Couples travel insurance

What does couples travel insurance cover?

Medical expenses

Couples travel insurance covers emergency medical and hospital expenses for both travellers, including treatment, medication, and hospital stays. Many policies offer high or unlimited coverage for overseas emergencies, ensuring both partners are protected against unexpected health issues.

Delays and cancellations

If your trip is unexpectedly delayed or cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances, couples insurance can reimburse you for pre-paid, non-refundable expenses. This may include accommodation, activities, and transport costs. Some policies also cover additional expenses incurred due to travel delays, such as meals and accommodation.

COVID-19 expenses

Many travel insurance policies now include some level of COVID-19 coverage. This can encompass medical expenses if you contract COVID-19 during your trip, as well as cancellation costs if you need to cancel due to COVID-related reasons. However, coverage varies between insurers, so it's essential to check the policy details.

Luggage and personal belongings

Couples travel insurance typically covers lost, stolen, or damaged luggage and personal items for both travellers. This can include reimbursement for essential items if your luggage is delayed. Be aware that there may be per-item limits and overall claim limits, so valuable items might need additional coverage.

• A full list of what couples travel insurance can cover

  • Accidental death
  • Overseas emergency dental expenses
  • Hospital cash allowance
  • Loss of income
  • Overseas emergency assistance
  • Overseas medical and hospital expenses
  • Permanent disability
  • Resumption of journey
  • Alternative transport for special events
  • Cancellation and amendment fees
  • Travel delay expenses
  • Daily delayed luggage allowance
  • Luggage and personal belongings
  • Theft of cash
  • Travel documents and bank cards
  • Personal liability
  • Rental car excess insurance
  • COVID-19 medical expenses
  • Rearrangement costs if you get COVID-19

Do you need to be a couple to get couples cover?

No, you don't need to be a formal 'couple' to get a couples travel insurance discount. A better name for it might be 'joint travel insurance' instead. It's just that couples are the most regular travellers that buy travel insurance that covers multiple people.

But yes, if you are travelling with a buddy, your mum or someone you met at the pub, you can get a combined travel insurance police, and potentially score a bit of a discount. No romance required.

Is couples travel insurance worth it?

Couple travel insurance, or just joint travel insurance, is normally cheaper than getting two single policies. However, that's not always the case. Below are a bunch of quotes I pulled from Finder for a trip to Bali, with one or two 30 year old travellers in November 2024.

As you can see, not all insurance providers offer a discount for multiple people.

*Finder exclusive discount.

Are benefits the same with couples travel insurance?

This depends on the insurer and the plan type. Most insurers will treat each adult separately and offer both adults equal benefit limits across the board. A small number of insurers will offer each adult equal benefit limits on most items, but will impose a combined limit on certain items like rental vehicle excess and personal liability. However, in most cases, you are getting the equivalent of two individual policies with the discount in price being the only difference.

Frequently asked questions

• Are we both covered if we travel separately for some parts of the trip?

  Most single-trip policies don't tell you how you need to spend your time together overseas. As long as you arrive and depart from the same destination on the same date, you can spend as much or as little time together as you want. But be careful, there are a few insurers who will require you to spend a certain percentage of the trip together. If you choose one of these insurers, you will need to ask them how they determine this.

• What if you or your travelling partner has a pre-existing condition?

  If you or your travelling partner has a pre-existing condition that isn't listed in the insurers' "automatically covered" category, that person needs to declare it and may need to answer a questionnaire and/or undertake a medical assessment.

  At that point, the insurer will say one of three things:

  • They'll cover the condition at no extra cost
  • They'll cover it for an additional premium
  • They won't cover it at all

  If the insurer won't cover the pre-existing condition at all or you or your travel companion decides not to pay an additional premium, then you won't be able to claim for anything related to that condition. This will not impact the cost or benefits associated with the other traveller's policy in any way.

  If you or your travelling partner fails to declare a pre-existing medical condition, any claim that person makes as a result of that condition could be refused. When in doubt, declare anything you are unsure of. The insurer will lead you in the right direction.

• What benefits are there if my travelling companion passes away or is hospitalised?

  Even if your companion isn't insured but you are, your policy may offer benefits that will cover your expenses related to your travelling companion's hospitalisation or death. Your PDS will define what is meant by travelling companion in this scenario and describe any limitations and exclusions related to the claim. Don't get this confused with how they define who is eligible for couples travel insurance.

• What if I'm travelling with dependents?

  Couples travel insurance is not mean to cover dependents. A single adult travelling with one child would likely save money by buying a single policy and nominating one dependent. A couple travelling with children would be moved to a family policy. Couples policies are reserved for two adults who each need their own cover and are looking to save a little money.

• Is couples travel insurance worth it?

  You really can't judge the value of the policy based on the discount percentage alone. Every traveller has a unique set of needs, which is why each insurer offers a range of unique policies. It pays to shop around, compare a range of policies and read the PDS to find out what is and isn’t covered.

• Can we combine the benefits of both policies to cover a single lost item?

  You and your travelling partner will each have your own policy that covers lost or stolen items up to a certain value. If you have joint ownership of a high-value item, only one of you can make a claim on it if it is lost or stolen, and you will only be reimbursed for the amount listed on that person's policy.

  If the value of the item is higher than the one policy allows, you will not be able to claim the additional value using the second policy. If you are worried about one of your high-value items, you will need to make sure at least one of your policies can cover the full cost of the item.

• Does this policy cover cruises or adventure sports?

  There are a number of activities that standard policies do not cover, and this is no different for a couples policy. You may need to bolt on additional cover for activities like snow sports, adventure sports, cruises and golf outings. Most insurers will ask you about these activities as part of the quote process.

• Can we get couples cover on an annual multi-trip policy?

  Yes. Many of the same providers who offer single-trip couples policies also offer annual multi-trip couples policies, and you may be eligible for a discount. The rules are a little stricter around the two people travelling separately.

To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Tim Bennett as part of our fact-checking process.

Written by

Gary Ross Hunter

Journalist

Gary Ross Hunter has over 6 years of expertise writing about insurance, including life, health, home, and car insurance. Having reviewed hundreds of product disclosure statements and published over 800 articles, he loves simplifying complex insurance topics for everyday readers. Gary has contributed to major outlets like Yahoo Finance, The Sydney Morning Herald, and news.com.au, and holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English Literature from the University of Glasgow, along with a Tier 2 General Advice certification, ensuring his work adheres to ASIC’s RG146 standards. See full bio

Gary Ross's expertise

Gary Ross has written 619 Finder guides across topics including:

• Health, home, life, car, pet and travel insurance
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