No overseas trip cancellation. The card only covers cancellation of domestic trips within Australia, not international travel. Prepaid overseas flights, hotels and tours are not reimbursable if you cancel, and a standalone travel insurance policy is required for that.
HSBC Low Rate travel insurance: what does the card actually cover?
HSBC·A$99/year·Visa
0,8/5Independent review · verified August 2026
0,3
2,5
0,0
Our Verdict · Travel Insurance
Our take on travel insurance for the HSBC Low Rate
Expert review · Pauline LauroreAuthor of HelloSafe's card insurance reviews
Domestic only. No overseas cover. That is the whole story of the HSBC Low Rate travel insurance. Search the name hoping for cover on a trip to Bali and you will be disappointed, because this card insures trips inside Australia and nothing past the airport. Most people assume any card with travel insurance covers them overseas; this one doesn't. What you get is a modest Allianz-underwritten domestic policy: cancellation up to $3,000, luggage to $1,250, plus small travel-delay and luggage-delay benefits. The kicker: charge at least 90% of your return domestic flight and accommodation to the card, or none of it applies. If your trips are interstate and always booked on the card, it is a small safety net. For anything overseas, you need a standalone policy.
What works on travel
- Domestic trip cancellation covered up to $3,000, with a $200 excess
- Domestic luggage covered to $1,250, plus a $250 luggage-delay benefit
- Travel-delay cover pays $100 per person up to $500 after a 6-hour domestic delay
- Cover extends to your spouse and dependants when their travel is also charged to the card
Where travel breaks down
- No overseas travel insurance at all: medical, cancellation and evacuation abroad are uninsured
- Activation by spend: no cover unless you charge at least 90% of the domestic flight and accommodation to the card
- Cover runs for only 14 days per journey
- No domestic additional-expenses benefit beyond the delay 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 HSBC Low Rate Travel Insurance actually cover?
What's not covered
- International travel is not covered
No overseas emergency medical cover. This card carries domestic travel insurance only, so overseas hospital and treatment costs are entirely yours. Medicare does not cover you outside Australia, and a serious hospital admission overseas can run $50,000 to $200,000.
What's not covered
- Overseas medical treatment is not covered
No overseas 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.
What's not covered
- Overseas evacuation and repatriation are not covered
No overseas emergency dental cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Emergency dental treatment overseas is out of pocket.
What's not covered
- Overseas dental treatment is not covered
No hospital cash allowance. This benefit is not included with this card. There is no daily cash payment during an overseas hospital stay.
What's not covered
- Overseas hospitalisation is not covered
No overseas additional expenses cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Costs from a trip cut short overseas, such as return flights and unused hotels, are out of pocket.
What's not covered
- Overseas trips are not covered
No overseas travel delay cover. Domestic travel delay is covered, but not on international trips. Meals, accommodation and transport during an overseas delay are the cardholder's responsibility.
What's not covered
- Overseas delays are not covered
No missed connection cover. This benefit is not included with this card. The cost of alternative transport to catch up with an overseas itinerary is out of pocket.
What's not covered
- Overseas travel is not covered
No overseas early return cover. This benefit is not included with this card. The cost to fly home and resume a trip after a family emergency overseas is out of pocket.
What's not covered
- Overseas travel is not covered
No overseas luggage delay cover. Domestic luggage delay is covered, but not on international trips. Buying essential items during an overseas bag delay is out of pocket.
What's not covered
- Overseas luggage delay is not covered
No overseas luggage cover. Luggage loss is covered on domestic trips only, not international ones. Replacement costs for bags lost or stolen overseas are the cardholder's responsibility.
What's not covered
- Overseas luggage loss is not covered
No travel documents cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Replacing a stolen passport overseas and covering fraudulent card use is out of pocket.
What's not covered
- Document replacement is not covered
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.
What's not covered
- Personal liability is not covered
No accidental death benefit. This benefit is not included with this card. There is no lump sum payment for an accidental death while travelling.
What's not covered
- Accidental death is not covered
No loss of income benefit. This benefit is not included with this card. Lost earnings, if an injury on a trip prevents you working, are not replaced.
What's not covered
- Loss of income is not covered
Cover only starts if you charged at least 90% of the return domestic flight and accommodation to the card. Hold the card without charging the trip and there is no cover.
Covers the non-refundable cost of a cancelled or shortened domestic trip within Australia, up to $3,000, when the cancellation is unexpected and outside your control. A $200 excess applies to each claim. Cover only starts if you charged at least 90% of the return domestic flight and accommodation to the card.
What's covered
- Unexpected illness or injury of you or a relative
- Circumstances outside your control that were not expected
- Reasonable costs of rescheduling the journey
- Value of lost frequent flyer points or vouchers for cancelled bookings
What's not covered
- A pre-existing medical condition behind a relative's death, injury or illness
- Simply changing your mind or your plans
- Business, financial or contractual obligations, unless you are made redundant
- Delays or rescheduling by the airline, bus, shipping or rail carrier
- An act or threat of terrorism
Reimburses reasonable extra meals and accommodation when a domestic trip is delayed for at least 6 hours by something outside your control. It pays $100 per person up to a total of $500. The delay must fall on the domestic journey covered by the policy.
What's covered
- Reasonable additional meals during the delay
- Reasonable additional accommodation during the delay
What's not covered
- Delay from an act or threat of terrorism
- Delay from the financial insolvency of a service provider
No domestic additional expenses cover. The policy covers cancellation and delay, but not extra travel or accommodation costs beyond the delay benefit. Extra costs from a disrupted interstate trip are the cardholder's responsibility.
What's not covered
- Additional expenses beyond the delay benefit are not covered
Covers domestic luggage and personal items that are stolen, accidentally damaged or permanently lost during the trip, up to $500 per item and $1,250 in total. A $200 excess applies. Items left in a motor vehicle are limited to $150 per item and $1,000 in total, and only during daylight from a locked, concealed compartment.
What's covered
- Theft, accidental damage or permanent loss of covered items
- Digital items directed into checked baggage by the airline
What's not covered
- Valuables left in a vehicle or checked into the cargo hold
- Sporting equipment while in use
- Items left unsupervised in a public place
- Electrical or mechanical breakdown, or a scratched screen or lens
- Items left behind after checking out or leaving a vehicle
Reimburses reasonable essential purchases when the carrier delays, misdirects or misplaces your luggage for more than 12 hours on a domestic trip. It pays $75 per person up to a total of $250. You need written proof from the carrier that the luggage was delayed.
What's covered
- Essential clothing or personal items bought during the delay
What's not covered
- Amounts you can recover from the carrier
- Any amount paid is deducted from a later luggage loss claim
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 HSBC 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 card0.8/5?
A$99/yrWith travel insuranceIdeal
Complete coverage · 5.0 / 5Premium card avg.
A$240 avg. annual feeClick a layer to highlight its scores on the radar.
Side-by-side comparison
How the HSBC 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 HSBC · A$99/yr 0.8/5? | Amplify Platinum Bank of Melbourne · A$175/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 | 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 / $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 HSBC Low Rate
Real experiences on the low rate, fees and service 3 reviews
S(
Sion (ProductReview)
First credit card and overall satisfied
This is the first credit card I have owned and I am happy with it overall. The interest rate is fine, using it overseas was easy, and transferring a balance was simple. I have been an HSBC customer for a long time. If anything, the annual fee could be a bit lower compared to the other major banks.
SG
Sarah Guinevere H. (ProductReview)
Solid low rate card, but the app is terrible
A good solid low rate card that does what it says on the box, widely accepted as a Visa and fine for general spending. The catch is the technology. The web and mobile interface are absolutely terrible, and there are no branches, so you end up relying on phone banking to keep on top of your balance. I kept it for years anyway, but it is not the card I reach for first.
SP
Scott Perkins (ProductReview)
Tried to cancel a direct debit
I rang up to cancel a gym direct debit and got nowhere. The agent spoke over me and was rude, and it turned out they could not actually do it, so my only option was to cancel the whole card. ING handles this kind of thing far better. Not the service I expected from a bank this size.
Emergency · Card assistance line
How to contact HSBC Low Rate assistance?
Allianz Global Assistance claims (Australia)
1800 648 093
Mon to Fri, 8am to 5pm AEST
HSBC card servicing from overseas
+61 2 9005 8192
Benefit administrator: Allianz Global Assistance (AWP Australia) for HSBC
Claims & pre-authorizations
How to make an HSBC Low Rate insurance claim
1
Step 1: Check what is actually covered
Read the Domestic Travel Insurance section of the HSBC Personal Cards Complimentary Insurance booklet first. Only trips within Australia are covered, and only if you charged at least 90% of your return flight and accommodation to the card.
2
Step 2: Lodge the claim with Allianz Global Assistance
Allianz Global Assistance (AWP Australia) administers the cover, not HSBC. Lodge online any time at travelclaims.com.au, or call 1800 648 093 on weekdays. Notify them as soon as possible, because a late claim can be reduced.
3
Step 3: Send the proof they ask for
Keep itemised accounts, the carrier's written confirmation of a delay or loss, and your card statement showing the trip was charged. For a rental excess claim, include the hire agreement, the incident report and the repair account.
FAQ
What people ask about the HSBC Low Rate
- The cover switches on only when you charge at least 90% of the total cost of your return domestic flight and accommodation to the HSBC Low Rate before you leave. There is no separate registration step, but holding the card is not enough on its own. The insurance is domestic only, so it applies to trips within Australia, not overseas. Your domestic flight also has to be a scheduled commercial flight over 250 km. If you book with points and only taxes hit the card, that may not meet the 90% condition, so check the policy booklet before you rely on the cover.
- Cover extends to the cardholder, plus their spouse and dependants, when their travel is charged to the card in the same way. For a spouse or dependant to be covered, you must charge at least 90% of their domestic flight and accommodation to the card, and they have to travel with you for the entire journey. Dependants are children or grandchildren aged 24 or under and not in full-time work. Additional cardholders are not automatically covered travellers. Check the covered-persons definition in the HSBC Personal Cards insurance booklet before you count on cover for anyone beyond yourself.
- It reimburses the excess you are liable to pay after an Australian hire car is damaged or stolen while in your custody, up to $6,000. It reimburses the excess you owe, it does not waive the damage, so the hire company charges you first and you claim it back afterwards. A $200 excess applies to your claim. This benefit covers hires within Australia only, so an excess on a car hired overseas is not reimbursed. To qualify, the rental agreement must specify an excess, and you keep the agreement, the incident report and the repair account for the claim.
- Claims are handled by Allianz Global Assistance, the administrator behind the policy, not by HSBC. Lodge your claim as soon as possible, online any time at travelclaims.com.au, or call Allianz Global Assistance on 1800 648 093 on weekdays. Keep the documents that prove the loss: itemised accounts, the carrier's written confirmation of a delay or lost luggage, and proof you charged the trip to the card. For a rental excess claim, include the hire agreement, the incident report and the repair account. A late claim can be reduced, so notify them early and keep everything dated.
- The biggest gap is overseas travel: there is no international medical, cancellation, luggage or evacuation cover at all. The insurance is domestic only, and even then it does not apply unless you charged at least 90% of your return flight and accommodation to the card. There is no purchase protection, extended warranty or mobile phone insurance. Within the domestic policy, common exclusions include pre-existing conditions behind a relative's illness, dangerous activities such as off-piste skiing, carrier delays for a cancellation claim, and anything linked to an epidemic or pandemic. For overseas trips or shopping cover, you need a separate policy or another card.
- Yes, for any overseas trip. The HSBC Low Rate only carries domestic travel insurance, so it gives you no overseas medical, cancellation, luggage or evacuation cover. Medicare does not cover you outside Australia, and a serious hospital admission overseas can run $50,000 to $200,000, which would be entirely your cost. Even within Australia the cover is modest, with cancellation capped at $3,000 and no additional-expenses benefit beyond the delay cover. For an international trip, a standalone travel insurance policy is essential. For interstate trips, the card is a small top-up rather than a full policy.
- Yes. This is the one area where the card does provide cover. On a domestic trip it covers cancellation up to $3,000, travel delay of $100 per person up to $500 after a 6-hour delay, luggage up to $1,250, and luggage delay of $75 per person up to $250. A $200 excess applies to cancellation, luggage and rental excess claims. The cover only starts if you charge at least 90% of your return domestic flight and accommodation to the card, and it runs for up to 14 days from the start of the journey. There is no domestic medical benefit, since Medicare applies within Australia.
- No. The HSBC Low Rate does not include any mobile phone or screen insurance. If your phone is stolen or the screen cracks, the repair or replacement is entirely your cost, and a flagship screen repair alone runs $200 to $600. The card also has no purchase protection or extended warranty, so a new phone bought on the card is not covered against theft or accidental damage either. If phone cover matters to you, it needs to come from a dedicated device insurance policy or your home contents insurance. This card is built around a low interest rate, not benefits.
- Not in any meaningful way. The card's insurance is domestic only, so there is no overseas cover for a ski trip to Japan, New Zealand or Europe. Even on a domestic snow trip, the policy excludes dangerous activities, and that list specifically names off-piste skiing, off-piste snowboarding and snowmobiling. So a claim from skiing outside the marked runs would be declined. There is also no overseas medical cover if you are injured on an overseas slope. For any ski holiday, at home or abroad, a dedicated snow travel insurance policy is the safer choice.
Not just HSBC
Other cards worth considering
Low Rate is a strong choice — but depending on what you prioritize, one of these may suit you better.
Amplify Signature
Bank of Melbourne
Amplify Qantas Signature
Bank of Melbourne
Amplify Qantas Platinum
Bank of Melbourne
Amplify Platinum
Bank of Melbourne
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