Macquarie Black card travel insurance: what does it actually cover?

Covers all prepaid non-refundable travel with no dollar cap on an overseas trip, and up to $3,000 on a domestic interstate trip, with a $250 excess per event. Covered reasons include illness, injury or death of you, a travelling companion or a close relative, plus redundancy, jury duty, a natural disaster, and a government Do Not Travel warning issued after you booked. Cover switches on only when the full outbound airfare is charged to the card or bought with Macquarie Rewards points.

Covers overseas emergency medical and hospital costs, unlimited for up to 12 months from the date of the injury or illness, with a $250 excess per event (terrorism-related care is sub-limited to $1,000,000). Emergency dental to natural teeth is capped at $1,250 and evacuation at $500,000. You must be 85 or younger when you make the qualifying travel purchase, and there is no cover for treatment incurred in Australia.

Emergency evacuation and repatriation are arranged by Chubb Assistance and capped at $500,000, within the overseas medical section. This covers transport to the nearest adequate hospital and, where needed, a medically supervised return to Australia. Transport of your remains home is covered up to $20,000, or 30,000 euro if you die in a Schengen country.

Covers emergency dental treatment to natural teeth overseas up to $1,250, for sudden acute pain, with a $250 excess. It does not cover treatment related to tooth decay, dentures, crowns, orthodontics or routine dental work.

Pays incidental expenses such as food and toiletries while you are hospitalised overseas as an in-patient, at $100 per 24-hour period up to a total of $12,000. It applies on top of your emergency medical cover. It is not a lump sum and only runs while you remain admitted.

Covers extra accommodation, room only, while you recover overseas from a covered injury or illness, at $200 per 24-hour period up to $4,000, plus reasonable costs for a friend or relative to stay with you. This sits within the overseas medical section. It is narrower than a standalone additional-expenses benefit, which also covers extra transport after disruption.

Covers accommodation after an overseas flight is delayed, cancelled, overbooked, or a connection is missed for 6 hours or more, at up to $750, then up to $500 per 24 hours after 30 hours to a maximum of $2,000, with a $250 excess. On a domestic interstate flight, meals are covered after a 4-hour delay up to $500 with no excess. Delays caused by COVID-19 are not covered.

If an overseas flight delay means you would miss a prepaid special event, such as a wedding, funeral, conference, concert or festival, the card pays reasonable alternative public transport to get you there, up to $3,250 for all covered persons, with a $250 excess. Everyday missed connections are handled under the trip delay accommodation benefit instead.

If you cut short a long overseas trip of 15 days or more to return to Australia after the death, injury or unforeseen illness of a close relative, the card pays for a flight to resume that trip, up to $3,000, or $2,000 where the relative's death was from a pre-existing condition. You must resume within 30 days and have more than 14 days left on the trip. The cost of the initial return home is handled under trip cancellation.

If checked baggage is delayed more than 12 hours on the way out, the card reimburses essential clothing and toiletries up to $500 overseas, then up to $500 per 24 hours after 36 hours to a maximum of $2,000, with a $250 excess overseas and none domestically. There is no cover for a delay on the flight that brings you home.

Covers lost, stolen or accidentally damaged baggage, valuables, money and travel documents up to $15,000 overseas and $2,000 domestically, with a $250 excess. Per-item sub-limits apply, including $2,000 for a smartphone, $3,500 for a laptop and $3,500 for a camera. Depreciation is deducted based on the item's age, and items left unattended in a public place are not covered.

Covers the loss or theft of money and travel documents such as passports, visas, tickets and licences up to $500 overseas and $250 domestically, within the baggage section, with a $250 excess. You must report the loss to police or the issuing authority and obtain a written report where possible.

Covers your legal liability if you accidentally injure someone or damage their property overseas, up to $2,500,000, and up to $1,000,000 on a domestic trip, including legal costs, with a $250 excess. It does not cover liability from vehicles, aircraft, watercraft over 10 metres, firearms, or injury to your family and travelling companions.

Pays a lump sum if you die in an accident on an overseas trip: $20,000 for the cardholder, $15,000 for a spouse and $10,000 for a dependent child. A separate public transport accident benefit pays up to $500,000 for death or permanent disablement while travelling as a passenger. Neither applies to death within Australia, and both share a $1,000,000 aggregate limit.

If an injury on an overseas trip leaves you unable to work for 30 days or more, the card replaces lost salary at up to $4,000 a month, to a maximum of $12,000. The first 30 days act as a waiting period before any benefit is paid. It applies to employed and self-employed travellers and covers injury only, not illness.

Covers cancellation or amendment of a prepaid domestic interstate trip up to $3,000, with a $250 excess, for the same unforeseen reasons as the overseas benefit. Cover switches on when you spend $500 or more on accommodation or charge the full interstate airfare to the card. Intrastate travel within a single state is not covered.

If an interstate flight on a domestic trip is delayed 4 hours or more with no alternative provided, the card reimburses meals and refreshments up to $100 per person and $500 for everyone travelling together, with no excess. It applies to interstate flights only, not to intrastate hops within a single state.

Covers reasonable extra travel and accommodation on a domestic interstate trip after a covered cancellation or curtailment, up to $500, with a $250 excess. It sits alongside the domestic cancellation benefit. There is no domestic medical cover, because Medicare applies within Australia.

Covers lost, stolen or damaged baggage on a domestic interstate trip up to $2,000, with a $250 excess and per-item sub-limits, for example $500 for a smartphone and $500 for a camera. Depreciation is deducted based on the item's age. The same unattended and reporting rules as the overseas baggage benefit apply.

If checked baggage is delayed more than 12 hours on a domestic interstate flight, the card reimburses essential purchases up to $100 per person and $500 for all travellers, then a smaller extended amount after 36 hours, with no excess. There is no cover for a delay on the flight that brings you home.