You can find domestic, international or senior traveller's cover with Worldcare.
Read on to learn more of the benefits of taking out cover with Worldcare or follow the secure links in the table below through to the Worldcare website to receive a quote for cover.
Worldcare Travel Insurance is a locally-operated company that has been offering travel cover to Australians for more than 20 years. With a complete in-house service from arranging your insurance right through to paying your claim, Worldcare aims to give you the security and peace of mind you need to enjoy your holiday.
Worldcare offers a range of policy options for both trips overseas and within Australia with single trip and comprehensive options available.
Receive Quotes for WorldCare Travel Insurance
Who Underwrites Worldcare Travel Insurance?
Who is Worldcare Travel Insurance?
Worldcare was founded by a Queensland physician named Dr Tom Biggs more than 20 years ago. Dr Biggs was dismayed by the challenges he faced when he had to help transport his injured son back home to Australia from overseas, so when he established Worldcare it was one of the first Australian travel insurance brands to offer medical repatriations.
Today, this locally-owned company, with policies underwritten by Allianz Australia Insurance Ltd, has access to more than 550 staff. There are many benefits of selecting one of its travel cover options:
- Value for your money. Buying your policy direct from Worldcare online means you avoid paying hefty agent fees and commissions—in some cases, these can be as high as 74% on top of your premium.
- Backed by global provider Allianz. Worldcare’s policies are underwritten by Allianz, one of the world’s largest insurance providers. And because Worldcare’s emergency assistance provider is Allianz Global Assistance, policyholders can rest safe in the knowledge that Worldcare is backed by a company with the expertise to look after them on their travels.
- 24-hour emergency assistance. Worldcare’s contact centre, based in Toowong in Brisbane, is open 24 hours a day so you can get help around the clock. Worldcare’s 24-hour medical assistance helpdesk is also staffed by qualified nurses ready to offer advice if you have a medical emergency.
- Global presence. Allianz Global Assistance, Worldcare’s emergency assistance provider, has a network of offices and agents all over the world.
- Great range of plans to choose from. Worldcare offers an extensive range of policies for domestic and international travel, to help you find the policy that’s right for you.
- Age-friendly Worldcare travel solutions. A lot of Australians would love to be able to travel after they have retired, but often find it difficult to get a travel insurance policy due to their age. However, by opting for Worldcare travel insurance, you can find cover even at the advanced age of 85. Worldcare offers several travel solutions that are aimed at people above 65 and below 85 years of age, which may offer different levels of cover, and may have comparatively lower rates than other insurers. Having access to these age friendly travel insurance solutions ensures that senior citizens too can travel the world and be adequately protected while doing so.
- Flexible when it comes to existing conditions. Worldcare will provide cover on its standard policy for over 43 pre-existing medical conditions at no extra cost, provided you have not been hospitalised for that condition in the last 24 months.
Available Worldcare policies and what they cover you for
- Budget Travel Insurance
Designed to include all the essentials of travel insurance but at a relatively cheap price, Budget Travel Cover features unlimited cover for your emergency medical and hospital expenses, 24-hour emergency medical assistance, evacuation and repatriation back to Australia should you need it, and personal liability cover.
| What you are covered for | Single | Duo | Comprehensive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overseas Emergency Medical Assistance | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Overseas Emergency Medical and Hospital Expenses | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Personal Liability | $5 million | $5 million | $5 million |
- Australia Only Travel Insurance
This policy does just as the name suggests—cover you for travel in Australia only. It includes cover for cancellation expenses and lost or damaged luggage, and can foot the bill for additional accommodation and travel expenses if you become sick and are unable to travel. There's unlimited cover for cancellation fees and lost deposits, plus up to $6000 towards your rental vehicle excess if you have an accident while driving a hire car.
| What you are covered for | Single | Duo | Comprehensive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancellation Fees and Lost Deposits | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Additional Expenses | $75,000 | $75,000 | $150,000 |
| Accidental Death | $25,000 | $25,000 | $50,000 |
| Luggage and Personal Effects | $5,000 | $5,000 | $10,000 |
| Travel Delay Expenses | $1,000 | $1,000 | $2,000 |
| Personal Liability | $5 million | $5 million | $5 million |
| Rental Vehicle Excess | $6,000 | $6,000 | $6,000 |
| Domestic Pets | $500 | $500 | $500 |
| Domestic Services | $500 | $500 | $500 |
- Comprehensive International Travel Insurance
Worldcare’s highest level of cover is designed to give you complete peace of mind while travelling. This policy includes unlimited cover for overseas emergency medical, hospital and repatriation expenses and cancellation. If you become sick or are unable to travel, Worldcare covers additional accommodation and travel costs. Lost travel documents, luggage and stolen cash are also included in the policy, as is up to $6000 towards your rental vehicle excess.
| What you are covered for | Single | Duo | Comprehensive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancellation Fees and Lost Deposits | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Overseas Emergency Medical Assistance | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Overseas Emergency Medical and Hospital Expenses | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Additional Expenses | $75,000 | $75,000 | $150,000 |
| Hospital Cash Allowance | $6,000 | $6,000 | $12,000 |
| Accidental Death | $25,000 | $25,000 | $50,000 |
| Permanent Disability | $25,000 | $25,000 | $25,000 |
| Loss of Income | $10,400 | $10,400 | $20,800 |
| Travel Documents, Transaction Cards and Travellers Cheques | $5,000 | $5,000 | $10,000 |
| Theft of Cash | $250 | $250 | $500 |
| Luggage and Personal Effects | $12,000 | $12,000 | $24,000 |
| Luggage and Personal Effects Delay Expenses | $500 | $500 | $1000 |
| Travel Delay Expenses | $2000 | $2000 | $4000 |
| Alternative Transport Expenses | $5000 | $5000 | $10000 |
| Personal Liability | $5 million | $5 million | $5 million |
| Rental Vehicle Excess | $6,000 | $6,000 | $6,000 |
| Domestic Pets | $500 | $500 | $500 |
| Domestic Services | $500 | $500 | $500 |
| Return Airfare | $6000 | $6000 | $12000 |
Australia and International Frequent Traveller Insurance
The Frequent Traveller Australia policy boasts all the benefits of the Australia Only cover, but it covers you all year round rather than for just one trip. It may be the ideal cover option if you travel domestically any more than once or twice a year. The maximum journey limit for any single trip is 37 days for leisure travel or 90 days for business travel.
The Frequent Traveller International policy features all the benefits of Worldcare's Comprehensive policy but covers you all year long. If you regularly travel abroad, this cover may be worth considering. The maximum journey period is once again set at 37 days for leisure travel and 90 days for business travel.
| What you are covered for | Australia | International |
|---|---|---|
| Cancellation Fees and Lost Deposits | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Overseas Emergency Medical Assistance | N/A | Unlimited |
| Overseas Emergency Medical and Hospital Expenses | N/A | Unlimited |
| Additional Expenses | $150,000 | $150,000 |
| Hospital Cash Allowance | N/A | $12,000 |
| Accidental Death | $50,000 | $50,000 |
| Permanent Disability | N/A | $50,000 |
| Loss of Income | N/A | $20,800 |
| Travel Documents, Transaction Cards and Travellers Cheques | N/A | $10,000 |
| Theft of Cash | N/A | $250 |
| Luggage and Personal Effects | $10,000 | $24,000 |
| Luggage and Personal Effects Delay Expenses | $500 | $1,000 |
| Travel Delay Expenses | $2,000 | $4,000 |
| Alternative Transport Expenses | N/A | $10,000 |
| Personal Liability | $5 million | $5 million |
| Rental Vehicle Excess | $6,000 | $6,000 |
| Domestic Pets | $500 | $500 |
| Domestic Services | $500 | $500 |
| Return Airfare | N/A | $12,000 |
Worldcare travel cover benefits overview
Subject to all applicable terms of your policy, you can get covered for:
- Cancellation fees and lost deposits. If circumstances beyond your control (for example illness or job loss) force you to cancel your holiday, Worldcare will pay your cancellation fees and lost deposits for travel and accommodation arrangements that you have paid in advance and cannot recover. This is not included under Budget Cover.
- Overseas emergency medical assistance. If you are injured or become sick while overseas, Allianz Global Assistance will arrange access to a medical adviser for emergency medical treatment, and cover your medical transfer or even evacuation and repatriation back home if needed.
- Overseas emergency medical and hospital expenses. Worldcare will cover your medical or hospital expenses until you get back to Australia if you are injured or become sick while overseas.
- Additional expenses. Not included in the Budget Cover policy, this feature ensures Worldcare will cover any additional accommodation and travel expenses incurred if you are injured or fall ill while on your holiday and are unfit to travel.
- Hospital-cash allowance. Worldcare will pay you $50 for every day you are in hospital overseas if you are hospitalised for more than 48 hours. This allowance is to help with out-of-pocket expenses and is not available if you’re travelling in Australia.
- Accidental death. In the event of accidental death, the policy will pay out a benefit to the estate of the deceased.
- Permanent disability. Only offered under the Comprehensive and Frequent Traveller International policies, this feature ensures a benefit payment if you become permanently disabled during your journey.
- Loss of income. If you become injured during your journey and are unable to return to work, your policy will provide a weekly payment for a period of up to 26 weeks to help cover your loss of income.
- Travel documents, transaction cards and travellers cheques. If any of these essential items are lost or stolen on your travels (only under the Comprehensive and Frequent Traveller International policies), Worldcare will cover their replacement costs and any loss of money you incur due to the fraudulent use of your lost or stolen items.
- Theft of cash. Under the Comprehensive and Frequent Traveller International policies, Worldcare will reimburse you if any cash is stolen from you.
- Luggage and personal effects. Excepting if you have Budget Cover, Worldcare will pay to repair or replace lost, stolen or damaged luggage and personal effects. Under some policies, cover is also available if your luggage is lost or delayed and you need to purchase essential items to see you through until your luggage arrives.
- Travel delay expenses. If your journey is delayed by more than six hours due to circumstances beyond your control, Worldcare will provide a benefit payment. This does not apply to Budget Cover.
- Other benefits. Other benefits available on Worldcare policies include personal liability cover and rental vehicle excess cover.
Extra cover options you can add to your policy
- Specified luggage and personal effects. Additional cover can be purchased for luggage and personal effects up to $5000. Specified cover cannot be purchased for jewellery, bicycles or watercraft other than surfboards.
- Removal of standard excess. You can remove the standard excess on the Comprehensive, Budget Cover, Frequent Traveller International and Frequent Traveller Australia policies by paying an additional premium. However, this additional option does not apply to the Australia Only policy.
Pros and cons of Worldcare Travel Insurance
Benefits
- Great value for money. You may be able to save on agent fees and commissions by purchasing your travel insurance plan directly online.
- Provides cover for some pre-existing medical conditions. Most of the policies at Worldcare Travel Insurance cover some pre-existing medical conditions at no cost.
- 24-hour contact centre and medical assistance. Worldcare’s contact centre is manned by a team of over 550 staff including registered nurses, doctors, translators, social workers, communication specialists, translators and support personnel to handle your policy purchase, manage your claim and oversee your emergency medical assistance.
- No-fuss claims. Worldcare pays 95 per cent of all claims it receives, and endeavors to make sure the claims process is simple and straightforward.
Drawbacks
- Read the PDS. When buying insurance without advice from an expert, make sure to read the PDS closely and make sure you understand what your policy does and doesn’t cover.
- Cover cannot be taken out if already overseas. Cover is only available to be purchased pre-trip
- No cover for working overseas. Worldcare will not cover you for incidents that occur while working overseas (may be covered for some events under frequent traveller plan)
- No cover available to travellers over aged 86
Travelling with your spouse or partner?
There are a number of different types of cover to choose from with Worldcare. Here is how you will be covered by each;
- Single: You and your eligible financial dependents will be covered.
- Duo: Provides cover for you and your travelling companion. Your dependents will not be covered.
- Family: Provides cover for you and the members of your family travelling with you. The maximum benefit that will be paid applies to the total number of claims combined, regardless of number of people the claim relates to.
Other things to keep in mind about your policy
- Cancelling your policy: Worldcare Travel Insurance wants to make sure that you are fully satisfied with your policy and have a truly enjoyable trip. Should you feel unsatisfied with the policy you bought, you may cancel it within 14 days after the issuance of your PDS and Certificate of Insurance and you will be given a full refund of the premium you have paid. For policy cancellation to merit a refund, it is required that you have not commenced your travel and you do not want to make a claim or exercise any other right under the policy. Any cancellation made after the 14-day period shall disqualify you from refund either partially or wholly.
- Extending your policy: You must request to extend your policy with Worldcare at least 7 days prior to the policy end date unless your transport carrier has been delayed or your reason for extension is something that can be claimed under your policy.
- Safeguarding your luggage: You must take all reasonable care to safeguard your luggage and personal effects. Loss of items that have been left unattended in a public place will not be covered by Worldcare
- Excess charge: There is no excess charged on international policies to sections 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18 and 19. For all other sections a $100 charge will apply. There is no excess charged on the Australia Only policy.
- Cover commencement: Cover will commence on the start date of your policy. If you purchase cover with your credit card, cover will start immediately if requested.
Worldcare Travel Insurance Claims
The Worldcare claims process is relatively straightforward. You must give Worldcare notice of your claim as soon as possible by phoning it on 1300 726 087. You can access a claim form online through www.travelclaims.com.au, or for urgent cases overseas you can contact Worldcare’s 24-hour emergency assistance team.
If you need to lodge a claim just follow these steps. Please note claims are payable in Australian dollars.
- Visit the Travel Claims website
- Log in using your Worldcare policy number, D.O.B and surname
- Collect any documentation that may be required i.e. police reports, medical reports, valuations, original receipts or proof of ownership
- Email, fax or post completed claim form with any necessary documentation within 30 days of your return
Final things you might want to know about
Can seniors take out Worldcare Travel Insurance?
- Cover is available for travellers under the age of 85 for the Comprehensive and Australia Only policy
- Travellers under the age of 71 can take out the Budget, Frequent Traveller International and Frequent Traveller Australia policy
- Cover is not available to travellers aged 86 years and over
Does personal liability cover any claims made by a 3rd party resulting from injuries caused when you were driving a rental vehicle?
Hi Peter,
Thanks for your question. Cover varies from provider to provider. You’d need to check the personal liability section of the policy for exclusions like:
“To the extent permitted by law we will not pay any amount you become legally liable to pay if the liability arises directly or indirectly from, or is in any way connected with, or is for your ownership, custody, control or use of any firearm or weapon, aerial device, watercraft or motorised vehicle.”
The wording around exclusions varies, so be careful.
I hope this was helpful,
Richard
Does your organization insure people traveling from USA to England?
Hi Irma,
Thanks for your question. Unfortunately, finder.com.au is a comparison service and not an insurer. The insurers in our panel are for Australian citizens, residents and certain VISA holders. The majority of policies require the journey to begin and/or end in Australia.
I hope this was helpful,
Richard