How do I activate the Airpoints Platinum Mastercard complimentary travel insurance?

You activate it by paying at least $500 of your prepaid travel costs with the Airpoints Platinum Mastercard before you leave, either charged to the card, through a same-day cash advance on it, or by redeeming Airpoints Dollars. Prepaid travel costs are return overseas tickets, airport and departure taxes, prepaid overseas accommodation and other prepaid itinerary items. The threshold drops to $250 for a trip only across the Tasman or to the South Pacific Islands. If your spouse or dependent children travel with you, the family total must reach $1,000 (or $500), otherwise only you are covered. You also need to live permanently in New Zealand and hold a return ticket within 35 days. There is no registration step: travelactivate.co.nz only confirms you qualify, so keep the card statement or the Airpoints redemption record.

Who is covered under my Airpoints Platinum Mastercard complimentary insurance?

The cardholder is covered, and the policy wording counts joint and additional cardholders as cardholders too. Your spouse or de facto partner, once you have lived together for at least three months, and your dependent children are covered when they travel with you on the journey. Dependent children are unmarried children under 19 who live with you, or under 24 while in full-time study, step and adopted children included. The catch on the Airpoints Platinum Mastercard: family cover only applies if the family's prepaid travel costs reach $1,000 on the card or in Airpoints Dollars, so activating for yourself alone leaves your spouse and children uninsured. Several limits are also shared, such as luggage at $20,000 per family and rental excess at $5,000 per family.

Does the Airpoints Platinum Mastercard cover rental car excess?

Yes, up to $5,000 per family for a hire vehicle rented during an overseas trip. The Airpoints Platinum Mastercard reimburses the insurance excess or deductible you become liable for after the rental vehicle is damaged or stolen, so it pays back what the hire company charges you rather than waiving the damage. You must rent from a licensed rental agency, or a genuine commercial one where no licence is required, and keep to every term of the hire agreement and the rental insurance. A $200 excess comes off each claim. Damage off a public road, breaches of the rental agreement, motorbikes and mopeds are excluded, and hires for a trip within New Zealand are not covered, because the policy only applies to overseas journeys.

How do I make a claim on my Airpoints Platinum Mastercard insurance?

Claims on the Airpoints Platinum Mastercard go to AIG Insurance New Zealand, not Westpac. Overseas, call Travel Guard on +64 9 359 1624 and get approval before a hospital admission, emergency transport or an early flight home. Then advise AIG within 30 days of the end of your journey, using the claim form on travelactivate.co.nz or by post to the AIG claims department, PO Box 1745, Shortland Street, Auckland 1140. Send your card statement or Airpoints Dollars redemption record, your itinerary or return ticket, your bank account number, any police report and itemised medical accounts. If AIG declines and its internal complaints process doesn't resolve it, you can take it to Financial Services Complaints Ltd (FSCL), a free independent dispute resolution scheme, which can award up to $500,000.

What does the Airpoints Platinum Mastercard not cover?

Six gaps catch Airpoints Platinum Mastercard holders. If less than $500 of prepaid travel went on the card or in Airpoints Dollars, nothing is covered. A trip whose overseas part runs longer than 35 days has no cover at all, not even for its first 35 days, unless you buy a duration extension before leaving. Pre-existing medical conditions are excluded unless AIG assesses and accepts them for a premium. From age 75 there is no overseas medical cover without paid Mature Age Cover. Cancellation and unexpected travel claims linked to an epidemic or pandemic, COVID-19 included, are excluded. And ski or snowboard injuries are not covered by overseas medical without the paid Snow Sports Extension. Trips within New Zealand are not covered either.

Does the Airpoints Platinum Mastercard travel insurance cover COVID-19?

Not for cancellations. The Airpoints Platinum Mastercard policy wording excludes any cancellation or unexpected travel and accommodation claim relating to an epidemic or pandemic, naming COVID-19 and its variants, and any claim arising from travel restrictions or border closures linked to one. So a positive test that stops you flying, or a trip cut short by a lockdown, pays nothing from those two sections. The overseas medical section does not repeat that exclusion, so treatment for an illness that starts during the trip is assessed under its normal terms, with the $200 excess, the age 75 limit and the 35-day trip limit. If this risk matters to you, check with AIG on 0800 465 322 before you travel, or choose a standalone policy that names COVID-19 cover.

Does the Airpoints Platinum Mastercard cover skiing or snowboarding?

Not as standard. The Airpoints Platinum Mastercard policy wording takes snow sports, meaning skiing or snowboarding within the marked area of a commercial ski field, out of overseas medical cover unless you buy a Snow Sports Extension at travelactivate.co.nz before departure, for each trip. With the extension, a ski injury is covered by overseas medical and snow benefits of up to $10,000 per family apply: hire of replacement gear if yours is lost, damaged or delayed more than 12 hours, the unused share of a stolen lift pass, payments when all lifts close for more than 48 hours, and an avalanche delay. Skiing outside the marked area stays excluded either way. The $2,500,000 personal liability benefit still applies inside the marked area without the extension.

Are pre-existing medical conditions covered by the Airpoints Platinum Mastercard?

No, not automatically. The Airpoints Platinum Mastercard policy wording excludes any condition you are aware of, or had medical treatment, advice or prescribed medication for in the six months before you activated cover and up to departure. The same applies to a relative, travel companion or anyone else whose health could affect the trip, which matters for cancellation claims. You can apply for Pre-existing Medical Conditions Cover through an assessment at travelactivate.co.nz, and if AIG accepts it a premium is payable. The assessment must be done for each journey and only ever covers your own conditions. From age 75 you also need a Mature Age Assessment first, and if your health changes before departure, tell AIG on 0800 465 322.

Do I still need separate travel insurance if I have the Airpoints Platinum Mastercard?

For a holiday of up to 35 days, the Airpoints Platinum Mastercard covers travellers under 75 well, but four situations call for a standalone policy. A trip longer than 35 days has no cover at all unless you pay for an extension, and itineraries over 180 days cannot be covered. From 75 the card pays no overseas medical costs without Mature Age Cover, and ACC (the Accident Compensation Corporation) and the public health system pay nothing for treatment overseas. Unexpected travel and accommodation costs stop at $10,000 per person. And if a pandemic-related cancellation, a ski holiday or a pre-existing condition is a real risk for you, the card either excludes it or charges extra for it.

Westpac Airpoints Platinum Mastercard insurance: what does the 35-day cover actually pay?

Westpac·$125/year·Platinum Mastercard·AIG Insurance New Zealand Limited

Pauline LauroreAuthor of HelloSafe's card insurance reviewsUpdated 29 October 20268 min read

2,7/5Independent review · verified October 2026

Travel Insurance

3,1

Car Rental

2,2

Winter Sports

1,3

Protection

2,5

Our Verdict · Travel Insurance

Our take on travel insurance for the Westpac Airpoints Platinum Mastercard

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

Unlimited overseas medical. A 35-day limit per trip. Here's what that means before you book. So, you're in a Bali clinic on day 20 of a holiday and the front desk wants to know who's paying: with the Westpac Platinum Mastercard travel insurance the answer is AIG, with no dollar cap on medical bills for travellers up to 74 and a $200 excess (the first slice of each claim you pay yourself). Most cardholders assume holding the card is enough, but the policy wording (the insurer's full policy document for the card's cover) only switches cover on once $500 of your prepaid travel costs, or $1,000 for a family, went on the card or were paid with Airpoints Dollars. The kicker: if the overseas part of the trip runs past 35 days there is no cover at all, not even for the first week, and cancellation claims linked to an epidemic or pandemic, COVID-19 included, are excluded. A standalone New Zealand travel policy covers long trips without that cliff edge, so if you are under 75 and away for three weeks this cover holds up well, while for a long OE or anyone 75 or over, with ACC (the Accident Compensation Corporation) paying nothing for treatment overseas, a standalone policy is the safer choice.

What works on travel

Unlimited overseas medical, evacuation and emergency dental for travellers up to 74, with a $200 excess per claim event
Unlimited cancellation cover up to 74, with Airpoints Dollars lost on a cancelled reward ticket paid back
Prepaid travel paid with Airpoints Dollars counts towards the $500 activation threshold
Luggage up to $12,500 per person and $20,000 per family, with a $3,000 limit per item
$2,500,000 personal liability and $100,000 accidental death cover per cardholder

Where travel breaks down

A trip longer than 35 days has no cover at all, not even for its first 35 days, without a paid extension
Activation needs $500 of prepaid travel on the card or in Airpoints Dollars, and $1,000 when your family travels with you
Cancellation and unexpected travel claims linked to an epidemic or pandemic, COVID-19 included, are excluded
No overseas medical from age 75 unless Mature Age Cover is bought before departure
Unexpected travel and accommodation costs capped at $10,000 per person, and pre-existing conditions excluded unless assessed and paid for

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 Airpoints Platinum Mastercard Travel Insurance actually cover?

COVID-19 and any other declared epidemic or pandemic are excluded from cancellation claims, so a positive test before departure pays nothing.

Deductible : $200

Pays the non-refundable part of your prepaid travel and accommodation with no dollar cap for travellers up to 74, when the journey is cancelled, changed or cut short by an unforeseeable event outside your control. Airpoints Dollars lost on a cancelled reward ticket are paid back, and licensed travel agent cancellation fees up to $500 per family. Travellers aged 75 to 90 are capped at $5,000 per person and $10,000 per family, and a $200 excess applies per claim event.

What's covered

Non-refundable prepaid travel and accommodation
Higher class or seasonal fares to continue the trip, when no other option exists
Airpoints Dollars lost on a cancelled reward ticket
Licensed travel agent cancellation fees up to $500 per family
Unexpected redundancy from full-time work in New Zealand before departure

What's not covered

Any claim relating to an epidemic or pandemic, COVID-19 included, or the threat of one
Travel restrictions, border closures or government orders linked to an epidemic or pandemic
Pre-existing medical conditions of you, a relative or a travel companion unless approved and paid for
Changing your mind, business or financial commitments
Carrier delays or cancellations recoverable from the carrier
Failure to get a passport or visa
Tour cancelled for lack of numbers, and the financial default of a travel provider

Unlimited only up to age 74, and only on a trip of 35 days or less: one day over and the whole journey is uninsured. Ski injuries need the paid snow sports extension.

Deductible : $200

Overseas medical, surgical, hospital, ambulance and nursing costs are Unlimited for travellers up to 74, after a $200 excess per claim event. From 75 to 90 there is no overseas medical cover unless Mature Age Cover is bought after an assessment, and from 91 there is no cover at all without one. Costs caused by a terrorist act are capped at $100,000, and follow-up treatment back in New Zealand is paid up to $1,000.

What's covered

Overseas medical, surgical, hospital, ambulance and nursing home costs
Emergency dental treatment for sudden and acute pain
Medical evacuation and repatriation to New Zealand, organised by AIG
Travel and accommodation for one person to escort you home
Follow-up treatment in New Zealand up to $1,000

What's not covered

Pre-existing medical conditions unless approved and paid for
Snow sports unless the Snow Sports Extension was bought
Age 75 and over without Mature Age Cover
Private treatment where public care is available under a reciprocal health agreement
Continuing a course of treatment started before the trip
Routine dental care
Refusing to return to New Zealand when fit to travel

Deductible : $200

Medical evacuation to another location and repatriation to New Zealand sit inside the unlimited overseas medical benefit for travellers up to 74, and AIG organises them itself. Travel Guard, AIG's 24/7 assistance service, has to approve the move before anything is arranged. If a traveller dies on the trip, returning the remains to New Zealand or a local funeral is paid up to $12,500 per person and $20,000 per family.

What's covered

Medical evacuation and repatriation to New Zealand
Travel and accommodation for one person to escort you home
Return of remains or a local funeral, up to $12,500 per person

What's not covered

Refusing to return to New Zealand when AIG's medical adviser says you can
Funeral expenses for travellers aged 75 to 90 without Mature Age Cover
Pre-existing medical conditions unless approved and paid for

Deductible : $200

Emergency dental treatment overseas is paid inside the unlimited overseas medical benefit for travellers up to 74, with no separate dental sub-limit. It only covers the relief of sudden and acute pain, and the $200 excess applies.

What's covered

Emergency treatment for sudden and acute dental pain overseas

What's not covered

Normal wear and tear and routine dental maintenance
Treatment using precious metals
Travelling to get dental treatment

Deductible : $200

Pays a $55 bed care allowance for each full 24 hours you are confined to an overseas hospital bed, up to $5,500 per person and $11,000 per family. It is meant for incidental costs such as phone calls, TV hire or magazines, and only applies to travellers up to 74.

What's covered

Daily cash allowance during an overseas hospital stay

What's not covered

Stays in nursing, convalescent, rehabilitation or geriatric care facilities
Travellers aged 75 and over

Capped at $10,000 per person, unlike the unlimited cancellation cover, and claims linked to an epidemic or pandemic are excluded.

Deductible : $200

Unexpected extra travel and accommodation costs are paid up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per family when an injury, illness or death, or another unforeseeable event outside your control, forces you to change or cut short the journey. It also pays when a natural disaster, bad weather, a riot or a strike delays or cancels your carrier. The same cap applies at every age, and a $200 excess comes off each claim event.

What's covered

Extra travel and accommodation after your injury, illness or death
Serious injury or illness of a relative or travel companion
Carrier delays or cancellations caused by natural disasters, weather, riots or strikes
Other unforeseeable events outside your control

What's not covered

Any claim relating to an epidemic or pandemic, COVID-19 included, or the threat of one
Travel restrictions, border closures or government orders linked to an epidemic or pandemic
Costs recoverable from the carrier
Government prohibitions, business or financial commitments
Terrorist acts causing a carrier delay

Deductible : No deductible

If your scheduled carrier is delayed for 6 hours or more for reasons outside your control, reasonable meal and accommodation costs are paid up to $275 per person and $600 per family. A further $275 per person is paid for each extra full 12 hours, up to $825 per person and $1,800 per family for one delay.

What's covered

Meals during the delay
Accommodation during the delay

What's not covered

Delays caused by your own actions
Costs the airline or another party has to pay

Only pays when the trip is for a wedding, funeral, conference or sporting event. A missed tour or cruise departure is not covered.

Deductible : $200

If the purpose of the trip is a wedding, funeral, conference or sporting event that cannot be moved, and something unexpected interrupts your itinerary, the extra cost of alternative public transport to arrive on time is paid up to $3,000 per family. A $200 excess applies.

What's covered

Alternative public transport to reach the event on time

What's not covered

Missed tours, cruises or other prepaid bookings that are not one of the listed events
Costs recoverable from the carrier

Wording conflict: the Schedule of Benefits caps this at $3,000 per person and $6,000 per family, but clause 4.4 states $6,000 per person and $10,000 per family; confirm with the insurer.

Deductible : $200

If a relative dies and you have to cut the trip short, the card pays an economy flight home to New Zealand and another back out to resume the journey, up to $3,000 per person and $6,000 per family under the Schedule of Benefits. You must restart within 30 days, with at least a fortnight or a quarter of the trip still ahead. A serious illness in the family falls under unexpected travel and accommodation instead.

What's covered

Economy flight home to New Zealand
Economy flight back to resume the original itinerary

What's not covered

A relative already declared terminally ill before the trip began
Other events covered under unexpected travel and accommodation

Deductible : $200

If an airline or other carrier delays or misplaces your checked luggage for more than 12 hours, emergency essentials are paid up to $500 per person and $1,000 per family. The amount is deducted from any later claim if the bag is never found.

What's covered

Emergency replacement of essential clothing and toiletries

What's not covered

Bags delayed on the final flight home to New Zealand

Valuables in checked luggage are excluded: jewellery, cameras, phones and laptops must travel in your hand luggage.

Deductible : $200

Accidental loss of or damage to your luggage and personal effects is covered up to $12,500 per person and $20,000 per family, with a $3,000 limit for any one item and laptops capped at $6,000 in total. AIG can repair, replace or pay cash after depreciation, and you can nominate a high-value item for up to $10,000 at travelactivate.co.nz before leaving.

What's covered

Lost, stolen or damaged luggage and personal effects
Laptops and accessories up to $6,000 in total
Specified items up to $10,000 if nominated before departure

What's not covered

Jewellery, watches, cameras, phones and other electronics in checked luggage
Items left unattended in a public place, an unlocked room or an unlocked car
Items left in a car overnight or in view inside a car
Sporting equipment while in use
Electrical or mechanical breakdown, wear and tear
Items sent by freight, post or courier

Deductible : $200

Replacing lost or stolen travel documents, credit cards, travellers cheques and cash taken on the journey is covered up to $550 per person and $1,000 per family. A separate $550 per person covers your liability for fraudulent use of stolen travel documents or cards.

What's covered

Replacement passports and travel documents
Replacement credit cards and travellers cheques
Lost or stolen cash
Unauthorised use of stolen documents or cards, up to $550 per person

What's not covered

Losses from ignoring the issuer's security guidelines
Currency devaluation
Documents left unattended in a public place

Deductible : $200

Covers your legal liability if your negligence during the journey injures someone or damages their property, up to $2,500,000 per family for all claims from one event, legal costs included. AIG has to consent to the costs and a $200 excess applies.

What's covered

Compensation for injury to or death of another person
Damage to someone else's property
Legal expenses incurred with AIG's consent

What's not covered

Injury to your family or employees
Property you own or control
Motor vehicles, aircraft and watercraft
Your business or profession
Contractual liability, fines and punitive damages

Deductible : No deductible

Pays $100,000 to the cardholder's estate if an accident on the journey causes death within 12 months, $50,000 for an accompanying spouse and $5,000 for each dependent child, up to $150,000 per family. A separate common carrier benefit pays the same sums, plus partial amounts for loss of limbs or sight, when the accident happens on a plane, bus, train or vessel whose full fare was paid with the card.

What's covered

Accidental death during the journey
Common carrier death and disablement benefit (fare paid in full on the card)

What's not covered

Death caused by illness, disease or suicide
More than one claim per person when holding several cards

Exclusion 10.4 removes any injury covered by ACC, which can cover a New Zealand resident's overseas injury once back home, and the first 30 days off work are never paid.

Deductible : No deductible

Pays up to $1,100 a week for up to 13 weeks, with a maximum of $14,300 per person and $22,000 per family, if an accident overseas leaves you unable to go back to your normal work in New Zealand. The first 30 days after your planned return to work are not paid, and travellers aged 75 or over are not covered. Exclusion 10.4 removes any injury covered by ACC (the Accident Compensation Act 2001), and ACC may cover a New Zealand resident's injury overseas once back home, which makes this benefit much weaker for New Zealand residents.

What's covered

Weekly income replacement after an accidental injury overseas

What's not covered

Any injury covered by the Accident Compensation Act 2001 or another policy (exclusion 10.4)
The first 30 days after your planned return to work
Sickness or disease
Cardholders aged 75 or over

No domestic cancellation cover. This benefit is not included with this card, which only insures overseas journeys. Prepaid domestic flights and accommodation, such as a Queenstown ski week, are not reimbursable if you cancel.

What's not covered

Overseas journeys only: the policy wording defines a journey as an overseas trip from New Zealand of up to 35 days

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.

What's not covered

Overseas journeys only: the policy wording defines a journey as an overseas trip from New Zealand of up to 35 days

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.

What's not covered

Overseas journeys only: the policy wording defines a journey as an overseas trip from New Zealand of up to 35 days

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.

What's not covered

Overseas journeys only: the policy wording defines a journey as an overseas trip from New Zealand of up to 35 days

No domestic bag 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.

What's not covered

Overseas journeys only: the policy wording defines a journey as an overseas trip from New Zealand of up to 35 days

Policy document

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 Westpac Airpoints Platinum Mastercard wins, where it loses

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

Overseas emergency dental: well above the market average

Medical repatriation: well above the market average

Trip cancellation: above the market average

Trip interruption: below the market average

Compare

Airpoints Platinum MastercardThis card2.7/5?

$125/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 Westpac Airpoints Platinum Mastercard stacks up against the alternatives

Same 5 coverage dimensions, ranked head-to-head against the cards most Airpoints Platinum Mastercard shoppers also consider.

Card	This card Airpoints Platinum Mastercard Westpac · $125/yr 2.7/5?	Airpoints World Mastercard Westpac · $310/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	Unlimited All prepaid travel, no dollar cap	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	Unlimited Unlimited up to age 74	Unlimited Unlimited up to age 74	Unlimited Unlimited, ages 75 and under	$5,000,000 Capped $5,000,000, overseas only
Emergency evacuation Air ambulance + repatriation	Unlimited Included in unlimited medical	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	6h / $275 Trigger: 6 hours	6h / $275 Trigger: 6 hours	6h / $400 Trigger: more than 6 hours	4h / $650 Trigger: 4 hours
Trip interruption Covered amount	$10,000 per person $10,000 per person	Unlimited Unlimited up to age 74	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.

New Zealand Claims & Enquiries (AIG)

0800 465 322

Free call within New Zealand

Travel Guard Overseas Emergency Assistance (call collect)

+64 9 359 1624

Call collect accepted · 24/7

Benefit administrator: AIG Insurance New Zealand Limited for Westpac, with Travel Guard emergency assistance

Claims & pre-authorizations

How to make an Airpoints Platinum Mastercard claim

Step 1: Call Travel Guard before any hospital admission or early flight home

Overseas, call Travel Guard on +64 9 359 1624 at any hour and get approval before a hospital admission, emergency transport or an early return to New Zealand, or the claim may be affected. Report any theft or loss to the local police within 24 hours and get a written acknowledgement, and report luggage loss or damage to the airline before you leave the airport.

Step 2: Lodge with AIG within 30 days, with proof of the $500 activation

Advise AIG within 30 days of the end of the journey, with the claim form on travelactivate.co.nz or by post to the AIG claims department, PO Box 1745, Shortland Street, Auckland 1140. Include your Airpoints Platinum Mastercard statement or Airpoints Dollars redemption record showing the prepaid travel costs, your itinerary or return ticket, your bank account number, and original medical accounts, receipts or the rental agreement. A $200 excess applies once per claim event.

Step 3: If AIG says no, take it to FSCL

Use AIG's internal complaints process first, by phone on 0800 465 322, by email or in writing. If you reach deadlock, Financial Services Complaints Ltd (FSCL), the independent dispute resolution scheme AIG belongs to, reviews the complaint free of charge (info@fscl.org.nz, 0800 347 257) and can award up to $500,000.

You activate it by paying at least $500 of your prepaid travel costs with the Airpoints Platinum Mastercard before you leave, either charged to the card, through a same-day cash advance on it, or by redeeming Airpoints Dollars. Prepaid travel costs are return overseas tickets, airport and departure taxes, prepaid overseas accommodation and other prepaid itinerary items. The threshold drops to $250 for a trip only across the Tasman or to the South Pacific Islands. If your spouse or dependent children travel with you, the family total must reach $1,000 (or $500), otherwise only you are covered. You also need to live permanently in New Zealand and hold a return ticket within 35 days. There is no registration step: travelactivate.co.nz only confirms you qualify, so keep the card statement or the Airpoints redemption record.
The cardholder is covered, and the policy wording counts joint and additional cardholders as cardholders too. Your spouse or de facto partner, once you have lived together for at least three months, and your dependent children are covered when they travel with you on the journey. Dependent children are unmarried children under 19 who live with you, or under 24 while in full-time study, step and adopted children included. The catch on the Airpoints Platinum Mastercard: family cover only applies if the family's prepaid travel costs reach $1,000 on the card or in Airpoints Dollars, so activating for yourself alone leaves your spouse and children uninsured. Several limits are also shared, such as luggage at $20,000 per family and rental excess at $5,000 per family.
Yes, up to $5,000 per family for a hire vehicle rented during an overseas trip. The Airpoints Platinum Mastercard reimburses the insurance excess or deductible you become liable for after the rental vehicle is damaged or stolen, so it pays back what the hire company charges you rather than waiving the damage. You must rent from a licensed rental agency, or a genuine commercial one where no licence is required, and keep to every term of the hire agreement and the rental insurance. A $200 excess comes off each claim. Damage off a public road, breaches of the rental agreement, motorbikes and mopeds are excluded, and hires for a trip within New Zealand are not covered, because the policy only applies to overseas journeys.
Claims on the Airpoints Platinum Mastercard go to AIG Insurance New Zealand, not Westpac. Overseas, call Travel Guard on +64 9 359 1624 and get approval before a hospital admission, emergency transport or an early flight home. Then advise AIG within 30 days of the end of your journey, using the claim form on travelactivate.co.nz or by post to the AIG claims department, PO Box 1745, Shortland Street, Auckland 1140. Send your card statement or Airpoints Dollars redemption record, your itinerary or return ticket, your bank account number, any police report and itemised medical accounts. If AIG declines and its internal complaints process doesn't resolve it, you can take it to Financial Services Complaints Ltd (FSCL), a free independent dispute resolution scheme, which can award up to $500,000.
Six gaps catch Airpoints Platinum Mastercard holders. If less than $500 of prepaid travel went on the card or in Airpoints Dollars, nothing is covered. A trip whose overseas part runs longer than 35 days has no cover at all, not even for its first 35 days, unless you buy a duration extension before leaving. Pre-existing medical conditions are excluded unless AIG assesses and accepts them for a premium. From age 75 there is no overseas medical cover without paid Mature Age Cover. Cancellation and unexpected travel claims linked to an epidemic or pandemic, COVID-19 included, are excluded. And ski or snowboard injuries are not covered by overseas medical without the paid Snow Sports Extension. Trips within New Zealand are not covered either.
Not for cancellations. The Airpoints Platinum Mastercard policy wording excludes any cancellation or unexpected travel and accommodation claim relating to an epidemic or pandemic, naming COVID-19 and its variants, and any claim arising from travel restrictions or border closures linked to one. So a positive test that stops you flying, or a trip cut short by a lockdown, pays nothing from those two sections. The overseas medical section does not repeat that exclusion, so treatment for an illness that starts during the trip is assessed under its normal terms, with the $200 excess, the age 75 limit and the 35-day trip limit. If this risk matters to you, check with AIG on 0800 465 322 before you travel, or choose a standalone policy that names COVID-19 cover.
Not as standard. The Airpoints Platinum Mastercard policy wording takes snow sports, meaning skiing or snowboarding within the marked area of a commercial ski field, out of overseas medical cover unless you buy a Snow Sports Extension at travelactivate.co.nz before departure, for each trip. With the extension, a ski injury is covered by overseas medical and snow benefits of up to $10,000 per family apply: hire of replacement gear if yours is lost, damaged or delayed more than 12 hours, the unused share of a stolen lift pass, payments when all lifts close for more than 48 hours, and an avalanche delay. Skiing outside the marked area stays excluded either way. The $2,500,000 personal liability benefit still applies inside the marked area without the extension.
Up to 35 days per overseas journey, counted from the scheduled departure of your flight or sailing out of New Zealand to your scheduled arrival back. You need a return ticket dated within that limit when you leave, and a stand-by ticket that slips past day 35 leaves you with no cover. If the overseas part of the trip is longer than 35 days, the whole journey is uninsured, not just the extra days: the policy wording's own example is a 45-day trip with no part covered. You can apply at travelactivate.co.nz before departure for a paid extension covering itineraries of up to 180 days. If a covered illness, injury or travel delay holds up your return, cover continues for up to 90 more days with Travel Guard's approval.
No, not automatically. The Airpoints Platinum Mastercard policy wording excludes any condition you are aware of, or had medical treatment, advice or prescribed medication for in the six months before you activated cover and up to departure. The same applies to a relative, travel companion or anyone else whose health could affect the trip, which matters for cancellation claims. You can apply for Pre-existing Medical Conditions Cover through an assessment at travelactivate.co.nz, and if AIG accepts it a premium is payable. The assessment must be done for each journey and only ever covers your own conditions. From age 75 you also need a Mature Age Assessment first, and if your health changes before departure, tell AIG on 0800 465 322.
For a holiday of up to 35 days, the Airpoints Platinum Mastercard covers travellers under 75 well, but four situations call for a standalone policy. A trip longer than 35 days has no cover at all unless you pay for an extension, and itineraries over 180 days cannot be covered. From 75 the card pays no overseas medical costs without Mature Age Cover, and ACC (the Accident Compensation Corporation) and the public health system pay nothing for treatment overseas. Unexpected travel and accommodation costs stop at $10,000 per person. And if a pandemic-related cancellation, a ski holiday or a pre-existing condition is a real risk for you, the card either excludes it or charges extra for it.