Westpac Altitude Qantas Black travel insurance: what does it actually cover?

Westpac·A$370/year·Mastercard

Altitude Qantas Black
4,3/5Independent review · verified August 2026
Travel Insurance
4,4
Car Rental
4,4
Protection
3,2

Our Verdict · Travel Insurance

Our take on travel insurance for the Westpac Altitude Qantas Black

Pauline Laurore
Expert review · Pauline LauroreAuthor of HelloSafe's card insurance reviews

Unlimited medical, unlimited cancellation, then a catch most cardholders miss. The Altitude Qantas Black card travel insurance is the same Allianz Level 1 cover as the rest of the Westpac Altitude Black range: overseas emergency medical and evacuation with no dollar cap, cancellation with no dollar cap, and rental excess to $5,500, each with a $300 excess per claim. None of it is automatic. The policy only switches on when you charge at least $500 of prepaid travel to the card and hold a return ticket, so booking flights on Qantas points and letting only the taxes hit the card can leave you uninsured. Cover runs up to six consecutive months per trip and ends once a traveller turns 81, and luggage claims are cut by depreciation before the excess. Charge your travel to the card and the six-month window is genuinely usable; book on points or travel longer than six months, and you need a standalone policy first.

What works on travel
  • Unlimited overseas emergency medical and evacuation, with a $300 excess per claim
  • Cancellation with no dollar cap, covering unforeseen events outside your control
  • Rental vehicle excess reimbursed both overseas and on Australian hires, up to $5,500
  • Full Interstate Flight Inconvenience cover: cancellation, delay and luggage on domestic flights charged to the card
  • Personal liability to $2,500,000 per event overseas
Where travel breaks down
  • Activation by spend: no cover unless you charge $500 of prepaid travel to the card and hold a return ticket
  • $300 excess on most claims, including medical, cancellation, luggage and both rental excess benefits
  • Overseas trips capped at six months, and no cover once a traveller turns 81
  • No domestic additional-expenses cover: interstate protection is limited to flights, luggage and delay
  • No mobile phone insurance, no price guarantee and no refund 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 Westpac Altitude Qantas Black Travel Insurance actually cover?

Deductible : A$300

Reimburses your unrecoverable prepaid travel and accommodation with no dollar cap, plus travel agent fees (sub-limit $500 or 15%). It triggers on any cancellation, disruption or rescheduling that was unexpected and outside your control, not a short named-reasons list. A $300 excess applies per claim, and pre-existing conditions follow the auto-covered list or need assessment.

What's covered
  • Unexpected events outside your control
  • Sickness, injury or death of you, a travel companion or a relative
  • Epidemic or pandemic diagnosis preventing travel (such as COVID-19)
What's not covered
  • Reasons you were aware of before becoming eligible
  • Changing your mind or a travel companion changing plans
  • Pre-existing conditions unless on the covered list or assessed
  • Financial default of a provider, and acts of terrorism
Cover only applies if you charged at least $500 of prepaid travel to the card and hold a return ticket. A Qantas points booking where only the taxes hit the card may not be covered.

Deductible : A$300

Covers overseas emergency medical and hospital costs with no dollar cap, subject to a $300 excess per claim. Treatment is arranged and approved by the 24/7 Allianz Global Assistance line, and cover for a covered event runs for up to 12 months of treatment. Pre-existing conditions are covered only if they are on the auto-covered list or assessed and confirmed for a $45 fee.

What's covered
  • Overseas hospital and medical treatment for a covered injury or sickness
  • Emergency dental for sudden acute pain (sub-limit applies)
  • Epidemic or pandemic diagnosis such as COVID-19
What's not covered
  • Pre-existing conditions unless on the covered list or assessed for a $45 fee
  • Pregnancy after the 26th week, childbirth and newborn care
  • Dangerous activities, off-piste snow sports, and travel against a government warning

Deductible : A$300

Overseas Emergency Assistance and Evacuation & Repatriation are covered with no dollar cap, arranged by the Allianz Global Assistance team. It includes emergency transport to the nearest suitable hospital, repatriation to Australia when medically necessary, and repatriation of remains with unlimited funeral expenses. A $300 excess applies to evacuation, and the 24/7 line is reachable from overseas.

What's covered
  • Emergency evacuation to the nearest suitable hospital
  • Repatriation to Australia when medically necessary
  • Repatriation of remains and funeral expenses
What's not covered
  • Costs not approved by the assistance line where approval was practicable
  • Pre-existing conditions unless on the covered list or assessed

Deductible : A$300

Covers overseas emergency dental for sudden and acute pain to natural teeth, up to $2,000 per person, with a $300 excess. It is limited to the relief of spontaneous pain, not planned, routine or cosmetic dental work.

What's covered
  • Sudden acute pain to natural teeth while overseas
What's not covered
  • Routine, planned or cosmetic dental treatment
  • Dental work that could reasonably wait until you return home

Deductible : A$300

Pays a cash allowance of $100 per person per day while you are hospitalised overseas, up to a total of $15,000 per person, with a $300 excess. It is a comfort payment on top of medical cover, not a substitute for it.

What's covered
  • Overseas hospital admission during the journey
What's not covered
  • Domestic hospital stays
  • Stays not linked to a covered overseas event

Deductible : A$300

Additional Expenses covers reasonable extra travel and accommodation with no dollar cap if your journey is disrupted by a covered event such as injury, illness or an evacuation, subject to a $300 excess. It picks up the unplanned costs of getting back on track after something goes wrong overseas.

What's covered
  • Extra accommodation and travel after a covered disruption
  • Emergency travel for a necessary companion
  • Repatriation of dependants left without supervision
What's not covered
  • Costs you could recover elsewhere
  • Disruptions you were aware of before becoming eligible

Deductible : No deductible

Travel Delay Expenses pays for meals and accommodation once your transport is delayed six consecutive hours or more, up to $500 per person and a total of $1,100 for a cardholder travelling with family, with no excess. The delay must be outside your control.

What's covered
  • Meals and accommodation during a covered delay
What's not covered
  • Delays you were aware of before you left
  • Delays within your control

Deductible : A$300

Alternative Transport Expenses reimburses the reasonable cost of alternative transport to reach a destination on time after a covered delay, up to $3,750, with a $300 excess. It applies when a scheduled service fails and you need another way to get there.

What's covered
  • Alternative transport to reach a scheduled destination on time
What's not covered
  • Costs recoverable from the carrier
  • Delays within your control

Deductible : A$300

Return Home and Resumption of Journey pays up to $5,750 per person and $12,500 for a cardholder travelling with family to fly home and, where time allows, resume the trip after the death of a relative, with a $300 excess.

What's covered
  • Return home after the death of a relative
  • Resumption of the journey where the period of cover allows
What's not covered
  • Events you were aware of before becoming eligible
  • Pre-existing conditions of the relative unless covered

Deductible : No deductible

Luggage Delay pays for essential clothing and personal items if the carrier delays your bags more than 12 consecutive hours, up to $800 per person and $1,600 for a cardholder travelling with family, with no excess.

What's covered
  • Essential purchases such as clothing and toiletries during a delay
What's not covered
  • Delays on the final leg home
  • Items bought after the bag is returned

Deductible : A$300

Luggage and Personal Effects covers theft, loss or accidental damage up to $20,000 per person and $30,000 for a cardholder travelling with family, with a $300 excess. Per-item sub-limits apply: $5,000 for baggage, clothing, valuables and portable electrical equipment, and $5,500 each for cameras and laptops. Items left in a vehicle are covered only up to $5,000.

What's covered
  • Theft, loss or accidental damage to luggage and personal effects
  • Portable electrical equipment up to $5,000 per item
What's not covered
  • Valuables left in a vehicle or checked-in luggage
  • Sporting equipment while in use
  • Items left behind, forgotten or misplaced

Deductible : No deductible

Covers the replacement of travel documents, transaction cards, travellers cheques and cash up to $550 per person and $1,250 for a cardholder travelling with family, with no excess. It helps you replace what you need to keep travelling after a theft.

What's covered
  • Reissue or replacement of documents, cards and cheques
  • Cash, bank notes and money orders within the limit
What's not covered
  • Losses you fail to report
  • Amounts beyond the stated limits

Deductible : No deductible

Personal Liability covers your legal liability for accidental injury to other people or damage to their property overseas, up to $2,500,000, with no excess. It is the benefit that matters if an accident abroad turns into a claim against you.

What's covered
  • Third-party bodily injury overseas
  • Third-party property damage overseas
What's not covered
  • Liability involving vehicles, aircraft or watercraft
  • Liability to family members or employees
  • Business or professional liability

Deductible : No deductible

Pays a lump sum of $50,000 on the accidental death of a cardholder and $25,000 for a spouse or dependant, up to a family total of $150,000, with no excess. Overseas Transit Accident cover also applies while travelling on public transport.

What's covered
  • Accidental death during the journey
  • Overseas transit accident cover on public transport
What's not covered
  • Death from illness rather than accident
  • Dangerous activities and excluded events

Deductible : No deductible

Loss of Income replaces your verified income at up to $1,000 per week if an overseas injury stops you working after you return, limited to 12 weeks and a total of $12,000, with no excess. It applies to cardholders and spouses, not dependants.

What's covered
  • Income replacement after a covered overseas injury prevents work
What's not covered
  • Loss of income from illness rather than injury
  • Dependants are not covered

Deductible : A$300

Interstate Flight Inconvenience covers cancellation of prepaid interstate travel up to $3,000, with a $300 excess. It applies when the entire return interstate flight is charged to the card, and cover runs for up to 14 days per journey.

What's covered
  • Cancellation of prepaid interstate travel and accommodation
What's not covered
  • Reasons you were aware of before becoming eligible
  • Pre-existing conditions unless covered

Deductible : No deductible

Pays for meals and accommodation after a domestic flight delay of four hours or more, at $125 per person up to a total of $500, with no excess. It is modest cover for an interstate delay, not a full domestic policy.

What's covered
  • Meals and accommodation during a covered domestic flight delay
What's not covered
  • Delays within your control
  • Delays you were aware of before you left

No domestic additional-expenses cover. The interstate benefit pays for flight cancellation, delay and luggage only, not extra travel or accommodation from a disruption. Those costs on a domestic trip are the cardholder's responsibility.

What's not covered
  • Interstate cover is limited to cancellation, flight delay, luggage and luggage delay

Deductible : A$300

Interstate luggage cover pays up to $500 for each item and $1,500 in total for loss, theft or damage on a domestic flight trip, with a $300 excess. The per-item cap is low, so a single expensive item is only partly covered.

What's covered
  • Loss, theft or damage to luggage on a domestic interstate trip
What's not covered
  • Items worth more than $500 are only partly covered
  • Valuables left unattended

Deductible : No deductible

Pays for essential purchases after a domestic luggage delay of 12 hours or more, at $125 per person up to $500, with no excess. It covers the basics while an interstate carrier still has your bag.

What's covered
  • Essential purchases during a covered domestic luggage delay
What's not covered
  • Delays on the final leg home
  • Items bought after the bag is returned
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 Westpac Altitude Qantas Black wins, where it loses

Coverage snapshot for this tab — click any layer to highlight its scores.

Compare

Altitude Qantas BlackThis card4.3/5?
A$370/yr
With travel insuranceIdeal
Complete coverage · 5.0 / 5
Premium card avg.
A$240 avg. annual fee

Click a layer to highlight its scores on the radar.

Side-by-side comparison

How the Westpac Altitude Qantas Black stacks up against the alternatives

Same 5 coverage dimensions, ranked head-to-head against the cards most Altitude Qantas Black shoppers also consider.

Card
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Altitude Qantas Black

Altitude Qantas Black

Westpac · A$370/yr

4.3/5?
Earth Black

Earth Black

Westpac · A$250/yr

4.3/5?
Amplify Signature

Amplify Signature

Bank of Melbourne · A$295/yr

4.3/5?
Amplify Rewards Signature

Amplify Rewards Signature

BankSA · A$295/yr

4.3/5?

Trip cancellation

Per person, per trip cap

Unlimited

Unlimited

Unlimited

Unlimited

Unlimited

Unlimited

Unlimited

Unlimited prepaid travel

Emergency medical

Hospital bills abroad

Unlimited

Unlimited

Unlimited

Unlimited

Unlimited

Unlimited

Unlimited

Unlimited

Emergency evacuation

Air ambulance + repatriation

Unlimited

Unlimited evacuation

Unlimited

Unlimited evacuation

Unlimited

Unlimited evacuation

Unlimited

Unlimited evacuation

Trip delay trigger

Hours before benefits kick in

6h / $1,100

Trigger: 6 hours

6h / $1,100

Trigger: 6 hours

6h / $1,100

Trigger: 6 hours

6h / $1,100

Trigger: 6 hours

Trip interruption

Covered amount

Unlimited

Unlimited

Unlimited

Unlimited

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 Westpac Altitude Qantas Black

Real experiences on travel cover and claims 35 reviews

RH

Robert Hore (VIC)

2025

Three claims, all paid

Over the past ten years I have submitted three travel insurance claims via the Westpac Altitude Black complementary travel insurance where all have been fully compentated with no delay and with high efficiency.

ST

Steve

2023

Run around on a claim

I mainly got this card for the free travel insurance...Allianz have stopped replying and Westpac are just giving me the run around.

HP

Healthy person (NSW)

2019

Disclose everything or lose cover

If you do not disclose everything you have ever had it will invalidate your policy.

Emergency · Card assistance line

How to contact Westpac Altitude Qantas Black assistance?

Australia Assistance

1800 227 773

24/7

Overseas Assistance (reverse charge)

+61 7 3305 7468

Reverse charge accepted · 24/7

Benefit administrator: Allianz Global Assistance (AWP Australia) for Westpac

How to make a Westpac Altitude Qantas Black claim

1

Step 1: Call Allianz Global Assistance before you incur major costs

For a medical emergency overseas, call +61 7 3305 7468 any time, day or night. Getting approval first means the insurer pays what it would have authorised, and it opens the file early. Save that number in your phone before you fly.

2

Step 2: Lodge the claim and gather your documents

Lodge online at insurance.agaassistance.com.au/westpac, or call 1800 091 710 within Australia. Bring itemised accounts for medical or delay costs, a property irregularity report from the airline for luggage, and a police report for theft. Convert paper to PDF and keep everything dated.

3

Step 3: Prove the trip was charged to the card

The first thing Allianz checks is activation, so include the card statement showing you charged at least $500 of prepaid travel. Points bookings where only the taxes hit the card are the common sticking point. A $300 excess applies to most claims, so reply quickly to any request so the file does not stall.

FAQ

What people ask about the Westpac Altitude Qantas Black

  • The cover is not automatic. Before you leave Australia, you activate it by charging at least $500 of your prepaid travel costs to the Westpac Altitude Qantas Black, holding a return overseas travel ticket, and being aged under 81. The trip must also begin and end in Australia. Prepaid costs can include your flights, departure taxes, accommodation or other prepaid itinerary items. Simply holding the card is not enough, and there is no separate registration step. If you book flights on Qantas points and only the taxes hit the card, that may not meet the $500 spend condition, so check before you rely on the cover.
  • Cover extends to the cardholder, their spouse or de facto partner, and dependants, when each person meets the eligibility rules. Each traveller needs at least $500 of their prepaid trip charged to the card, a return overseas ticket, and to be aged under 81, and spouses and dependants must travel with the cardholder for at least half of the period of cover. Dependants under two years are covered on the same basis. When a cardholder, spouse and dependant travel together, only one person can claim as the cardholder and the others claim as spouse or dependant. Check each traveller against the covered-persons definition in your Westpac Altitude Qantas Black PDS (Product Disclosure Statement, the policy booklet).
  • It reimburses the excess (the amount the hire company makes you pay towards damage or theft), not the damage itself, so you pay the hire company first and claim it back. On the Westpac Altitude Qantas Black the overseas rental excess is reimbursed up to $5,500, and a separate Rental Vehicle Excess in Australia benefit covers domestic hires up to the lesser of your agreement excess or $5,500. A $300 excess applies to each rental excess claim, overseas or at home. To qualify, charge the entire vehicle rental to the card and drive under a valid rental agreement. Keep the rental agreement, the incident report and the hire company's written confirmation of the amount you owe.
  • Claims go through Allianz Global Assistance, which administers the cover for Westpac, not Westpac itself. Lodge online at insurance.agaassistance.com.au/westpac, or call 1800 091 710 within Australia, and for a medical emergency overseas call +61 7 3305 7468 first. The first thing they check is that the trip was charged to the card, so include the card statement showing your $500 prepaid spend, plus itemised accounts for medical costs and a property irregularity report from the airline for luggage. A $300 excess applies to most claims. Some cardholders report straightforward claims, others describe follow-up requests and delays, 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 cover at all. Overseas cover stops after six months per trip and no cover applies once a traveller turns 81. Pre-existing conditions are covered only if they are on the auto-covered list or assessed and approved for a $45 fee. Off-piste skiing, off-piste snowboarding and snowmobiling are excluded, along with other dangerous activities and travel against a government warning. There is no domestic medical cover, since Medicare (Australia's public health scheme) applies at home, no domestic additional-expenses benefit, and no mobile phone insurance.
  • Yes, through a separate Interstate Flight Inconvenience benefit that applies when the entire return interstate flight is charged to the card. It covers cancellation up to $3,000, flight delay expenses after four hours at $125 per person up to $500, luggage up to $500 an item and $1,500 in total, and luggage delay up to $500. There is no domestic additional-expenses benefit and no domestic medical cover, because Medicare (Australia's public health scheme) applies within Australia. Cover runs for up to 14 days per journey, so it suits short interstate trips rather than long domestic stays.
  • No. The Westpac Altitude Qantas Black does not include a dedicated mobile phone insurance benefit. Everyday theft or accidental damage to your phone at home is not covered. While travelling overseas, a phone is only treated as an item of luggage, covered as portable electrical equipment up to $5,000 an item, with a $300 excess on luggage claims. That helps on a trip but does nothing for a cracked screen at home, where replacing a flagship handset runs roughly $1,200 to $2,300. If phone cover matters to you, a standalone mobile or gadget policy, or your home contents insurance, is the place to get it.
  • Sometimes. Westpac's policy automatically covers a defined list of stable pre-existing conditions without assessment, provided you meet the stated requirements for each. Any condition not on that list is not covered unless Allianz Global Assistance assesses it and confirms cover in writing, for a $45 administration fee. You apply online at checkyourcover.com.au/westpac or by phone, and must answer the health questions honestly. Pregnancy is treated as a pre-existing condition, and no cover applies beyond the 26th week. If a condition is neither on the list nor assessed and approved, any claim linked to it will be declined, so sort this out before you travel.
  • On-piste skiing and snowboarding are covered under the overseas travel policy at no extra cost, because they are not named in the dangerous-activities exclusion. Off-piste skiing, off-piste snowboarding and snowmobiling are excluded, so a claim from skiing outside the marked runs would be declined. Your sporting equipment is not insured while it is in use, and racing is excluded, so treat expensive gear and competitive events as uncovered. There is no snow-specific medical top-up on this card. If you plan off-piste or backcountry runs, a dedicated snow travel policy is the safer option, since the Westpac Altitude Qantas Black will not respond to an off-piste claim.
  • Up to six consecutive months per journey. The Westpac Altitude Qantas Black is a Level 1 card, which carries the longer six-month overseas period, while Level 2 cards such as the Altitude Qantas Platinum are limited to three months. Cover ends when you return home, when you reach the date on your return ticket, or at the six-month mark, whichever comes first, and the trip must begin and end in Australia. For any trip planned to run beyond six months, or a one-way or working-holiday trip, you need a standalone travel insurance policy for the time outside the card's cover.
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