How do I activate the Dosh Card complimentary travel insurance?

You can't, because the Dosh Card carries no complimentary travel insurance to activate. On New Zealand credit cards that do include cover, it switches on when you charge prepaid travel costs (flights, accommodation, tours) to the card before you leave: any amount on some cards, $500 or half the trip on others. Paying for your flights with the Dosh Card, now sold as the One NZ dosh card, triggers nothing like that, because there is no insurer, no policy wording (the insurer's full policy document) and no benefit table behind it. The card is a Visa debit card for everyday spending that earns One NZ Phone Dollars. If you want cover for a trip, buy a standalone travel policy as soon as you book, and keep the Dosh Card for paying.

Who is covered under my Dosh Card complimentary insurance?

Nobody, because the Dosh Card comes with no complimentary insurance at all. There is no cover for you as the account holder, and none for a partner or children travelling with you, whatever you paid for with the card. Families feel this most: credit cards with complimentary cover often extend it to a spouse and dependent children who travel with the cardholder, and the Dosh Card has no such benefit. Each person in your group needs to be named on a standalone travel policy. A family policy can cover two adults and their children for one premium, so compare it with separate policies, and check the age limits for children and the rules on pre-existing medical conditions before you buy.

Does the Dosh Card cover rental car excess?

No. There is no rental vehicle excess benefit on the Dosh Card, for a hire car abroad or for a car or campervan you hire in New Zealand. The excess (the amount the rental company bills you after damage or theft) is commonly set in the thousands of dollars, and with this card it stays your bill. Some New Zealand credit cards pay it back when the hire went on the card; a debit card like this one doesn't. To close the gap, either buy the hire company's excess-reduction option at the counter or take out a standalone rental excess policy before you fly. One practical point: the card can only spend what is already in your Dosh Everyday account, since it cannot overdraw it, so top up before you collect the keys.

What does the Dosh Card not cover?

The Dosh Card carries no complimentary insurance, so it covers none of the usual travel or purchase risks. There is no overseas medical or evacuation cover, which matters because ACC (the Accident Compensation Corporation, New Zealand's no-fault injury scheme) and the public health system pay nothing for treatment overseas. There is no trip cancellation, travel delay, missed connection or luggage cover, no rental car excess and no ski or snowboard cover. On the purchase side, there is no purchase protection, extended warranty or mobile phone insurance. What the card does give you is a $0 annual fee, 1% back in One NZ Phone Dollars on eligible everyday spend, and in-app controls such as locking the card and setting limits. Overseas, every foreign-currency purchase also carries a 2% currency margin.

Does the Dosh Card cover skiing or snowboarding?

No. The Dosh Card has no snow-sports cover of any kind: nothing for a ski or snowboard injury, no mountain rescue, no cover for your own or hired gear and no refund of an unused lift pass. There is no paid snow extension to add either, because no policy sits behind the card. On a ski trip to Japan, a fracture treated locally quickly reaches five figures, and ACC doesn't pay for treatment overseas. Skiing at home is a different picture, since ACC covers injuries from an accident on a New Zealand ski field. For a trip to Niseko or Hakuba, buy a standalone travel policy with its snow-sports option before you leave, because it cannot be added once you are hurt.

Do I still need separate travel insurance if I have the Dosh Card?

Yes. The Dosh Card includes no travel insurance, so a trip with this card alone leaves the expensive risks with you: 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. A standalone New Zealand travel policy covers medical treatment, cancellation and luggage, with no condition about which card paid for the trip. The card is not built for overseas spending either: every foreign-currency transaction carries a 2% currency margin, so $2,000 of purchases in Bali carries $40 of margin. Pair a policy for the risks with a card or travel money account that converts currency more cheaply.

Does the Dosh Card include mobile phone insurance?

No. The Dosh Card includes no mobile phone insurance, and no purchase protection or extended warranty either. If you buy a phone with the card and crack the screen or lose it to theft a month later, the repair or replacement is entirely your cost, and a flagship screen repair commonly costs several hundred dollars. The One NZ link doesn't change that: the 1% Phone Dollars you earn on eligible spend go toward your next One NZ phone, they don't insure the one you have. For a phone bought from a New Zealand retailer, the Consumer Guarantees Act still covers faults, but not drops, theft or loss. For those, list the phone on your contents insurance or buy a dedicated phone policy.

Is the Dosh Card a debit card or a credit card?

It is a Visa debit card. The Dosh Card spends money you have already loaded into your Dosh Everyday account, so there is no credit limit, no interest and no annual fee, and the card cannot overdraw the account. That is also why it carries no complimentary insurance: in New Zealand, that cover mostly comes with credit cards that charge an annual fee. Dosh itself is not a registered bank. It is a brand of MCA Investments Limited, the card is issued by Flexewallet, and customer funds are held on trust with registered New Zealand banks, covered by the Depositor Compensation Scheme up to $100,000 since 1 July 2025 if one of those banks fails. Some merchants process the card like a credit card and may add a surcharge.

Is the Dosh Card worth using overseas?

For the odd purchase it works, but it is not a travel card. The Dosh Card is accepted overseas wherever Visa is displayed and works with Apple Pay and Google Pay, yet every transaction in a foreign currency carries a 2% currency margin on top of the conversion rate. On $3,000 of hotels, food and transport in Tokyo, that is $60 you could avoid with a low-margin travel money card. It also insures nothing on the trip: no medical, cancellation or luggage cover. On the plus side, there is no annual fee, and the app lets you lock the card or set daily, weekly and monthly limits if it goes missing. Pack a backup card, and a standalone travel policy for the risks.

Does the Dosh card come with travel insurance when you travel overseas?

Dosh·$0/year·Visa Debit

Pauline LauroreAuthor of HelloSafe's card insurance reviewsUpdated 26 October 20268 min read

0,0/5Independent review · verified October 2026

Travel Insurance

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Car Rental

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Winter Sports

0,0

Protection

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Our Verdict · Travel Insurance

Our take on travel insurance for the Dosh Dosh Card

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

Zero annual fee. Zero travel insurance. Here's what that means before you fly. So, you're in a clinic in Bali with a fever and the front desk wants payment before the doctor sees you: on the Dosh card, now sold as the One NZ dosh card, that bill comes out of your own balance and nothing pays it back. Does putting the flights on it switch any cover on? No. Most people assume a Visa debit card from a banking app carries at least basic cover, but Dosh card travel insurance simply doesn't exist, and ACC (the Accident Compensation Corporation, New Zealand's no-fault injury scheme) and the public health system pay nothing for treatment overseas. The kicker: every purchase in a foreign currency also carries a 2% currency margin, so it isn't a travel money card either. A standalone New Zealand travel policy covers the medical bills, cancellations and lost bags this card leaves out, whichever card paid for the trip. If you only use the Dosh card for everyday spending at home, none of this matters; if you're heading overseas, buy that cover before you leave.

What works on travel

No annual fee: the One NZ dosh card is free to order and has no yearly charge
1% back in One NZ Phone Dollars on eligible everyday spend, plus $50 Phone Dollars on your first purchase
Accepted overseas wherever Visa is displayed, with Apple Pay and Google Pay on the same card

Where travel breaks down

No complimentary travel insurance: paying for flights or hotels with the card switches on no cover
No overseas medical or evacuation cover: ACC and the public health system pay nothing for treatment overseas
2% currency margin on foreign-currency transactions: $3,000 spent overseas costs $60 extra
No cancellation, delay or luggage cover: a cancelled trip or a lost bag is fully out of pocket

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 Dosh Dosh Card Travel Insurance actually cover?

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.

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 or repatriation. 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 return home 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 income replacement 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. 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?

Report an error Send updated PDF

Coverage Radar

Where the Dosh Dosh Card 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

Dosh CardThis card0.0/5?

$0/yr

With travel insuranceIdeal

Complete coverage · 5.0 / 5

Premium card avg.

$297 avg. annual fee

Click a layer to highlight its scores on the radar.

Side-by-side comparison

How the Dosh Dosh Card stacks up against the alternatives

Same 5 coverage dimensions, ranked head-to-head against the cards most Dosh Card shoppers also consider.

Card	This card Dosh Card Dosh · $0/yr 0.0/5?	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 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, 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	$5,000,000 Approved by Chubb Assistance
Trip delay trigger Hours before benefits kick in	Not covered Cover this gap →	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	$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 Dosh Dosh Card

Real experiences of spending with the card 2 reviews

36wish (ChoiceCheapies)

January 2023

2% fee when used overseas

2% fee. Better to use another card.

mattwnz (Geekzone)

January 2026

Phone Dollars only usable on a One NZ phone

…if you can only use it towards a phone where you must sign up to a monthly plans. I had $600 in One nz phone dollar credit in total that will end up being wasted because I don't need or want a new phone.

What to do if you need travel cover with the Dosh Card

Step 1: Buy a standalone travel policy when you book the trip

The Dosh Card includes no travel insurance, so arrange a standalone policy and read its policy wording (the insurer's full policy document) for the overseas medical, cancellation and luggage limits. Cancellation cover only starts on the day the policy does, so take it out when you pay the deposit, not the week before you fly.

Step 2: Save the insurer's emergency line and keep every receipt

Store your travel insurer's 24/7 emergency number and your policy number on your phone before departure. Keep itemised medical bills, a police report or the airline's property irregularity report, and the receipts for your bookings, since the insurer will ask for them.

Step 3: Take a complaint about Dosh itself to FSCL

For a problem with the card or your Dosh account (not travel insurance), contact Dosh support at contact@dosh.nz first. If that does not resolve it, you can take it to Financial Services Complaints Ltd (FSCL), the free dispute resolution scheme Dosh has elected to use.

You can't, because the Dosh Card carries no complimentary travel insurance to activate. On New Zealand credit cards that do include cover, it switches on when you charge prepaid travel costs (flights, accommodation, tours) to the card before you leave: any amount on some cards, $500 or half the trip on others. Paying for your flights with the Dosh Card, now sold as the One NZ dosh card, triggers nothing like that, because there is no insurer, no policy wording (the insurer's full policy document) and no benefit table behind it. The card is a Visa debit card for everyday spending that earns One NZ Phone Dollars. If you want cover for a trip, buy a standalone travel policy as soon as you book, and keep the Dosh Card for paying.
Nobody, because the Dosh Card comes with no complimentary insurance at all. There is no cover for you as the account holder, and none for a partner or children travelling with you, whatever you paid for with the card. Families feel this most: credit cards with complimentary cover often extend it to a spouse and dependent children who travel with the cardholder, and the Dosh Card has no such benefit. Each person in your group needs to be named on a standalone travel policy. A family policy can cover two adults and their children for one premium, so compare it with separate policies, and check the age limits for children and the rules on pre-existing medical conditions before you buy.
No. There is no rental vehicle excess benefit on the Dosh Card, for a hire car abroad or for a car or campervan you hire in New Zealand. The excess (the amount the rental company bills you after damage or theft) is commonly set in the thousands of dollars, and with this card it stays your bill. Some New Zealand credit cards pay it back when the hire went on the card; a debit card like this one doesn't. To close the gap, either buy the hire company's excess-reduction option at the counter or take out a standalone rental excess policy before you fly. One practical point: the card can only spend what is already in your Dosh Everyday account, since it cannot overdraw it, so top up before you collect the keys.
There is nothing to claim on, because the Dosh Card carries no travel insurance, purchase protection or phone cover, and no insurer handles claims for it. If something goes wrong on a trip, your claim goes to the standalone travel insurer you bought a policy from, through its 24/7 emergency line and claim form, backed by itemised medical bills, a police report or the airline's property irregularity report, and your receipts. Problems with the card itself go to Dosh: lock the card in the app and contact Dosh at once if it is lost or stolen, since a temporary lock alone does not report it. If Dosh does not resolve a complaint, you can take it to Financial Services Complaints Ltd (FSCL), the free dispute resolution scheme Dosh has elected to use.
The Dosh Card carries no complimentary insurance, so it covers none of the usual travel or purchase risks. There is no overseas medical or evacuation cover, which matters because ACC (the Accident Compensation Corporation, New Zealand's no-fault injury scheme) and the public health system pay nothing for treatment overseas. There is no trip cancellation, travel delay, missed connection or luggage cover, no rental car excess and no ski or snowboard cover. On the purchase side, there is no purchase protection, extended warranty or mobile phone insurance. What the card does give you is a $0 annual fee, 1% back in One NZ Phone Dollars on eligible everyday spend, and in-app controls such as locking the card and setting limits. Overseas, every foreign-currency purchase also carries a 2% currency margin.
No. The Dosh Card has no snow-sports cover of any kind: nothing for a ski or snowboard injury, no mountain rescue, no cover for your own or hired gear and no refund of an unused lift pass. There is no paid snow extension to add either, because no policy sits behind the card. On a ski trip to Japan, a fracture treated locally quickly reaches five figures, and ACC doesn't pay for treatment overseas. Skiing at home is a different picture, since ACC covers injuries from an accident on a New Zealand ski field. For a trip to Niseko or Hakuba, buy a standalone travel policy with its snow-sports option before you leave, because it cannot be added once you are hurt.
Yes. The Dosh Card includes no travel insurance, so a trip with this card alone leaves the expensive risks with you: 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. A standalone New Zealand travel policy covers medical treatment, cancellation and luggage, with no condition about which card paid for the trip. The card is not built for overseas spending either: every foreign-currency transaction carries a 2% currency margin, so $2,000 of purchases in Bali carries $40 of margin. Pair a policy for the risks with a card or travel money account that converts currency more cheaply.
No. The Dosh Card includes no mobile phone insurance, and no purchase protection or extended warranty either. If you buy a phone with the card and crack the screen or lose it to theft a month later, the repair or replacement is entirely your cost, and a flagship screen repair commonly costs several hundred dollars. The One NZ link doesn't change that: the 1% Phone Dollars you earn on eligible spend go toward your next One NZ phone, they don't insure the one you have. For a phone bought from a New Zealand retailer, the Consumer Guarantees Act still covers faults, but not drops, theft or loss. For those, list the phone on your contents insurance or buy a dedicated phone policy.
It is a Visa debit card. The Dosh Card spends money you have already loaded into your Dosh Everyday account, so there is no credit limit, no interest and no annual fee, and the card cannot overdraw the account. That is also why it carries no complimentary insurance: in New Zealand, that cover mostly comes with credit cards that charge an annual fee. Dosh itself is not a registered bank. It is a brand of MCA Investments Limited, the card is issued by Flexewallet, and customer funds are held on trust with registered New Zealand banks, covered by the Depositor Compensation Scheme up to $100,000 since 1 July 2025 if one of those banks fails. Some merchants process the card like a credit card and may add a surcharge.
For the odd purchase it works, but it is not a travel card. The Dosh Card is accepted overseas wherever Visa is displayed and works with Apple Pay and Google Pay, yet every transaction in a foreign currency carries a 2% currency margin on top of the conversion rate. On $3,000 of hotels, food and transport in Tokyo, that is $60 you could avoid with a low-margin travel money card. It also insures nothing on the trip: no medical, cancellation or luggage cover. On the plus side, there is no annual fee, and the app lets you lock the card or set daily, weekly and monthly limits if it goes missing. Pack a backup card, and a standalone travel policy for the risks.