No trip cancellation cover. This benefit is not included with the Low Rate card, which carries no travel policy. Prepaid flights, hotels, and tours are not reimbursable if you cancel, and a standalone travel insurance policy is required for this coverage.
Does the CommBank Low Rate credit card come with travel insurance?
Commonwealth·$72/year·Mastercard
0,3/5Independent review · verified October 2026
0,0
0,0
2,6
Our Verdict · Travel Insurance
Our take on travel insurance for the Commonwealth Low Rate
Expert review · Pauline LauroreAuthor of HelloSafe's card insurance reviews
No travel insurance. None, and the card page says so in plain terms. Here is the honest answer to a search for CommBank Low Rate travel insurance: this is a low-interest-rate card, and CommBank's complimentary travel policy sits on the Awards cards, not this one. So, you book a trip and assume a bank card quietly covers you overseas. It doesn't. What the Low Rate does well is stay cheap on interest, with a purchase rate from 10.99% p.a. and up to 55 days interest free. What it does not do is travel with you: there is no overseas medical, cancellation, or evacuation cover, and a 3.5% foreign transaction fee makes it a poor card to spend on abroad. A standalone travel insurance policy, from a few dollars a day, is the only route to overseas medical, cancellation, or evacuation cover here.
What works on travel
- $72 a year to hold: a low-cost card while you insure trips with a dedicated policy
- Purchase rate from 10.99% p.a. with up to 55 days interest free: built to keep interest low, not to cover travel
Where travel breaks down
- No overseas emergency medical cover: a serious hospital admission abroad, commonly $50,000 to $200,000, is entirely on you
- Every travel benefit reads not available: no cancellation, baggage, delay, evacuation, or liability cover
- 3.5% foreign transaction fee: overseas and online purchases in a foreign currency cost more than on a no-FX card
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 Low Rate Travel Insurance actually cover?
No overseas emergency medical cover. There is no 24/7 assistance line attached to this card, because it carries no travel policy. 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 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 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.
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 Commonwealth Low Rate 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
Low RateThis card0.3/5?
$72/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 Commonwealth Low Rate stacks up against the alternatives
Same 5 coverage dimensions, ranked head-to-head against the cards most Low Rate shoppers also consider.
| Card | This card Low Rate Commonwealth · $72/yr 0.3/5? | Vertigo Platinum St.George · $99/yr 4.3/5? | Amplify Signature Bank of Melbourne · $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 Low Rate
Real experiences with a low-rate card that has no travel cover 14 reviews
PH
Pat H (ProductReview)
The rate is fair
The interest rate is very fair and the card has certainly been there for me when I have needed it most.
E(
Elly (ProductReview)
Rebate condition not disclosed
I was very disappointed and frustrated with CBA!!!
M(
Modasser (ProductReview)
Declined after paying
CBA made me pay ATO my due amount which i was planning to pay after 6 months. And then declined my credit application.
Emergency · Card assistance line
How to contact Commonwealth Low Rate assistance?
CommBank card servicing (Australia)
13 2221
Card and account queries
CommBank lost or stolen card (from overseas)
+61 2 9999 3283
Standard international call rates · 24/7 for a lost or stolen card, not travel claims
Benefit administrator: Cover-More Insurance Services on behalf of Zurich Australian Insurance Limited, for Purchase Security and Extended Warranty. This card has no travel cover, so there is no travel insurer or emergency assistance team.
Claims & pre-authorizations
How to claim on the CommBank Low Rate card
1
Step 1: For a purchase or warranty claim, call Cover-More
Purchase Security and Extended Warranty are administered by Cover-More on 1300 467 951. Report theft or loss to police within 7 days, keep your proof of purchase, and get approval before any warranty repair. A $100 excess applies to each claim.
2
Step 2: For a trip, buy a standalone travel policy
The Low Rate card carries no travel or rental excess cover, so there is nothing to lodge with CommBank for a trip. A dedicated travel insurance policy is the only source of overseas medical, cancellation and rental excess cover. Buy it before you leave Australia.
3
Step 3: For a lost card or a disputed charge, call CommBank
Contact CommBank on 13 2221 within Australia, or +61 2 9999 3283 from overseas for a lost or stolen card, fraud, or a disputed transaction. This line does not handle insurance claims.
FAQ
What people ask about the Commonwealth Low Rate
- You cannot, because the CommBank Low Rate card has no travel insurance to activate. CommBank includes complimentary international travel insurance only on its Awards cards, such as Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Smart and Ultimate, and only after you spend $500 on prepaid travel and activate each trip. The Low Rate card is not on that list, so no amount of spending switches on travel cover. What it does include is Purchase Security and Extended Warranty on your shopping, which apply automatically when you charge an item to the card. For any trip, buy a standalone travel insurance policy before you leave Australia.
- For travel, no one, because the Low Rate card has no travel or rental cover to extend to anyone. The complimentary insurance it does carry, Purchase Security and Extended Warranty, protects the goods you buy on the card rather than people travelling. Those benefits cover items charged to the cardholder's account, and can extend to an Australian resident who receives a covered item as a gift. There is no cardholder, spouse or child travel cover on this card. To protect anyone on a trip, take out a separate travel policy that names each traveller.
- It does not, because the card carries no rental vehicle excess cover at all. Rental excess cover, where the card reimburses the excess the hire company charges you after damage or theft, sits inside the travel insurance on CommBank's Awards cards, not the Low Rate. 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.
- It depends on what you are claiming. For a damaged, lost or stolen purchase, or a warranty breakdown, call Cover-More on 1300 467 951, keep your proof of purchase, report theft to police within 7 days, and note the $100 excess per claim. For a trip, there is nothing to claim, because the card has no travel or rental cover, so claim through your standalone travel insurer instead. For a lost card or a disputed charge, call CommBank on 13 2221 in Australia or +61 2 9999 3283 from overseas.
- On the travel side, everything. The Low Rate card has no overseas emergency medical cover, no evacuation, no trip cancellation, no baggage or delay cover, no personal liability, and no rental vehicle excess. It also has no mobile phone insurance and no Price Guarantee. What it does cover is your shopping: Purchase Security for theft, loss or damage within 90 days, and Extended Warranty on top of the maker's Australian warranty, each capped and each with a $100 excess. For travel, you need a standalone policy.
- Yes, and it is not optional if you want to be covered on a trip. Because the CommBank Low Rate card 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 it before you leave Australia and check its pre-existing condition terms.
- Yes. The CommBank Low Rate card includes Purchase Security, which covers new items charged to the card against loss, theft or accidental damage for 90 days from purchase, anywhere in the world. It pays up to $125,000 in any 12-month period, with a $100 excess per claim, and jewellery, watches and fine art are limited to $3,000 per claim. It repairs, replaces or refunds the item once you show proof of purchase. Report any theft to police within seven days, and note that items bought on instalments are not covered until the final payment.
- No. The CommBank Low Rate card does not include ongoing mobile phone or screen insurance. If your phone is lost, stolen or the screen cracks later on, the repair or replacement is your cost, and a flagship screen repair alone runs about $200 to $600. Purchase Security can cover a phone as a new purchase against theft or damage for its first 90 days, but that is a short window, not ongoing phone cover, and phones bought on instalment contracts are excluded. For lasting cover, look at a standalone gadget policy.
- No. There is no travel policy attached to the CommBank Low Rate card, so skiing, snowboarding and any snow-sports injury or equipment loss are not covered, on-piste or off-piste. CommBank's Awards cards include overseas travel insurance that can cover on-piste snow sports after activation, but the Low Rate card is not one of them. For a ski or snowboard trip, take out a dedicated snow travel insurance policy, which usually covers on-piste activity and can add off-piste cover for an extra premium.
- Yes, but only for your shopping, not for travel. The CommBank Low Rate credit card includes complimentary Purchase Security and Extended Warranty, issued by Cover-More on behalf of Zurich. Purchase Security covers new items against loss, theft or damage for 90 days, up to $125,000 a year, and Extended Warranty adds up to a year on the maker's Australian warranty, up to $30,000 a year, each with a $100 excess. It does not include international travel insurance, rental vehicle excess, Price Guarantee or mobile phone cover. For a trip, you still need a standalone travel policy.
Not just Commonwealth
Other cards worth considering
Low Rate 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
