No trip cancellation cover. This benefit is not included with the base CommBank Awards card. Prepaid flights, hotels and tours are not reimbursable if you cancel, and a standalone travel insurance policy is required for this cover.
CommBank Awards travel insurance: what cover do you actually get?
Commonwealth·A$96/year·Mastercard
0,0/5Independent review · verified September 2026
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Our Verdict · Travel Insurance
Our take on travel insurance for the Commonwealth Awards
Expert review · Pauline LauroreAuthor of HelloSafe's card insurance reviews
Awards points, yes. Travel cover, no. Here is the part people miss. CommBank does put complimentary travel insurance on its dearer cards, the Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Smart and Ultimate Awards, but not on the base Awards card in your wallet. So there is no commbank awards travel insurance at all: no overseas emergency medical, no trip cancellation, no rental excess, no interstate cover. Medicare stops at the airport, and a serious hospital admission overseas can run $50,000 to $200,000, every dollar of it on you. A standalone travel policy covers the same trip from a few dollars a day. Tap the card for the weekly shop and the points, and the gap costs you nothing. Charge a holiday to it expecting cover, and you fly uninsured.
What works on travel
- No spend threshold or activation step to forget, because there is no travel cover to switch on
- Additional cardholders can be added to the account, though none gain any travel cover
Where travel breaks down
- No overseas emergency medical: a serious hospital admission abroad can run $50,000 to $200,000, entirely out of pocket
- No trip cancellation: prepaid flights, hotels and tours are not reimbursable if you cancel
- No rental excess and no interstate cover: the card adds nothing for road trips or domestic flights
- Premium CommBank Awards tiers include travel cover, but the base Awards card does not
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 Commonwealth Awards Travel Insurance actually cover?
No overseas medical cover. This benefit is not included with the base CommBank Awards card. 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 this card. 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 paid out of pocket.
No hospital cash allowance. This benefit is not included with this card. There is no daily cash payment for time spent in hospital overseas.
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 missed connection cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Alternative transport to catch up with a booked itinerary 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 luggage delay cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Buying essentials while a bag is delayed is out of pocket.
No luggage 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. Replacing a stolen passport or cash overseas is at the cardholder's expense.
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 such 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 for an accidental death while travelling.
No loss of income benefit. This benefit is not included with this card. Lost earnings after a travel injury are not replaced.
No domestic cancellation cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Prepaid interstate flights and accommodation are not reimbursable if you cancel.
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 costs after a disruption are out of pocket.
No domestic luggage cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Lost or damaged luggage on an interstate trip is the cardholder's responsibility.
No domestic luggage delay cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Essential purchases during a domestic luggage 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 Commonwealth Awards 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
AwardsThis card0.0/5?
A$96/yrWith travel insuranceIdeal
Complete coverage · 5.0 / 5Premium card avg.
A$238 avg. annual feeClick a layer to highlight its scores on the radar.
Side-by-side comparison
How the Commonwealth Awards stacks up against the alternatives
Same 5 coverage dimensions, ranked head-to-head against the cards most Awards shoppers also consider.
| Card | This card Awards Commonwealth · A$96/yr 0.0/5? | Vertigo Platinum St.George · A$99/yr 4.3/5? | Amplify Signature Bank of Melbourne · A$295/yr 4.3/5? | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Trip cancellation Per person, per trip cap | Not covered Cover this gap → | Unlimited Unlimited (all prepaid) | Unlimited Unlimited | |
Emergency medical Hospital bills abroad | Not covered Cover this gap → | Unlimited Unlimited | Unlimited Unlimited | |
Emergency evacuation Air ambulance + repatriation | Not covered Cover this gap → | 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 | |
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 Commonwealth Awards
Real experiences with the card, its rewards and service (there is no travel cover to review) 96 reviews
I(
Ivanna (ProductReview)
Easy everyday card
Been with Commbank my whole life and would never change. Based on my experience using Commonwealth Awards creditcard makes it easier.
JN
John N. (ProductReview)
Rewards cut back
The Commonwealth Bank Awards gift card choice have been cut back drastically. Making billions of dollars every year is not good enough, they want more.
N(
NhojS (ProductReview)
Getting worse over time
Was good at one point but now getting worse. More and more rewards are becoming unavailable, even the digital card rewards.
Emergency · Card assistance line
How to contact Commonwealth Awards assistance?
CommBank card enquiries (lost or stolen card)
13 2221
24/7
Overseas travel assistance
+61 2 9999 3283
Card servicing only from overseas. This is not a travel-insurance line: the base CommBank Awards card has no complimentary travel cover
Benefit administrator: None. The base CommBank Awards card carries no complimentary insurance, so there is no insurer or claims administrator. CommBank's Overseas Travel Policy, underwritten by Zurich Australian Insurance and issued by Cover-More, applies only to the Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Smart and Ultimate Awards cards, not this one.
Claims & pre-authorizations
How claims work on the CommBank Awards card
1
Step 1: Know there is no travel, rental or purchase insurance to claim
The base CommBank Awards card includes no complimentary travel insurance, rental excess cover or purchase protection, so there is no policy to claim against. For any overseas medical, cancellation, luggage or hire-car excess loss, only a standalone policy can pay.
2
Step 2: For a lost or stolen card, or a disputed transaction, contact CommBank
Card servicing, suspected fraud and chargeback disputes go through CommBank on 13 2221 within Australia, or +61 2 9999 3283 from overseas. Have your statement and the transaction details ready before you call.
3
Step 3: For any trip, arrange a standalone policy before you go
Because the card provides no travel or rental cover, buy a travel insurance policy, and a rental excess policy if you are hiring a car, before you leave. Keep those policy documents and their emergency numbers with you while you travel.
FAQ
What people ask about the Commonwealth Awards
- There is nothing to activate, because the base CommBank Awards card does not include complimentary travel insurance. Unlike CommBank's premium Awards cards, it has no overseas medical, cancellation, luggage or rental excess cover to switch on with a spend threshold or a return ticket. Holding the card gives you no travel protection at all, at home or abroad. If you have a trip coming up, you need to buy a standalone travel insurance policy, because this card will not step in for a medical bill, a cancellation or lost luggage.
- No. The base CommBank Awards credit card comes with no complimentary travel insurance. This surprises people, because CommBank does include an Overseas Travel Policy on its dearer cards, the Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Smart and Ultimate Awards. The base Awards card is not on that list, so there is no commonwealth awards travel insurance on it: no overseas medical, no trip cancellation, no rental excess and no interstate cover. For any of that, compare a dedicated travel insurance policy rather than relying on this card, or look at one of the insured Awards tiers if a card-linked policy is what you want.
- For travel, nobody is covered, because the base CommBank Awards card carries no complimentary travel insurance for you, a partner or children. CommBank's Overseas Travel Policy that covers a cardholder, spouse and accompanying children applies to the Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Smart and Ultimate Awards cards, not this one. You can add additional cardholders to the account, but that only gives them spending access, not any insurance cover. So if you are planning a family holiday, each traveller needs their own or a family travel insurance policy arranged separately before you leave.
- It does not work, because the base CommBank Awards card has no rental vehicle excess benefit, either overseas or within Australia. Many premium cards reimburse the excess you owe after a hire-car accident, up to a cap, but this card offers nothing of the sort. If you damage a hire car, the full excess is yours to pay, commonly $2,000 to $5,500 in Australia and up to $8,000 overseas. A standalone rental excess policy covers that risk from a few dollars a day, which is worth arranging before you collect the keys.
- There is no insurance to claim on, because the base CommBank Awards card includes no complimentary travel, rental or purchase cover. For a lost or stolen card, a disputed transaction or suspected fraud, contact CommBank on 13 2221 within Australia, or +61 2 9999 3283 from overseas, and have your statement ready. For a travel loss such as an overseas medical bill, a cancellation or lost luggage, only a standalone travel insurance policy can pay, so keep that policy's emergency number with you. This card itself does not step in for any of those events.
- It does not cover travel, full stop. There is no overseas or domestic emergency medical, no trip cancellation, no luggage cover, no travel delay and no rental vehicle excess, overseas or within Australia. It also has no purchase protection, no extended warranty and no mobile phone insurance, so a damaged or stolen new purchase is your own cost. Treat this as a payment and rewards card, and arrange a standalone travel insurance policy, plus a separate rental excess policy, for any trip. CommBank's insured Awards tiers are the ones that carry a travel policy, not this base card.
- Yes, and it is not a close call. The base CommBank Awards card provides no overseas emergency medical cover, so aside from what Medicare does at home, every dollar of an overseas hospital bill is yours, and a serious admission can run $50,000 to $200,000. It also has no trip cancellation, luggage or rental excess cover. A standalone travel insurance policy covers all of these for a single trip, often for less than one night's accommodation. Treat the card as a payment and rewards tool, and arrange real travel insurance separately before you travel.
- No, the CommBank Awards card does not include mobile phone insurance. If your phone is stolen or the screen cracks, the repair or replacement is entirely your cost, and replacing a flagship handset out of pocket runs $1,200 to $2,300. Some cards link phone cover to paying your monthly phone bill on the card, but this one does not, and it carries no purchase protection either. If you want cover for your device, look at a dedicated mobile insurance policy or check whether your home contents policy includes portable items.
- No. Because the base CommBank Awards card has no complimentary travel insurance at all, there is no cover for skiing, snowboarding or any other activity, on-piste or off-piste, in Australia or overseas. A ski injury abroad can mean a large hospital bill and a costly evacuation, none of which this card would pay. If you are heading to the snow, take out a travel insurance policy that specifically includes your snow activities, and read its on-piste and off-piste terms carefully, since this card leaves that risk entirely with you.
Not just Commonwealth
Other cards worth considering
Awards 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
