No free trip cancellation cover. It is a paid Upgraded Benefit you apply and pay for before you travel, not part of the complimentary cover on the Platinum tier. Prepaid flights, hotels and tours are not reimbursable if you cancel, and a standalone travel insurance policy is required for this coverage otherwise.
Bankwest Platinum Mastercard travel insurance: what does it actually cover?
Bankwest·A$160/year·Platinum Mastercard
1,9/5Independent review · verified July 2026
2,4
0,0
3,0
Our Verdict · Travel Insurance
Our take on travel insurance for the Bankwest Platinum Mastercard
Expert review · Pauline LauroreAuthor of HelloSafe's card insurance reviews
Unlimited medical. Almost nothing else for free. That single trade-off is the Bankwest Platinum Mastercard travel insurance in one line. Travel overseas on an activated card and the complimentary cover pays unlimited overseas emergency medical, with a $250 excess per claim, plus personal liability, accidental death and baggage, and there is no minimum spend to switch it on. Here is where most people get caught: they assume a Platinum card also cancels trips and covers delays. It doesn't. Trip cancellation, additional expenses, travel delay, baggage delay and rental excess are all paid Upgraded Benefits you apply for before you fly, and cover stops after 31 days per trip with none from age 80. Want hospital cover on a short overseas trip and nothing more, and this does the job at no cost; for a big prepaid holiday, budget for the upgrade or a standalone policy.
What works on travel
- Unlimited overseas emergency medical: no dollar cap on hospital or treatment, $250 excess per claim
- No minimum spend to activate: cover switches on by travelling overseas on an activated card with a return ticket
- Personal liability overseas up to $2,500,000, with no excess
- Baggage and personal goods up to $20,000, or $30,000 for a cardholder with family
- Free domestic Interstate Flight Inconvenience cover: cancellation to $3,000 and flight delay from four hours
Where travel breaks down
- No free trip cancellation or additional expenses: both are paid Upgraded Benefits you must buy before you travel
- No free travel delay, baggage delay, resumption of journey or loss of income on the Platinum tier
- Overseas cover stops after 31 days per trip, and there is no medical cover from age 80
- Pre-existing conditions are excluded unless auto-covered on the PDS list or added for an extra premium
- A $250 excess applies to overseas medical and baggage claims
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 Bankwest Platinum Mastercard Travel Insurance actually cover?
What's not covered
- Not included in the free complimentary cover; available only as a paid Upgraded Benefit ($15,000 cardholder / $20,000 family when upgraded)
Cover excludes anyone aged 80 or over, and pre-existing conditions are not covered unless they are on the PDS auto-covered list or you pay an extra premium to add them.
Pays overseas emergency medical, hospital and ambulance costs with no dollar cap, for treatment within the 12 months after an injury or illness first arises. A $250 excess applies per claim. Medicare does not cover you outside Australia, so this is the benefit that carries the card.
What's covered
- Emergency hospital and medical treatment overseas
- Emergency dental for sudden acute pain, up to $2,000
- Hospital incidentals of $100 per 24 hours, up to $15,000
- Ambulance and medical evacuation arranged by the assistance team
What's not covered
- Anyone aged 80 or over
- Pre-existing conditions unless auto-covered or added for a premium
- Pregnancy after 23 weeks and 6 days
- Treatment you travelled overseas to obtain
Evacuation must be arranged and approved by the Cover-More assistance line first. Book your own air ambulance without calling and the cost can fall on you, and a medevac to Australia can run past $100,000.
Emergency medical evacuation and repatriation to Australia are covered within the unlimited medical benefit, arranged by the Cover-More 24-hour assistance team. Call them before treatment where you can, because evacuation costs not pre-approved can be refused. Repatriation of remains is not in the free cover; it sits in the paid Overseas Funeral upgrade.
What's covered
- Emergency evacuation to the nearest suitable hospital
- Repatriation to Australia when medically necessary
- 24-hour assistance and payment coordination
What's not covered
- Evacuation not pre-approved by the assistance team
- Repatriation of remains (paid Upgraded Benefit only)
- Costs from an uncovered pre-existing condition
Covers emergency dental treatment for the relief of sudden and acute pain to natural teeth, up to $2,000, with no excess. Routine, planned or cosmetic dental work is not covered. It sits inside the overseas medical benefit.
What's covered
- Emergency treatment for sudden acute dental pain overseas
What's not covered
- Routine, planned or cosmetic dental treatment
- Work involving precious metals, crowns or dentures
- Treatment provided in Australia
If you are hospitalised overseas for more than 24 continuous hours, pays incidentals such as TV, phone and newspapers at $100 per 24 hours, up to $15,000. No excess applies. It is a small comfort top-up, not a substitute for the medical cover.
What's covered
- Incidental costs during an overseas hospital stay of more than 24 hours
What's not covered
- Hospital stays under 24 hours
- Costs from an uncovered condition
No free additional expenses cover. Extra travel and accommodation after a disruption is a paid Upgraded Benefit on the Platinum tier, not part of the complimentary cover. Costs from a trip cut short, such as rebooked flights and unused hotels, are out of pocket without the upgrade.
What's not covered
- Not included free; available as a paid Upgraded Benefit (unlimited when upgraded)
No free travel delay cover. Travel Delay Expenses are a paid Upgraded Benefit on the Platinum tier. Meals and accommodation during a long delay are the cardholder's responsibility unless you buy the upgrade.
What's not covered
- Not included free; available as a paid Upgraded Benefit ($475 cardholder / $1,100 family when upgraded)
No missed connection cover. There is no alternative transport benefit on this card, free or upgraded. The cost of rebooking to catch up after a missed connection is out of pocket.
What's not covered
- Alternative transport is not a benefit under this card
No free resumption of journey cover. Returning overseas to resume a trip after a relative dies is a paid Upgraded Benefit on the Platinum tier. The economy fare to resume the journey is out of pocket without the upgrade.
What's not covered
- Not included free; available as a paid Upgraded Benefit ($5,750 cardholder / $15,000 family when upgraded)
No free baggage delay cover. Baggage Delay Expenses are a paid Upgraded Benefit on the Platinum tier. Buying clothes and toiletries while your bag is delayed is out of pocket without the upgrade.
What's not covered
- Not included free; available as a paid Upgraded Benefit ($600 cardholder / $1,200 family when upgraded)
Per-item limits apply: $3,500 for cameras, computers and phones, and $2,000 for anything else, so a high-value item may not be fully covered.
Covers accidental damage, theft and permanent loss of luggage and personal goods up to $20,000, or $30,000 for a cardholder travelling with family. A $250 excess applies, and depreciation is taken into account. Per-item limits apply: $3,500 for cameras, computers and phones, and $2,000 for other items.
What's covered
- Accidental damage, theft or permanent loss of luggage and personal goods
- Lost prescription medication replaced up to $500
What's not covered
- Valuables left unattended, including in a vehicle
- Items left behind or walked away from in a public place
- Sporting equipment damaged while in use
No free travel documents cover. Replacing passports, transaction cards and cash is a paid Upgraded Benefit on the Platinum tier. The cost to reissue documents or replace stolen cash is out of pocket without the upgrade.
What's not covered
- Not included free; available as a paid Upgraded Benefit ($600 cardholder / $1,100 family when upgraded)
Covers your legal liability for injury to other people or damage to their property overseas, up to $2,500,000, with no excess. Reasonable legal costs approved in advance are included. Liability linked to vehicles, aircraft or watercraft is excluded.
What's covered
- Legal liability for third-party injury overseas
- Legal liability for third-party property damage
- Approved legal costs
What's not covered
- Liability from vehicles, aircraft or watercraft
- Liability to family or travelling companions
- Liability from a business, trade or profession
Pays a lump sum of $25,000 on the accidental death of the cardholder, and $25,000 for a spouse, when death occurs within one year of the injury. No excess applies. It is a modest benefit next to the unlimited medical cover.
What's covered
- Accidental death of the cardholder or spouse during the journey
What's not covered
- Death from an excluded activity or condition
No free loss of income cover. Income replacement after an overseas injury stops you working is a paid Upgraded Benefit on the Platinum tier. Lost wages once you return home are out of pocket without the upgrade.
What's not covered
- Not included free; available as a paid Upgraded Benefit (up to $1,000 per week, max $12,000, when upgraded)
Cover only applies if the entire return interstate airfare was charged to the card, and it runs for 14 days from the start of the interstate trip.
Covers cancellation of prepaid domestic travel arrangements up to $3,000, under the free Interstate Flight Inconvenience cover, for reasons such as illness, a death, or a natural disaster. A $250 excess applies. Cover starts only once the entire return interstate airfare is charged to the card.
What's covered
- Illness, injury or death of you, a companion or a relative
- Home made uninhabitable by fire, flood or earthquake
- Carrier cancellation from a natural disaster or aircraft breakdown
- Involuntary redundancy from full-time work
What's not covered
- Cancellation for a reason within your control or already known
- Taxes, airport or travel agent charges
After an interstate flight delay of four hours or more, with no alternative transport available, pays $100 per person for meals and refreshments, up to $500 in total. No excess applies. It covers the return interstate flight charged to the card.
What's covered
- Meals and refreshments after a 4-hour interstate flight delay
What's not covered
- Delays where alternative transport is available
- Delays within your control
No domestic additional expenses cover. The interstate benefit covers cancellation, flight delay and luggage, not extra travel or accommodation. Meals and accommodation from a disrupted interstate trip are the cardholder's responsibility.
What's not covered
- Domestic additional expenses are not a benefit under this card
Covers loss of, or damage to, personal goods on an interstate trip up to $1,000 per item and $3,000 in total. A $250 excess applies, and depreciation is taken into account. Laptop computers and business items are not covered under this domestic benefit.
What's covered
- Theft or accidental loss of, or damage to, personal goods interstate
What's not covered
- Laptop computers and business items
- Items left unattended
- Amounts above the $1,000 per-item limit
If your interstate luggage is delayed more than 12 hours, pays $100 per person for essential clothing and toiletries, up to $250 in total. No excess applies. It does not apply on the leg that returns you home.
What's covered
- Essential clothing and toiletries after a 12-hour interstate luggage delay
What's not covered
- Delay on the leg that returns you home
Policy document
We source benefits from official card guides, but PDFs are sometimes hard to obtain or update. Spotted something off?
Coverage Radar
Where the Bankwest Platinum Mastercard wins, where it loses
Coverage snapshot for this tab — click any layer to highlight its scores.
Overseas emergency dental: above the market average
Trip cancellation: not covered by this card
Trip interruption: not covered by this card
Compare
Platinum MastercardThis card1.9/5?
A$160/yrWith travel insuranceIdeal
Complete coverage · 5.0 / 5Premium card avg.
A$241 avg. annual feeClick a layer to highlight its scores on the radar.
Side-by-side comparison
How the Bankwest Platinum Mastercard stacks up against the alternatives
Same 5 coverage dimensions, ranked head-to-head against the cards most Platinum Mastercard shoppers also consider.
| Card | This card Platinum Mastercard Bankwest · A$160/yr 1.9/5? | Amplify Qantas Platinum Bank of Melbourne · A$250/yr 4.3/5? | Amplify Qantas Signature Bank of Melbourne · A$370/yr 4.3/5? | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Trip cancellation Per person, per trip cap | Not covered Cover this gap → | Unlimited Unlimited | Unlimited Unlimited | |
Emergency medical Hospital bills abroad | Unlimited Unlimited | Unlimited Unlimited | Unlimited Unlimited | |
Emergency evacuation Air ambulance + repatriation | Unlimited Unlimited evacuation | Unlimited Unlimited evacuation | Unlimited Unlimited evacuation | |
Trip delay trigger Hours before benefits kick in | Not covered Cover this gap → | 6h / $500 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 |
StrongLimited / misleadingNot covered
Data verified against each card's Guide to Benefits, May 2026.
Cardholder reviews
What cardholders say about the Bankwest Platinum Mastercard
Real experiences on the complimentary cover, activation and claims 18 reviews
C(
courto (Whirlpool)
Claim paid, no complaints
Yes I have just had a claim paid. No complaints at all.
L(
lambs (Whirlpool)
Not sure I would trust it with pre-existing conditions
With a couple of pre-existing medical conditions to cover, I am not sure I'm ready to trust complimentary travel insurance just yet.
E(
Empirical (Whirlpool)
The PDS is a slog
Having to sift my way through 80 pages, I am sure not many people can be bothered.
Emergency · Card assistance line
How to contact Bankwest Platinum Mastercard assistance?
Australia Enquiries and Claims (Cover-More)
1300 468 340
Business hours
24-Hour Overseas Emergency Assistance
+61 2 8907 5615
Toll-free country numbers available; from overseas enquiries +61 2 8907 5061 · 24/7
Benefit administrator: Cover-More (agent for Zurich Australian Insurance Ltd) for Bankwest
Claims & pre-authorizations
How to make a Bankwest Platinum Mastercard insurance claim
1
Step 1: Call the 24-hour emergency team before treatment where possible
For a medical emergency overseas, call the Cover-More emergency team on +61 2 8907 5615 before treatment where you can. They coordinate hospitals and evacuation, and approve costs the claims team would otherwise question, especially anything over $2,000 or a hospital admission.
2
Step 2: Lodge the claim with Cover-More and gather your documents
Lodge online at claims.covermore.com.au/bw, or call 1300 468 340 within Australia. Keep itemised accounts, a police or carrier report for lost or stolen items, and your card statement showing the return travel ticket and the interstate airfare or purchase charged to the card.
3
Step 3: Report losses within 7 days and claim within the PDS timeframe
Report any theft or loss to police or the carrier within seven days, and advise Cover-More within 60 days of returning home. Cover-More may request original documents, so post them registered and keep a copy of everything you send.
FAQ
What people ask about the Bankwest Platinum Mastercard
- There is no spend to activate, which is unusual in Australia. The overseas cover applies automatically when you travel to an overseas destination from Australia holding an activated Bankwest Platinum Mastercard that is not cancelled or suspended, and a return overseas travel ticket. You do not have to charge a minimum amount of your trip to the card first, and you do not have to tell Bankwest you are travelling. You do need to be under 80 for the medical cover, and your trip has to run no longer than 31 consecutive days. If you want cancellation, travel delay or rental excess cover, you have to apply and pay for Upgraded Benefits before you leave Australia.
- Cover extends to the cardholder, their spouse or de facto partner, and accompanied dependent children, as long as each of them travels with the cardholder on the same itinerary for the whole journey. Everyone has to be travelling overseas from Australia on an activated card with a return ticket. Persons aged 80 or over, whether the cardholder or the spouse, are not eligible for the medical, additional expenses or cancellation benefits. The sums insured are combined limits for the cardholder and their family per journey, not a separate amount each, so check the benefit table in your PDS (Product Disclosure Statement) for how each limit is shared.
- On the free complimentary cover, it does not work at all, because rental vehicle excess is not included on the Platinum tier. Rental Vehicle Insurance Excess is a paid Upgraded Benefit, capped at $3,000 with a $250 excess, that you have to apply and pay for before you travel, and even then it covers overseas hires only. There is no cover for Australian hire cars under this card. Excess (the amount the hire company charges you towards damage or theft) on a hire-car claim commonly runs $2,000 to $5,500, so take the counter waiver or a standalone excess policy if a hire car is part of your trip.
- Claims go through Cover-More, the agent for the insurer Zurich Australian Insurance Limited. For a medical emergency overseas, call the 24-hour team on +61 2 8907 5615 before treatment where you can, because unapproved costs can be refused. To lodge, use the portal at claims.covermore.com.au/bw or call 1300 468 340 within Australia, and report any theft or loss to police or the carrier within seven days. Keep itemised accounts, the police or carrier report, and your card statement showing the travel ticket. Some cardholders report a claim paid with no complaints, while others describe long call-centre waits, so lodge early and keep copies of everything.
- The free cover leaves out a lot. Trip cancellation, additional expenses, travel delay, baggage delay, rental vehicle excess, travel documents, resumption of journey and loss of income are all paid Upgraded Benefits, not part of the complimentary cover on the Platinum tier. Pre-existing medical conditions are excluded unless they are on the PDS auto-covered list or you pay a premium to add them, and there is no medical cover from age 80. Overseas cover stops after 31 days per trip. There is also no mobile phone insurance, no refund cover, no domestic rental excess and no domestic medical cover, since Medicare applies within Australia.
- Up to 31 consecutive days per journey on the Platinum Mastercard tier. That is shorter than the six months on the Bankwest World Mastercard, so a longer trip runs past the cover partway through. Once you pass day 31, the remaining days are uninsured, even though the cover switched on correctly at the start. You can extend the period by up to two months, but only by applying and paying for the Additional Period of Cover Upgraded Benefit before the trip. For a longer overseas stay, a standalone travel insurance policy is the simpler way to cover the whole journey. The exact rules are set out in your PDS (Product Disclosure Statement).
- Only in part. The PDS automatically includes a defined list of stable conditions for travellers 79 or under who meet each condition's criteria and were not hospitalised for it in the previous 12 months, covering common ones like asthma, high blood pressure and controlled diabetes. Anything outside that list, or for a traveller who does not meet the criteria, is excluded unless you complete a health assessment and pay an extra premium for Existing Medical Conditions Cover before you travel. If you rely on a condition being covered without checking, a related overseas medical claim can be refused. Confirm your condition against the PDS list, or apply for the paid cover, before you go.
- No. The Bankwest Platinum Mastercard does not include mobile phone or screen insurance, so a cracked, lost or stolen phone is replaced out of pocket. A newly bought phone can be covered under Purchase Security against theft or accidental damage for 90 days from purchase, with a $250 excess, but that is not the same as ongoing phone cover. Replacing a flagship smartphone yourself typically costs $1,200 to $2,300. If phone cover matters to you, a standalone gadget or mobile policy is the way to fill this gap.
- On-piste skiing and snowboarding are covered under the overseas travel policy at no extra cost, because they are on the list of automatically included activities. Off-piste skiing, off-piste snowboarding and heli-skiing or heli-boarding are excluded, so a claim from skiing outside the marked runs would be declined. Remember that this only matters if you are under 80 and the medical cover applies, and that most of the travel benefits people associate with a ski trip, such as cancellation and additional expenses, are paid upgrades on this card. For off-piste or backcountry plans, a dedicated snow travel policy is the safer option.
- It depends on the trip. For a short overseas trip where your main worry is a hospital bill, the unlimited overseas medical cover, with no spend needed to activate it, is genuinely useful and better than many cards. For anything more, the free cover is thin: there is no cancellation, no travel delay and no rental excess unless you pay for Upgraded Benefits, and cover stops at 31 days and at age 80. If you have a big prepaid trip, are travelling longer than a month, or want cancellation and baggage-delay protection, a standalone travel insurance policy would fill those gaps more cheaply than the upgrades in many cases.
Not just Bankwest
Other cards worth considering
Platinum Mastercard is a strong choice — but depending on what you prioritize, one of these may suit you better.
Amplify Qantas Signature
Bank of Melbourne
Amplify Qantas Platinum
Bank of Melbourne
Amplify Platinum
Bank of Melbourne
Amplify
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