Should I Get COVID-19 Insurance Before Leaving Australia?

Are you considering traveling for work in the coming weeks? Or perhaps you’ve booked a long-awaited holiday abroad and are excited to jet off to your faraway destination?

After two years of travel bans on international travel, many of us are eager to jump on a plane and explore new countries and cultures.

In fact, Australians were among the most eager travellers on the planet, according to a study published at the end of 2021!

But while the number of flights departing the country every week is consistently increasing along with the number of countries reopening their borders, it doesn’t mean things are back to normal.

New variants, staff shortages and strict health protocols in some destinations are still affecting the travel industry.

So much so that some insurance providers are now offering policies with COVID-19 cover.

So, is it worth it?

We answer in this blog post.

What Does COVID-19 Travel Insurance Usually Cover?

While every insurance provider has their own policy, and you should always thoroughly read the terms and conditions, COVID-19 travel insurance policies will usually provide cover for:

COVID-related medical expenses

Insurance policies that cover COVID-related medical expenses will typically pay for medically-assisted repatriation, along with emergency medical and hospital costs. However, make sure to familiarise yourself with the policy. While most of them will provide unlimited cover for medical expenses, some might be limiting cover to a specific dollar amount.

Cancellation costs due to COVID-19

Some travel insurance policies will cover cancellation or amendment costs if you contract COVID before leaving or during your trip. They might also cover cancellation or amendment costs up to a specific dollar amount if you’re deemed a close contact. So, as mentioned before, make sure to discuss this with your travel insurer and meticulously review the policy terms and conditions.

Quarantine costs

Some insurance policies will cover quarantine costs if you have to quarantine during your trip because you’ve caught COVID. However, note that if your country of destination suddenly changes its quarantine policy, making it mandatory for all travellers to quarantine regardless of their health situation, very few insurers will be able to pay for your quarantine expenses.

Which Countries Require COVID-19 Travel Insurance?

Holding COVID-19 travel insurance isn’t mandatory for travellers coming to Australia. Yet many countries require tourists to have travel insurance with COVID-19 cover. This requirement allows governments to ensure travellers can afford COVID-19 related treatment during the duration of their trip should they contract COVID while travelling.

Some of the most popular destinations that require COVID-19 travel insurance include:

• St Martin, St Barts, Anguilla and Saba
• Argentina
• Aruba
• The Bahamas
• Belize
• Bermuda
• The British Virgin Islands
• Chile
• Cuba
• Ecuador
• Israel
• Indonesia
• Jordan
• Nepal
• Singapore
• Thailand
• Vietnam
• Turks and Caicos Islands

Should I Get COVID-19 Travel Insurance?

If you can’t afford to lose your holiday investment and don’t want to risk coming home with enormous debt, you should consider protecting yourself against COVID-19 with insurance.

Sure, buying COVID-19 travel insurance will cost money. But with over 727,000 new cases on a 7-day average across the world at the time of writing, it might be worth a few extra dollars. 

If you’re looking for comprehensive and affordable COVID-19 insurance, don’t hesitate to check our new COVID-19 Bounce Back Insurance. It was designed to cover your expenses with a payment of $5,000 in the event you contract COVID-19 and are hospitalised for more than 24 hours, taking the financial stress off your shoulders.