Issue with Cover More Travel Insurance

surfingedge on 16/05/2025 - 16:48
Last edited 16/05/2025 - 16:50 by 1 other user

I bought an annual multi trip policy from cover more.

I plan to go to a large number of countries in North and South America and Asia over the next 12 months, so I had selected the options "All of Asia" and "All of the Americas" as the destinations.

However when I received the Certificate of Insurance it said my policy is "Worldwide excluding the Americas", see this screenshot: https://i.imgur.com/UDzbvPJ.png

I emailed customer service, but it felt like talking to an AI that didn't address the question.

I tried calling, the agent basically tried to tell me to ignore the "excluding" bit, and to trust him that my policy covers the USA (which I am not actually planning to visit). I asked for written proof that particular countries are included but he said it was not possible to provide anything further in writing.

What should I do now? I am already on a trip to Asia so can't cancel under the cooling off period. Can AFCA help with this when I haven't suffered any actual loss yet?

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Comments

  • askbargain on 16/05/2025 - 16:53
    -1

    What does your receipt say.

    • surfingedge on 16/05/2025 - 17:04

      That is the receipt

  • jv on 16/05/2025 - 17:03
    -6

    Can AFCA help with this

    Help because you purchased the wrong insurance ?

    • surfingedge on 16/05/2025 - 17:07
      +1

      Because they sold me something less than I paid for

      • jv on 16/05/2025 - 17:07
        -7

        Can you prove that you paid for all of Americas?

        • surfingedge on 16/05/2025 - 17:14

          Yes, I took a screenshot of each page during the quote process and the words "worldwide excluding Americas" never appeared anywhere.

          • jv on 16/05/2025 - 17:19
            -6

            @surfingedge: Did it say including Americas ?

            • surfingedge on 16/05/2025 - 17:21

              @jv: It only confirmed the destinations that I input, i.e. All of Asia; All of the Americas

              • jv on 16/05/2025 - 17:22
                -4

                @surfingedge: Then contact AFCA, but it will probably take months to resolve…

                • surfingedge on 16/05/2025 - 17:25

                  @jv: Yeah, well I am not going there until summer so we'll see…

      • Dr Phil on 18/05/2025 - 10:56
        -3

        You contacted them and they "advised" you to take this policy
        OR
        Did you select it online without reading the fine print?

  • xuqi on 16/05/2025 - 17:03
    +9

    If it's not in writing and stated on your certificate, you're not covered…

    • surfingedge on 16/05/2025 - 17:06

      That's what I said, but the guy on the phone kept trying to convince me that I am covered

      • freefall101 on 16/05/2025 - 17:30
        +2

        Call again, hopefully you'll get someone who's not an idiot

      • Shoocat on 16/05/2025 - 18:02
        +5

        Insurance companies have teams of people dedicated to finding ways not to pay you out, so you are right to be sceptical.

        They should at least provide you an assurance in writing from a specific person in the company.

        • surfingedge on 16/05/2025 - 18:17
          +1

          Yeah, as long as they word it appropriately I would be happy with that, I have emailed some of their other contact points and will start preparing to go to AFCA in case they don't play ball

  • Davo1111 on 16/05/2025 - 18:03

    take advantage of the 24 hour clause and get a refund.now.

    Cooling off period.

    Dont wait, get it done, now.

    https://www.covermore.com.au/travel-insurance/benefits/cance…

    If they ask why, say the certificate is wrong. If they wont issue a new one, go elsewhere

    • MS Paint on 16/05/2025 - 18:05

      am already on a trip to Asia so can't cancel under the cooling off period.

      • Davo1111 on 16/05/2025 - 18:06
        +4

        ahh well then OP needs to get it in writing. Ask them for a new certificate.

  • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 16/05/2025 - 19:01
    +1

    Your call. You said you're not actually visiting the USA so perhaps just let it go.

    However 100% do not trust the call centre person. What is on the COC is what you're covered for. That's what they'll rely on when approving cough denying a future claim, end of story.

  • Muppet Detector on 16/05/2025 - 19:25
    +1

    plan to go to a large number of countries in North and South America and Asia over the next 12 months

    I won't lie. I'm confused.

    Do you want to travel to Nth and Sth America or not?

    I'm probably more curious about the mention of 30 days on your link.

    Are you expecting this insurance to last a year? If so, is the 30 day thing a worry?

    • surfingedge on 17/05/2025 - 08:12

      It means each trip can last up to 30 days

      Yes I am going to N/S America but not until (Aus) summer.

  • AndyC1 on 16/05/2025 - 20:24

    What did they say when you called support…. click?

  • CaptainJack on 17/05/2025 - 05:56

    Pretty sure I had a similar thing purchasing a global annual policy for work travel from them. Despite being global it said something weird like it's for Lithuania. They said that's a system issue that can't be fixed, but I had it in writing that my particular destinations were covered I think. Yeah it's weird.

    • surfingedge on 17/05/2025 - 08:16

      OK thanks. Yeah the call centre guy said the same words "system issue". I am trying to get it in writing

      • CaptainJack on 17/05/2025 - 09:42
        +1

        And I meant to add I never needed to claim, so didn't test this. Good luck.

  • Meho2026 on 17/05/2025 - 07:37
    +3

    You made a mistake by selecting both “all of Asia” and “all of Americas”.

    You should have selected “worldwide”

    Worldwide is listed under the, “see full list of destinations” menu.

    In the pds, on page 10, “areas of travel”
    It states if you are visiting multiple continents, you must select “worldwide”

    • surfingedge on 17/05/2025 - 08:27
      -1

      Thanks.

      The PDS they sent to my email says something different:

      "If 20% or more of any Journey will be spent in the Americas or Africa You must nominate the area including these countries as the main destination."

      Looking at the screenshots I took, "worldwide" was not an option when I was getting a quote. Though I can see it now if I try a new quote.

  • BigBirdy on 17/05/2025 - 10:48
    +2

    Probably your best option is to use this policy for all your travels, but buy an Americas policy spanning the period you’re in the Americas

  • Kay Elle on 17/05/2025 - 11:19
    +4

    Pre-COVID19 I worked at Cover-More in the Emergency Assistance team for 5 years. The PDS has changed but not very much. The references to and definitions of "Area of Travel" haven't changed within the PDS. I have a couple of old PDS from my own OS trips that I double checked.

    For your peace of mind, ask them to confirm "The Americas" in writing. I genuinely believe that should be the USA, Canada and the Caribbean. Them being grouped together is due to how expensive medical costs are in those areas.

    Based on what's written in the PDS and your actions as documented in your post/throughout the thread I can't see AFCA being able to get you a positive outcome. The option of "Worldwide" not being on the drop down menu whilst you were purchasing the policy sounds implausible. You could try arguing it with Customer Service but unless others attempting to purchase online experienced it, it is a you problem. Ask the Customer Service agent what your options are to ensure you're covered for the countries you plan to travel within North/South America. If you don't like or believe what you're told, ask for a supervisor and put the same question to them.

    At the end of the day you have responsibility for what you're doing in relation to a purchase. If you input the incorrect information, didn't review your COC and query the destinations being covered/rectify the area of travel BEFORE you departed on your first trip - that's on you.

    Insurance can be confusing af. Even when you work in it. She's a complex beast but I love her. Also, people… People… I've worked in three different lines of insurance, within both profit and not-for-profit over just over 20 years. There are no teams dedicated to NOT paying your claims. There doesn't need to be. Comprehensive documentation including the PDS provided to the customers outlining what is covered exists. There's also legislation, international agreements, codes of practice, government bodies and industry groups.

    Good luck. Also, ffs, next time buy your policy over the phone. There's a ton of questions the sales team would be answering on a recorded line. You should end up with the correct policy AND the knowledge if you're told the wrong thing IT WILL likely be covered/have recourse with AFCA.

  • just-human on 17/05/2025 - 12:27
    +1

    You should get a confirmation in writing and a new COC. That document states what you are eligible for. You may be able to argue later when you claim and say the employee said this and that, but honestly, it is a LOT more hassle than asking for a new COC. If they do not issue one, you can go through their IDR and then AFCA.

  • Amanda3724 on 17/05/2025 - 15:59
    +1

    Don’t waste any more of your time with call centres and bots. I now find the CEO of the business and complain in writing to them. It’s worked well for me with Qantas and Agoda to get complaints resolved quickly where their call centres were useless.
    If their systems provided good customer service, I wouldn’t need to write to them so let them handle it is my advice.
    Hopefully if they get pi$$ed off enough they may just invest in customer service, (but I doubt it).

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