SCTI is consistently one of the most competitively priced and well reviewed travel insurers on the market. It doesn't cut corners. Its award-winning International Comprehensive policy covers more than the majority of insurers and its product disclosure statement (PDS) is really easy to understand.
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- Covers more than most – COVID (including rearrangement costs), cancellations, luggage and more.
- It's cheap. The third cheapest international policy out of 28 – $233 less on average.
- Very high customer ratings, on Finder (4.16/5) and other popular review websites.
- Fast Cover and Medibank tend to be slightly cheaper.
- Customers rated Tick more highly in the Finder Customer Satisfaction Awards.
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ProviderExample quoteExcessOverseas medicalCancellation fees and lost depositsRearrangements costs for COVID-19Customer satisfaction ratingSouthern Cross Travel Insurance – International Comprehensive$114.88$100Unlimited$2,500Included★★★★★ 4.16/5Cover-More – International Comprehensive$253.00$250Unlimited$2,000Included★★★★★ 4.16/5Allianz – Comprehensive$126.76$200Unlimited$5,000Included★★★★★ 4.11/5
*Example quote based on a single 40-year-old travelling to Bali for 2 weeks. Data collected in August 2023.
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- COVID-19 Medical Expenses:
- Rearrangement costs if you get COVID-19:
- Theft or damage to luggage: up to $25,000
- Cancellation and amendment fees: up to Cover chosen
- Luggage delay: up to $1,000
- Theft of cash: up to $500
- Rental car excess insurance: up to $10,000
- Cooling off period: 14 days
- Travel Delay: up to $30,000
- Special Events: up to $2,500
- Travel Documents: up to $1,000
- Personal liability: up to $1,000,000
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It's an award winner
We picked Southern Cross because it's Finder's 2023 Best Travel Insurance – Comprehensive winner. As part of the awards research, we looked at over 100 international travel insurance policies. We narrowed this number down to 28 based on an eligibility criteria put together by our insurance specialists. For example, an eligible brand must offer some type of COVID cover and be open to customers up to 79 years old.
We then gathered over 300 quotes to get an average price and scored the same 18 features for every policy out of 10. These included COVID medical benefits, COVID rearrangement costs, theft or damage to luggage, hospital cash allowance, cancellation and amendment fees, luggage delay and rental car excess insurance. The final score for the comprehensive rating was a 75/25 blend of features and price.
SCTI came in first place because it goes further than the majority of travel insurers. For example, it can cover you for trip cancellations or changes before your journey because of an unexpected event. The majority of insurers typically don't do this. They only cover you for certain reasons. So for example, if your flight was cancelled or delayed for a reason not listed in the PDS, you might not be covered.
Top 5 policies in travel insurance – international comprehensive
- Southern Cross International Comprehensive – Single Trip
- NRMA International Comprehensive Travel Insurance
- InsureandGo Gold One Trip
- Fast Cover International Comprehensive Travel Insurance
- Medibank International Comprehensive Travel Insurance
Its customer service
In addition to the Finder Awards, SCTI has one of the best claims experiences and an easy-to-read PDS. It earned a finalist spot for General Insurance Claims Team of the Year at The International Travel & Health Insurance Journal Awards and won the Best Plain English Legal Document at the most recent Plain Language Awards.
