Westpac Platinum Mastercard insurance: what does the hotpoints card's cover actually pay?

Covers the non-refundable part of your prepaid travel and accommodation with no dollar cap for travellers up to 74, when the trip is cancelled, changed or cut short by an unforeseeable event outside your control. If you redeemed hotpoints for the flight, the points you lose are paid back or replaced, and licensed travel agent fees are refunded up to $500 per family. From 75 to 90 the limit is $5,000 per person and $10,000 per family, and a $200 excess applies per claim event.

Unlimited cover for reasonable medical, surgical, hospital and ambulance costs overseas for travellers up to 74, including emergency dental for sudden and acute pain, after a $200 excess per claim event. From 75 there is no overseas medical cover unless Mature Age Cover is bought before departure, and treatment after an injury from a terrorist act is capped at $100,000. Up to $1,000 of follow-up treatment back in New Zealand is also paid.

Medical evacuation to another location or repatriation to New Zealand is paid within the unlimited overseas medical benefit, when AIG judges it necessary, and AIG organises it. Travel Guard's 24/7 line arranges the transport and must approve it beforehand. If you die on the trip, the card also pays up to $12,500 per person to bring your remains home or for a funeral where you died.

Emergency dental treatment overseas is paid within the unlimited overseas medical benefit, with no separate dollar cap, for the relief of sudden and acute pain. The $200 excess applies. Routine work, wear and tear and treatment involving precious metals are not covered.

Pays $55 for each full 24 hours you spend in hospital overseas as a bed care patient, to cover incidentals like phone calls, TV hire or reading material. The maximum is $5,500 per person and $11,000 per family. You need written confirmation from the hospital of how long you stayed.

Pays reasonable extra travel and accommodation costs if illness, injury, a death or another unforeseeable event forces you to change or cut short the trip once it has started, up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per family. It also pays when a natural disaster, bad weather, a strike or a riot delays or cancels your carrier, if you have the carrier's letter. A $200 excess applies, and claims linked to an epidemic or pandemic are excluded.

If your scheduled carrier is delayed for 6 hours or more for reasons outside your control, the card pays reasonable meals and accommodation up to $275 per person and $600 per family. It pays the same again for each further full 12 hours of delay, up to $825 per person and $1,800 per family for one delay. There is no excess on this benefit.

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

If a relative dies unexpectedly while you are away, the card pays an economy flight home to New Zealand and another one back out to resume the trip, up to $3,000 per person and $6,000 per family under the Schedule of Benefits. You must restart within 30 days of getting home, with at least a fortnight or a quarter of the original trip still to go, whichever is longer. A serious illness in the family is dealt with under unexpected travel and accommodation instead.

If an airline or other carrier delays, misdirects or misplaces your checked luggage for more than 12 hours, the card pays for emergency replacement essentials up to $500 per person and $1,000 per family. It does not apply on the final flight home to New Zealand. You need written confirmation from the carrier and receipts, and the payment is deducted from any later claim if the bag never turns up.

Covers accidental loss of or damage to your luggage and personal effects during the trip, up to $12,500 per person and $20,000 per family. Each item, set or pair is capped at $3,000, except a laptop and its accessories at $6,000, and AIG can repair, replace or pay cash after depreciation. You can raise the item limit to $10,000 for a valuable by nominating it at travelactivate.co.nz before you leave.

Pays the non-recoverable cost of replacing travel documents, credit cards, traveller's cheques and stolen cash taken on the trip, up to $550 per person and $1,000 per family. A separate $550 per person covers your liability if someone who is not a relative steals and uses your documents or cards. Losses must be reported to the issuer as soon as possible.

Pays damages, compensation and legal costs you are legally liable for when your negligence on the trip injures someone or damages their property, up to $2,500,000 for all claims from one event. A $200 excess applies. You must not admit fault without AIG's written consent.

Pays $100,000 to the cardholder's estate, $50,000 for an accompanying spouse and $5,000 per dependent child if an accident on the trip causes death within 12 months, with a maximum of $150,000 per family. A separate common carrier benefit (for a scheduled flight, bus, train or ferry) pays the same sums and also covers loss of limbs or sight, but only if the full fare for that ticket went on the card. Death from illness is not covered.

Pays up to $1,100 a week, for a maximum of 13 weeks, if an accident overseas on the trip stops you returning to your normal work in New Zealand, with a maximum of $14,300 per person and $22,000 per family. The first 30 days after you planned to go back to work are not paid. There is no cover from age 75. 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.

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.