Peace of mind can be found in knowing that you have travel insurance and more importantly what it actually covers. While on the surface all policies can look similar, Southside World Travel can offer you an insurance policy which provides a level of cover that others may not.

Terrorism scares, civil unrest, natural disasters and service provider insolvencies are all too common occurrences for today’s traveller, so it pays to be prepared for the unexpected with the right level of cover.

We have a selection of products available for you to choose from including: Express Insurance provided by nib, Go Insurance and Covermore. We will provide you with details on which policy best suits your trip, budget and needs (especially if pre-existing medical conditions are a consideration). Your policy will be issued by one of our qualified and professional consultants, and if needed, will be there to assist if things go wrong. So rest assured, you will always be in good hands.

Free travel insurance when you obtain a credit card? Sounds great, but can it be trusted?

There are many travellers that rely on their credit card promise of free travel insurance. Banks love promoting the fact that if you take out a credit card with them, you will get free travel insurance. On the other hand, travel insurance providers love to tell stories of travellers that come to grief when trying to claim via their credit card insurance.

Southside World Travel have many credit card insurance stories. As the owner of Southside World Travel, there is one I would like to share. A client advised that he and his wife had just acquired a new credit card (from one of the big 4 banks) offering free travel insurance. When I asked did they know what they were covered for, there was a blank stare.

After consultation with the bank, our clients discovered that all purchased travel arrangements for their trip had to be made via the credit card. Not ideal, as they would incur extra merchant fees from airlines and suppliers. Our clients also found out that they had no cover for any pre-existing medical conditions. There was one more thing, they were not covered until the day of travel. This meant that if anything happened to them before the date of travel, and they had to cancel, they would not be covered.

Fortunately they decided to take out an insurance policy from one of our partners that suited their particular needs. Around four weeks prior to departure, I was advised that one of the parties travelling had a form of cancer and would not be able to travel. On their behalf we collected, collated and submitted all information required (including a detailed breakdown of all costs) for their insurance claim. The good news? They received full payment for their insurance claim around six weeks later. Even better, the client diagnosed with cancer was treated and is now 100%.

So, the answer to the question ‘can you rely on credit card insurance?’ It’s your call…

NB. Southside World Travel and their partners support the Australian Government’s recommendation that all people planning to travel overseas take out Travel Insurance and that you register with smarttraveller.gov.au before you leave.

There’s an old saying ‘if you can’t afford travel insurance, you can’t afford to travel’.