefit might not be one of the most important aspects of cover for you to consider, but it can be looked at alongside other features to work out what kind of value for money you're getting with different policies.
Looking to learn more first? Keep reading to find out about the general terms and conditions surrounding accidental death cover.
Compare travel insurance policies that cover accidental death
You can compare policies in the table below which shows how different insurers will cover accidental death for its comprehensive policy (or equivalent).
Most insurers will decrease the cover limit for dependents. Some have a specific limit, others may offer a percentage of the adult limit. If you're planning to travel with family and this is applicable to you, check with your insurer directly.
Policy type/Brand
Cover limit (per adult)
Accidental death benefit explained
Apply
International Comprehensive Plan
$25,000
If you suffer an injury caused solely and directly by violent, accidental, visible and external means (not caused by a sickness or disease) resulting in your death.
If you suffer an injury caused solely and directly by violent, accidental, visible and external means (not caused by a sickness or disease) resulting in your death.
If you suffer accidental bodily injury during the trip which, within twelve (12) months from the date of the accident, is the sole and direct cause of your death.
You are injured during your journey and you die because of that injury within 12 months of the injury.
During your journey, something you are travelling on disappears, sinks or crashes and you are presumed dead and your body is not found within 12 months.
If you suffer an injury caused solely and directly by violent, accidental, visible and external means (not caused by a sickness or disease) resulting in your death
If you suffer an injury which results in your death within 12 month of the injury being sustained.
If you disappear and are presumed dead because your means of transport disappeared, sank or was wrecked, and your body has still not been found 12 months after your disappearance.
If you suffer an injury caused solely and directly by violent, accidental, visible and external means (not caused by a sickness or disease) resulting in your death.
Finder survey: Do Australians of different ages typically take out travel insurance when they go overseas?
Response
75+ yrs
65-74 yrs
55-64 yrs
45-54 yrs
35-44 yrs
25-34 yrs
18-24 yrs
Yes
81.4%
76.4%
76.61%
73.91%
67.32%
68.45%
48.57%
I don't travel overseas
13.95%
14.91%
11.7%
7.73%
6.69%
6.31%
8.57%
Sometimes
4.65%
7.45%
8.77%
13.04%
18.9%
18.45%
35.71%
Never
1.24%
2.92%
5.31%
7.09%
6.8%
7.14%
Source: Finder survey by Pure Profile of 1112 Australians, December 2023
How and when do travel insurance policies pay for death?
Travel insurance policies will usually cover death either as a standalone benefit or as part of the available accidental injury benefits.
It is important to remember that claims need to include details of both the accident and the injuries or death which resulted, and that both of these factors need to meet all requirements.
It has to be a physical accident. Death benefits are typically only paid in the event of an accidental injury which resulted in death. In other words, there needs to be a specific eligible claimable event (eg a car accident or injury while skiing), clear injuries which resulted from it, and then those injuries need to be the cause of death. Unless it says otherwise, you can assume that a travel insurance policy will only pay death benefits in these situations.
If an accident leads to an illness or disease, and then that illness or disease proves fatal, it may or may not be covered depending on the wording of your policy. Some insurers will specifically exclude these.
Some insurers specify that there is no cover for deaths resulting from the accumulation of multiple injuries and that there needs to be a single injury identifiable as the cause of death. This can rule out certain accidents that would otherwise be covered.
How do travel insurance policies cover disappearances?
Missing doesn't mean dead. Missing people are covered by travel insurance death benefits in very different ways depending on the insurer.
Some insurers specify that they need reasonable cause to believe a missing person died of accidental injuries in line with the policy terms.
Some insurers will accept people missing in transport accidents as dead of injuries.
Some insurers, who do not specify any form of death benefits for missing people, will typically not pay any benefits in the event of a disappearance.
What happens if the death doesn't happen while travelling?
Time limits do apply when it comes to whether a death benefit is claimable but it doesn't necessarily need to happen on your trip. Benefits are only payable, however, if the death occurs within 12 months of the claimable event and if it was caused by an injury sustained in this incident.
The accident and the death are not the same. The event which caused the injury (the accident) and the injury which caused the death are two separate parts of a claim and separate conditions can apply to both.
Some, but not all, insurers specify that the death must take place while you're travelling and while your policy is active. Others can still pay benefits even when death occurs after returning home.
All insurers specify that the accident must occur while you're travelling.
Some travel insurance policies have a window after an accident in which policyholders can make claims for losses that resulted in death. For some insurers, this window is 12 months after an accident, while for others the window closes as soon as the policyholder returns home.
Exclusions: When will travel insurance policies not pay death benefits?
Benefits payable may be subject to both general exclusions and specific ones. In particular, it may be impacted by:
Reckless or unreasonable behaviour: When considering any claim, insurers will assess whether your actions were reasonable in the situation. Claims may be denied if they result from actions where you knowingly put yourself or others in danger, or did something that a reasonable person in your situation would not have done.
Terminal illnesses and pre-existing conditions: Terminal illnesses qualify as pre-existing conditions, and death benefits for those are typically not payable on the grounds that it's a pre-existing condition. In the unlikely event that a pre-existing condition is shown to be in any way responsible for the accident, in that it wouldn't have happened otherwise, benefits may still be declined.
Failure to take precautions and obey instruction: If you were not taking reasonable safety precautions such as wearing a helmet while motorcycling, or were not obeying all instruction (including local laws) at the time of an accident, insurers may refuse a claim regardless of whether or not doing so would have prevented the accident.
Deliberate injury and suicide: Deliberately self-inflicted harm, including suicide, is not covered by travel insurance policies.
How much do accidental death benefits usually pay?
Travel insurance policies are not designed to provide long-term benefits for your dependants. That's what life insurance is for. Instead, travel insurance death benefits are designed to cover the unexpected costs, make sure you have the resources to return home or carry on, and generally offer a small form of compensation.
When included as part of the accidental injury benefits, rather than as standalone death benefits, other accidental injury claims will also count towards the same limits.
Accompanied dependants are typically covered to much lower limits, but with all the same conditions. Whether someone can qualify as an accompanied dependant, or has to get their own travel insurance policy, depends on the insurer and may be worth considering when comparing travel insurance policy death benefits.
How to compare accidental death benefits
The numbers are only part of the picture when it comes to comparing benefits. You will also need to read the PDS to review the different conditions and circumstances in which a policy can pay out. This can help you pick out the insurers that offer additional benefits or more helpful options. On this page, for example, you might consider some outstanding insurers:
American Express: Can pay death benefits even in the event of terrorism. The other insurers listed here do not cover terrorist attacks.
InsureandGo: Has relatively high limits and can pay more benefits in the event of an accidental death claim for both policyholders and dependants.
American Express, Budget Direct, FastCover and STA: Can pay death benefits if a traveller is missing for 12 months, without proof of death.
Jessica Prasida is a travel insurance expert for Finder. She lives and breathes travel, having worked as a travel agent and branch manager at STA Travel for over 4 years, then writing about travel insurance with Finder for another 5 years. Jess has a Bachelor of Business from the University of Technology, Sydney and a Tier 1 General Insurance qualification.
My mom want to come and visit us for 5 months in Australia from South Africa. She is an 80 year old women. She already got a 600 Visitors Visa for 6 months and a flight ticket but we need Travel insurance for medical, repatriation and accidental death while on holiday in Australia? She will be coming from 20 of September 2019 till 14 of February 2020. How can you help?
It’s exciting to hear that your mother will be visiting you from South Africa. We have a page with a list of travel insurance for visitors to Australia that includes all the information you need for inbound travellers.
In your particular case, cover can be a bit harder to find because of your mother’s age, the long duration of her trip and because she is not an Australian resident. I would suggest calling insurers like Cover-More (who offer inbound travel insurance) to see if they are able to put a policy together for your mother. Alternatively, your mother might find that she has a few more options available if she buys her insurance from her home country as most Australian insurers require you to be a resident of Australia for cover.
I hope this helps and wishing your mother happy travels!
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My mom want to come and visit us for 5 months in Australia from South Africa. She is an 80 year old women. She already got a 600 Visitors Visa for 6 months and a flight ticket but we need Travel insurance for medical, repatriation and accidental death while on holiday in Australia? She will be coming from 20 of September 2019 till 14 of February 2020. How can you help?
Hi Dore,
Thanks for contacting us at Finder.
It’s exciting to hear that your mother will be visiting you from South Africa. We have a page with a list of travel insurance for visitors to Australia that includes all the information you need for inbound travellers.
In your particular case, cover can be a bit harder to find because of your mother’s age, the long duration of her trip and because she is not an Australian resident. I would suggest calling insurers like Cover-More (who offer inbound travel insurance) to see if they are able to put a policy together for your mother. Alternatively, your mother might find that she has a few more options available if she buys her insurance from her home country as most Australian insurers require you to be a resident of Australia for cover.
I hope this helps and wishing your mother happy travels!
Kind regards,
Jessica