Covers the non-refundable portion of prepaid travel and accommodation you cannot recover if the trip is cancelled or disrupted, up to a total limit of $100,000. Travel agent cancellation fees are limited to $500. The trip must be charged to the card and you must hold a return overseas ticket. A $400 excess applies per claim.
HSBC Star Alliance travel insurance: what does it actually cover?
HSBC·A$499/year·Visa Platinum
3,7/5Independent review · verified August 2026
3,9
3,7
2,6
Our Verdict · Travel Insurance
Our take on travel insurance for the HSBC Star Alliance
Expert review · Pauline LauroreAuthor of HelloSafe's card insurance reviews
Twenty million dollars of overseas medical, and one activation clause that decides whether any of it pays. That is the HSBC Star Alliance travel insurance in a sentence. Charge at least $500 of your prepaid trip to the card, hold a return ticket, and the overseas cover switches on: $20 million in emergency medical, evacuation to match, and cancellation up to $100,000. Miss the spend, book the flights on points so only the taxes hit the card, and you can fly out with nothing. Most cardholders assume holding the card is enough. It isn't. There is no age limit and cover runs up to four months a trip, which is genuinely useful for longer travellers. A standalone policy still does things this cover won't, like unlimited cancellation, but for a trip charged to the card the medical cover here is the real draw.
What works on travel
- Overseas emergency medical up to $20 million: no age limit, 12-month treatment window, $400 excess per claim
- Cover runs up to 4 consecutive months per trip, so longer overseas trips stay insured
- Cancellation up to $100,000 for prepaid travel, plus $100,000 in additional expenses if a trip is cut short
- Personal liability up to $2,500,000 overseas
Where travel breaks down
- Activation by spend: no cover unless you charge at least $500 of the trip to the card and hold a return ticket
- Cancellation is capped at $100,000, not unlimited, and a $400 excess applies to most travel claims
- Pre-existing conditions are excluded unless Allianz assesses and approves them in writing for a fee
- Travel delay only starts after 6 hours and pays up to $500, which a long delay burns through fast
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 Star Alliance Travel Insurance actually cover?
Cover only applies if you charged at least $500 of prepaid travel to the card and hold a return ticket. A points booking where only the taxes hit the card may not qualify.
What's covered
- Serious injury or illness of you or a travel companion
- Death or hospitalisation of a relative in Australia
- Natural disaster at your destination or home
- Retrenchment or redundancy (not voluntary)
- Being subpoenaed to court or called for jury duty
- Employer cancelling prearranged leave for full-time emergency-services staff
What's not covered
- A reason you were aware of before becoming eligible
- You or a travel companion changing plans
- Financial default of a travel provider
- Pre-existing conditions not assessed and approved
- Acts of terrorism
A $400 excess applies per claim, and pre-existing conditions must be assessed and approved by Allianz in writing before you travel.
Reimburses reasonable overseas emergency medical and hospital expenses from a covered injury or sickness, up to $20 million, at the standard level of care in the country you are in. Treatment is covered for up to 12 months from when the injury or sickness first needed treatment. A $400 excess applies per claim, and Medicare does not apply outside Australia.
What's covered
- Overseas hospital and medical treatment
- Ambulance and emergency transport
- Covered pre-existing conditions where Allianz has confirmed cover in writing
What's not covered
- Treatment you could have delayed until returning to Australia
- Care under a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement
- Pre-existing conditions not assessed and approved
- Dental other than spontaneous toothache
Overseas emergency assistance, including medical evacuation to the nearest suitable hospital and repatriation to Australia, up to $20 million and arranged by Allianz Global Assistance. The 24-hour line also covers repatriation of remains and personal safety evacuation. No excess applies.
What's covered
- Emergency evacuation to the nearest suitable hospital
- Repatriation to Australia when medically advised
- Repatriation of remains and funeral expenses up to $15,000
- Personal safety evacuation from a country made unsafe
What's not covered
- Evacuation not approved by Allianz Global Assistance
- Events foreseeable before you entered the country
- Acts of terrorism for personal safety evacuation
Covers necessary emergency dental treatment for sudden and acute pain (spontaneous toothache) to natural teeth, up to $750 per cardholder or spouse. It does not cover decay, cosmetic or preventative dental work. A $400 excess applies.
What's covered
- Emergency treatment of sudden acute pain to natural teeth
What's not covered
- Decay or deterioration of teeth
- Cosmetic or preventative dental
- Dental arising from a pre-existing condition
Pays $75 per day once you are hospitalised overseas for a continuous period of more than 48 hours, for each day beyond that, up to a total of $2,250 per cardholder or spouse. It is a cash allowance for incidentals, separate from the medical cover. No excess applies.
What's covered
- Daily cash allowance during an overseas hospital stay over 48 hours
What's not covered
- The first 48 consecutive hours of admission
Covers reasonable additional travel and accommodation if you cannot continue your journey because of a covered injury, sickness or disruption, up to a total of $100,000. It includes emergency expenses for a companion and repatriation of dependants left without supervision. A $400 excess applies.
What's covered
- Additional accommodation and travel after injury or sickness
- Expenses for a relative or friend to travel to you
- Repatriation of dependants left without supervision
What's not covered
- Costs from a pre-existing condition of a travel companion
- Acts of terrorism
- Financial default of a provider
Cover only starts once the delay reaches 6 hours, and pays up to $500 for meals and accommodation.
If your scheduled transport is delayed 6 consecutive hours or more, this covers reasonable meals and accommodation, up to $500 per cardholder or spouse. Dependants are included in that limit. No excess applies.
What's covered
- Meals and accommodation during a delay of 6 hours or more
What's not covered
- Delays you were aware of before travelling
- Delays from your own actions
Covers reasonable alternative transport to reach a destination on time after a covered delay or disruption, up to a total of $3,000. A $400 excess applies per claim.
What's covered
- Alternative transport after a covered delay or disruption
What's not covered
- Delays within your control
- Acts of terrorism
Covers the reasonable cost to return home and resume your journey if a relative in Australia dies or is hospitalised during your trip, up to a total of $7,500. A $400 excess applies.
What's covered
- Return home after a relative's death or hospital admission
- Resumption of the journey
What's not covered
- A relative's pre-existing condition you were aware of
- Events foreseeable before travel
If the carrier delays or misplaces your luggage for more than 10 consecutive hours, this reimburses essential clothing and personal items, up to $600 per person and a total of $1,100 for a cardholder travelling with a spouse or dependants. No excess applies. Anything paid here is deducted from a later lost-luggage claim.
What's covered
- Essential clothing and personal items during a luggage delay over 10 hours
What's not covered
- Delays under 10 hours
- Items later recovered and claimed twice
Covers stolen, accidentally damaged or permanently lost luggage and personal effects, up to $25,000 per cardholder or spouse. Per-item sub-limits apply: $6,000 for computers, cameras and video cameras, and $6,000 for any other covered item including mobile phones. Items left in a vehicle in daylight are capped at $1,000. A $400 excess applies.
What's covered
- Theft, accidental damage or permanent loss of luggage
- Mobile phones within the per-item sub-limit
What's not covered
- Items left behind after checkout
- Valuables checked into cargo
- Sporting equipment damaged during use
Covers the cost to reissue or replace lost or stolen travel documents, transaction cards and travellers cheques, up to $600, plus up to $600 for fraudulent use. No excess applies.
What's covered
- Reissue of passports and travel documents
- Fraudulent use of transaction cards and cheques
What's not covered
- Amounts covered by a bank or card issuer guarantee
Covers your legal liability for accidental injury to another person or damage to their property overseas, up to $2,500,000 per event for a cardholder or spouse. No excess applies.
What's covered
- Third-party injury or property damage overseas
What's not covered
- Liability from owning or driving a vehicle or aircraft
- Business or contractual liability
Pays a lump sum if you die from a covered injury within 12 months: $30,000 for the cardholder, $30,000 for a spouse and $5,000 for a dependant, up to a family total of $80,000. A separate Permanent Disability benefit pays up to $30,000. No excess applies.
What's covered
- Accidental death during the journey
- Permanent disability (loss of sight, hand or foot)
What's not covered
- Self-harm
- Illness rather than injury
If an overseas injury leaves you unable to work for more than 30 days after you return home, this pays your verified weekly income up to a total of $8,500 for a cardholder or spouse. Payments start from the 31st day after your return. No cover for dependants, and no excess applies.
What's covered
- Weekly income replacement after an overseas injury
What's not covered
- Loss of income for dependants
- Illness rather than injury
Covers cancellation of prepaid interstate travel when the return domestic flight is charged to the card, up to $3,000 for all claims combined. A $200 excess applies. Domestic cover runs up to 14 consecutive days per journey.
What's covered
- Cancellation of prepaid interstate travel and accommodation
What's not covered
- Reasons known before booking
- Change of mind
If an interstate flight is delayed 4 hours or more, this pays $125 per person towards meals and accommodation, up to a total of $500 for all claims combined. No excess applies.
What's covered
- Meals and accommodation after a 4-hour interstate flight delay
What's not covered
- Delays under 4 hours
No domestic additional expenses cover. The interstate cover is limited to cancellation, flight delay and luggage. Extra travel or accommodation after an interstate disruption is out of pocket.
What's not covered
- Not offered under the Domestic Travel Insurance section
Covers loss, theft or damage to luggage on an interstate trip, up to $500 per covered item and a total of $1,250. A $200 excess applies.
What's covered
- Loss, theft or damage to interstate luggage
What's not covered
- Items left unattended
- Valuables in checked cargo
If interstate luggage is delayed 12 hours or more, this reimburses essential items at $150 per person, up to a total of $400. No excess applies.
What's covered
- Essential items after a 12-hour interstate luggage delay
What's not covered
- Delays under 12 hours
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 Star Alliance wins, where it loses
Coverage snapshot for this tab — click any layer to highlight its scores.
Compare
Star AllianceThis card3.7/5?
A$499/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 Star Alliance stacks up against the alternatives
Same 5 coverage dimensions, ranked head-to-head against the cards most Star Alliance shoppers also consider.
| Card | This card Star Alliance HSBC · A$499/yr 3.7/5? | Amplify Qantas Signature Bank of Melbourne · A$370/yr 4.3/5? | Amplify Signature Bank of Melbourne · A$295/yr 4.3/5? | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Trip cancellation Per person, per trip cap | $100,000 Capped $100,000 | Unlimited Unlimited | Unlimited Unlimited | |
Emergency medical Hospital bills abroad | $20,000,000 Capped $20m | Unlimited Unlimited | Unlimited Unlimited | |
Emergency evacuation Air ambulance + repatriation | $20,000,000 Capped $20m | Unlimited Unlimited evacuation | Unlimited Unlimited evacuation | |
Trip delay trigger Hours before benefits kick in | 6h / $500 Trigger: 6 hours | 6h / $1,100 Trigger: 6 hours | 6h / $1,100 Trigger: 6 hours | |
Trip interruption Covered amount | $100,000 Extra travel & accommodation | 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 Star Alliance
Verified ProductReview cardholders on approval, fees and service 4 reviews
B(
Brenden (ProductReview)
Approved on the third try
After three attempts I was finally successful. I am pleased to say that approval only took a day and the card was received in about a week. The second attempt went missing after the photo id check was done, no email or an application id.
CC
Chris C. (ProductReview)
Could not finish the application
Poor customer service and experience. Can't even successfully complete the application for this card, have tried twice over a period of 6 weeks online, get all the way to completing the ID check and then nothing, no confirmation emails or messages. Bit of a shame they are the only bank tied in with star alliance benefits.
SP
Scott P (ProductReview)
Exorbitant overseas fees
Don't bother. Painful application process, numerous phone calls and helpless staff. Exorbitant overseas transaction fees when travelling. Haven't benefited from the rewards.
Emergency · Card assistance line
How to contact HSBC Star Alliance assistance?
Australia Claims and Enquiries
1800 648 093
Mon to Fri 8am to 5pm AEST
24-Hour Overseas Emergency Assistance
+61 7 3305 7499
Additional charges may apply from mobiles, public phones or hotels · 24/7
Benefit administrator: Allianz Global Assistance (AWP Australia) for HSBC
Claims & pre-authorizations
How to make an HSBC Star Alliance claim
1
Step 1: Call Allianz Global Assistance before treatment or major expense where possible
For an overseas medical emergency, call Allianz Global Assistance on +61 7 3305 7499, available 24 hours a day, so they can approve and arrange treatment and evacuation. For enquiries within Australia, call 1800 648 093, Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm AEST.
2
Step 2: Lodge the claim online and gather your documents
Lodge International Travel Insurance claims at www.claimmanager.com.au, or email cardclaims@allianz-assistance.com.au. Keep itemised accounts, police or carrier reports for luggage, and your card statement showing the trip was charged to the card.
3
Step 3: Prove the trip was charged to the card
Allianz checks first that you met the eligibility criteria, so send the card statement showing at least $500 of prepaid travel charged before departure. Lodge early and keep everything dated, as claims can involve follow-up document requests.
FAQ
What people ask about the HSBC Star Alliance
- The overseas cover switches on when you spend at least $500 of your prepaid travel costs on the HSBC Star Alliance and hold a return overseas travel ticket, before you leave Australia. There is no separate registration step, but the cover is not automatic from simply holding the card. Prepaid travel costs can include your return airfare, prepaid accommodation, tours or a cruise, as long as they are charged to the card account. There is no age limit stated in the policy, and cover runs for up to 4 consecutive months per trip. If you book on points and only the taxes hit the card, check the policy carefully, because that may not meet the $500 spend condition.
- Cover extends to the cardholder, their spouse or de facto partner, and dependent children, when the trip is charged to the card. Each spouse and dependant needs their own prepaid travel charged to the card account and must travel with the cardholder for at least half the journey. Dependants under 2 are covered if they travel with the cardholder for the whole trip. Where a cardholder, spouse and dependant travel together, only one person can claim the cardholder benefits, and the others claim as a spouse or dependant. Always check the covered-persons definition in your PDS before relying on the cover for a particular traveller.
- It reimburses the excess (the amount the hire company makes you pay towards damage) you are liable for after a hire vehicle is damaged or stolen. It does not waive the damage, so the hire company still charges you and you claim it back. The HSBC Star Alliance covers this two ways: up to $6,000 on an Australian hire through a separate Rental Vehicle Excess in Australia benefit, and up to $3,000 on an overseas hire within the travel policy. To qualify, charge the entire rental to the card. A $200 excess applies to the Australian claim, and no excess applies to the overseas one.
- Claims go through Allianz Global Assistance, the administrator behind the policy. Lodge International Travel Insurance claims online at www.claimmanager.com.au, or email cardclaims@allianz-assistance.com.au, and call 1800 648 093 within Australia for enquiries. For an overseas emergency, call the 24-hour line on +61 7 3305 7499 before treatment where possible. The first thing Allianz checks is whether you met the eligibility criteria, so keep your card statement showing the trip was charged, plus itemised accounts and any police or carrier reports. Some cardholders report clean approvals within a few weeks, while others describe repeated document requests, so lodge early and keep everything dated.
- The biggest gap is activation: if you did not charge at least $500 of prepaid travel to the card and hold a return ticket, there is no overseas cover at all. Pre-existing medical conditions are excluded unless Allianz assesses and approves them in writing for a fee. Cancellation is capped at $100,000 rather than unlimited, and the overseas rental excess is limited to $3,000. There is no mobile phone insurance, no refund cover and no price protection. Off-piste skiing, off-piste snowboarding and snowmobiling are excluded, though on-piste skiing is covered, and there is no medical cover on domestic trips because Medicare applies within Australia.
- Yes. On top of the overseas rental excess in the travel policy, the HSBC Star Alliance includes a separate Rental Vehicle Excess Insurance in Australia benefit. It reimburses the excess you are liable for after an Australian hire vehicle is damaged or stolen, up to the lesser of the amount in your rental agreement or $6,000 for all claims combined. A $200 excess applies per claim. To use it, charge the entire vehicle rental to the card, and keep the hire agreement, the incident report and written confirmation of the amount you owe. This makes the card genuinely useful for domestic road trips, not just overseas hires.
- Yes, through a Domestic Travel Insurance benefit that applies when you charge the return interstate flight to the card, or spend at least $250 of prepaid domestic travel on it. It covers interstate flight cancellation up to $3,000, flight delay of 4 hours or more at $125 per person up to $500, luggage up to $1,250, and luggage delay after 12 hours up to $400. There is no domestic medical cover, because Medicare applies within Australia, and no domestic additional-expenses benefit. Domestic cover runs up to 14 consecutive days per journey, so it is real interstate protection rather than a full domestic travel policy.
- No. The HSBC Star Alliance does not include a dedicated mobile phone or screen insurance benefit. A phone can fall under the overseas luggage cover if it is lost or stolen while travelling, within the $6,000 per-item sub-limit, or under purchase protection for 90 days if it is newly bought on the card. Neither covers a cracked screen from everyday use at home. Replacing a flagship smartphone out of pocket costs $1,200 to $2,300, and a screen repair alone runs $200 to $600. If phone cover matters to you, a standalone gadget or phone insurance 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 not listed in the excluded activities. Off-piste skiing, off-piste snowboarding and snowmobiling are excluded, so a claim from skiing outside the marked runs would be declined. Your ski equipment is treated like other luggage and is not separately insured while in use, so expensive gear on the slopes is effectively uncovered. Cruising is covered in both Australian and international waters. If you plan off-piste or backcountry runs, a dedicated snow travel policy is the safer option.
Not just HSBC
Other cards worth considering
Star Alliance 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
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Amplify Qantas Platinum
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Amplify Platinum
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