Medical emergency, hospital & repatriation

Need to be hospitalised on your overseas trip? Here’s how Travel by Us will cover your overseas emergency, medical, hospital and repatriation costs.

You had your trip all mapped out and a visit to the hospital was not on your itinerary. Nor was that emergency stop at the dentist or medivac ride back to Australia. Accidents and illnesses have no place in your holiday plans but unfortunately they do happen.

Sometimes it’s a sudden toothache that sends you running towards the nearest dentist. Or a slippery floor that lands you facedown with a broken arm. Sometimes the situation is far more serious and you need emergency surgery or even medical evacuation back to Australia. It’s in times like these that quality travel insurance and switched-on customer service truly save the day.

While serious medical emergencies can – and do – happen overseas, breathe easy knowing that Travel by Us offers a stack of benefits that take care of medical emergency, hospital & repatriation costs.

Overseas medical and hospital

If you suffer a sudden illness or serious injury on your trip, we will pay you the reasonable and necessary cost of emergency medical, hospital, ambulance or other treatment you receive overseas during the trip. This benefit is available on all cover levels, with an unlimited maximum payout.

Keep in mind

This benefit lasts only 12 months from when the sudden illness first presented or the serious injury happened. Any treatment you receive or that is prescribed must be done by a registered medical practitioner or paramedic and cover ends once you return home.

We may determine that you should return to Australia for treatment. If you do not agree to do so, we will pay you an amount which we determine would cover your medical expenses and/or related costs if you had agreed to our recommendation. It will then be your responsibility to pay for any on-going or additional costs relating to or arising out of the event you have claimed for, up to the coverage dates of the policy, any travel after that date is not covered.

Not all rules and exclusions have been listed here. Please see the Combined Product Disclosure Statement and Policy Wording for full details.

Emergency medical transport and repatriation

If you are unable to continue your trip because of death, sudden illness or serious injury of yourself or a travel companion or close relative, Travel by Us will pay you your necessary additional travel, accommodation, repatriation and meals that you undertake with our consent.

Likewise, if you are hospitalised as an in-patient because of a sudden illness or serious injury, and require a close relative or friend to travel to, remain with or escort you in place of the attending registered medical practitioner, we will manage the associated costs (as long as you have written advice of this requirement from the attending registered medical practitioner, and our consent), we will pay you your necessary additional travel, accommodation, repatriation and meals that you undertake with our consent.

A total payout of $100,000 is available on Saver cover, $500,000 is available on Basic cover, and the payout amount is unlimited on Comprehensive cover.

Keep in mind

  • This benefit is not available on the Saver cover level.
  • You will need the attending registered medical practitioner to advise us in writing that you are unfit to continue the trip as a result of sudden illness or serious injury.
  • We won’t pay for the cost of resuming the trip after you have returned to Australia except if your level of cover includes airfares for resumption of travel
  • Any additional travel you undertake must be at the fare class originally booked, unless we agree otherwise and we have received a written recommendation from the registered medical practitioner attending to you;
  • If at the time of the event that causes you to return to Australia, you are not in possession of a return ticket, we will deduct the cost of an economy-class airfare at the carrier’s regular published rates for the return trip; we will use your return ticket if this reduces our costs;
  • We will not pay for additional transport and accommodation expenses when a claim is made under the Cancellation costs benefit or for cancelled transport and accommodation expenses covering the same period.
  • These benefits will be payable for up to 12 months from the date that your trip was interrupted.
  • Not all rules and exclusions have been listed here. Please see the Combined Product Disclosure Statement and Policy Wording for full details.

Overseas dental

If your teeth are in good nick and you suddenly suffer a tooth infection or broken tooth during your trip Travel by Us will pay you the cost of emergency dental treatment you receive overseas up to a maximum amount of $500 per person on Saver cover, and up to $2,000 on our Basic, Comprehensive and Domestic
cover levels.

Keep in mind

  • We’ll need your treating dentist to certify in writing that the treatment is required only for the relief of sudden and acute onset of pain to healthy, natural teeth, which are teeth that are whole or properly restored (with fillings only).
  • Not all rules and exclusions have been listed here. Please see the Combined Product Disclosure Statement and Policy Wording for full details.

Cash in hospital

Out-of-pocket expenses should be the least of your worries in hospital. If you are necessarily confined to hospital overseas for 48 hours or more due to serious injury or sudden illness that happens or presents during the trip, we will pay you up to the applicable limit for each day of your confinement. This benefit is available to a maximum amount of $1,500 on Saver Cover, $3,500 on Basic, and $6,000 on our Comprehensive cover levels.

Keep in mind

Keep in mind

  • Our medical consultant and your attending physician must agree that you should stay in hospital for a minimum of five days, or that your condition is life threatening (in case of disagreement, the decision of our medical consultant will prevail)
  • The compassionate emergency visit cover is only valid during your hospitalisation
  • You are entitled to a maximum of two persons accompanying you and they may either be fellow travellers or relatives; and
  • The policy covers one compassionate emergency visit in connection with one insured event;
  • Each person requested to travel on compassionate grounds will need to arrange their own travel insurance and are not covered under this policy;
  • Not all rules and exclusions have been listed here. Please see the Combined Product Disclosure Statement and Policy Wording for full details.

Overseas funeral expenses

No one like to think of this, but if you or your travelling companion (and any named dependants) die while overseas on your trip we will pay you up to $10,000 in total on Saver cover, $15,000 on Basic, and $20,000 on Comprehensive cover levels for your burial or cremation overseas or for transporting your remains to Australia.

Keep in mind

Will not pay for any costs relating to expenses in Australia, and we will not cover you for losses, liability or expenses that are for, related to or as a result of;

  • Any pre-existing medical conditions (except for these included conditions and unless we have assessed and accepted your non-included condition and you have paid an additional premium.
  • An accident that occurs while on the ski slopes unless you purchased additional coverage for approved winter sports activities under our Snow add on.
  • You intentionally injuring yourself.
  • Not all rules and exclusions have been listed here. Please see the Combined Product Disclosure Statement and Policy Wording for full details.

Exclusions

Pre-existing medical conditions

A Pre-existing Medical Condition means any diagnosed medical condition, which in the last 5 years, you or any insured person has suffered from or has received any form of medical advice, treatment or medication for. Claims arising from pre-existing medical conditions are excluded under your policy unless the condition is one of the qualifying ‘Automatically Covered Pre-Existing Medical Condition’ listed here.

Travelling against professional advice

​Your claim will not be payable if you are travelling against medical advice. The same goes if you are unfit to travel, are travelling to receive medical treatment; or you have been advised by a registered medical practitioner that you should not travel and you fail to promptly cancel your pre-booked travel.

Activities we don’t cover

Holidays are all about trying new things and we’re all for that. The reality is that some holiday activities can be dangerous and result in injury, so for that reason we don’t cover injuries that are a result of hazardous activities. Find out more about excluded activities here.

The list of activities we do cover is longer than those we don’t cover, still it’s important to know that if you’re injured during specific activities or events such as hunting or parachuting, we won’t be able to cover your medical expenses.

For specific cover for activities such as winter sports, diving, golf, and more, check out our range of travel insurance Add-ons

Understand your cover

Conditions and exclusions apply to every cover level and optional pack. View our Combined Product Disclosure Statement and Financial Services Guide for full details. Sub-limits apply. Not sure? Our friendly team are here to help. Get in touch

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