Combined Financial Services Guide, Product Disclosure Statement
Effective Date: 11 March 2024
Effective Date: 11 March 2024
Date effective: 11 March 2024
Version: TIDDOMS-0224
There are two parts to this document. The first part is your Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) which provides the important information about this policy, including the detailed terms, conditions and exclusions, and how to contact us. This is a consumer insurance contract under the Insurance Contracts Act 1984 (Cth). Pacific International Insurance Pty Ltd ABN 83 169 311 193, AFSL No 523921 (the insurer) are responsible for the PDS section in this document.
The second part of this document is the Financial Services Guide (FSG) which provides information about who we are, who we do business with to provide you with insurance, how we and our business partners are paid, how to make a complaint and other details to help you decide whether to use any of the services offered by us. nib Travel Services (Australia) Pty Limited, ABN 81 115 932 173, AFSL No 308461 (nib), are responsible for the FSG section in this document.
In this PDS we explain important information about this policy including how we’ll protect your privacy and how to make a complaint or access our dispute resolution service.
This insurance is underwritten by Pacific International Insurance Pty Ltd ABN 83 169 311 193, AFSL No 523921.
This policy is distributed and issued by Travel Insurance Direct, ABN 30 121 659 470, AR 305589 (Travel Insurance Direct), who are an authorised representative of nib Travel Services (Australia) Pty Limited, ABN 81 115 932 173, AFSL No 308461 (nib). For information on how these insurance providers work together and the services they provide, please refer to the FSG at the back of this combined document.
International assistance provides emergency assistance for people who are covered under Travel Insurance Direct policies worldwide. The international assistance experienced specialists can be contacted by telephone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to help you in the event of an emergency and to liaise on your behalf with the medical team.
International assistance will also work closely with the claims department, which will assess your entitlement to financial assistance.
International assistance is connected with a global network that provides:
Medical transfer to a hospital or repatriation to your home in Australia, where necessary;
Guidance and support even if your loss may not be covered by the policy;
Access to translation services.
Please contact the international assistance team using the contact details below:
| Phone |
+61 2 9234 3123 or +61 2 8256 1523 |
| SMS | +61 418 406 188 |
| [email protected] |
The total premium is the amount we charge you for this policy. It includes the amount we have calculated for the risk, commission and taxes and government charges applicable. The premium will be shown on the Certificate of Insurance.
When calculating the premium we take a number of factors into account. These factors and the degree to which they affect the premium will depend on the information you give us and the level and type of cover you choose.
The main factors that impact your premium include:
the cover offered under this plan;
length of time between the date of your policy’s purchase and the trip departure date noted on your Certificate of Insurance;
the length of your trip;
your age;
additional premium payable for any available options you choose:
cancellation limit
snow sports cover option
specified items
For example, premiums may be higher if you are in a higher risk age group, for longer trips, and when you choose to purchase additional cover.
This policy is only valid after you pay the premium and we issue a Certificate of Insurance to you.
We offer the following options for you to purchase. These options can be added with payment of an additional premium, and will be shown on your Certificate of Insurance when added to your policy.
The policy limit for Cancellation or holiday deferment costs must be chosen at the time of purchase; the limit will then appear on the Certificate of Insurance.
You can choose an option up to the maximum trip limit. You will be advised of any change in premium. Your policy limit for Cancellation or holiday deferment costs and any additional premium will be shown on your Certificate of Insurance.
This option is available with payment of an additional premium. When chosen, this option is shown on your Certificate of Insurance. Applicable limits are applied per adult and are not increased for accompanying children.
If you’ll be taking part in snow sports on your trip, you must select the Snow sports cover option to have cover under all benefit sections of your policy for any claim arising from participation in snow sports. In addition, you will receive the following benefits:
| Benefit | Applicable limits per adult |
|---|---|
|
Any claim arising from participation in snow sports |
Up to the applicable limit of the relevant section. |
| Ski lift passes | $1,000 |
| Ski run closure |
$100 per day up to a maximum of $1,000 |
| Hire replacement snow equipment | $2,000 |
Refer to the section Snow sports cover for further cover details with this option.
This option is available with payment of an additional premium for each item you specify. Specified items are shown on your Certificate of Insurance.
You can cover items worth more than the luggage item limit by specifying the item(s) and paying an additional amount. Items separately insured under this Specified items option are covered up to the amount specified, even if this amount exceeds the total Luggage and personal effects limit set out in the Schedule of benefits.
Maximum individual specified item limit: $4,000
Maximum total for all specified items: $10,000
You must insure the total value per item. Please ensure you have proof of value of any item you specify. This will be required should you make a claim. Depreciation does not apply to specified items in the event of a claim. Cover for specified items is subject to the terms and conditions as detailed under the section Luggage and personal effects.
Under the Insurance Contracts Act 1984 (Cth), you have a duty to take reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation to us when answering questions that we will ask you and providing us with information. Before you enter into, vary or extend an insurance contract, we will ask you questions that are relevant to our decision to insure you and on what terms.
You must take reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation to us when answering those questions. For example, it is important that you answer these questions fully and accurately, to the best of your knowledge.
If you do not take reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation to us, we may cancel your contract, or deny or reduce the amount we will pay you for a claim, in accordance with our rights at law.
If you make a misrepresentation to us which is fraudulent, we can:
treat your contract as if it never existed (i.e. avoid the contract), unless we would have entered into the contract for the same premium and on the same terms anyway; or
if we are not entitled to avoid the contract or we decide not to avoid the contract, we can reduce the amount that we pay you for a claim so that we are put in the position we would have been in if you had not breached your duty to us, in accordance with our rights at law.
You have 21 days from the day you buy your policy to decide if the cover is right for you. If it’s not, you can cancel your policy within this ‘cooling-off period’, and we’ll give you a full refund of your premium provided that:
you haven’t started your trip; and
you haven’t made a claim; and
you don’t intend to make a claim or exercise any other right under your policy.
To cancel your policy within the cooling-off period, contact us. Your refund will be processed within 15 business days.
If you request to cancel your policy outside the cooling-off period, we may, at our discretion, refund that part of your premium paid for the unused period of insurance. To be eligible for a refund, you cannot have started your trip, have made a claim or intend to make a claim or exercise any other right under your policy.
We can cancel your insurance in any way permitted by law, as described in the Insurance Contracts Act 1984 (Cth), including if you have:
failed to comply with Your Duty to Us; or
failed to comply with your duty of utmost good faith to us; or
made a misrepresentation which is fraudulent, unless we would have entered into or amended the policy for the same premium and on the same terms with you anyway; or
failed to comply with a provision of the policy, including failure to pay the premium; or
made a fraudulent claim under this policy or any other current policy.
If we cancel your policy, we will do so by giving you written notice. We will deduct from the premium an amount to cover the shortened period for which you have been insured by us and refund to you what is left.
We are a signatory to the General Insurance Code of Practice developed by the Insurance Council of Australia and enforced by the Code Governance Committee, an independent body whose purpose is to drive better Code compliance and help the insurance industry improve its service to consumers. The Code is designed to promote good relations and insurance practice between insurers, authorised representatives and consumers. The Code sets out what we must do when dealing with you. You can obtain a copy of the Code from insurancecouncil.com.au.
Travel Insurance Direct Pty Limited and nib Travel Services (Australia) Pty Limited (“we”, “us”, “our” in this privacy section) collect your personal information, and in some cases your sensitive information in order to issue, arrange and manage your travel insurance or to provide you with related services. We will only collect personal and sensitive information from you or from those authorised by you, such as our distribution partners.
We may disclose your personal and sensitive information to third parties involved in the above process, such as travel agents and consultants, travel insurance providers, insurers and reinsurers, claims handlers, investigators and cost containment providers, medical and health service providers, legal and other professional advisers, your and our agents and our related companies. Some of these third parties may be located in other countries such as the UK, Europe and the USA.
Our Privacy Policy details how we collect, use, store and disclose your personal and sensitive information as well as how you can seek access to and correct your personal information or make a complaint. You may not access or correct personal information of others unless you have been authorised by them, or are authorised under law or they are your dependants.
By providing us your personal and sensitive information you consent to us collecting, using, storing and disclosing it in accordance with our Privacy Policy. If you don’t provide all of the personal and sensitive information we’ve requested, whether directly or through others, we may not be able to provide you with our services or products including being able to process your application for insurance.
You can view our full Privacy Policy at: travelinsurancedirect.com.au/privacy
The insurer is Pacific International Insurance Pty Ltd. Please see their full privacy policy at: pacificins.com.au/privacy-policy.
If you have any feedback about our service – positive or negative – we would like you to share it with us. Refer to the back page of this document for our contact details.
If you have a complaint arising out of this insurance or the financial services provided by the insurer, our representatives, affiliates, or service providers, please contact:
Customer Relations
PO Box A975
Sydney NSW 1235 Australia
Phone: 1300 025 121
Email: [email protected]
We will acknowledge your complaint within 1 business day of receiving it and provide you with the contact details of the person handling your complaint. We will do our utmost to resolve the complaint to your satisfaction within 10 business days.
If we are unable to resolve the complaint to your satisfaction within 10 business days, we will keep you informed about the progress of your complaint at least every 10 business days.
The Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) provides fair and independent financial services complaint resolution that is free to consumers. You can take your complaint to AFCA at any time.
If we are unable to resolve your complaint within 30 calendar days of the date on which you first made the complaint, or if you are still not satisfied with the outcome, you can choose to have your complaint independently reviewed at any time by AFCA.
AFCA can be contacted at:
Website: afca.org.au
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 1800 931 678 (free call)
In writing to: Australian Financial Complaints Authority, GPO Box 3, Melbourne VIC 3001.
In the event you choose to escalate your complaint to AFCA, please direct it to nib Travel Services (Australia) Pty Ltd when completing the AFCA complaints form.
Should you choose to refer your complaint to AFCA, you must do so within 2 years of our final decision. If you have a complaint about nib or one of our partners, feel free to contact our Customer Relations team by post, email or telephone.
Changes to this policy only become effective when we agree to them and send you a new Certificate of Insurance detailing the change.
If you wish to change your policy details after your Certificate of Insurance has been issued, please contact us; we may require additional information to review the change request. Where we agree to make a change to your cover, an additional premium may apply.
You must tell us as soon as possible if circumstances occur, or if changes or alterations are intended or made, which increase the risk of loss, damage or injury. This may result in changes to your cover.
For example, you intend to visit a destination country or region not listed on your Certificate of Insurance.
If you don’t nominate the destination country or region for your trip which would impact our decision to offer you cover or the terms of the cover offered, any claim under this policy relating to that undisclosed destination country or region may be reduced to nil.
Depending on your circumstances, if you want to change the dates of your cover, you’ll need to either extend your policy or buy a new one (for the additional days). You are eligible to extend your policy if:
your current policy has not ended;
all travellers are currently within the plan age limits – such as if you are travelling with accompanying children who are still under 21;
you still meet all eligibility requirements of the policy;
you haven’t claimed and don’t intend to claim for an event that has already occurred;
there has been no change to your health since the issue of your Certificate of Insurance.
You will not have cover for a claim arising from any event that has occurred before your policy is extended that a reasonable person in your circumstances should have known could foreseeably lead to a claim.
If you don’t satisfy all these criteria, don’t worry; you can apply to buy a new policy for the additional dates. If you don’t qualify for an extension and have to buy a new policy to cover your additional travel days, the PDS and the pricing in use at the time you buy your new policy will apply.
You can only extend a policy up to a maximum of 6 months from the original departure date shown on your Certificate of Insurance.
If you do not extend or buy a new policy before your current policy ends, or there is a gap between the periods of insurance, a 72-hour waiting period will apply to a policy you purchase whilst you are travelling.
If you are unable to return to your home in Australia before the end of the period of insurance (at 11.59pm AET on the return date shown on your Certificate of Insurance), due to an illness or injury causing you or a member of your travelling party to be unfit to travel, contact the international assistance emergency assistance team as soon as possible. We will apply an extension to your policy whilst your claim is being determined, which will continue if we accept cover for your claim. This extension will last until the earlier of six months after the return date of your policy, or until you are able to return to your home in Australia. If we determine that there is no cover for your claim, we will notify you of this, and the cover under the automatic extension will end.
If you are prevented from returning to your home in Australia before the end of the period of insurance by the delay, cancellation or restriction of your scheduled public transport, an extension of up to 48 hours applies to your policy. If you will be delayed longer than 48 hours, you may be eligible to extend your policy prior to the end of the period of insurance (see Extending your policy), or you can buy a new policy.
This policy is governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of New South Wales, Australia, and you agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of New South Wales. Equally, we, in accepting this insurance, agree that:
If a dispute arises under this insurance, this insurance will be subject to New South Wales law and practice and the insurer will submit to the jurisdiction of any competent court in New South Wales.
Any summons notice or process to be served upon the insurer may be served upon:
Pacific International Insurance Pty Ltd
PO Box 550
Kotara NSW 2289
If a suit is instituted against us, we will abide by the final decision of such court or competent appellate court.
The insurer is authorised under the Insurance Act 1973 to carry on general insurance business. This Act and the insurer’s authorisation obligates it to comply with prudential standards to ensure it meets its financial obligations under this policy. The protection provided to you under the Federal Government’s Financial Claims Scheme applies to the insurer and as such if the insurer’s financial obligations under this policy are not met, then you may have a claim under this scheme.
Information about the scheme can be found at fcs.gov.au or by calling 1300 55 88 49.
This policy is an agreement between you and us, made up of:
your application for insurance; and
this Combined Financial Services Guide and Product Disclosure Statement; and
your Certificate of Insurance, which sets out the cover you’ve chosen and any terms specific to you; and
any other documentation we issue to you outlining terms and conditions of your cover.
The cover under this policy is provided during the period of insurance, once you’ve paid us your premium. There are also:
conditions and exclusions which apply to specific covers or sections;
General exclusions, which apply to any claim you make;
general conditions, which set out your responsibilities under this policy;
Claims conditions, which set out our rights and your responsibilities when you make a claim; and
other terms which set out how this policy operates.
There is a standard excess of $150, which cannot be removed.
An excess is an amount you must pay once for each claim you make, except for benefit sections which state: “No excess applies to claims under this benefit”. The excess is deducted from any claim payment we make to you. If you make more than one claim under your policy, the excess will apply to each claim which arises from each separate set of circumstances.
The most we’ll pay for a claim is the applicable limit set out in the Schedule of benefits for the cover or section you’re claiming under, less any excess and depreciation, where applicable. For more information about excesses, refer to the section Excesses; for more information on depreciation, refer to the Luggage and personal effects section which explains how we calculate depreciation.
Once you pay your premium, and we have accepted your application for insurance we will issue you a Certificate of Insurance showing the details of your policy.
Cover is available for a trip to be taken during the period of insurance (which begins from the departure date and ends at 11.59pm AET on the return date, which are shown on your Certificate of Insurance).
There is no provision to suspend this policy during the period of insurance and the policy is not a renewable contract of insurance.
Your cancellation cover:
begins from the time we issue your Certificate of Insurance for:
benefit section Cancellation or holiday deferment costs; and
events 1 to 4 in the benefit section Coronavirus travel costs; and
ends when you return to your home in Australia or when the period of insurance ends, whichever happens first.
Cover under all other benefits and events begins when you leave your home in Australia to begin your trip or the departure date of the trip shown on your Certificate of Insurance, whichever happens last. Cover ends when you return to your home in Australia or when the period of insurance ends, whichever happens first.
If you’ve already started travelling when your Certificate of Insurance is issued:
a 72-hour waiting period applies from the time the Certificate of Insurance is issued before cover for any events begins. However, if after the trip departure date noted on your Certificate of Insurance and before the end of the 72-hour waiting period you suffer an injury as a result of an accident, cover as per the conditions of Medical evacuation and repatriation begins from the time of the accident for that injury. Cover for all other events only begins after the 72-hour waiting period, and is only for events first occurring after the 72-hour waiting period.
where you select a trip departure date that is more than 72 hours after your Certificate of Insurance is issued even though you’ve already started travelling:
cover under the benefit section Cancellation or holiday deferment costs and events 1 to 4 under the benefit section Coronavirus travel costs only begins after the 72-hour waiting period, and is only for any events first occurring after the 72-hour waiting period; and
cover for all other benefits and events begins from the trip departure date you nominate that is shown on your Certificate of Insurance and is only for events first occurring after the trip departure date.
If you have an existing Travel Insurance Direct policy that will end whilst you are travelling, and you buy a new policy before the period of insurance ends under your existing policy (at 11.59pm AET on the return date shown on your Certificate of Insurance), the waiting period will not apply to that new policy, provided that there is no gap between the periods of insurance.
Information in this document may change from time to time. Where we reasonably determine the change is not materially detrimental to you, the updated information will be displayed on our website at travelinsurancedirect.com.au. You can also ask us for a free copy in writing.
In any other case, we will issue you with a new PDS (or supplementary PDS).
Pacific International Insurance Pty Ltd are responsible for the PDS in this document which was prepared on 08 February 2024.
This Schedule of benefits forms part of your policy and shows the limits and sub-limits for the benefits. Applicable limits are applied per adult traveller and are not increased for accompanying children. You must read this Schedule of benefits together with your Certificate of Insurance and this Product Disclosure Statement.
| Benefit | Applicable limits per adult |
|---|---|
| Cancellation and additional expenses | |
|
Cancellation or holiday deferment costs |
Chosen limit* |
|
Agent’s cancellation fees - sub-limit |
$2,000 |
|
Emergency travel arrangements and accommodation expenses |
$10,000 |
| Meals - sub-limit | $500; limit $75 per 24hrs |
|
Emergency internet/telephone - sub-limit |
$250 |
|
Medical evacuation and repatriation |
$50,000 |
| Extra travel cover | |
| Travel delay | $500: limit $250 per 24 hours |
|
Missed connection – special events |
$2,000 |
|
Missed connection – flight delay within Australia |
$2,000 |
|
Emergency accommodation due to terrorism |
$3,000; limit $300 per day |
|
Emergency expenses to avoid disaster |
$1,000 |
| Early return home | $2,000 |
| Rental vehicle expenses | |
|
Rental vehicle insurance excess |
$6,000 * |
| Return of rental vehicle | $750 |
| Luggage | |
|
Luggage and personal effects maximum limit |
$4,000 |
|
Personal computer, camera and video equipment individual item limit |
$1,000 |
|
Smartphone individual item limit |
$700 |
| Other individual item limit | $500 |
| Emergency luggage | $500 |
|
Hiring replacement golf and surf equipment |
$200 |
|
Fraudulent use of credit or debit cards |
$3,000 |
| Accidental death | $10,000 |
|
Accompanying children - sub-limit |
$10,000 per child |
| Personal liability | $300,000 |
| Coronavirus travel costs | $2,500 |
* This is a limit per policy; it is the most we’ll pay for all people on your Certificate of Insurance combined, per trip.
This plan is only available to residents of Australia under the age of 75 at the time the Certificate of Insurance is issued.
This plan ends once you have returned to your home in Australia or the return date on your Certificate of Insurance, whichever happens first.
If you have an existing medical condition other than those automatically covered, it will not be covered by this policy.
There is no cover for cruises in Australian Waters under this plan.
There is no provision to suspend this plan during the period of insurance.
This plan cannot be purchased more than 12 months prior to travel.
A policy premium is charged for each adult traveller; accompanying children are insured for no additional premium.
This policy only covers the adult travellers and any accompanying children named on the Certificate of Insurance.
Any options selected by you are in addition to this plan and are referenced in your Certificate of Insurance.
The words and terms in bold throughout this policy have special meanings set out below. Plurals and other forms of these words shall have the same meaning as in the singular form.
Where other words and terms are only used in one section of the policy, we’ll describe their special meaning in that section. Plurals and other forms of these words shall have the same meaning.
| Word or term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Arise | caused by or resulting from. |
| Camera and video equipment |
includes devices designed primarily to capture still or moving images, and associated accessories. This definition does not include drones, or any device which can serve another primary function, such as smartphones or tablets. |
| Carrier |
the scheduled airline, vessel, train, or motor coach public transport in which you are to travel to or from your intended destination. |
| Child |
your children, stepchildren, grandchildren, foster children, and children for whom you are the legal guardian, who are travelling with you on the same itinerary for the entire duration of your trip and at the time the Certificate of Insurance is issued are:
|
| Chronic |
a persistent and lasting condition in medicine. We do not consider that chronic pain has to be ‘constant’ pain, however in many situations it has a pattern of relapse and remission. The pain, disease or medical issue may be long-lasting, recurrent (occurred on more than two occasions) or characterised by long suffering. |
| Close contact |
|
| Close relative |
a relative of yours or of a member of your travelling party, who is a resident in Australia or New Zealand. It means a spouse, de facto partner, parent, parent-in-law, daughter, son, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, brother, sister, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, niece, nephew, grandchildren, grandparent, stepparent, stepchildren, fiance or fiancee, or legal guardian. |
| Coronavirus |
the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and any disease caused directly by this virus, including COVID-19. |
| Electronic equipment |
personal and portable game consoles, media players, satellite navigation units, wearable technology, headphones. |
| Existing medical condition |
any medical condition which:
|
| Financial default |
the insolvency, bankruptcy, provisional liquidation, financial collapse, appointment of receivers or any other form of insolvency administration of any person, company, or organisation. |
| Home in Australia |
your usual residential address in Australia. If you do not travel directly to your home in Australia at the completion of your trip, it means the point of arrival of your pre-paid scheduled public transport or an Australian hospital if we repatriate you. |
| Illness |
any disease or sickness affecting the body or mind. |
| Injury |
a bodily injury that is caused solely and directly by external and visible means as a result of an accident and which does not result from an illness. |
| Medical practitioner |
a medical professional registered and certified by the National or State Health Board (as required by law) either in Australia or in the country in which you are being treated whilst on your trip, and who is licensed to provide treatment, medication/prescriptions and medical opinions and reports – for example doctors, physiotherapists, dentist, psychologists and psychiatrists. A medical practitioner does not include a person who is related to you or a member of your travelling party. |
| Natural disaster |
flood, cyclone, tornado, hurricane, typhoon, wild fire, tsunami, earthquake, landslide, avalanche, volcanic eruption. Natural disaster does not include outbreak of disease, epidemic, pandemic, or any other event that is not specifically included in this definition. |
| Period of insurance |
the period between the departure date and 11.59pm AET on the return date shown on your Certificate of Insurance. |
| Personal computer |
laptops, notebooks, tablets, other personal hand-held wireless devices that convey data or information (excluding smartphones). |
|
Professional sporting activity |
a sporting activity where you are paid to participate, appear or train or where you receive sponsorship, income or prize money, regardless of whether or not you are a professional sportsperson. |
| Rental vehicle |
any 4-wheeled vehicle with a gross vehicle mass less than 4.5 tonnes that you:
|
| Resident of Australia |
an Australian citizen; permanent resident; holder of a skilled working visa (including 457 and Temporary Skill Shortage visa, but not a working holiday visa); student visa; holder of a partner/spouse visa which allows you to stay in Australia for at least 2 years; or New Zealand passport holder; all with unrestricted right of entry into Australia and access to long-term medical care in Australia. |
| Scheduled public transport |
publicly available flights, cruises, rail services, bus services, ferries that run to a published timetable. |
| Snow sports |
snow skiing and snowboarding on and off piste, back country skiing and snowboarding, snowmobiling, tobogganing, cross-country skiing, telemark skiing. |
| Terrorist act/Terrorism |
an act or threat of violence of any person or group, organisation or government committed for political, religious, ideological or similar purposes, including the intention to influence any government and/or to put the public in fear. |
| Travelling party |
you and any travelling companion who has made arrangements to accompany you for at least 50% of the duration of your trip. |
| Trip |
travel during the period between the departure date and the return date listed on your Certificate of Insurance. The trip must start or end at your home in Australia. The period of travel cannot be altered without our consent. |
| Unattended |
leaving your luggage or personal effects:
|
| We, our, us |
nib Travel Services (Australia) Pty Limited ABN 81 115 932 173 AFSL No 308461, who deal with you as an agent of the insurer, Pacific International Insurance Pty Ltd ABN 83 169 311 193, AFSL No 523921. Travel Insurance Direct Pty Limited deals directly with you as the authorised representative of nib Travel Services (Australia) Pty Limited. |
| You, your, yours, yourself |
the people listed in the Certificate of Insurance. |
The definition of existing medical condition applies to you where, at the time you buy your policy, you or a reasonable person in the same position could be expected to have been aware of the condition. It also applies to claims you make that arise from the existing medical condition(s) of your travelling party, a close relative, and your business partner.
There are exclusions that may apply to claims arising from existing medical condition(s).
If you have an existing medical condition that is not automatically covered under your policy, then you won’t be covered for any claim that arises from that existing medical condition. This policy will not cover a loss arising from any existing medical condition of a member of the travelling party, a non-travelling close relative or business partner.
An existing medical condition is any medical condition which:
at the time you buy your policy is:
chronic; or
displaying symptoms; or
under investigation; or
pending follow-up consultation, treatment or surgery; or where these are recommended or planned; or
metastatic; or
terminal; or
in the six months prior to the time you buy your policy there has been:
treatment by a medical practitioner; or
medication prescribed; or
surgery.
We automatically cover you for over 40 existing medical conditions which may exist at the time you buy your policy. Your medical condition is classified by us as an automatically covered condition if it’s listed in the table below, provided that you satisfy all criteria listed for that condition. You must read this section together with the General exclusions, as these may affect your cover.
| Medical condition | Criteria |
|---|---|
| Acne |
You haven’t received treatment for your acne from a medical practitioner in the three months prior to buying your policy. |
| Allergies |
You follow advice in accordance with your medical practitioner (such as to carry EpiPens, antihistamines/ other preventative medication at all times) and, at the time you buy your policy, you:
|
| Anaemia (Iron Deficiency) | No criteria apply. |
| Asthma |
At the time you buy your policy, you:
|
| Bell’s Palsy | No criteria apply. |
| Benign Positional Vertigo |
At the time you buy your policy, you haven’t required hospitalisation for benign positional vertigo in the last two years, including as an outpatient. |
| Bunions |
At the time you buy your policy, you haven’t had surgery for bunions in the last three months and have no surgery planned. |
| Carpal Tunnel Syndrome |
At the time you buy your policy, you haven’t had surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome in the last three months and have no surgery planned. |
| Cataracts |
At the time you buy your policy, you have no ongoing complications, haven’t had surgery for cataracts in the last three months, and have no surgery planned. |
| Coeliac Disease |
At the time you buy your policy, you haven’t required hospitalisation for coeliac disease in the last two years, including as an outpatient. |
| Congenital Blindness | No criteria apply. |
| Congenital Deafness | No criteria apply. |
|
Diabetes Mellitus (Types I and II) |
At the time you buy your policy, you:
|
| Dry Eye Syndrome | No criteria apply. |
| Ear Grommets |
At the time you buy your policy, you have no current ear infection. |
| Epilepsy |
At the time you buy your policy, you’ve:
|
| Folate Deficiency | No criteria apply. |
| Gastric Reflux |
Your gastric reflux doesn’t relate to another underlying diagnosis (examples: hernia or gastric ulcer). |
| Glaucoma |
At the time you buy your policy, you have no ongoing complications, haven’t had surgery for glaucoma in the last three months, and have no surgery planned. |
| Goitre |
The underlying medical cause excludes tumour. |
| Graves’ Disease |
At the time you buy your policy, you haven’t received treatment from a medical practitioner for Graves’ disease in the last six months. |
| Hashimoto’s Disease |
The underlying medical cause excludes tumour. |
| Hiatus Hernia |
At the time you buy your policy, you haven’t had surgery for hiatus hernia in the last six months and have no surgery planned. |
|
Hypercholesterolemia/ Hyperlipidaemia (High Cholesterol / High Lipids) |
Provided you have no cardiovascular/ coronary heart disease. |
|
Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) |
Provided at the time you buy your policy:
|
|
Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) |
The underlying medical cause excludes tumour. |
|
Hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid) |
The underlying medical cause excludes tumour. |
| Impaired Glucose Tolerance |
At the time you buy your policy, you:
|
| Incontinence |
You have no underlying gastrointestinal or urinary condition. |
| Insulin Resistance |
At the time you buy your policy, you’ve:
|
| Iron Deficiency | No criteria apply. |
| Macular Degeneration | No criteria apply. |
| Migraine |
You haven’t required hospitalisation for migraines in the two years prior to buying your policy, including as an outpatient. |
| Nocturnal Cramps | No criteria apply. |
| Osteoporosis/ Osteopenia |
At the time you buy your policy, you:
|
| Pernicious Anaemia | No criteria apply. |
| Plantar Fasciitis |
At the time you buy your policy, you haven’t had surgery for plantar fasciitis in the last three months, and have no surgery planned. |
| Raynaud’s Disease |
At the time you buy your policy, you haven’t required treatment by a medical practitioner for Raynaud’s disease in the last six months. |
| Sleep Apnoea |
At the time you buy your policy, you:
|
| Solar Keratosis |
Your condition has been confirmed as benign. |
| Trigeminal Neuralgia |
You haven’t required treatment by a medical practitioner for trigeminal neuralgia in six months prior to buying your policy. |
| Trigger Finger |
At the time you buy your policy, you haven’t had surgery for trigger finger in the last three months, and have no surgery planned. |
| Vitamin B12 Deficiency | No criteria apply. |
If you develop a new medical condition (or the symptoms of one) after you buy your policy but before you depart on your trip, you must check with your medical practitioner that you are fit to travel and get written confirmation. If you don’t get your medical practitioner’s written confirmation before you travel, and/or are unfit to travel due to your medical condition, you won’t be covered for any claim that arises from that condition if you still travel.
Don’t forget, our definition of an existing medical condition includes a condition that was displaying symptoms or that you were undergoing investigations for at the time you bought your policy.
If you’re pregnant at the time you buy your policy, or fall pregnant afterwards, you’ll have cover under the benefits of this policy for any event that arises from your pregnancy, provided that the event that causes your claim:
is covered by this policy;
is a pregnancy-related illness; and
occurs up to the end of the 26th week of your pregnancy.
We don’t consider pregnancy to be an existing medical condition. However, pregnancy-related illnesses such as hyperemesis (severe morning sickness), gestational diabetes, and any other pregnancy-related illness must have first developed unexpectedly after you bought your policy. There is no cover for any existing medical condition related to pregnancy.
These conditions apply whether you fall pregnant naturally or with medical assistance (for example, through IVF).
This section is divided into different benefits, you must read this section together with the General exclusions as these may affect your cover.
We will cover you under this Cancellation and additional expenses section in respect of your planned trip if one of the following events occurs after the issue of the Certificate of Insurance:
you are unable to start or finish the trip because of the death, sudden serious illness or serious injury that occurs before or during the trip of:
you; or
a member of your travelling party; or
a close relative or business partner who is a resident of Australia or New Zealand.
However, before we will cover you, you must provide us with proof that:
you or a member of your travelling party were certified medically unfit to travel by a medical practitioner; or the death has occurred; or
in the case of a close relative or business partner, the death has occurred, or the illness or injury required hospitalisation or for you to care for them.
your pre-paid scheduled public transport services or pre-paid tour have been cancelled or restricted by your carrier or service provider because of severe weather, natural disaster, riot, strike, civil insurrection, or hijacking.
your pre-paid accommodation has been destroyed or is uninhabitable due to severe weather or natural disaster and no alternative equivalent accommodation is available in the vicinity. You must have done everything reasonable to obtain alternative accommodation.
a member of the travelling party is summoned to jury duty or to give evidence in a court of law.
you have been involved in, or your travel arrangements have been cancelled or delayed by, a motor vehicle, railway, air or marine accident. You must have evidence confirming the accident, such as documentation from an official body in the country where the accident happened.
your passport, travel documents or credit cards are stolen, accidentally lost or damaged.
a member of your travelling party has been retrenched from their permanent employment in Australia.
the cancellation of pre-arranged leave by an employer for a member of your travelling party who is a permanent employee of the police, fire, ambulance or emergency services.
you are unable to start the trip because your employer cancels your pre-arranged leave and you are in permanent employment. This cover is limited to $1,000.
a wedding, conference, pre-paid concert, course, tuition or ticketed sporting event has been cancelled, and the sole purpose of the trip is to attend that wedding, conference, concert, course, tuition or ticketed sporting event.
a tour operator or wholesaler has cancelled a tour because there are not enough people to begin or complete the tour. Cover is limited to the pre-paid cost of the transport arrangements purchased solely to get to the departure point of the tour and returning from the finishing point of that tour, or rearrangement costs, whichever is the lesser.
If you have to cancel or rearrange your trip because of one of the reasons listed under What are the events that will be covered under this section?, we will pay either:
the non-refundable portion of your pre-paid travel arrangements and cancellation fees charged by your travel agent; or
the cost to rearrange your trip, provided that the cost is not greater than the amount that would have been incurred had you cancelled the trip,
for anyone listed on your Certificate of Insurance.
We will not pay for a loss arising from any event other than those listed as covered under the Cancellation and additional expenses section.
We will not pay for any unused pre-paid transport costs where we have repatriated you a distance equivalent to, or greater than, the total distance remaining on your itinerary at the point of repatriation. Where the total distance of the repatriation is less than the unused travel arrangements we will calculate your entitlement on a pro-rata basis, taking into account the cost of your original ticket.
We will not pay for any pre-paid snow sports arrangements unless you have purchased the Snow sports cover option and this option is shown on your Certificate of Insurance.
There is no cover where you have made a claim for the same costs under any other section of the policy.
We will not pay for any non-refundable costs for anyone not named on your policy.
We will not pay more than the cancellation limit amount that you selected which appears on your Certificate of Insurance.
In the case of Agent’s cancellation fees, we will not pay more than the limit outlined in the Schedule of benefits.
The most we will pay per policy for this benefit is the “Cancellation - chosen limit” shown on your Certificate of Insurance.
If you paid for any part of your trip using loyalty points or similar reward points, the amount we will pay is calculated as follows:
the cost of the equivalent class airline ticket, based on the best available advance purchase airfare for the same season of the following year, less your financial contribution towards the airline ticket;
multiplied by the total amount of points lost;
divided by the total amount of points redeemed to obtain the airline ticket.
|
Example: Equivalent class advance purchase airfare = $1,000 Points lost = 5,000 Points redeemed to obtain original ticket = 20,000 Claimable amount = $1,000 x (5,000 / 20,000) = $250 |
We will not pay for or reinstate your Frequent Flyer Points or similar reward points if you are able to recover the points or their value from any source.
We will cover you for expenses you incur for your reasonable additional travel, accommodation, meals, internet use and emergency telephone calls, if you have to interrupt your trip after it has begun, because of an event set out under What are the events that will be covered under this section?.
We will pay the higher of the non-refundable cancellation fees or the additional rearrangement costs that have been incurred as a result of the same event.
We will not pay for losses arising from any event other than those listed under What are the events that will be covered under this section?.
We will not pay any additional travel you undertake above the fare class that you originally chose, except where we agree a different fare class is reasonable on the basis of a written recommendation provided by your attending medical practitioner.
If the interruption to your trip requires repatriation or an early return to your home in Australia, you must not organise any additional travel or accommodation in excess of $2,000 without prior consent from us. If you do not contact us for our prior consent, we may limit what we pay to what are reasonable expenses in the circumstances.
If you return to your home in Australia because of the interruption and you did not have a return ticket at the time of the event that causes a claim under this section, we will deduct from the amount we pay you the cost of an economy class airfare at the carrier’s regular published rates for the return journey.
We will not pay for any expenses you incur to resume your trip after you have returned to your home in Australia.
We will not pay for additional accommodation where you have claimed for cancelled accommodation expenses covering the same period of time.
We will not pay for accommodation expenses for periods where you have not forfeited pre-paid accommodation arrangements, except if you are past your planned return date and we agree that you are unfit to travel.
There is no cover where you have made a claim for the same event under any other section of the policy.
The most we will pay for this benefit is shown in the Schedule of benefits. Limits apply per adult traveller and are not increased for accompanying children.
You must read this section together with the General exclusions as these may affect your cover.
We will cover you if you have to interrupt your trip after it has begun because you have suffered an illness or injury while you are on your trip, and based on the reasonable recommendation of a medical practitioner appointed by us, you need to be evacuated or repatriated. We will pay transport and accommodation expenses which we believe are reasonable and necessary to bring you back to your home in Australia, or to another destination of our choice. The decision to evacuate or repatriate you is ours, and we will not pay for any evacuation or repatriation expenses unless you have received our consent.
We will pay for expenses for transporting your remains to a funeral home in Australia if you die during the trip.
We will either:
return you to your home in Australia with a medical attendant; or
pay for a return economy class airfare, reasonable accommodation and additional expenses for a friend or relative to fly to, remain with and escort you in place of a medical attendant; or
return you to your home in Australia without an attendant.
There is no cover for any medical, hospital, dental or ambulance expenses you incur in Australia.
We will not cover a loss arising from your evacuation or repatriation that is not medically necessary or that is undertaken without our consent.
We will not pay for any expenses you incur to resume your trip after you have returned to your home in Australia.
For repatriation, we will not pay more than the cost of repatriation to your home in Australia.
There is no cover under this benefit for a loss arising from an illness or injury, the signs and symptoms of which you first became aware of after you purchased your policy but before you started your trip, where you did not obtain confirmation from your medical practitioner that you were fit to travel.
There is no cover for any additional costs for travel you undertake that is not at the fare class that you originally chose, except where we agree a different fare class is reasonable on the basis of a written recommendation provided by the appointed medical practitioner.
If you do not have a return ticket at the time of the event that causes a claim under this section, we will deduct from the amount we pay you the cost of an economy class airfare at the carrier’s regular published rates for the return journey.
There is no cover where you have made a claim for the same costs under any other section of the policy.
The most we will pay for this benefit is shown in the Schedule of benefits. Limits apply per adult traveller and are not increased for accompanying children.
This section is divided into different benefits, you must read this section together with the General exclusions as these may affect your cover.
No excess applies to claims under this benefit.
We will cover you if during your trip any individual leg of your pre-paid, scheduled public transport is delayed for at least 6 hours due to an unforeseen reason outside your control.
We will cover you for:
the reasonable cost of rearranging your travel arrangements to resume your pre-paid arrangements; and
the cost of reasonable additional accommodation and meals.
There is no cover where you have made a claim for the same costs under any other section of the policy.
The most we will pay for this benefit is shown in the Schedule of benefits. Limits apply per adult traveller and are not increased for accompanying children.
We will cover you if your trip is interrupted by an event that is not anticipated, is unexpected, and outside of your control, and you are unable to arrive at your destination by the time originally scheduled for the purpose of attending a wedding, funeral, conference, 25th or 50th wedding anniversary, concert or ticketed sporting event which cannot be delayed as a consequence of your late arrival. We will pay for the reasonable additional cost of using alternative public transport to arrive at the destination on time.
There is no cover where you have made a claim for the same costs under any other section of the policy.
The most we will pay for this benefit is shown in the Schedule of benefits. Limits apply per adult traveller and are not increased for accompanying children.
We will cover you if your trip is interrupted because you miss your onward connection within Australia due to the late arrival of your flight caused by circumstances outside of your control, for the reasonable additional costs of using alternative transport to continue to your intended destination within Australia. However, cover only applies where the missed onward connection is booked with at least 90 minutes published connecting time.
We will not pay for a missed connection where your original booked connection time was under 90 minutes.
There is no cover where you have made a claim for the same costs under any other section of the policy.
The most we will pay for this benefit is shown in the Schedule of benefits. Limits apply per adult traveller and are not increased for accompanying children.
We will cover you after your trip has begun for expenses you incur for necessary emergency accommodation if your trip is interrupted due to a terrorist act.
There is no cover where you have made a claim for the same costs under any other section of the policy.
The most we will pay for this benefit is shown in the Schedule of benefits. Limits apply per adult traveller and are not increased for accompanying children.
No excess applies to claims under this benefit.
During your trip, we will cover you for reasonable additional travel arrangements you make within 48 hours of a public warning being issued in the mass media of severe weather, natural disaster, riot, strike or civil insurrection that is likely/expected to directly impact your travel arrangements.
There is no cover where you have made a claim for the same costs under any other section of the policy.
The most we will pay for this benefit is shown in the Schedule of benefits. Limits apply per adult traveller and are not increased for accompanying children.
No excess applies to claims under this benefit.
We will cover you if your usual place of residence or business premises in Australia has been destroyed or rendered insecure due to a natural disaster, fire or malicious damage. Cover is limited to the additional expenses incurred in returning you to the nearest practical accommodation to your home in Australia.
There is no cover where you have made a claim for the same costs under any other section of the policy.
The most we will pay for this benefit is shown in the Schedule of benefits. Limits apply per adult traveller and are not increased for accompanying children.
This section is divided into different benefits, you must read this section together with the General exclusions as these may affect your cover.
We will cover you for the rental vehicle insurance excess, or the cost of repairing the vehicle, whichever is lower, if:
you rent a vehicle from a rental company;
it is damaged by accident, storm, fire or theft; and
you are a nominated driver on the Rental Vehicle Agreement.
For this benefit to apply, the rental vehicle must have valid comprehensive motor vehicle insurance for the period of hire.
This cover is not in place of rental vehicle insurance and only provides cover for the excess component up to the applicable limit.
There is no cover for your liability arising from your use of a mechanically propelled vehicle (e.g. motor vehicle or motor cycle).
There is no cover where the loss event is not covered by the rental vehicle’s comprehensive motor vehicle insurance.
There is no cover for administration or loss of use fees charged by the rental company.
The most we will pay for this benefit is shown in the Schedule of benefits.
No excess applies to claims under this benefit.
We will pay towards the cost of returning your rental vehicle to the nearest depot, including airport concession charges, if due to a claimable event covered by any section of this policy you are unable to do so during your trip.
There is no cover where you have made a claim for the same costs under any other section of the policy.
The most we will pay for this benefit is shown in the Schedule of benefits. Limits apply per adult traveller and are not increased for accompanying children.
This section is divided into different benefits, you must read this section together with the General exclusions as these may affect your cover.
We will cover you for each of the following:
accidental loss, theft of, or damage to, your luggage or personal effects including things you buy during the trip, while they are accompanying you during your trip.
loss of, or damage to, dentures or dental prostheses whilst not on your person during your trip.
the cost of medication which is accidentally lost, stolen or damaged during your trip, limited to the cost of the medication itself.
theft of, or damage to, your luggage or personal effects while they are left concealed during daylight hours in a locked motor vehicle, motor home, or caravan. There must be proof of forced entry into the vehicle.
theft of, or damage to, your luggage or personal effects while they are left in a locked storage facility. There must be proof of forced entry into the facility.
There is no cover under this section for any of the following:
accidental loss or damage to or theft of:
cash, bank or currency notes, cheques or negotiable instruments;
fragile or brittle items (eg. glass or china), except loss or damage caused by fire, or by accident to the transport carrying them;
damage to computer, tablet or smartphone screens at any time;
damage to software or applications;
luggage or personal effects that are being transported independently of you;
luggage or personal effects that you leave unattended or that occurs because you do not take reasonable care to protect it;
luggage or personal effects for which you are entitled to compensation from the carrier;
personal computers, smartphones, communication or photographic equipment, electronic equipment, jewellery or watches left by you in a motor vehicle, a motor home or a caravan for any length of time, even if they are locked in the motor vehicle, motor home or caravan;
luggage or personal effects left by you for any length of time:
in an unlocked motor vehicle, motor home or caravan; or
unconcealed in a motor vehicle, motor home or caravan; or
between sunset and sunrise in a motor vehicle, motor home or caravan.
luggage or personal effects left by you in a tent for any length of time;
personal computers, smartphones, communication or photographic equipment, electronic equipment, jewellery or watches checked in as luggage;
trade items, trade samples or your tools of trade or profession;
gold or precious metals, precious unset or uncut gemstones;
watercraft of any type (excluding theft of surfboards or damage to surfboards whilst in the custody of a carrier);
sporting equipment whilst in use;
snow sports equipment unless you have selected the Snow sports cover option and paid the additional premium;
luggage or personal effects that have been left in a locked storage facility for greater than 48 hours.
losses arising from wear and tear or depreciation of property or damage by the action of insects or vermin, mildew, humidity, rust or corrosion.
malfunction repair costs or losses arising from mechanical or electrical breakdown.
where you have made a claim for the same costs under any other section of the policy.
The most we will pay for this benefit is shown in the Schedule of benefits. Limits apply per adult traveller and are not increased for accompanying children. We will not pay more than the original price you paid for an item, even if the applicable limit set out in the Schedule of benefits is higher.
We will, after allowing for wear, tear, and depreciation, choose to:
pay or reimburse the cost of repairing your item; or
replace your property; or
pay you its depreciated value in cash.
To achieve a reasonable settlement, we consider the circumstances of the loss, the age, condition and value of the original item and the extent of any damage.
The limits for specific items are set out in the Schedule of benefits and depends on the plan you have chosen, unless you have separately insured an item under the Specified items option.
A pair or related set of items are considered to be one item (for example, a camera and its lenses (attached or not), tripod and accessories, a chain and pendant, or a pair of hearing aids) unless each individual item has been separately insured under the Specified items option.
If you have separately insured an item under the Specified items option, depreciation does not apply. In the event of a claim you must provide us with a receipt or valuation which is dated from before you specified the item on your policy. If you are not able to supply this, the item(s) will be settled in accordance with the items limits listed in the Schedule of benefits, and the additional premium you paid to specify the item will be reimbursed to you.
Items separately insured under the Specified items option are covered up to the amount specified and will not be deducted from the total luggage limit set out in the Schedule of benefits.
The nominated depreciation rate will apply to each year of age or part thereof (calculated pro-rata on a monthly basis) up to a maximum of 80% of the original purchase price of that item.
Depreciation amounts
| 10% |
Camping, sporting and leisure equipment (not leisure clothing), and musical instruments. |
| 15% |
Clothing, footwear, personal effects, luggage, prescription glasses, sunglasses, costume jewellery and books. |
| 20% |
Personal computer, communication or photographic equipment, electronic equipment, mobile phones, smart phones, CDs and DVDs. |
| 50% |
Toiletries including skin care, makeup, perfume, medication. |
For items not listed above, we will apply the depreciation amount of the category which we reasonably determine most closely describes your item.
No excess applies to claims under this benefit.
We will cover you towards the cost of purchasing essential articles such as clothing, toiletries and personal requisites if your accompanied luggage is delayed, misdirected or temporarily misplaced by the carrier for a period in excess of 10 hours during your trip. If your luggage is not recovered, the amount paid by us for the loss will be reduced by the total of any amounts paid for under this section.
There is no cover where you have made a claim for the same costs under any other section of the policy.
There is no cover for purchase of jewellery, perfume, fragrances or alcohol.
This benefit does not apply on the leg of your trip that returns you to your home in Australia.
The most we will pay for this benefit is shown in the Schedule of benefits. Limits apply per adult traveller and are not increased for accompanying children.
If after 72 hours your accompanied luggage is still missing, the applicable limit for this benefit is doubled.
No excess applies to claims under this benefit.
If your golf or surf equipment is accidentally lost, delayed or damaged during your trip we will pay for the cost of hiring replacement golf or surf equipment.
There is no cover where you have made a claim for the same costs under any other section of the policy.
The most we will pay for this benefit is shown in the Schedule of benefits. Limits apply per adult traveller and are not increased for accompanying children.
We will cover you for the fraudulent use of your credit or debit card if it was accidentally lost, stolen or skimmed during your trip. You must comply with any conditions of the issuing body of the credit or debit card.
There is no cover under this benefit if the credit or debit cards are fraudulently used by you, your relative or a travelling companion.
There is no cover where you have made a claim for the same costs under any other section of the policy.
The most we will pay for this benefit is shown in the Schedule of benefits. Limits apply per adult traveller and are not increased for accompanying children.
No excess applies to claims under this section.
You must read this section together with the General exclusions as these may affect your cover.
We will pay your Estate if during your trip:
you suffer an injury which results in your death within 12 month of the injury being sustained; or
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.
There is no cover if your death arises from an illness or your suicide.
There is no cover where you have made a claim for the same costs under any other section of the policy.
The most we will pay for this benefit is shown in the Schedule of benefits. Limits apply per adult traveller and are not increased for accompanying children.
You must read this section together with the General exclusions as these may affect your cover.
We will pay you for your legal liability to pay damages or compensation because your negligence during the trip causes:
injury to a person who is not a member of your family or travelling party; or
loss or damage to property that is not owned by you or a member of your family or travelling party, or which is not in your or their custody or control.
We will also pay your legal costs in relation to that liability, but only if you get our consent before legal costs are incurred or you take any legal action.
There is no cover for any liability:
arising from your trade, business or profession; or
for injury to an employee arising from, or in the course of, their employment by you; or
arising from your intentional, unlawful, wilfully negligent, or malicious act; or
arising from your ownership, possession or use (including as a passenger) of a mechanically propelled vehicle, for example, any motor vehicle, motor cycle, aircraft or watercraft; or firearm; or
arising from you passing on an illness to another person.
There is no cover where you have made a claim for the same costs under any other section of the policy.
The most we will pay for this benefit is shown in the Schedule of benefits. Limits apply per adult traveller and are not increased for accompanying children.
Snow sports cover only applies if you have purchased the Snow sports cover option.
When you buy the Snow sports cover option (which will be shown on your Certificate of Insurance) you have cover under the other benefit sections when you’re participating in a snow sport.
The following Snow sports cover benefits are also available when you purchase the Snow sports cover option.
You must read this section together with the General exclusions as these may affect your cover.
No excess applies to claims under this benefit.
We will cover you for non-refundable, pre-paid ski lift passes or ski equipment hire or tuition fees that cannot be used due to your illness or injury sustained during your trip.
There is no cover where you have made a claim for the same costs under any other section of the policy.
The most we will pay for this benefit is shown in the Snow sports cover option. Limits apply per adult traveller and are not increased for accompanying children.
No excess applies to claims under this benefit.
We will pay you if you are prevented from skiing at a pre-booked ski resort for more than 24 continuous hours during your trip, because insufficient snow, too much snow or high winds caused a total closure of the lift system.
We will not cover you for claims in respect of ski resorts that do not have skiing facilities at least 1,000 metres above sea level. We will not cover you for claims that arise due to insufficient snow in Northern Hemisphere ski resorts outside the period 15 December to 31 March, or in Southern Hemisphere ski resorts outside the period 1 July to 30 September.
There is no cover where you have made a claim for the same costs under any other section of the policy.
The most we will pay for this benefit is shown in the Snow sports cover option. Limits apply per adult traveller and are not increased for accompanying children.
No excess applies to claims under this benefit.
We will pay you the reasonable cost of hiring replacement equipment if your snow skiing equipment is lost, delayed or damaged during the trip.
There is no cover where you have made a claim for the same costs under any other section of the policy.
The most we will pay for this benefit is shown in the Snow sports cover option. Limits apply per adult traveller and are not increased for accompanying children.
These General exclusions apply to all sections of this policy, unless otherwise described in the exclusion.
You should read them, together with the cover and the specific exclusions referred to under each section of cover.
We will not cover any of the following:
A loss that arises from you travelling:
even though you know you are unfit to travel; or
against medical advice; or
when you know you will have to consult a medical practitioner; or
for the purpose of obtaining medical advice or treatment, or
with a lack of due care and responsibility on your part to observe appropriate preventative measures for the travel region as outlined by the World Health Organization, including relevant vaccinations, malaria prophylaxis and hygiene measures. Please see who.int for further information.
Any medical, hospital or dental expenses you incur in Australia.
A loss that arises from your failure to maintain a course of treatment you were on at the time your trip commenced.
Elective or cosmetic treatment or surgery that is not medically necessary, or any loss arising from these treatments or their complications.
A loss arising from participation in or complications from a clinical trial.
A loss arising from any existing medical condition of you, a member of the travelling party, a non-travelling close relative or business partner. This exclusion will not apply to your Automatically covered conditions.
Any illness or death that arises from a metastatic or terminal prognosis that was made prior to the issue of the Certificate of Insurance.
A loss arising from any condition for which you have declined treatment or further investigation recommended by a medical practitioner.
Expenses related to the birth of a child including care of a newborn in any circumstances.
A loss arising from any pregnancy-related illness after the 26th week of gestation.
A loss arising from a member of the travelling party deciding to alter their plans or not to continue with the trip.
A loss arising from a member of the travelling party:
intentionally and recklessly placing themselves in circumstances, or undertaking activities which pose a risk to their personal safety (except in an attempt to save a human life); or
deliberately injuring themselves; or
being intoxicated by or addicted to alcohol; or
being intoxicated by or addicted to a drug, except a prescription drug taken in accordance with the advice of a registered medical practitioner or an over-the-counter drug taken in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions; or
taking part in a riot or civil commotion; or
hunting, playing polo, racing (except on foot), mountaineering using support ropes, paragliding, rock climbing, abseiling, participating in BASE jumping, running with the bulls, or pot holing; or
travelling in international waters in a private sail vessel or privately registered sail vessel; or
participating in, or training for, a professional sporting activity; or
scuba diving unless you hold an open water diving licence or you were diving under licensed instruction; or
riding a motor cycle, moped or motor scooter, either as the person in control or as a pillion
passenger:
riding an all terrain vehicle or quad bike, either as the person in control or as a pillion passenger; or
participating in activities on snow or ice other than snow sports activities if you have purchased the Snow sports cover option; or
participating in any competitive record attempts involving aerial devices or aircraft.
A loss which is recoverable under a scheme that provides coverage for any medical treatment, for example, Medicare, a private health fund, national reciprocal health fund or scheme, workers’ compensation scheme, travel compensation fund or accident compensation scheme.
Indirect losses of any nature, including for example loss of enjoyment, revenue, profit, business opportunity, or damage to goodwill or reputation.
A loss caused by, or in any way related to, a malicious, criminal or dishonest act by a member of the travelling party or by a person with whom you are in collusion.
You acting fraudulently in any way or encouraging anyone else to give us fraudulent information.
A loss arising from an epidemic, pandemic or World Health Organization declaration of a public health emergency of international concern. This exclusion does not apply to:
A loss arising from war, invasion, act of a foreign enemy, hostilities (whether war is declared or not), civil war, rebellion, revolution, military or usurped power or civil insurrection, except as provided for in the section Emergency expenses to avoid disaster.
A loss arising from the use, existence or escape of nuclear materials, biological and or chemical materials, or ionising radiation from, or contamination by, radioactivity from any nuclear fuel, or nuclear waste from the combustion of nuclear fuel.
A loss arising from any government intervention, prohibition, or regulation; or you or a member of your travelling party not following official laws or warnings from a government authority or organisation, or from any other relevant or local authority. This exclusion does not apply to claims under the section: Coronavirus travel costs. Please refer to Coronavirus travel costs for specific exclusions regarding coronavirus travel costs.
A loss arising from any government authority seizing, withholding or destroying anything of yours or any government not allowing you to enter or to stay in that country.
A loss arising from an act or threat of terrorism. This exclusion does not apply to Cancellation and additional expenses event 2 for hijacking in What are the events that will be covered under this section?; Emergency accommodation due to terrorism; Luggage and personal effects; or under Medical evacuation and repatriation for the cost of repatriation within Australia, if the carrier requires you to be brought back with a medical escort.
A loss arising from the cancellation, delay or rescheduling of your scheduled public transport on the part of the carrier for operational reasons, mechanical breakdown or maintenance. This exclusion does not apply to the Travel delay section or the Missed connection - special events section.
A loss arising from your failure to take reasonable precautions to avoid a financial loss after a public warning of a strike, riot, civil commotion, or natural disaster.
A loss arising from you operating a rental vehicle in violation of the rental agreement.
A loss arising from the financial default of any person, company or organisation involved in your travel arrangements.
Credit card conversion fees or any other bank charges.
A loss arising from an event that occurs during any waiting period that applies to your policy, other than for injuries as a result of an accident, as outlined in the section Waiting period.
A loss arising from travelling to, planning to travel to, or choosing to remain in a country or region that is the subject of a ‘Do not travel’ warning issued by the Australian Government (see smartraveller.gov.au).
If you buy or extend a policy, or make or undertake travel arrangements when you are aware, or a reasonable person in your circumstances should have been aware of circumstances that could result in a claim, your policy will not cover you for a loss arising from those circumstances. This exclusion does not apply to claims under section Coronavirus travel costs as there are specific exclusions regarding coronavirus travel costs. Please refer to Coronavirus travel costs for specific exclusions regarding coronavirus travel costs.
Expenses you have not made every reasonable attempt to recover from the carrier, accommodation provider, booking agents, travel agents, any compensation scheme, or any other source.
Where the provision of cover or a liability to pay a benefit would expose us and/or our reinsurer(s) to any sanction, prohibition or restriction under United Nations resolutions or any sanctions, laws or regulations of Australia, the European Union, the United Kingdom or the United States.
Any loss arising from:
the use of, or inability to use any application, software, or program in connection with any electronic equipment (for example a computer, smartphone, tablet or internet-capable electronic device); or
any computer virus or other malicious computer software; or
any hoax relating to a. and/or b. above.
This exclusion will not apply to claims related to illness, injury, or death under sections: Cancellation and additional expenses, Medical evacuation and repatriation or Accidental death.
This section describes what you should and should not do, as well as conditions that apply when you make a claim and at the time loss or damage occurs which is likely to give rise to a claim.
Prevent further loss or damage if it is safe to do so;
If something was lost, stolen or vandalised, as soon as possible after becoming aware of the loss or damage, notify the local police, transport provider, hotel, tour guide or other authority, and give us evidence confirming the notification, such as documentation about the loss or damage;
If there were any witnesses, get their details and a written statement where possible;
In the case of an emergency, call the international assistance 24-hour emergency assistance team;
Contact us to submit your claim as soon as you can;
Give us any documents, letters or notices relating to a claim or possible claim, medical certificates, itemised medical accounts, original receipts, rental agreements, repair quotes, ticket and luggage checks or information that we reasonably ask for. This will be at your expense;
If you become sick or injured, see a medical practitioner as soon as possible after you become aware of signs or symptoms of the condition and request a written report;
If your luggage is lost, delayed or damaged by the carrier, report this to the carrier as soon as possible and send to us a copy of the property irregularity report, along with details of any settlement that they make in relation to the loss or damage.
Make any promise or offer of payment, or admit fault to anyone (except as required by law), or become involved in any litigation in respect of an event that may result in a claim under this policy, without our consent;
Offer or negotiate to pay a claim or make repairs;
Dispose of damaged items unless we’ve said you can;
Delay telling us about an incident, as that could prejudice our rights and if so, it may reduce the amount we pay for your claim;
Give us false or misleading information.
Claims, less any applicable excess, will be paid to you or your personal representative in Australian dollars on the basis of the exchange rate that applied at the time of the loss that gave rise to the claim. We will not pay more than your actual loss.
Our claims service standard is to make a decision on your claim within 10 working days upon the receipt of a completed claim form, all relevant information and after we have completed all enquiries. If more information is required we will contact you within 10 working days of receiving your claim.
If you’re a business you must tell us if you’re registered, or are required to be registered, for GST. When you do this, we need you to give us:
Your ABN
The percentage of any input tax credit you will claim, or will be entitled to claim, on your premium.
When we pay a claim, your GST status will determine the amount we pay you. Your claim settlement amount will be adjusted to allow for any ITC entitlement.
Unless we say otherwise, all amounts in your policy are inclusive of GST. There may be other taxation implications affecting you, depending upon your own circumstances. We recommend you seek professional advice.
When a claim is made we have the right, at our discretion, to exercise all the legal rights of the person making the claim relating to the incident and to do so in their name. We’ll take fair and reasonable action in the administration, conduct or settlement of the claim including any recovery or defence we think is necessary.
We’ll also report any suspected fraudulent act to the police for further investigation.
You must notify us of any other insurance which will or may, whether in whole or in part, cover any loss insured under your policy. If at the time of any loss, damage or liability there’s any other insurance (whether effected by you or by any other person) which covers the same loss, damage or liability you must provide us with any reasonable assistance we require to make a claim for contribution from any other insurer(s).
Losses recoverable from another source. If your loss has been caused by someone else, for example, your luggage is damaged by a carrier, you are required to make every reasonable attempt to recover from the responsible party and provide documentation of that to us. If they do not pay you the full amount of your claim and your claim is covered under your policy, we will make up the difference. You must claim from them first.
If we have a claim against someone in relation to the money we have to pay under this policy, you must do everything you can to help us recover that money in legal proceedings. If you are aware of any third party that you or we may recover money from, you must inform us of such third party.
If we pay any expenses on your behalf or reimburse you for any loss, and you later receive payment from any other source for these expenses, you must pay us the amount of that payment up to the amount of the claim we paid you.
If we pay you for stolen or damaged property and you later recover the property or it is replaced by a third party, you must pay us the amount of the claim we paid you.
You must be able to provide us with evidence confirming that you’ve suffered a loss covered by your policy before we’ll pay you for it. We may ask you for this evidence if you make a claim under your policy. So your claim can be assessed quickly, make sure you keep the following:
proof that you owned the item; and
proof of its value and age.
Therefore you should keep all relevant receipts, accounts, valuations and police or medical reports.
If you cannot provide the evidence or proof that we ask for we may not pay you.
We’re entitled to obtain and retain any items or materials salvaged or recovered after you make, and we agree, to pay a claim by replacing or paying to replace any items or materials. We may sell the items or materials and keep the proceeds. We may choose to sell the items or materials to you, provided you agree to pay market price.
We may at any time, at our expense, take fair and reasonable action in your name to secure reimbursement for loss or damage arising under your policy. In the event we do so, you agree to give all reasonable assistance for that purpose.
If you’ve suffered loss that wasn’t covered by your policy as a result of the incident, we may offer to attempt to recover this. You may also specifically ask us to recover this for you. You’ll need to give us documents supporting your loss. Before we include any uninsured loss in the recovery action we’ll also ask you to agree to the basis on which we’ll handle your recovery action. You may need to contribute to legal costs in some circumstances.
If you’ve agreed not to seek compensation from any person liable to compensate you for loss, damage or liability covered by your policy, we won’t cover you for that loss, damage or liability.
In this section you can find information about who Travel Insurance Direct is, our relationships with our business partners, the financial services we provide to you and information about how we and our business partners are paid for those services. It aims to help you make an informed decision about the services offered. You can also find out about how we deal with any complaints and disputes.
This insurance is underwritten by Pacific International Insurance Pty Ltd ABN 83 169 311 193, AFSL No 523921 (the insurer).
Travel Insurance Direct Pty Limited, ABN 30 121 659 470, AR 305589 (Travel Insurance Direct), is an authorised representative of nib Travel Services (Australia) Pty Ltd ABN 81 115 932 173, AFSL No 308461 (nib). Travel Insurance Direct is authorised by nib to distribute and issue travel insurance policies. Travel Insurance Direct may also provide you with general advice about the travel insurance product. nib and Travel Insurance Direct Pty Limited are wholly owned subsidiaries of nib holdings limited and are part of the nib Group of companies. Travel Insurance Direct and our business partners act on behalf of nib and not on your behalf.
nib acts as the underwriting agent of the insurer under a binding authority from the insurer, which means it can issue, vary, renew or cancel your insurance on their behalf and handle and settle any claims you make. nib is authorised to provide these services under its AFSL. nib acts on behalf of the insurer and not on your behalf.
Affiliates introduce or refer potential travel insurance customers. Affiliates are authorised only to refer you to Travel Insurance Direct who can then arrange the insurance. Affiliates may also provide factual information such as linking to the policy.
Aggregators are independent agencies that provide comparison services to consumers, by allowing customers to compare travel insurance product features, carriers, coverage and prices on their websites. Aggregators may refer potential travel insurance customers to Travel Insurance Direct.
nib is paid a commission by the insurer for arranging, issuing and managing the travel insurance (including claims under the insurance) on behalf of the insurer. The commission is calculated as a percentage of the premium (and taxes) you pay for the policy. The percentage varies and is partly based on the profitability of all the travel insurance policies of the insurer arranged by or through nib. Employees of the nib Group of companies who provide services in relation to the insurance receive an annual salary, and may receive bonuses based on performance and/or sales.
nib pays a commission to Travel Insurance Direct when you buy a policy, less any discount provided to you. This may be calculated as a percentage of the premium that you pay for the policy or as a percentage of the commission that nib receives from the insurer. The employees of the nib Group of companies who provide services to Travel Insurance Direct receive an annual salary and may be paid bonuses based on performance and/or sales.
If your travel insurance is arranged after you have been referred to us by an affiliate, the affiliate will be paid a referral fee. The referral fee is calculated either as a percentage of the gross premium when you buy a policy or as a flat fee for each policy purchased after referral to us by an affiliate and is at no extra cost to you. An affiliate may receive additional benefits such as discounted travel insurance or marketing assistance.
If your travel insurance is arranged after you have been referred to Travel Insurance Direct by an aggregator, Travel Insurance Direct will pay a referral fee to the aggregator. The referral fee is calculated as a percentage of the gross premium when you buy a policy and is at no extra cost to you.
If you would like more information on commissions or remuneration, please contact nib or Travel Insurance Direct either before you buy your insurance or within a reasonable time of receiving this Combined FSG and PDS.
If you have any feedback about our service – positive or negative – we would like you to share it with us. Refer to our contact details on the last page of this document.
If you have a complaint arising out of this insurance or the financial services provided by the insurer, nib, our authorised representatives, distributors or affiliates, please contact:
nib Customer Relations
PO Box A975
Sydney NSW 1235 Australia
Phone: 1300 625 229
Email: [email protected]
nib will acknowledge your complaint within 1 business day of receiving it and provide you with the contact details of the person handling your complaint. We will do our utmost to resolve the complaint to your satisfaction within 10 business days.
If we are unable to resolve the complaint to your satisfaction within 10 business days, we will keep you informed about the progress of your complaint at least every 10 business days.
The Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) provides fair and independent financial services complaint resolution that is free to consumers. You can take your complaint to AFCA at any time.
If we are unable to resolve your complaint within 30 calendar days of the date on which you first made the complaint, or if you are still not satisfied with the outcome, you can choose to have your complaint independently reviewed at any time by AFCA.
AFCA can be contacted at:
Website: afca.org.au
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 1800 931 678 (free call)
In writing to: Australian Financial Complaints Authority, GPO Box 3,
Melbourne VIC 3001
In the event you choose to escalate your complaint to AFCA, please direct it to nib Travel Services (Australia) Pty Ltd when completing the AFCA complaints form.
Should you choose to refer your complaint to AFCA, you must do so within 2 years of our final decision. If you have a complaint about nib or one of our partners, feel free to contact our Customer Relations team by post, email or telephone.
We take your privacy seriously and adhere to the Privacy Policy detailed on our website at travelinsurancedirect.com.au/privacy.
nib has professional indemnity insurance arrangements that comply with the requirements of Chapter 7 of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) and which (subject to its terms and conditions) cover liability for claims in relation to nib and those who act on nib’s behalf, including those who no longer act on our behalf but did at the relevant time.
Where a financial service is provided to you by one of nib’s or Travel Insurance Direct’s partners, that partner is required to hold professional indemnity insurance arrangements for compensating clients for losses they suffer as a result of a breach of their obligations under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) relating to the financial services provided by them.
nib is responsible for this FSG which was prepared on 08 February 2024. nib has authorised Travel Insurance Direct to provide this FSG.
Version: TID_DIS_04_11MAR24
Phone: 1300 843 843
Phone: +61 2 8256 1537
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +61 2 9234 3123 or +61 2 8256 1523
SMS: +61 4 18 406 188
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 1300 843 843
Phone: +61 2 8263 0483
Email: [email protected]