Travel Insurance - 6 Month Trip

perez on 29/10/2014 - 14:28

Hi all,

My wife and I are going to be travelling in South America for about 6 months. Can anyone recommend some decent travel insurance which would be suitable for this purpose?

Not necessarily looking for the cheapest, but one which provides a good level of cover and won't leave us high and dry if anything goes wrong!

I am going to Asia next week for a couple of weeks, so if there's a multi trip policy which would be suitable then I can kill two birds with one stone. Most annual multi-trip policies I've seen have a limit on trip length (e.g. 30 or 60 days) and therefore would be no use for a longer trip like I'm planning.

We are planning to move to London at the end of the trip, so will not have return tickets to Australia.

I searched the forum but couldn't really find anything that got me any closer to knowing what insurers are good/bad and might have suitable policies.

Thanks in advance.

Travel

Comments

  • xyron on 29/10/2014 - 14:55

    most travel insurance policies that come with platinum credit cards cover you for up to 6 months at a time.

    i needed this back in 2011 when my bankwest zero gold only provided 3 months continuous cover (while the platinum card offered, and still offers, 6 months continuous cover), to cover me for an extended trip. bankwest kindly upgraded my card to a platinum before i left. :)

  • perez on 29/10/2014 - 15:17

    Thanks, i'll check as I've got Altitude Platinum - but I think you normally have to pay for return flights on the card - in our case we're booking individual flights but won't have a return leg to Australia booked, so I don't think the Westpac complimentary travel insurance will kick in.

    • xyron on 29/10/2014 - 16:05

      BankWest (well really Zurich) recently amended their policy to reflect that you now only need to spend $500 on the card in relation to travel purchases (could be flights, could be hotels, could be tours) to activate the insurance. but yes, you should check this.

      note you may also have trouble entering some countries if you cannot show that you intend to return to australia (by showing a return ticket) before your travel visa (or visa waiver period) expires. may not be such an issue in asia considering the abundance of borders and other countries to which you could do a 'rat run' if you needed to (when i lived in Hong Kong, i had a mate who had lived there for years on a tourist visa waiver as a UK citizen - he just went to macau every 6 months to renew it :) )

      enjoy your travels!

  • [Deactivated] on 29/10/2014 - 15:34

    Try http://www.itrektravelinsurance.com.au/

  • therooftop on 29/10/2014 - 17:12

    When I used travelinsurancedirect, it just asked for your travel dates and destinations and made a quote and policy on the spot.

    You can also google promo codes for it to get a 5-10% discount.

  • strikerzebra on 29/10/2014 - 17:16

    I've used Insure and go, with the entertainment book you can save something like 20% as well, they are quite cheap, not sure in the claim experience though

  • goosegog on 29/10/2014 - 18:36

    Try SCTI ( Southern Cross Travel Insurance) We have been using them for a number of years & they've proved their worth - not only in price but more importantly assistance in both a health issue on one trip & then a cancelled holiday ( by the cruise line ) on another trip. Have found them to be totally professional & helpful. Not affiliated with them - just very happy customers.

    • perez on 29/10/2014 - 20:11

      Thanks for the recommendation. Checked them out but max length of a journey is 90 days - unfortunately no use for us as we'll be away for 6 months.

      • prawol on 06/11/2014 - 22:28

        I also like SCTI and use them often. Their multi-trip cover is only for 90 day, but single trip cover can be up to 12 months. So just take out a single trip policy for the time you are gone. I also find that they tend to be the most affordable and offer great customer service.

        I'm not affiliated with them in any way - I'm just a happy customer.

  • srhardy on 30/10/2014 - 07:09

    BUPA have some great travel insurance offers
    http://www.bupa.com.au/other-insurance/travel-insurance/comp…

    Save 15% if you have hospital, extras, funeral

    +1 for their funeral plans too, half the next chheapest price i was quoted, no medical + discount too FYI

  • goosegog on 31/10/2014 - 14:24

    Thought about booking the first 90 days with SCTI & then renewing for the other 90 days ? Alternative with SCTI is to take out a 360 day world wide plan - although more expensive it will cover you everywhere I believe.
    By the way hope you have your ESTAs sorted out for America - won't get in otherwise !!

    • perez on 04/11/2014 - 20:59

      Haven't organised our ESTAs yet but will do - thanks for the reminder! Assume I need to know the dates we're intending to be in the USA from/until before I apply?

      Also - re: renewing for the second 90 days - I don't believe this would work - they cover up to 90 days as part of a "trip" - a trip starts from your home country - therefore renewing would not likely work as it would not count as a new trip. Good idea though! Will check out the 360 day plan though - thanks :)

      • goosegog on 05/11/2014 - 14:47

        ESTAS last for 2 years from purchase - you might have to check on your entry details though with specifics on your entry date/ who with/ flight numbers etc - they are extremely regimental & security conscious in America - can't blame them but it doesn't make for a pleasant processing travel experience for most of us who only wish to enjoy their country.

  • Foxtail on 04/11/2014 - 21:09

    With our ANZ Plat only have to spend $250 on the whole trip to get full travel insurance.

    • perez on 04/11/2014 - 21:16

      Will check it out.. I'm with Westpac now but the policy wording for my platinum card travel insurance specifies that you have to provide a copy of your return air ticket to be eligible for the insurance policy. We won't have a return ticket to Australia as we are going to move to London after our trip.

  • tadere on 05/11/2014 - 11:08

    as with @foxtail, i just had to spend $250 on my ANZ platinum card towards my Euro trip (on anything) and speak to ANZ to activate the cover. all they asked was if i knew all the countries i'll be going to. i gave them the ones i planned to go to and they didn't seem fussed that i may pop into others while there. they cover both the card holder and their 'partner'.

    prior to owning the above stated card, i used travel insurance direct on my travels to the usa/canada/mexico. they were fairly priced. fortunately i didn't have to make any claims.

    enjoy your trip..

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