No trip cancellation. This benefit is not included with this card. Prepaid flights, hotels and tours are not reimbursable if you cancel, and a non-refundable week in Tokyo for two commonly runs to several thousand dollars.
BNZ Airpoints credit card: gone since 2015, so what travel insurance covers you now?
BNZ·$55/year·Visa
0,0/5Independent review · verified October 2026
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Our Verdict · Travel Insurance
Our take on travel insurance for the BNZ Airpoints Visa
Expert review · Pauline LauroreAuthor of HelloSafe's card insurance reviews
No longer sold. No travel insurance either. BNZ's Airpoints cards, the GlobalPlus range, stopped earning Airpoints Dollars at midnight on 30 April 2015. So, you're in a clinic in Bali with a fever and the front desk wants payment up front: the old entry-level GlobalPlus Visa never had overseas medical, evacuation, cancellation or baggage cover behind it. Most people assume BNZ credit card travel insurance came with every Airpoints card, but only the GlobalPlus Gold and the GlobalPlus Platinum Visa carried it, and ACC (the Accident Compensation Corporation) pays nothing for treatment overseas. Covered today? Only on the Advantage Visa Platinum, BNZ's one personal card with complimentary travel insurance, which switches on once any amount of your prepaid travel costs goes on the card, for trips of up to 90 days. If you only wanted Airpoints, BNZ no longer offers them; if you want the trip protected, use that card or buy a standalone New Zealand travel policy before you leave.
What works on travel
- BNZ's Advantage Visa Platinum carries complimentary travel insurance, switched on by any amount of prepaid travel costs on the card
- Unlimited overseas medical on the Advantage Visa Platinum for travellers under 75, on trips of up to 90 days
- $90 a year for the Advantage Visa Platinum, BNZ's only personal card with travel insurance
Where travel breaks down
- No longer sold: BNZ GlobalPlus cards stopped earning Airpoints at midnight on 30 April 2015
- No complimentary travel insurance on the entry-level GlobalPlus Visa: trips paid with it had no cover
- No overseas medical or evacuation cover: ACC and the public health system pay nothing for treatment overseas
- No Airpoints card at BNZ today: its Advantage rewards cards don't earn Airpoints Dollars
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 BNZ Airpoints Visa Travel Insurance actually cover?
No overseas medical cover. This benefit is not included with this card. All medical costs overseas are the cardholder's responsibility, because ACC and the public health system don't pay for treatment overseas, and a few nights in a Honolulu hospital commonly run to six figures.
No evacuation cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Evacuation and repatriation costs are entirely the cardholder's responsibility, and an air ambulance from Bali to New Zealand commonly costs six figures.
No emergency dental cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Emergency dental treatment overseas is out of pocket, because ACC and the public health system don't pay for treatment overseas.
No hospital cash allowance. This benefit is not included with this card. No daily allowance is paid during a hospital stay overseas, so the incidental costs of an admission are yours to cover.
No additional expenses cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Extra accommodation and transport after a disruption, such as a cyclone closing Nadi airport, are the cardholder's responsibility.
No travel delay cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Meals, accommodation and transport during a long delay, such as an unplanned night in Honolulu, are the cardholder's responsibility.
No alternative transport cover. This benefit is not included with this card. The cost of alternative transport to reach a prepaid cruise, tour or event on time is out of pocket.
No trip curtailment cover. This benefit is not included with this card. The cost of flying home after a family emergency, and of resuming the trip afterwards, is out of pocket.
No luggage delay cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Clothes and toiletries bought while your bag is delayed, say on arrival in Rarotonga, are out of pocket.
No luggage cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Replacement costs for lost or stolen bags and belongings are the cardholder's responsibility.
No travel documents cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Replacing a lost passport or stolen cash overseas, including the extra travel to reach a consulate, is out of pocket.
No personal liability cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Legal liability for injuring someone or damaging property overseas is uninsured, and claims of this kind commonly reach hundreds of thousands of dollars.
No accidental death cover. This benefit is not included with this card. No lump sum is paid to you or your estate if an accident on the trip causes death or permanent disablement.
No loss of income cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Injured in Bali and off work for 8 weeks on your return, you get no income replacement from this card, and ACC weekly compensation only applies to injuries ACC covers.
No domestic cancellation cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Prepaid domestic flights and accommodation, such as a Queenstown ski week, are not reimbursable if you cancel.
No domestic delay cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Meals and accommodation during a delayed or cancelled domestic flight are the cardholder's responsibility.
No domestic disruption cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Extra accommodation and transport after a disruption on a trip within New Zealand are out of pocket.
No domestic luggage cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Lost or stolen luggage on a trip within New Zealand is not reimbursable through this card.
No domestic luggage delay cover. This benefit is not included with this card. Essentials bought while your bag is delayed on a domestic flight are out of pocket.
We source benefits from official card guides, but PDFs are sometimes hard to obtain or update. Spotted something off?
Coverage Radar
Where the BNZ Airpoints Visa 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
Airpoints VisaThis card0.0/5?
$55/yrWith travel insuranceIdeal
Complete coverage · 5.0 / 5Premium card avg.
$297 avg. annual feeClick a layer to highlight its scores on the radar.
Side-by-side comparison
How the BNZ Airpoints Visa stacks up against the alternatives
Same 5 coverage dimensions, ranked head-to-head against the cards most Airpoints Visa shoppers also consider.
| Card | This card Airpoints Visa BNZ · $55/yr 0.0/5? | Advantage Visa Platinum BNZ · $90/yr 2.9/5? | Visa Platinum Rewards ASB · $125/yr 3.2/5? | Platinum Card American Express · $850/yr 3.6/5? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Trip cancellation Per person, per trip cap | Not covered Cover this gap → | Unlimited All prepaid travel, no dollar cap | Unlimited All prepaid deposits, no dollar cap | $30,000 per person All prepaid travel, $30,000 cap |
Emergency medical Hospital bills abroad | Not covered Cover this gap → | Unlimited Unlimited under age 75 | Unlimited Unlimited, ages 75 and under | $5,000,000 Capped $5,000,000, overseas only |
Emergency evacuation Air ambulance + repatriation | Not covered Cover this gap → | Unlimited Included in unlimited medical | Unlimited Included in unlimited medical | $5,000,000 Approved by Chubb Assistance |
Trip delay trigger Hours before benefits kick in | Not covered Cover this gap → | 6h / $250 Trigger: 6 hours | 6h / $400 Trigger: more than 6 hours | 4h / $650 Trigger: 4 hours |
Trip interruption Covered amount | Not covered Cover this gap → | Unlimited Unlimited, broad list of events | Unlimited Unlimited, broad list of events | $5,000 per person Trip change during the trip |
StrongLimited / misleadingNot covered
Data verified against each card's Guide to Benefits, May 2026.
Cardholder reviews
What cardholders say about the BNZ Airpoints Visa
Real comments on BNZ's old Airpoints cards 1 reviews
CO
u/ComeAlongPonds (r/newzealand)
Airpoints on share trades, until BNZ changed the rules
Many moons ago I'd use my GlobalPlus card for share trading buys, then paid the credit card ASAP. Racked up lots of air points, until BNZ started treating sharebroker payments as cash advances.
Emergency · Card assistance line
How to contact BNZ Airpoints Visa assistance?
BNZ's GlobalPlus cards stopped earning Airpoints when its Air New Zealand partnership ended at midnight on 30 April 2015, and the entry-level GlobalPlus Visa came with no insurer, policy wording or 24/7 emergency line. For cover, activate the Advantage Visa Platinum's travel insurance or buy a standalone New Zealand travel policy. The numbers below are BNZ's card enquiry lines, not an insurance helpline.
BNZ personal banking and credit card enquiries (not travel insurance)
0800 275 269
Free call within New Zealand
BNZ enquiries from overseas
+64 4 931 8209
International toll charges apply
What to do if you held the BNZ Airpoints Visa
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Step 1: Check which BNZ card you hold now
BNZ's GlobalPlus cards stopped earning Airpoints Dollars at midnight on 30 April 2015, and BNZ's rewards cards became the Advantage range. The entry-level GlobalPlus Visa carried no travel insurance, so a trip paid with it had no cover from the card. If you are unsure what your old account became, call BNZ on 0800 275 269 (+64 4 931 8209 from overseas).
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Step 2: Activate the Advantage Visa Platinum cover, or buy a standalone policy
On the Advantage Visa Platinum, cover switches on when you pay any amount of your prepaid travel costs with the card before you leave, for trips of up to 90 days. Claims and questions go to Zurich New Zealand on 0800 269 872 or at bnztravel.co.nz, and Travel Guard Emergency Assistance answers 24/7 on +64 9 359 1687. For a longer trip or snow sports, buy a standalone New Zealand travel policy when you book.
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Step 3: Take an unresolved dispute to the right ombudsman
If Zurich declines an Advantage Visa Platinum claim, use its internal complaints process first. If that ends in deadlock, the Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme (IFSO Scheme) is free and independent, usually within 3 months of reaching deadlock, and can award up to $500,000 + GST. A dispute about the card account itself goes to BNZ's complaints team, then to the Banking Ombudsman Scheme, also free.
FAQ
What people ask about the BNZ Airpoints Visa
- No. BNZ's Airpoints-earning cards were the GlobalPlus range (GlobalPlus, GlobalPlus Gold and GlobalPlus Platinum Visa), and BNZ and Air New Zealand ended their partnership at midnight on 30 April 2015. From then on, GlobalPlus cards stopped earning Airpoints Dollars and Status Points, and BNZ moved its rewards cards to the BNZ Advantage range. Westpac took over the Air New Zealand Airpoints partnership from 1 May 2015, and BNZ has not issued an Airpoints card since. So if you search for a BNZ Airpoints credit card today, there is none to apply for. For travel cover from BNZ, the Advantage Visa Platinum is its only personal card with complimentary travel insurance, at $90 a year.
- You can't, because the BNZ Airpoints Visa, sold as the entry-level GlobalPlus Visa, came with no complimentary travel insurance to activate, and the card no longer exists. In the GlobalPlus range, only the GlobalPlus Gold (up to 35 days per trip) and the GlobalPlus Platinum Visa (up to 90 days) carried international leisure travel insurance, switched on by paying some of the prepaid travel costs with the card or with Airpoints Dollars. On BNZ's current Advantage Visa Platinum, cover switches on when you pay any amount of your prepaid travel costs (flights, accommodation, tours or transport) with the card before you leave. There is no registration step. You also need to live permanently in New Zealand, hold a return ticket and be under 90 at departure.
- Nobody, because the BNZ Airpoints Visa came with no complimentary insurance: not you as the cardholder, and not a partner or children travelling with you, whoever paid for the trip. In the old GlobalPlus range, the Gold card's travel cover extended to immediate family, meaning a spouse or dependent children travelling with the cardholder, but the entry-level Visa had nothing similar. If you now hold BNZ's Advantage Visa Platinum, check who its policy wording (the insurer's full policy document) names as covered before you rely on it for a partner or a child. Otherwise, each traveller needs to be named on a standalone travel policy, and a family policy can cover two adults and their children on one premium.
- No. The BNZ Airpoints Visa has no rental vehicle excess cover, so after damage to or theft of a hire car, the excess (the amount the rental company charges you) is yours to pay, overseas or in New Zealand. BNZ's current Advantage Visa Platinum reimburses up to $8,000 of rental vehicle excess on a car hired overseas from a licensed rental agency, once the trip's cover is activated. It pays back the excess; it is not a damage waiver, and it does not cover hires within New Zealand. For a campervan at home, take the rental company's excess reduction or buy a standalone rental excess policy before you pick up the keys.
- There is nothing to claim on: the BNZ Airpoints Visa carried no travel insurance, purchase protection or phone cover, so no insurer handles claims for it. If something goes wrong on a trip, the claim goes to whichever travel insurer covers you, with itemised medical bills, a police report or the airline's property irregularity report, and your receipts. If you hold BNZ's Advantage Visa Platinum and activated its cover, claims go to Zurich New Zealand on 0800 269 872 or online at bnztravel.co.nz. Questions about an old BNZ card account go to BNZ on 0800 275 269. If BNZ's own complaints process doesn't settle a dispute about the card, the Banking Ombudsman Scheme is a free, independent service.
- The BNZ Airpoints Visa carries no complimentary insurance, so there is no overseas medical, cancellation or baggage cover, and no purchase protection or extended warranty. That means no emergency medical or evacuation cover overseas, where ACC (the Accident Compensation Corporation) and the public health system pay nothing for treatment. There is no travel delay or trip curtailment cover either, and no rental car excess, ski cover or personal liability. Even the GlobalPlus Gold and Platinum versions that did carry travel insurance came with conditions, such as excluded business travel and age limits. Pre-existing medical conditions are excluded from New Zealand card cover as standard, so a standalone policy that assesses them is the safer route.
- No. The BNZ Airpoints Visa has no snow-sports cover of any kind: no ski injury medical costs, no mountain rescue, no cover for your own or hired gear and no refund of an unused lift pass. On a ski trip to Japan, a fracture treated overseas quickly reaches five figures, and ACC doesn't pay for treatment overseas. BNZ's current Advantage Visa Platinum doesn't include it either: snow sports are a paid add-on, bought at bnztravel.co.nz before you leave. At home it's different, because ACC covers treatment for a ski accident on a New Zealand ski field. For an overseas snow trip, buy a standalone travel policy and add its snow-sports option before departure.
- Yes. The BNZ Airpoints Visa includes no travel insurance, so a trip paid with it leaves you exposed to hospital bills, an air ambulance home and non-refundable bookings. ACC and the public health system pay nothing for treatment overseas, and a few nights in a Honolulu hospital commonly run to six figures. If you hold BNZ's Advantage Visa Platinum, its cover pays unlimited overseas medical for travellers under 75 once any amount of the prepaid trip goes on the card, for trips of up to 90 days. A standalone New Zealand travel policy still makes sense for a longer trip, for travellers aged 75 and over, for snow sports, or for anyone with a pre-existing medical condition.
- Only the BNZ Advantage Visa Platinum, at $90 a year. Its complimentary travel insurance is underwritten by Zurich New Zealand and switches on once you pay any amount of your prepaid travel costs with the card, for trips of up to 90 days. Overseas medical is unlimited for travellers under 75, though it is not covered from 75 to 89 unless you buy Mature Traveller Medical Cover. Rental vehicle excess is reimbursed up to $8,000 on overseas hires, and a $300 excess applies to most sections. Snow sports and cruises are paid add-ons. The BNZ Lite Visa, the Flexi Debit Visa and the old GlobalPlus Visa carry no travel insurance at all.
Not just BNZ
Other cards worth considering
Airpoints Visa is a strong choice — but depending on what you prioritize, one of these may suit you better.
Lite Visa
BNZ
Flexi Debit Visa
BNZ
Advantage Visa Platinum
BNZ
Low Rate Visa
ANZ
Not sure how card insurance works? Read our guide to credit card travel insurance