Updated 9 December 2020
The Australian Government on 18 March 2020 raised its travel advice to level 4: Do not travel overseas at this time.
The current situation around coronavirus may have raised some questions about what your travel insurance covers you for. We have answered some commonly asked questions below.
If you’re still looking for answers however, please contact our customer support team on 1300 617 409.
For the latest information and warnings visit smartraveller.gov.au.
What if I purchase a policy on or after the 9th December 2020
If you purchase an ahmTravel Insurance policy on or after the 9th of December 2020, you will now receive additional COVID-19 insurance benefits such as:
Overseas Medical Expenses
If you purchased an international travel policy to New Zealand your policy will cover overseas medical expenses if you’re hospitalised due to contracting COVID-19 whilst in New Zealand. This cover includes costs resulting from any medical treatment and ambulance transportation you require when suffering from COVID-19.
If you purchased an international travel policy to any other international destination your policy will cover overseas medical expenses as above if the country or area you travelled to is NOT subject to “Do not travel” advice on the Australian Government smartraveller website at the time you entered the area or country
Pre-Trip Cancellation Expenses
We can now provide cover for a number of COVID-19 trip cancellation and amendment costs such as if:
- You are diagnosed by a qualified medical practitioner with COVID-19 and can no longer travel
- You are directed by local public health authority into a period of quarantine because they have classified you as having contact with a person diagnosed with COVID-19 and you can no longer travel
- You need to amend or cancel your trip because your relative or business partner in Australia or New Zealand is diagnosed with COVID-19 by a qualified medical practitioner and the level of infection is life-threatening
- The accommodation you planned to stay at is shut down or closed because of a COVID-19 outbreak on the premises and hygiene measures are required
For further information on our COVID-19 travel insurance benefits, please refer to our ahm Travel Insurance COVID-19 benefits page and our Product Disclosure Statement.
Am I covered for COVID-19 if I purchased my ahm Travel Insurance policy on or after 21st March 2020
No, you will not be covered for claims related to COVID-19 if you purchased your policy on or after 21 March 2020.
Our policies come with the condition that you are not aware of any circumstance which is likely to cause a claim under your policy.
As the Australian Government announced a travel ban from 21 March 2020 and effectively closed its borders, we consider that by this date the COVID-19 pandemic was a known event worldwide, regardless of where you were travelling to. Therefore, policies purchased on or after 21 March 2020 will not cover claims related to COVID-19.
Am I covered for COVID-19 if I purchased my ahm Travel Insurance policy between the 23rd January 2020 and 20th March 2020
The coronavirus pandemic was present and known in certain countries at this time as detailed below. The claims team will have to consider the relevant DFAT travel advice in place at the time and where you chose to travel in order to assess coverage under your policy.
Am I covered for COVID-19 if I purchased my ahm Travel Insurance policy before 23rd January 2020
If you purchased an International Travel policy before 23rd January 2020 your policy will cover:
- overseas medical expenses if you’re hospitalised due to contracting coronavirus while overseas.
- cover for additional expenses and trip cancellation expenses if your travel plans have been impacted by the pandemic and the Australian Government’s Do Not Travel advice.
If you do have to cancel your trip, please contact your travel provider in the first instance as many major airlines, hotels and tour companies have recently changed their cancellation policies and are providing travel credit or full refunds.
If your travel provider is not providing travel credit or refunds, you should refer to your Policy Disclosure Statement to check your level of cover and see if your policy can cover the non-refundable costs associated with your travel plans.
Unfortunately, you won’t be covered for cancellation costs if you have a Medical Only Plan.
Can I receive a credit note or refund on my travel insurance policy?
You may be eligible for a credit note or refund on your policy if all these apply to you:
- You have a domestic or international single-trip policy and your trip has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic
- Your departure date (shown on your Certificate of Insurance) is between 24 March to 17 March 2021
- You never left for your trip
- You haven’t made a claim, and you won’t make one for this policy in the future
If the above applies to you, you are yet to cancel your policy and would like a credit note contact us at redeem@travelinsurancepartners.com.au so we can assess you eligibility and organise this for you.
Credit is for 100% of the value of the policy and valid for two (2) years from the original date of departure.
If you choose a Credit Note and you change your mind at a later date, you are still eligible to receive a full cash refund and the Credit Note will be considered void. Please note that Credit Notes will be valid for two (2) years from the original date of departure.
If you would prefer to apply for a refund, please complete our online form and confirm your details so we can assess your eligibility.
Applying for a credit note or refund will cancel your policy and as a result no future claims can be made on the policy.
Customers who have already received a partial refund may be eligible for a top-up refund if the above criteria are also met. For these refunds, you do not need to do anything. We will facilitate this on your behalf.
If you’d like to speak to one of our customer service team about a possible Travel Insurance credit note or refund or would like a refund on an Annual Multi-Trip policy, please give us a call on 1300 617 409.
Once you've requested your refund, we'll assess your eligibility and process it as soon as we can (usually within 3 weeks). The refund will be sent to the same card you used to pay for your policy.
If there are any issues processing your refund, we'll contact you.
Things you should know
Limits, sub-limits, exclusions and conditions apply. This is general advice only. This product is distributed by Australian Health Management Group Pty Limited (ABN 96 003 683 298, AR 266711) and administered by Travel Insurance Partners Pty Limited (ABN 73 144 049 230, AFSL 360138). Travel insurance is underwritten by Zurich Australian Insurance Limited (ABN 13 000 296 640, AFSL 232507). Please consider your own needs and the Combined FSG/PDS to decide if this product is right for you. For information on the Target Market and Target Market Determinations, visit ahm.com.au/travel-insurance/forms-and-guides.