Travel Insurance for Seniors Over 75 (2024)

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Whether you’re trekking across the country or traversing the globe in your retirement, it’s important to find the right travel insurance policy to cover you for a variety of different areas while you’re away from home as a senior over 75. Fortunately, doing so is simple when you compare your options with Savvy.

With trusted Australian insurers counted amongst our partners, we help take the guesswork out of finding the most suitable policy for your travelling needs. Start the process of comparing policies right here with Savvy today and lock in your travel insurance before you know it.

Many insurers offer their standard travel insurance policies to travellers up to and over the age of 75. However, some companies may cap their maximum age for cover as low as 65 to 70, so it’s important to compare options thoroughly to find one which you can qualify for. In terms of the types of policies available to you, the main options open under travel insurance for seniors include:

Comprehensive or basic

First and foremost, consider the level of cover you need. Basic travel insurance will generally cover you for the essentials, such as medical expenses, personal liability (typically up to $1 million to $2 million) and occasionally loss of or damage to personal items (as an added extra). However, while comprehensive insurance is more expensive, you’ll automatically be covered for a wider range of events, including:

1. Unlimited emergency and general medical expenses
2. Transport to hospital
3. Medical evacuation and repatriation in Australia
4. Loss or theft of, or damage to, personal items such as luggage, electronics and other valuables
5. Cancellation of part, or all, of your holiday due to a covered event
6. Personal liability up to $5 million if you’re found to be at fault for injury to a third party or damage to their property
7. Hire car excess if your vehicle is damaged

Domestic or international

Next, think about where you want to go. Domestic travel insurance for seniors, as the name suggests, is designed for those journeying within Australia. Under a comprehensive domestic policy, you can be covered for everything listed above aside from medical expenses, as Medicare and private health insurance are still in force. If you’re looking for overseas holiday insurance as an over-75, international insurance will provide the medical coverage you need to help you avoid receiving a steep bill in another country.

Single-trip, multi-trip or one-way

Consider the nature of your travel. If the holiday you’re looking to book is a one-off, single-trip insurance will cover you for one round trip starting and ending in Australia. For those journeying away from home multiple times in a given year, it may be more suitable to look at taking out a multi-trip or annual insurance policy. However, if you’re over 75, insurers may limit these policies to no more than 90 days’ worth of cover rather than 365. Similarly, if you’re travelling without a return ticket, a one-way insurance policy can also cover you.

Cruise cover

Cruise cover for seniors is a very commonly sought part of travel insurance. In most cases, you can add cruise cover to your policy as an added extra, but there are situations where it may be included automatically (such as for domestic cruises). This is particularly important as not all cruises, even those based domestically, will be covered automatically, as not all doctors aboard will be registered with Medicare. While this isn’t really a type of insurance in the same way the others are, it’s important to know about as a senior traveller.

Yes – there are many pre-existing conditions which can be covered automatically by travel insurance policies. As such, you should compare policies based on whether your medical condition as an over-75 is either automatically offered or able to be added for an extra cost. Some of the conditions which can be included are:

1. Coeliac disease
2. Congenital blindness and deafness
3. Type 2 diabetes (if you were diagnosed more than 12 months prior and have no cardiovascular, vascular, kidney, eye or nerve complications)
4. Epilepsy
5. Glaucoma
6. Graves’ disease
7. Hypertension
8. Macular degeneration
9. Migraines
10. Osteoporosis
11. Pernicious anaemia
12. Plantar fasciitis

There are also some conditions which must be added for an extra cost if they’re to be covered under your policy. Those which can be covered under your policy for an additional premium include:

1. Secondary cancer
2. Deep vein thrombosis
3. Heart disease
4. Liver disease
5. Lung disease

However, there are instances where you may not be able to get any cover for particular medical conditions. These include:

1. Your condition is a result of a dependency on drugs or alcohol
2. Your condition is the reason you’re travelling, to seek treatment or participate in a trial
3. You’re advised not to travel by a medical professional
4. Your illness is terminal

It’s important to note, though, that suffering from a condition which isn’t covered by your insurer doesn’t count you out of being covered for other needs entirely. You can still claim for treatment unrelated to your condition (provided it came about as a result of a covered incident) and all the other aspects of comprehensive travel insurance.

While finding out what different travel insurance policies cover is perhaps the most important aspect of a travel insurance policy to get right, particularly as a senior who may be more vulnerable to medical conditions than younger travellers, it’s far from the only aspect to think about. Some of the other key comparison areas when selecting your travel insurance policy include:

Premium cost

While cheap doesn’t mean best in the world of travel insurance, it’s still valuable to take out different quotes to help compare the cost of a range of policies. This will help you avoid paying more for your insurance than is necessary, which is especially important given how expensive policies for senior travellers can be.

Claim limits

While medical costs can be claimed for without any limit, other aspects of your policy will come with restrictions as to how much you’ll be able to be covered for. For instance, while some policies may cap claims relating to lost or damaged personal effects at $5,000, others may allow you to claim up to $15,000.

Countries covered

Insurers don’t generally cover all destinations. While some may offer worldwide coverage, this may not be the best option for you if you’re only planning to journey to one or two locations, as it’ll likely be more expensive than nominating those countries individually. For example, cover for a trip to Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore could be cheaper if you only included them in your policy.

Excess requirements

As a senior over 75, you may be required to pay a higher minimum excess than younger travellers. For instance, some insurers may enforce a $200 minimum (which can often be lowered for an added fee) for those over the age of 60, while those 80 or older may have to pay as much as $2,000.

Types of policies available

Think about the type of travel you’ll be doing when tossing up between insurers. If you’re travelling in a larger group, make sure you can access an affordable group policy to help you save on premiums between your travelling party. Additionally, consider the optional extras available for particular activities if you’re looking to do some adventuring (although these can often be restricted to those under 70).