Westpac Altitude Platinum Credit Card Offers Travel Insurance

Knowing how complimentary travel insurance works can mean the difference between being covered or not, so it’s important to find this out before you embark on your trip.

Cardholders with a Westpac Altitude Platinum credit card may be aware that they get access to some complimentary insurance policies with their account. However, many cardholders simply aren’t aware of the range and scope of policies they could be taking advantage of.

Below is an overview of the policy types you could benefit from simply for owning your Westpac Altitude Platinum credit card.

What are the eligibility requirements?

Westpac Altitude Platinum cardholders are eligible for complimentary insurance cover if they have purchased a return overseas travel ticket and prepaid at least AUD$500 of their travel costs using the eligible card before going overseas. The eligible cardholder's spouse and/or dependent children who are travelling with them are eligible for cover under the travel insurance policy.

Travel costs can include:

• The cost of your return overseas travel ticket;
• Your airport departure taxes;
• Prepaid overseas accommodation, and/or;
• Prepaid overseas itinerary items

You will need to prepay for your travel arrangements and costs using your Westpac Altitude Platinum card for these policies to apply.

• Policy activation. When you use your Altitude Platinum card to pay for your travel costs, you’re automatically covered for a range of overseas travel insurance policies for a maximum period of three consecutive months.

• Age. The overseas travel insurance policy is available for persons up to and including 80 years of age.
• Spouse and dependent children. This coverage protects you, but it will also include coverage for your spouse and any dependent children who might be travelling with you throughout your trip. Dependent children under the age of two years as at the date of the journey commencing are eligible for this overseas travel insurance policy, provided that the dependent child is travelling with the cardholder for the entire journey.

How do I make a claim or get further information?

If you need to make a claim or enquire, then you’ll need to contact the insurance provider for this credit card, who is QBE Insurance Group Limited.

If you’re overseas and need the following help, QBE will also provide the following services:

• Access to a registered medical practitioner for assistance and advice, including second opinions on medical matters;
• Emergency transport to the nearest hospital;
• Emergency evacuation if needed;
• Informing your family in Australia of your condition and situation;
• Payment guarantees to hospitals and insurance verification;
• Emergency travel planning.

What insurances am I covered under?

There are a number of different levels of cover available under this particular policy that may pertain to a range of accidents, injuries, illnesses or events. These include:

Overseas travel insurance

Medical and hospital expenses cover

If you incur any medical expenses while you’re on your trip overseas, you could be covered for those costs. This can include any costs incurred for surgical treatments, ambulance fees, hospital charges, nursing home costs, or other treatments received from a registered medical professional.

If your hospital and medical costs are being covered by this policy, you will also receive up $100 per day to a maximum limit of $15,000 to cover any other incidental expenses you may incur. This might include paying for TV rental or phone calls you make while you’re confined to hospital.

Your cover will also include up to $2,000 in emergency dental treatments, where the treatment is for your own teeth and doesn’t involve any ongoing dental work you may have already commenced.

You may claim against these policies as long as the injury or illness occurred during your overseas trip and were the result of an accidental event. You will not be covered if your illness or injury arose due to a pre-existing medical condition that you haven’t had approved for inclusion into this cover.

Loss or damage to personal property

If any of your personal items are accidentally damaged or lost during your trip overseas, you may be covered for them. Items may include your personal luggage, as well as your clothing or any valuables you’re carrying. It may also include electrical equipment, computers, laptops, cameras and travel documents, including passport, traveller’s cheques, and credit cards.

This policy may also cover you for the emergency replacement of personal clothing and toiletries in the event that your luggage is lost or damaged.

The amount you’re able to claim is limited to a maximum of $15,000 per person or a maximum of $20,000 per family as a total limit. However, individual limits for various items will also apply.

The amounts you can claim for lost or damaged items is itemised below:

Cancellation of travel arrangements

There are times when your pre-paid trip may be unexpectedly cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. When this happens, you may be able to claim back the cancellation costs you incur.

Keep in mind that you can only claim if your cancellation occurred as a result of a valid reason. Acceptable reasons for claiming against this policy include:

• Natural disaster occurring, or warning or impending natural disaster at either your home or your travel destination
• Lost or stolen travel documents
• Receiving news of the death or serious illness of a relative
• Being subpoenaed to appear in court back in Australia
• Having your approved holiday leave cancelled for employees of the police force, fire brigade, ambulance service, defence force, or any other emergency services
• Cancellation by the carrier or airline due to riots, civil unrest, military coup, rebellion, or war
• Financial insolvency or the provider, airline, or carrier

Your policy may cover you for the costs you incur as a result of cancelling your trip. However, if you decide to resume the same trip at a late point, you may also be covered for any costs incurred in arranging this. This will only include any part of your trip that you have already paid for but can no longer use or any portions that have been pre-paid but aren’t refundable. This can also include any pre-paid accommodation expenses you can’t get refunded.

The amount you can claim in this policy is unlimited. However, the amount payable to cover a travel agent’s cancellation fee is limited to $500 or 15% of the value of travel arranged by agent – whichever is lower.

Coverage also includes cover for financial insolvency of a licensed service provider up to $3,750 per person or a maximum amount of $7,500 per family.

Rental vehicle excess

If you’re involved in an accident while driving a rental vehicle you hired during your trip overseas and you are required to pay an excess amount on your insurance, this amount may be covered.

The maximum amount you can claim for under this policy is limited to $5,000.

Accidental death

If you die as a result of an injury received from being involved in an accident during your trip overseas, you could be covered. This policy extends for up to 12 months from the date of the accident.

In the event that you’re travelling aboard a boat, ship or plane and your body isn’t recovered at all, after a 12-month period you will be considered to have died an accidental death and this policy will come into effect.

The maximum amount you can claim under this policy is limited to $25,000 per cardholder and $25,000 for a spouse or dependent child or children, up to a maximum of $75,000 per family. This only applies for any accidental death which is not already covered under Transit Accident Insurance policy.

Unexpected cancellation of travel arrangements and other unexpected expenses arising from accidental death of a relation living overseas are limited to A$2,500 per person and up to a maximum of A$5,000 for a family.

Funeral expenses

If you die while on your trip overseas, your funeral or cremation expenses may be covered under this policy. Alternatively, you may also claim for the repatriation of your remains to be returned to Australia.

Keep in mind that this policy only covers your accidental death during your trip. It will not cover your death by suicide, or from a non-approved pre-existing medical condition.

The amount of cover for this is unlimited.

Legal liability

This covers you up to $2.5 million in the event you need to pay compensation due to negligently causing bodily harm or death to someone or losing or damaging property owned or controlled by someone else.

This cover does not provide payment for legal liability which arises out of the illness or death of a relative or travel companion, or your employee. It also doesn’t pay for liabilities that arise out of:

Loss of income

This covers cardholders incase they lose their income for up to 12 weeks and provides cover of $750 per person per week up to a maximum of $9,000.

Extra travel cover

Transit accident insurance

If you are involved in an accident and are injured when you’re travelling as a passenger aboard transport as part of your interstate trip, you may be covered provided you pay for the full trip using the Altitude card before you leave. This includes travelling on board, as well as boarding or leaving a plane, ferry, bus or train. It may also include an injury sustained while in a taxi on your way to an airport, depot, station or dock as part of your trip. You do need to be a passenger, not driving or operating the transport.

The amounts payable under this policy are varied and are highly dependent on the severity of injury or injuries sustained. For example, the amount payable for the loss of both hands or both feet under this policy is $250,000, while the amount payable for the loss of sight out of one eye is $125,000.

For multiple injuries sustained as a result of the accident, this policy will pay up to a maximum amount of $650,000 for combined claims. This policy will also cover your spouse or dependent children who are travelling with you for injuries sustained during transit.

Interstate flight inconvenience insurance

When you’re travelling to another state within Australia for a holiday, you may be covered for a range of inconveniences. These include if your flight is delayed or if you lose or damage your luggage. It also includes coverage for your accidental death, or if you’re required to cancel your trip due to unforeseen circumstances.

You must have paid for your travel arrangements using your Westpac Altitude Platinum credit card, and the trip can only be up to 14 days for these policies to apply.

Flight delay

If you’re booked aboard an interstate flight that is delayed by at least four hours and there is no alternative mode of transport to get you to your destination, you may be able to claim for the reasonable cost of meals up to a maximum amount of $50 and the cost of refreshments up to a maximum amount of $100.

Luggage delay

If you arrive at your interstate destination and you find that your luggage has been delayed for at least 12 hours, you may be covered for a maximum amount of $75 per person, up to a maximum of $250 per family.

Personal items

If your personal items are accidentally damaged, lost or stolen during your interstate trip, you may be able to claim for up to $500 per item, up to a policy maximum of $1,250. This policy does not cover laptop computers, tablet PCs, smartphones or any business items that you may have with you.

Funeral expenses

If you die during your interstate trip as a result of an accidental injury, your funeral or cremation expenses may be covered. This policy also includes the cost of returning your remains back to your home town.

The maximum amount payable under this policy is limited to $2,500 per person, up to a maximum of $5,000 per family.

Cancellation of travel

If you are required to cancel your travel arrangements due to unforeseen circumstances, you may be able to claim back the costs associated with your cancellation.

Your trip must be cancelled due to valid and acceptable reasons. These can include:

• The death or serious injury or illness of you, your travel companion or a relative
• Being subpoenaed to attend court anywhere in Australia
• Natural disaster, either at your point of origin or at your destination
• The maximum amount you can claim under this policy is limited to $1,750.

Rental vehicle excess insurance in Australia

If you’re involved in an accident while driving a rental vehicle during your interstate trip within Australia, and you’re required to pay an excess on your insurance policy, the excess amount may be covered.

The maximum amount you can claim for under this policy is $5,500.

What other insurances are available?

The Westpac Altitude Platinum card additionally offer extra cover for purchases security, warranty and price guarantee.

Purchase security policy

If you use your Westpac Altitude Platinum credit card to pay for the purchase of personal items, you could be covered against the accidental loss, damage or theft of those goods for up to three months.

This policy covers the actual purchase price of the item bought, with the exception of jewellery, watches or fine arts, which are limited to a maximum amount of $3,000 per claim.

The policy is also limited to a maximum amount of $125,000 per 12-month period.

Extended warranty policy

If you use your Westpac Altitude Platinum credit card to pay for items that are covered by the manufacturer’s Australian warranty, you may be able to extend that initial warranty period.

The amount of warranty extension offered depends on the original warranty amount offered. For a warranty period that is less than 12 months, the extension period will be the same as the amount offered. For example: if a 6-month warranty is offered, this will be extended by 6 months. If a 10-month warranty is offered, this will be extended by 10 months.

For any warranty period greater than 12 months, the maximum warranty extension period will be a further 2 years. For items with an Australian warranty of over five years, no cover will be added on.

The amount covered under this policy is for the purchase price of the goods in question. However, this policy is limited to a maximum amount of $10,000 in aggregated claim amounts over any 12-month period.

Price guarantee cover

There are times when you may purchase an item using your Westpac credit card, only to find that the precise same item is available at a cheaper price elsewhere. If this happens within 21 days of your original purchase, you could be refunded the difference in price.

Keep in mind that the cheaper item needs to have the exact same model number and model year and must be made by the same manufacturer as the previously purchased item.

You also need to provide verification that the same item available at a cheaper price is displayed within 25 kilometres from the store at which you originally purchased your item.

This policy will cover any price difference larger than $75 up to a maximum of $300.

Remember that these policies will only work for you if you know they exist, how they function and their limitations, so make sure you’re familiar with these before purchasing an expensive item or embarking on a trip.
Apply for a Westpac Platinum credit card here