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The Best Travel Insurance for Seniors in Australia to Cover Every Need
Finding the best travel insurance in Australia can be tricky at the best of times but the older you are, the more difficult it seems to become.
Travel insurance policies contain a maze of caveats for seniors while many insurance providers increase their premiums and reduce their benefits for grey nomads. But that doesn’t mean it’s a lost cause.
There are plenty of travel insurance policies that provide good value and great coverage for senior Australian travellers. You just need to look hard — or read on.
We’ve compared a huge range of travel insurance policies for elderly travellers to bring you what we believe are the best international travel insurance available in Australia today for seniors.
Compare the Best Travel Insurance for Seniors in Australia:
- Qantas International Comprehensive
Best Overseas Travel Insurance - Southern Cross Comprehensive
Best Value for Cheap Insurance - Cover-More + Cruise Cover
Best Policy for Cruises - AllClear Gold Plus
Best for Pre-existing Conditions - InsureandGo Gold
Best for Over 70s
Best Overseas Travel Insurance for Seniors
Qantas International Comprehensive Travel Insurance (70+ Years)
Best Features
- Dedicated policy available for 70+ years
- 40+ pre-existing medical conditions automatically covered
- Unlimited overseas medical cover (including for COVID-19)
- Default low standard excess (just $100)
- Unlimited trip cancellation cover
- Unlimited overseas emergency dental expenses
Qantas offers one of the best value travel insurance policies for seniors with a dedicated policy for the elderly aged 70 and above. A similar comprehensive insurance policy serves ages 69 and under.
Unlimited emergency medical care is covered, extending even to emergency dental care (although dental expenses due to sudden and acute pain are covered up to $2000).
Qantas also automatically covers 43 pre-existing medical conditions as long as you have no ongoing complications. That means you’ll be covered for conditions like osteoporosis, osteopenia, hypertension, and high cholesterol without needing to declare the condition.
- Up to $15,000 luggage and personal effects cover
- Up to $2,500 for COVID-related travel expenses, such as cancellations or delays
- Up to $1,500 provided for travel delays and $500 for delayed luggage
- Earn Qantas points on policy purchase
- Worldwide medical and emergency assistance available 24/7
Cheapest Travel Insurance for Seniors in Australia
Southern Cross International Comprehensive Policy
Best Features
- No age limit
- Unlimited overseas medical cover and emergency evacuation (including for COVID-19)
- Generous cover for missing, stolen, damaged, and delayed luggage
- Best value of all the senior travel insurance policies we compared
This New Zealand company offers the cheapest travel insurance policy we found for seniors. This comprehensive policy offers great value, especially for cover concerning luggage and personal effects. Southern Cross allows you to claim up to $25,000 for missing, damaged, or stolen luggage and a further $1,000 per person for luggage delays — the best cover of any senior travel insurance policy we compared.
While no age limit is imposed on this policy, Southern Cross only covers personal accidents up to 80 years of age — that includes cover for loss of income, total and permanent disability, and death.
- Up to $5,000 cover for trip disruptions or cancellations caused by COVID-19
- Choose between $5,000 and unlimited cover for trip cancellation (this will affect your premium)
- Up to $750 emergency dental cover
- Access to 24/7 worldwide Emergency Assistance team
- No pre-existing medical conditions are automatically included. Any pre-existing condition will need to be approved
Best Cruise Travel Insurance for Seniors
Cover-More International Travel Insurance + Cruise Cover
Best Features
- Access 24-hour emergency assistance
- Covers multi-night and international cruises
- Can be bought with all Cover-More international travel insurance policies
- Unlimited sea sickness cover
- $1000 cover if you miss out on a prepaid shore excursion
Cruises are a great travel option for elderly adventurers but in the event of an emergency, costs can add up quickly. This Cover-More comprehensive insurance policy has a great cruise cover add-on to make sure you’re protected.
This policy can provide reimbursement for any missed opportunities for enjoyment, as well as medical emergencies. If you’re confined to your cabin as a result of illness, injury, or disease, you may receive up to $100 per day beyond the first 24 hours (excluding COVID-19-related confinement). You may also be reimbursed for travel, accommodation, and meal costs if you miss your ship before it leaves the port.
- Access 24-hour emergency assistance
- Covers multi-night and international cruises
- Can be bought with all Cover-More international travel insurance policies
- Unlimited sea sickness cover
- $1000 cover if you miss out on a prepaid shore excursion
Best Travel Insurance for Seniors with Pre-existing Medical Conditions
AllClear Gold Plus Cover
Best Features
- No age limit
- All medical conditions are considered
- Unlimited medical emergency cover overseas (including for COVID-19)
- 24-hour medical emergency helpline available
- Up to $300 lost medication cover
AllClear provides the best travel insurance policy for elderly travellers with pre-existing medical conditions. The Gold Plus policy covers 1300+ conditions, including diabetes, heart conditions, cancer, and epilepsy. However, there are some caveats.
Cover only applies to medical conditions that you have disclosed and AllClear accepts in writing. You will not be covered if you downplay the seriousness of your condition, travel against the advice of a medical practitioner, or travel to obtain medical treatment.
In all likelihood, your AllClear travel insurance policy will be a little pricier than other policies to cover the additional risks that come with a pre-existing condition.
- Unlimited cover for trip cancellations ($5,000 cover for cancellations related to COVID-19)
- Up to $10,000 for lost, stolen, or damaged luggage
- Winter sports cover only available to those aged 65 years and under
- Receive a benefit of $100 if you get a hole-in-one on a golf course!
Best Travel Insurance for Seniors Over 70
InsureandGo Gold Travel Insurance
Best Features
- Available to anyone aged 100 or under
- Unlimited emergency medical cover (including for COVID-19)
- Best cover for travel delay expenses
- Unlimited cover for trip cancellations
Many travel insurance policies begin to severely restrict their inclusions once you hit 70. However, Insure and Go Gold Travel Insurance has almost no limitations to its cover for grey nomads.
This policy is suitable for anyone up to 100 years of age, provides unlimited medical emergency cover, and takes care of any trip cancellations — before the trip or mid-travels — with unlimited cover. Flight delayed? Receive up to $150 for every 12 hours of delay, up to a total of $3,000 — the most generous travel delay cover we compared.
For those aged 66 and above, accidental death cover is reduced from $50,000 to $15,000. The overall premium is also pricier than other policies we compared, although you can save by downgrading to the Silver plan without losing too many benefits.
- Up to $5,000 cover for COVID-related trip cancellation or disruption
- Up to $15,000 in personal belongings and baggage cover
- Up to $500 for emergency dental cover
- All pre-existing conditions are considered and some are covered at no extra cost
- A surcharge applies to the premium for those over 50
FAQs
Travel insurance becomes trickier to find the older you get, as factors like your age, your health, and your travel style can affect your policy and certain inclusions may even increase the premium.
After comparing more than 15 Australian travel insurance policies for seniors, we found the Qantas International Comprehensive plan to be the best for elderly travellers. The standard plan covers travellers aged 69 and under but there is also a dedicated 70+ Years plan.
Southern Cross Comprehensive Travel Insurance provides the best value and cheapest premium for seniors while InsureandGo Gold is the best travel insurance for those over 70. AllClear Gold Plus is the best insurance for pre-existing medical conditions while we recommend Cover-More’s Cruise Cover for cruising holidays.
While it’s important for seniors to have travel insurance, they will likely have to pay more on their premiums. Here are some of the reasons why:
- Insurance providers calculate that older travellers pose a greater risk so premiums tend to increase once you hit 50.
- Many basic insurance policies have age limits, forcing seniors to buy comprehensive policies.
- Many senior travellers have pre-existing medical conditions and many (if not most) travel insurance policies require a surcharge to cover these conditions.
- If seniors choose a laid-back travel option like a multi-night cruise, they will need to pay additional cruise cover to stay insured.
It’s impossible to calculate how much your travel insurance will cost at any age, let alone at 70 or older. This is because the premium is calculated based on a variety of factors, including:
- Your age
- Your current health status (including whether you have any pre-existing medical conditions)
- The duration of your journey
- Your destination or itinerary
- Extra cover you need (such as cruise or ski cover)
- The excess you choose
- The number of people listed on your policy
There are some factors you will have no control over (such as your age or health status) but you may be able to reduce the cost of the premium by increasing your excess.
There is no age limit in Australia to buy travel insurance. Whether you are 55, 65, 70, or 80, you should be able to find a policy that fits your needs.
When it comes to age limits, it all depends on the insurer. Some insurance policies, such as Southern Cross Comprehensive, Boomers Comprehensive, and AllClear Gold Plus stipulate that there is no age limit to their policy. Other insurance policies begin to reduce the benefits for those above a certain age (usually around 70 years).
Very few insurance companies limit their policies to younger generations, although they may have one policy for those under a certain age and another for older travellers (such as Qantas Comprehensive, which has one plan for most travellers and another for those over 70).
