The accommodation or venue you planned to stay at is suddenly closed.
A prepaid activity that's booked in Australia or New Zealand is shut down.
If you're denied boarding on transport due to symptoms.
Extra child care costs if you get COVID.
Added pet care costs if you're infected and can't return home.
Some providers, including Cover-More and Easy Travel Insurance, won't accept COVID-related claims within 21 days of your trip. Just one reason you should get insurance as soon as you book your trip.
How travel insurance can cover COVID: A real-life example
Jillian, Kerry and Tyson travelled from Sydney to Dallas. 10 days in, Tyson (Jillian's son) caught COVID, a day before the family was supposed to leave for a ski trip in Colorado. As a result, they had to rearrange their travel plans.
Unfortunately, Jillian got COVID later and the family had to send Tyson and Kerry home to Sydney, while Jillian stayed another 4 days until she tested negative. She then rebooked her trip home.
Their insurer, Southern Cross Travel Insurance, covered just under $3,000 in costs. The family paid a $500 excess to claim on 2 events.
What's not covered by COVID travel insurance?
While many of these scenarios are uncommon now, it's worth keeping in mind you typically won't be covered for these COVID-19-related events:
You ignore a doctor's advice that you aren't well enough to travel.
You travel to a country deemed by unsafe by Smartraveller (Level 3: Reconsider your need to travel or Level 4: Do not travel)
PCR or rapid tests where you are required to be tested in order to travel.
You cancel plans due to government-enforced border closures or lockdowns.
You enter into quarantine or self-isolation that you knew about in advance.
Is COVID still a travel risk?
"Covid continues to be one of the main reasons our customers claim, and it looks like it's going to affect travellers for some time to come. Taking a look at the data for our International Comprehensive policy, it's clear claims spiked as travellers really started to take off around the world again. And, while there's been a dramatic slump since September '22, Covid still makes up 11% of all claims paid to customers across the two markets. On average we are paying out claims for cancellation and travel disruption due to Covid to the value of $1,500, which is a sizeable cost."
With travel plans changing all the time, you may want to choose flexible flight payment options – which have been offered by the likes of Qantas and Virgin – to help reduce out-of-pocket expenses if things go wrong.
It's a good idea to try booking with flexible conditions for minimum hassle. Keep in mind, if you book through a third party such as a travel agent, you'll also have to deal with it for any refund or change requests.
Finally, be sure to check your passport has at least 6 months' validity before it expires.
Check the wording of your policy
"Look through each travel provider's terms and conditions, paying close attention to their wording on cancellations and refunds. If your terms and conditions are live on a website, make sure you print a copy for your records. In the event of a cancellation, you'll have the relevant evidence of your entitlements."
Yes. Most comprehensive travel insurance policies cover you for COVID-related expenses now. This can include medical expenses and cancellations costs. This wasn't always the case. In 2020 for example, most travel insurers excluded cover related to pandemics.
Yes, you can buy a policy if you have not been vaccinated. However, you won't be covered if you don't follow any advice or warnings by the Australian government. Make sure you're aware of what the requirements are before you travel.
Yes, many comprehensive travel insurance insurance policies can cover cancellations if you or your travelling companion are diagnosed with COVID-19. Most will cover you for up to $5,000.
Travel insurance doesn't typically cover you if you're a close contact. To be covered, you must be positively diagnosed with COVID-19.
You will need to have evidence of your diagnosis to make a successful travel insurance claim. This can include evidence from a qualified medical practitioner, PCR test or a registered Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) prior to your departure. Check with travel insurer for the evidence they will require.
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To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Tim Bennett as part of our fact-checking process.
Gary Ross Hunter was an editor at Finder, specialising in insurance. He’s been writing about life, travel, home, car, pet and health insurance for over 6 years and regularly appears as an insurance expert in publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian and news.com.au. Gary holds a Kaplan Tier 2 General Advice General Insurance certification which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). See full bio
Gary Ross's expertise
Gary Ross has written 644 Finder guides across topics including:
James Martin was the insurance editor at Finder. He has written on a range of insurance and finance topics for over 7 years. James often shares his insurance expertise as a media spokesperson and has appeared on Prime 7 News, WIN News, Insurance News, 7NEWS and The Guardian. He holds a Tier 1 General Insurance (General Advice) certification and a Tier 1 Generic Knowledge certification, both of which meet the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). See full bio
James's expertise
James has written 204 Finder guides across topics including:
Find out how to get travel insurance for children/under 18s travelling without the supervision of their parents and learn the terms and conditions for getting free child cover for your dependent child.
Medibank is a leading travel insurance provider in Australia offering cover for international comprehensive, international medical only cover and more. Read the finder.com.au review for a breakdown of the policy and more.
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