How Good Are Travel Services Credit Cards When It Comes To Accident Cover?

Featured Travel Insurance Credit Card

The Citibank Emirates Platinum is a great card to take with you while travelling as it has you and your family covered with complimentary international travel and transit accident insurance. You will also enjoy Platinum Concierge service which will assist you with both business and pleasure from anywhere in the world 24/7.

• $0 annual fee for the first year ( $229 thereafter) annual fee
• 20.99% p.a. on purchases
• 0.9% p.a. for 9 months on balance transfers
• Cash Advance Rate of 21.24% p.a.
• 55 days interest free
• Minimum Income Requirement of $40,000 p.a.
• Complimentary luxuries including chauffeur rides and Emirates lounge passes

Read the Citibank Emirates Platinum Card terms and conditions.

You will need to be careful when considering the question of travel services credit cards and insurance. You must not take it for granted that these credit cards cover you for any type of insurance that you might require.

That would be like assuming your house comes with automatic house insurance, or when you buy a car you get complimentary car insurance. Even if that were the case, you would need to verify the level of cover it affords, whether comprehensive or third party.

Travel services credit cards overview:

Insurance can be an expensive commodity, so on that basis alone you would be presumptuous assuming an all-risk travel policy would come as standard on a travel rewards credit card. That would be a very costly exercise for any credit card provider. You would also be wrong in thinking that, even where comprehensive travel insurance is a perk of the card, you are therefore covered every time you embark on any travel. Normally, travel insurance provided by a credit card covers you only for travel paid for by the relevant credit card. This may not always be the case, but it must be checked out. The usual situation is that if you pay for your travel by any other means, your credit card provider will opt out and it will be your responsibility to arrange insurance.

Where your travel services credit card does offer travel accident insurance, and you have paid for your travel with that credit card, you should be covered for accidental injury or death whilst travelling on a plane, tourist bus, train or ferry. It may not cover you against accidents whilst travelling in a taxi or hire car, and it is very unlikely to include any accident that occurs whilst at your destination, as you have ceased travelling by that point. Do not confuse “travelling” with “holiday”.

Neither should you confuse “travel accident insurance” with “travel insurance”, which is the all-risks cover that you may be seeking. This should provide protection for medical and hospital expenses, loss or damage to personal items, travel delays, cancellation of travel, rental vehicle damage and legal liability.

You are more likely to have travel insurance of some level when you possess a frequent flyer credit card, a gold or platinum credit card, or one of the American Express credit cards. These higher level credit cards may have nothing to do with any travel rewards program, but simply offer extra insurances as a perk of owning a more prestigious credit card.

Insurance is important. You have to do your homework before applying for a travel services credit card, or indeed any credit card, to make sure that any insurance advertised actually gives you the cover you think it does.

Check out today's featured offers:

Westpac Low Rate	Citibank Clear Platinum	Qantas AMEX Discovery	ANZ Platinum
0% p.a. for 6 months on purchases & balance transfers	2.9% p.a. for 12 months on balance transfers	$0 annual fee Up to 10,000 Bonus QFF Points	0% p.a. for 6 months on purchases & balance transfers

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Popular Credit Card Offers

			Interest Rate (p.a.)	Balance Transfer Rate (p.a.)	Annual fee	Cash Advance Rate (p.a.)
	Westpac Low Rate Card - 0% Offer	A credit card with a low rate offer on both balance transfers and purchases, plus a low annual fee.	0% for 6 months (reverts to 13.49% )	0% for 6 months	$45	21.49%
	Citibank Clear Platinum Card	Competitive interest rate on purchases and balance transfers offer.	11.99%	2.9% for 12 months	$99	21.74%
	St George Vertigo	Take advantage of this great offer from St.George with a low rate on purchases and a low balance transfer offer.	13.24%	0.99% for 12 months	$55	21.49%
	ANZ Platinum Credit Card	An introductory interest rate offer on balance transfers and purchases, plus a $0 first year annual fee.	0% for 6 months (reverts to 19.24% )	0% for 6 months	$0 annual fee for the first year( $87 thereafter)	20.99%