The best credit cards with travel insurance
These credit cards all offer free travel insurance policies, among other perks and benefits. To make it easier, we've also listed some of Finder's best travel insurance credit cards.
The cards in this table all come with complimentary travel insurance.
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How we picked these
Key takeaways
- To activate cover you often need to book return travel or make eligible purchases with the card.
- Card insurance often has trip length limits (3-6 months) and age restrictions, typically up to 79.
- Higher annual fees (often $49-$450) and claim excesses apply; check pre-existing medical conditions coverage carefully.
The best credit cards with travel insurance in 2026
Here are 5 of the best credit cards that offer travel insurance, based on their Finder Scores and the 2026 Finder Credit Card Awards.
- Finder awards best travel credit card. The Bankwest Breeze Platinum Mastercard won the 2026 Finder Award for best travel credit card. With this card you and your spouse and dependent children are covered if you're traveling together. There's no minimum spend required. You're covered as long as the card is active.
- Highly commended travel cards. There are also 7 highly commended cards in this award category, including the Bendigo Bank Ready Credit Card which has complimentary international travel insurance if you use the card to book a return trip and the Bankwest's Qantas Platinum Mastercard which offers the same travel insurance as its Breeze Platinum counterpart.
- Best Qantas frequent flyer card with travel insurance. The Qantas American Express Ultimate Card has a Finder Score of 9.9 in the frequent flyer category. Its complimentary insurance covers domestic and international trips.
- Best Velocity frequent flyer card with travel insurance. The American Express Velocity Platinum Card has a Finder Score of 8.73 in the frequent flyer category. It has complimentary domestic and international travel insurance, which you can activate by paying for your trip using the card.
- Best rewards credit card with travel insurance. The ANZ Rewards Black Credit Card has a Finder Score of 7.94 in the rewards category. It offers complimentary international and domestic insurance cover. You need to make travel related purchases on the card to activate cover.
Complimentary credit card travel insurance 101
- Complimentary travel insurance is a credit card benefit that gives you insurance cover for overseas trips, domestic trips or both. In most cases, you, your partner and dependent children travelling with you are covered.
- You don't have to pay for this travel insurance, it's included with your credit card. But you typically need to book your return travel using the credit card or activate the policy online before the trip.
- Complimentary travel insurance is just one great credit card feature. But you should also look at the card's fees, the purchase rate, and whether you can earn points.
How do I find the best credit card with travel insurance cover?
- Work out what kind of credit card you need. You wouldn't get a credit card just for travel insurance. Choose a card based on your needs. That could be a card that offers reward points, frequent flyer points or even just a low rate card. Keep in mind that not every card offers travel insurance (cheaper low rate are less likely to offer it).
- Look at the cost of the credit card. Credit cards with overseas travel insurance typically have annual fees that range from $49 to over $450, although some cards do offer $0 annual fees in the first year or ongoing.
- Check what kind of cover the card offers. No one likes reading the fine print (unless you work at Finder) on an insurance booklet. But it's important to know how to activate your insurance, what is covered, and who is eligible for cover.
- Check what other features are on the card. Most credit cards that offer overseas travel insurance are platinum or higher-level accounts. So you could get benefits like frequent flyer or reward points, airport lounge passes or travel credit. Just keep in mind that these features are only worth it if you use them and can justify the card's annual fee.
Types of credit card travel insurance
- International travel insurance
Typically gives you comprehensive cover for overseas trips, including for emergency medical and dental costs, travel delays and lost or stolen luggage.
- Transit accident insurance
A type of cover for injuries or accidents that happen on planes, trains, buses or other eligible vehicles. It usually only applies when you're overseas.
- Rental vehicle excess insurance
Helps cover the cost of any excess you need to pay a car hire company if there's an accident. Depending on the card's insurance policy, you could get cover on rental vehicles overseas, in Australia or both.
- Domestic interstate flight inconvenience insurance
Offers cover for issues such as cancelled flights, flight delays of 4 hours or more, delayed or lost luggage and funeral expenses when you're flying interstate.
"I always activate my CBA Low Rate Gold card's travel insurance policy before travelling anywhere. And last year it reimbursed us over $10,000 when we had to cancel a trip to Europe because of a sudden emergency. The complimentary travel insurance covered everything we would have lost financially."
Is complimentary credit card travel insurance a good deal?
Pros
- Save money on buying insurance. Credit card travel insurance can save you hundreds of dollars on paying for cover when you're going overseas.
- Includes immediate family members. Your partner and children can also get cover through your credit card travel insurance when they're travelling with you and meet the eligibility requirements.
- Cover is provided by major insurance brands. Most complimentary credit card travel insurance is underwritten by Allianz, Chubb or Cover-More, which are all global insurance brands.
- Simple activation process. Usually you just need to use your credit card to book a return travel ticket or activate the insurance through internet banking.
Cons
- Only covers trips up to a certain length. Overseas credit card travel insurance policies typically cover trips of up to 3 or 6 months. Interstate or domestic cover could be for as little as 7–14 days. So it won't be suitable if you're planning a longer journey or a one-way trip.
- Limited customisation. Only a few credit card travel insurance policies give you the option of adding or upgrading cover for things like extreme activities or sports.
- Cover won't suit every traveller. You can tailor a standalone travel insurance policy to suit your exact needs. For many people, the general cover a credit card's insurance offers should be enough. But maybe not if you have pre-existing conditions or other unique circumstances.
- Credit card costs. Most credit cards with comprehensive overseas travel insurance have higher annual fees than other cards. There could also be interest charges if you book your travel and don't pay it off straight away.
"Credit card travel insurance is convenient but there are some situations where it falls short. Many don't automatically cover pre-existing medical conditions and lots come with a $500 excess. This can make smaller claims pointless. For example, my luggage was delayed on a recent trip. I could have claimed to buy essentials. Instead, I made do with what I had. There's no way my expenses would have exceeded $500. In these situations, standalone travel insurance may be better."
Other credit card travel insurance costs to look for:
- Excess payments. This is what you pay when you make an insurance claim. It's typically between $0 and $500 per claim with complimentary credit card travel insurance, which is similar to the excess for paid travel insurance.
- Out-of-pocket costs. You need to cover any essential costs (e.g. medical bills) while a claim is being processed. And if your expenses are more than the claim limit, you'll be out of pocket.
- Other policy fees. If you need to request cover for a pre-existing medical condition or if you're over the maximum age for standard cover, there may be an additional premium.
How to activate credit card travel insurance
Most credit card travel insurance is automatically activated when you meet one of these criteria:
- Book a return ticket. Most credit card travel insurance policies require you to book and pay for your return ticket to Australia before your trip starts.
- Use your credit card to book your travel. Usually, you need to pay for some or all of your overseas trip with your credit card. A really simple way to do this is to use it for flights, accommodation or other major costs. If you have a rewards credit card, you may be able to activate the policy by redeeming points for some or all of your travel booking.
- Activate the policy. Sometimes you'll need to activate your credit card travel insurance online to be eligible for full cover.
How to make a claim
This process depends on the insurance provider. But as a general guide, the steps you'll need to take are:
- Contact the insurance provider. As soon as you think you'll need to make a claim, call or email the insurance provider using the contact details in the insurance policy booklet.
- Fill in the claim form. This is usually an online form or one that you can download and send back to the insurer.
- Include supporting documents. It's important to provide supporting documents and evidence with your claim. These details help the insurer assess your eligibility for a payout. Some examples of what to include are:
- Your credit card statement showing the relevant purchase/s required to activate the policy (e.g. a travel ticket)
- A copy of a police report if you're claiming for lost or stolen items
- Medical certificates
- Photo evidence
- Proof of ownership for lost, stolen or damaged items
- Submit your application. You should receive written confirmation from the insurer once you have submitted all the details online, over the phone or by mail.
What limits and exclusions apply to credit card travel insurance?
Age limits
Most credit card travel insurance policies cover people up to the age of 79. But different age limits may apply if you have a pre-existing condition. Finder's guide on credit card insurance and age limits has more details on different age requirements.
Pre-existing medical conditions
All travel insurance policies have specific requirements around when you will and won't be covered for a pre-existing condition.
In basic terms, a pre-existing condition is anything you have been professionally diagnosed with and/or are currently being treated for before the start of your trip. For example:
- Pregnancy
- Diabetes
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Asthma
- Psychological and psychiatric conditions
Some pre-existing conditions can be automatically covered by an insurance policy and others may require you to apply for cover. Depending on the policy, some conditions may not be covered at all.
Check out Finder's guide to credit card travel insurance for your spouse and dependent children for more details on how this cover works.
Other types of complimentary credit card insurance
Some credit cards offer complimentary insurances that relate to purchases or specific items, including:
- Purchase protection insurance. Cover for theft, accidental damage or loss of items purchased with an eligible card, typically for up to 90 days from the purchase date.
- Extended warranty insurance. Offers an extension on the manufacturer's warranty for eligible items purchased in Australia, usually for up to 12 months.
- Mobile phone insurance. A few credit cards offer insurance for mobile phones, including some MyCard and Amex cards. Depending on the policy, you could get cover for accidental damage to your smartphone screen, theft or accidental damage.
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I’m looking for international travel insurance credit card that is specific on the ‘spouse’ wording as my son will be travelling together with his long term girlfriend and she will be an additional card holder. Would she be covered under international travel insurance? They don’t officially live together. The definition of ‘spouse’ is not clear in any of the PDFs I’ve read so far for a few travel insurances. I contacted CBA Covermore once and it appeared that I knew a lot more about the product than she did.
Hi Lydia,
This is a tricky one. The definitions often seem to exclude a partner if they aren’t engaged or living together. However if your son and his girlfriend are both cardholders they’d be covered by the insurance in most circumstances I’d imagine.
Are there any credit cards that offer a complementary 12 months travel policy? We are looking to spend 12 months overseas.
Also, it’s normally required that you have a return ticket for the policy to be active. It’s not possible though to book a return ticket more than 12 months in advance. Is it possible to have a one way ticket and book the return as the date gets closer?
Hi Anita, I’m not aware of any complimentary credit card policies that provide a full year of coverage – they all typically specify a maximum trip length. In this context, you’ll want to look at long term travel insurance policies instead.
Do HSBC premium or platinum cards give insurance for travel?my tour company is asking for proof of insurance,,how do I get this with credit card insurance
Hi Sue, The HSBC Premier World Mastercard and HSBC Platinum Card both have complimentary travel insurance. You’ll need to contact them to discuss your situation, because usually a statement of insurance is not issued for complimentary travel insurance. You can reach them on 1800 648 093 (within Australia)or email cardclaims@allianz-assistance.com.au
Hope this helps!
I would like to know if Suncorp complimentary travel insurance includes cruises.
I only seem to see flight information.
Do I need to purchase seperate insurance when going on a cruise.
Hi Vicki,
Some cover for cruises may be available if it is an overseas cruise or a foreign-registered cruise vessel in Australian territorial waters, based on the definitions of “overseas” and “return overseas travel ticket” in the insurance policy information booklet for the Suncorp Clear Options Platinum Credit Card. But as this is a very specific question about the cover, you may want to call Allianz (the insurance provider) on 1800 072 791 to get specific details relating to cruises. Alternatively, you can compare cruise travel insurance on Finder. I hope this helps.
My parents are travelling to Greece in June for three months. They are 76 and 69 years old. They have various pre existing conditions including high blood pressure. They are pensioners. Are they able to get health insurance through a credit card?
Hi Cathy,
Most credit card travel insurance will typically cover people up to the age of 79 or 81. This includes eligible cards from American Express, ANZ, Bankwest, Westpac, St.George. All of them have different details about pre-existing conditions and most include information for hypertension (high blood pressure) and other common existing conditions.
If your parents already have a credit card, they can check the relevant policy document or call the insurance provider. If they don’t have a credit card already and their trip is already booked, it could be difficult to get cover as many cards require some of the travel to be paid for with the card. But you can compare options in this guide. Alternatively, Finder has a dedicated guide for seniors travel insurance where you can compare policies and prices. I hope that helps.