No trip cancellation cover. This benefit is not included with the low-rate Vertigo, which carries no complimentary insurance. Prepaid flights, hotels, and tours are not reimbursable if you cancel, and a standalone travel insurance policy is required for this coverage.
Does the Bank of Melbourne Vertigo come with any travel insurance?
Bank of Melbourne·$84/year·Visa
0,0/5Independent review · verified October 2026
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Our Verdict · Travel Insurance
Our take on travel insurance for the Bank of Melbourne Vertigo
Expert review · Pauline LauroreAuthor of HelloSafe's card insurance reviews
No travel insurance. None on this card. Searches for Bank of Melbourne Vertigo travel insurance usually mix up two different cards: the plain low-rate Vertigo, which is this one, and the old Vertigo Platinum, which did carry complimentary cover. This one does not. So you book flights to Bali, assume the Visa quietly insures you, and only find out at the hospital that it never did. Medicare pays nothing overseas, and a serious admission can run $50,000 to $200,000, all on you. What the Vertigo does well is stay cheap and simple: a 13.99% purchase rate and an $84 yearly fee, no rewards, no perks. If you want the trip itself covered, a standalone travel insurance policy starts from a few dollars a day, and it is the only route to overseas medical, cancellation, or evacuation on this card.
What works on travel
- Low 13.99% purchase rate: one of Bank of Melbourne's cheapest cards to carry a balance
- $84 yearly card fee with up to 55 interest-free days: cheap to hold while you insure trips separately
Where travel breaks down
- No overseas emergency medical cover: a serious hospital admission abroad, commonly $50,000 to $200,000, is entirely on you
- Easily confused with the Vertigo Platinum, which did carry cover: the plain Vertigo has never included travel insurance
- Every travel benefit reads not available: no cancellation, baggage, delay, evacuation, or liability cover
Our methodology
Every score is derived from official bank documents: terms and conditions, benefit guides, and claim procedures. No commercial relationship influences our ratings.
Travel Insurance · 20 guarantees
What does Bank of Melbourne Vertigo Travel Insurance actually cover?
No overseas emergency medical cover. There is no 24/7 assistance line attached to this card, which has never carried complimentary travel insurance. All medical costs overseas are the cardholder's responsibility, Medicare does not cover you outside Australia, and a serious hospital admission overseas can run $50,000 to $200,000.
No emergency evacuation cover. This benefit is not included with the low-rate Vertigo. Emergency evacuation costs are entirely the cardholder's responsibility, and an air ambulance from Southeast Asia to Australia runs $60,000 to $100,000.
No overseas dental cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Emergency dental treatment overseas is out of pocket.
No hospital cash allowance. This benefit is not included with this card. A daily cash payment during an overseas hospital stay is not provided.
No additional expenses cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Costs from a trip cut short, such as return flights and unused hotels, are out of pocket.
No travel delay cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Meals, accommodation, and transport during a delay are the cardholder's responsibility.
No alternative transport cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Rebooking to reach a destination after a missed connection is paid out of pocket.
No resumption of journey cover. This benefit is not included with this card. The cost to fly home and resume a trip after a family emergency is out of pocket.
No baggage delay cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Purchases of essential items during a bag delay are out of pocket.
No baggage cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Replacement costs for lost or stolen bags are the cardholder's responsibility.
No travel documents cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Reissuing a stolen passport and covering fraudulent card transactions are paid out of pocket.
No personal liability cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Legal liability for injury to others or property damage overseas is uninsured, and claims commonly reach hundreds of thousands of dollars.
No accidental death benefit. This benefit is not included with this card. No lump sum is paid to your family for an accidental death during a journey.
No loss of income benefit. This benefit is not included with this card. Lost earnings after an overseas injury that stops you working are not replaced.
No domestic cancellation cover. The Interstate Flight Inconvenience benefit does not apply to this card. Cancelled prepaid interstate flights and travel are not reimbursable.
No domestic flight delay cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Meals and accommodation during an interstate flight delay are the cardholder's responsibility.
No domestic additional expenses cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Extra interstate travel and accommodation after a disruption are out of pocket.
No domestic luggage cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Loss, theft, or damage to bags on an interstate trip is not reimbursable.
No domestic luggage delay cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Essential purchases during an interstate baggage delay are out of pocket.
We source benefits from official card guides, but PDFs are sometimes hard to obtain or update. Spotted something off?
Coverage Radar
Where the Bank of Melbourne Vertigo wins, where it loses
Coverage snapshot for this tab — click any layer to highlight its scores.
Trip cancellation: not covered by this card
Medical fees abroad: not covered by this card
Medical repatriation: not covered by this card
Compare
VertigoThis card0.0/5?
$84/yrWith travel insuranceIdeal
Complete coverage · 5.0 / 5Premium card avg.
$235 avg. annual feeClick a layer to highlight its scores on the radar.
Side-by-side comparison
How the Bank of Melbourne Vertigo stacks up against the alternatives
Same 5 coverage dimensions, ranked head-to-head against the cards most Vertigo shoppers also consider.
| Card | This card Vertigo Bank of Melbourne · $84/yr 0.0/5? | Amplify Signature Bank of Melbourne · $295/yr 4.3/5? | Vertigo Platinum St.George · $99/yr 4.3/5? | Low Fee Platinum Westpac · $90/yr 4.3/5? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Trip cancellation Per person, per trip cap | Not covered Cover this gap → | Unlimited Unlimited | Unlimited Unlimited (all prepaid) | Unlimited Unlimited |
Emergency medical Hospital bills abroad | Not covered Cover this gap → | Unlimited Unlimited | Unlimited Unlimited | Unlimited Unlimited |
Emergency evacuation Air ambulance + repatriation | Not covered Cover this gap → | Unlimited Unlimited evacuation | Unlimited Unlimited evacuation | Unlimited Unlimited evacuation |
Trip delay trigger Hours before benefits kick in | Not covered Cover this gap → | 6h / $1,100 Trigger: 6 hours | 6h / $1,100 Trigger: 6 hours | 6h / $1,100 Trigger: 6 hours |
Trip interruption Covered amount | Not covered Cover this gap → | Unlimited Extra travel & accommodation | Unlimited Extra travel & accommodation | Unlimited Unlimited |
StrongLimited / misleadingNot covered
Data verified against each card's Guide to Benefits, May 2026.
Cardholder reviews
What cardholders say about the Bank of Melbourne Vertigo
Real experiences with the low-rate card and its lack of insurance 14 reviews
M(
Michelle (CreditCard.com.au)
A genuine low-rate, low-fee card
Great low rate card with a good balance transfer and low annual fee.
G(
George (ProductReview)
Signed up for Vertigo, ended up on the Platinum
I signed up to the Vertigo $55 annual card fee etc etc. Why am I on the platinum card???
A(
abc1213 (ProductReview)
Card servicing was slow and frustrating
When it comes to credit card, its ridiculous.
Emergency · Card assistance line
How to contact Bank of Melbourne Vertigo assistance?
Bank of Melbourne card servicing (Australia)
13 22 66
Card and account queries
Lost or stolen card (from overseas)
+61 3 8536 7870
Standard international call rates · 24/7 for lost or stolen cards, not travel claims
Benefit administrator: Not applicable. This card has no complimentary insurance, so there is no insurer or claims administrator to contact.
Claims & pre-authorizations
What to do if you need cover with the Vertigo
1
Step 1: Know there is nothing to claim on the card
The low-rate Vertigo carries no complimentary travel, rental, or purchase insurance, so there is nothing to claim through Bank of Melbourne or Allianz. Do not assume the Visa badge insures a trip, and do not confuse this card with the Vertigo Platinum, which did carry cover.
2
Step 2: Buy a standalone policy for the trip or hire car
A dedicated travel insurance policy is the only source of overseas medical, cancellation, and rental excess cover for this card. Buy it before you leave Australia, and read the pre-existing condition terms if they apply to you.
3
Step 3: For a lost card or a disputed charge, call Bank of Melbourne
Contact Bank of Melbourne on 13 22 66 within Australia, or +61 3 8536 7870 from overseas for a lost or stolen card. This line handles card and account queries, not insurance claims.
FAQ
What people ask about the Bank of Melbourne Vertigo
- You cannot, because there is no travel insurance to activate. The Bank of Melbourne Vertigo is a low interest rate card that carries no complimentary travel, rental, or purchase insurance, so no amount of spending switches any cover on. This is a common mix-up, because the separate Vertigo Platinum card did include complimentary cover, but the plain low-rate Vertigo has never carried it. If you are travelling and want overseas medical, cancellation, or baggage protection, the only route is a standalone travel insurance policy bought before you leave Australia.
- No one. The Bank of Melbourne Vertigo has no complimentary travel, rental, or purchase insurance, so there is no cover for the cardholder, a spouse or partner, or dependent children. Complimentary cover in this range belongs to premium cards such as the Amplify Signature and the discontinued Vertigo Platinum, not to the low-rate Vertigo. To protect anyone on a trip, take out a separate travel insurance policy that names each traveller, and buy it before you leave Australia.
- It does not, because the card carries no rental vehicle excess cover at all. Rental Vehicle Excess cover in the Bank of Melbourne range sits inside the complimentary insurance on covered cards, and the low-rate Vertigo is not one of them. So if a hire car is damaged or stolen, the excess is entirely on you, commonly $2,000 to $5,500 on an Australian hire. A standalone rental vehicle excess policy covers both Australian and overseas hires and is the only way to shift that cost off this card.
- There is nothing to claim, because this card has no complimentary insurance. Neither Bank of Melbourne nor any insurer will accept a travel, rental, or purchase claim tied to the low-rate Vertigo. If you bought a standalone travel policy for your trip, claim through that insurer using the contact details in its own policy document. For a lost or stolen card, fraud, or a disputed transaction, call Bank of Melbourne on 13 22 66 within Australia or +61 3 8536 7870 from overseas, though that line handles card servicing, not insurance claims.
- The short answer is everything on the insurance side. The Bank of Melbourne Vertigo has no overseas emergency medical cover, no evacuation, no trip cancellation, no baggage or delay cover, no personal liability, and no domestic interstate cover. It also has no rental vehicle excess cover, no purchase protection, no extended warranty, no price guarantee, and no mobile phone insurance. What the card does keep is a low 13.99% purchase rate and an $84 yearly fee, so it is a low-cost everyday spender, just not an insurance product.
- Yes, and it is not optional if you want to be covered. Because the Bank of Melbourne Vertigo has no complimentary travel insurance, a standalone policy is your only source of overseas emergency medical cover, which matters because Medicare pays nothing outside Australia and a serious hospital admission overseas can run $50,000 to $200,000. A separate policy also covers cancellation, baggage, and rental excess, none of which this card provides. Buy the policy before you leave, and check its pre-existing condition terms.
- No. The Bank of Melbourne Vertigo does not include mobile phone or screen insurance, and it has never carried a phone cover. If your phone is lost, stolen, or the screen cracks, the repair or replacement is your cost, and a flagship screen repair alone runs about $200 to $600. Some cards and standalone gadget policies do cover phones, usually on the condition that the monthly phone bill is charged to the card, but that is not part of this product. Treat your phone as uninsured under this card and budget for repairs yourself.
- No. There is no travel policy attached to the Bank of Melbourne Vertigo, so skiing, snowboarding, and any snow-sports injury or equipment loss are not covered, on-piste or off-piste. Snow cover on Australian cards comes through complimentary travel insurance, which this low-rate card does not have. For a ski or snowboard trip, take out a dedicated snow travel insurance policy, which typically covers on-piste activity and can add off-piste cover for an extra premium. Arrange it before you travel, and check the activities each policy lists.
- No, and this is the key point to get right. The plain low-rate Vertigo and the Vertigo Platinum are two different cards. The Vertigo Platinum, now closed to new applications, was a platinum card that did include complimentary insurance such as overseas travel cover, rental vehicle excess, and purchase protection. The low-rate Vertigo has never carried any of that. One cardholder found they had been switched to the Platinum without asking, which shows how easily the two are confused. If you hold the plain Vertigo and want the trip covered, you need a standalone travel insurance policy.
Not just Bank of Melbourne
Other cards worth considering
Vertigo is a strong choice — but depending on what you prioritize, one of these may suit you better.
Vertigo Platinum
St.George
Amplify Signature
Bank of Melbourne
Low Fee Platinum
Westpac
Altitude Qantas Black
Westpac
