'Complimentary' Credit Card Interstate/ Domestic Travel Insurance Activation / Enable for Rental /Hire Car excess cover

tunzafun001 on 22/01/2023 - 14:16

Hi all,

So looking to book an interstate trip (fly) and hire a car. Trying to work out the best way to make use of included travel insurance on our cards. Used to have an ANZ card, and that was a straight forward $250 prior to leaving on the card to activate.

Currently have Amex PE, Citi Signature, BankSA (StGeorge/ Melbourne) and HSBC platinum cards.

I have read the PDS's cover to cover, and can't work out for the life of me what activates the travel insurance for Domestic/ Interstate travel??
I can see what enables/ activates the Overseas cover, but not the domestic.

BankSA (Same as StGeorge/ Bank of Melbourne) says Car rental excess is covered to $5000 if the full cost of the car is booked on the card. But can see nothing about it being activated in any way.

HSBC simply say, Domestic cover is now included. But nothing more?

As for Amex covering anything at all…

It gets tricky, as our flights will be:

Out:A mix of Amex travel credits (missus booking her AMEX card with travel credit, my booking on my AMEX card with travel credit covering all of it), Qantas points redemption (for daughters flight).

Return: using Virgin Travel bank + maybe $100 on any card. Still need to pay for one night accom and hire car, again, any card.

All other accom has been booked with Amex travel credits + Amex card through Amex travel.

I just called the help lines, but they are all closed. Unfortunately this is my only day off to get this booked :(

Anyone know if there is a summary/ over view anywhere of card travel insurance activations (they dont seem to use activation anymore in the PDS, most say 'enablling'). I tried Ride Hacks link from Pointhacks, but the site seems to be down :(

Cheers legends!

Travel Credit Card Insurance Travel Insurance

Comments

  • mbck on 22/01/2023 - 14:32
    +1

    Amex

    Domestic Trip means: 1. a trip that is more than 150 km from Your place of residence and is within Australia, and 2. for which the full fare for a return Trip has been charged to an American Express Explorer® Credit Card (including through redemption of American Express Membership Rewards® points or any Travel Credit).

    Hsbc
    prior to commencing their journey, charge at least 90% of the total cost of their return domestic flight and their accomodation arrangements to the accountholder’s eligible Card account;

    Re read the pds for your other cc. It's in there.

    • tunzafun001 on 22/01/2023 - 15:01

      Cheers mate.

      Interesting thing is the PDS I'm reading has totally different terms to what you have. ie

      HSBC - https://www.hsbc.com.au/content/dam/hsbc/au/docs/pdf/plat-qa…

      "at least 90% of the total cost of the cardholder’s overseas return travel ticket (i.e. ticket from and returning to Australia) has been charged to the accountholder’s Card account;"

      So this is an overseas T&C, and the only hit I get for domestic is "Domestic Travel Insurance is now available"

      Do you have a link to the HSBC PDS you are referencing?

      Similar for AMEX, I have as you have plus a 'and/or $500 of accomodation booked on the card".

      BankSA's PDS -

      I'm only seeing- on page 104 - "Who is eligible? Level 1 Card and Level 2 Card cardholders are eligible when the entire payment for the vehicle rental was charged to the accountholder’s card account."

      So does this mean we don't need to book anything else on the card to 'activate' the cover? It reads this way?

      As for flight inconvenience cover:
      "Who is eligible? you are eligible for the cover available if: 1. you reside in Australia; and 2. the entire cost of the return interstate flight (excluding taxes and airport and travel agent charges) is charged to the accountholder’s card account prior to commencing the journey"

      Since the outgoing flights are using Amex travel credits and point redemptions, and the return flights are from a covid travel credit (their is no 'cost'), except about a $100 extra 'cost'. There will be taxes payable on the redemption, but they are excluded. So my actual "total costs' are $100? The value of the travel is around $1500, but the actual cost is $100. But depends on the legal definition of 'costs'?

      • mbck on 22/01/2023 - 16:01

        That's just a link to the latest changes. You need to get the full pds on the hsbc website (apologies I'm out atm). It will list the domestic there.

        It sounds like you have to buy a return ticket instead of separate tickets. So it'd be safest to get a separate travel insurance

        • tunzafun001 on 22/01/2023 - 16:10

          Ok, found another HSBC Insurance T&C for personal card holders.

          https://www.hsbc.com.au/content/dam/hsbc/au/docs/pdf/complim…

          This says it's a $250 spend to become eligible for flight Inconvenience, or entire 'cost' of domestic return flight ticket if less than $250.

          Vehicle rental on this one is exactly the same as BankSA - ie 'eligible' if all car costs are on the card. But the max excess is $6k. Whereas the other HSBC link says $3k. Nothing to say it needs a flight to activate it (as is, well was the case with my old ANZ card).

          • stan86 on 23/01/2023 - 10:27
            +1

            @tunzafun001: I think you may be going down a rabbit hole with the whole 'activating' the insurance part. You simply just need to meet their eligibility criteria to be covered. From the BankSA PDS (below), it is as simple as paying for the entire rental on your BankSA card, and if we put it your way, paying it with your BankSA card 'activates' the card rental insurance.

            Who is eligible?
            Level 1 Card and Level 2 Card cardholders are eligible
            when the entire payment for the vehicle rental was
            charged to the accountholder’s card account.

            • tunzafun001 on 23/01/2023 - 11:00

              @stan86: Cheers for this. Just wanted to confirm others read this the same way. Seems that is indedd the case. The enabling/ activation clause seems to be gone.
              Thanks for your time.

    • meowsers on 22/01/2023 - 16:53

      This is different for every Amex by the way.

      I have a platinum charge and am covered for rental cars no matter the distance from home. Up to 31 days.

      If you are hiring the car, put it on whatever card (once you've read the PDS and are happy with the cover) as that's easy to do and a separate charge.

      As for medical — well it's domestic so medicare will cover.

      • tunzafun001 on 22/01/2023 - 18:55

        Looks like they are indeed seperate these days?
        Used to have to 'activate' your policy (ie $250 travel spend + have booked interstate transport - plane, boat or train) for hire car cover to apply.

        But cant see any indication of this anymore?

        Could make sense of a PDS back then though.

  • 87percent on 22/01/2023 - 16:39
    -1

    Damn, you have 4 cc’s?

  • meowsers on 22/01/2023 - 16:54
    +3

    As for rental car insurance outside of credit card included cover i would suggest allianz domest travel insurance. very cheap compared to the excess and also compared to hire car rates.

    • altomic on 22/01/2023 - 17:48

      ^100% this

  • sumyungguy on 22/01/2023 - 23:20
    +1

    I have global car hire excess cover with one of my cards - subject to a $500 excess. So for long domestic trips I purchase a domestic travel insurance policy for one adult (last Oct/Nov: Zoom). For shorter trips (and dealer service loan cars) the current price leader appears to be https://www.rentalcarprotection.com.au

  • nanny0tt on 24/01/2023 - 13:00

    Hi, any reason why you closed anz other than its annual fee? i just submitted an application thinking its insurance criteria is the easiest to satisfy

    • tunzafun001 on 24/01/2023 - 15:06
      +1

      Nah, just annual fee due when there was 3 other card offers with Bonus points.

      FYI - I called the card insurer.

      $250 spend or full flight costs for Flight Inconvenience cover.

      As for cars, just need to book the full cost.

  • VQLD on 27/02/2023 - 11:43

    ANZ Platinum and Black:
    RENTAL VEHICLE EXCESS
    INSURANCE IN AUSTRALIA
    PART A - ELIGIBILITY FOR COVER
    WHO IS ELIGIBLE?
    Cardholders are eligible when the entire payment for the
    vehicle rental was charged to the accountholder’s card account.

    Looks like not everything is covered:
    PART E - THE COVER AVAILABLE
    Cover is only available if your rental vehicle agreement specifies
    an amount that is payable in the event the rental vehicle is
    damaged or stolen while in your custody.
    This section does not cover items such as, but not limited to,
    tyres and/or windscreens, roof and underbody if they are not
    covered by the indemnity provided by the rental company
    or agency under the rental vehicle agreement to which the
    amount payable applies.

    • tunzafun001 on 27/02/2023 - 14:19

      Thats pretty standard for rental cars. Even the insurance they offer doesnt cover windscreens or tyres. One of those things that if you damage them, you go and get them replaced.
      * take note of this on NZ south Island.. There are little marble rocks everywhere. Cracked windscreens are pretty common.

      • VQLD on 27/02/2023 - 15:48

        yeah, had a couple of chips driving from Queenstown along the lake few years ago..

        Trying to find a way to cover windscreen without paying "Full cover" to rental company..
        Can't find if windscreen is excluded or not - https://www.rentalcarprotection.com.au/

        • tunzafun001 on 27/02/2023 - 16:10

          Just hire a cheap i30. Windscreen will be less than the exceas anyway.

          Dont hire a car with auto braking or a heated windscreen ($2000 ish)

        • sumyungguy on 27/02/2023 - 16:15

          In the PDS: We will pay…following accidental damage to windscreens, tyres, roof and under-carriage

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