Here’s a breakdown of how we reviewed and rated the best travel insurance companies
Before you book that flight Down Under, don’t forget one often essential item: travel insurance. From flight delays to jellyfish stings, it’s your safety net in the land of surprises.
Below, we at the MarketWatch Guides team discuss the benefits, costs and requirements of international travel insurance for Australia.
The listings that appear are from companies from which this website may receive compensation, which may impact how, where and in what order products appear. Not all companies, products or offers were reviewed in connection with this listing.
Compare Top Travel Insurance Companies for Australia
Use the table below to compare COVID-19 coverages, CFAR protection and pricing for travel insurance companies that will cover a trip to Australia.
The listings that appear are from companies from which this website may receive compensation, which may impact how, where and in what order products appear. Not all companies, products or offers were reviewed in connection with this listing.
| Company | Average Plan Cost | CFAR Coverage | COVID-19 Coverage | BBB Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
$256
|
Yes, up to 75%
|
Yes
|
Not Rated
|
||
|
$202
|
Yes, up to 75%
|
Yes
|
A+
|
||
|
$206
|
Yes, up to 75%
|
Yes, limited
|
A+
|
||
|
$206
|
Yes, up to 75%
|
Yes
|
A+
|
||
|
$180
|
Yes, up to 75%
|
Yes
|
B
|
||
|
$201
|
Yes, up to 60%
|
Yes
|
A+
|
||
|
$137
|
Yes, up to 75%
|
Yes, limited
|
A+
|
||
|
$212
|
Yes, up to 75%
|
Yes, limited
|
A-
|
| Company | BBB Rating | Average Plan Cost | CFAR Coverage | COVID-19 Coverage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Not Rated
|
$256
|
Yes, up to 75%
|
Yes
|
||
|
A+
|
$202
|
Yes, up to 75%
|
Yes
|
||
|
A+
|
$206
|
Yes, up to 75%
|
Yes, limited
|
||
|
A+
|
$206
|
Yes, up to 75%
|
Yes
|
||
|
B
|
$180
|
Yes, up to 75%
|
Yes
|
||
|
A+
|
$201
|
Yes, up to 60%
|
Yes
|
||
|
A+
|
$137
|
Yes, up to 75%
|
Yes, limited
|
||
|
A-
|
$212
|
Yes, up to 75%
|
Yes, limited
|
Do I Need Travel Insurance for Australia?
It’s not mandatory to purchase travel insurance as a condition of entry to Australia or neighboring New Zealand in the Australasia region. However, the Australian government strongly recommends visitors have travel insurance to cover unexpected medical costs.
While public Medicare and domestic travel insurance cover residents, visitors to Australia are treated as private patients. Therefore, you’re generally required to pay hospital expenses and other medical bills at the time of treatment. Furthermore, comprehensive travel insurance with trip cancellation protects against sudden cancellation costs.
Australia is renowned for exciting adventure activities, including boating, hiking and winter sports. Medical coverage ensures you’ll have peace of mind in the event of an injury. The following are some of the most common policies to help you buy travel insurance to suit you.
Types of Travel Insurance for Australia
Travel insurance plans differ in their coverage options. For comprehensive coverage, be sure to opt for a plan with trip cancellation and interruption coverage, baggage loss and baggage delay, emergency evacuation coverage, cancel for any reason insurance and medical coverage.
Cancel for Any Reason Coverage
Cancel for any reason coverage, or CFAR, is sold as an additional premium that reimburses nonrefundable trip costs without limits on why you need to cancel. With standard insurance products, cancellation policies generally reimburse you for a limited and predetermined number of reasons, including hospitalization or the death of a family member.
Whether your reason for canceling is due to a country’s travel advice changing or simply a change of personal plans, you can file a claim for prepaid costs and enjoy the flexibility.
CFAR is subject to rules that vary between insurance providers. They can include time limits, such as a requirement to cancel within 48 hours of departure.
Gear Theft Protection
Whether you’re traveling to Sydney or exploring the Outback, gear theft protection is useful on every overseas trip as insurance for your personal effects. For a trip to Australia, you might wish to bring the following:
- Laptop
- Jewelry
- Professional camera plus equipment
- Sports equipment, including surfboards and snowboards
Travel insurance plans help you recover the costs of items that are stolen, damaged, or lost via airlines or tour operators. As general advice, your policy covers up to predetermined cost limits, and exclusions may apply.
Be aware that the sub-limits might not cover the full value of items. Check the product disclosure statement (PDS) to ensure gear theft protection is sufficient; otherwise, leave valuable items at home.
Medical Emergency Insurance and Emergency Medical Evacuation
Excellent medical treatment is available in Australia, and there are no major health hazards of concern, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). However, in the case of medical expenses, emergency assistance, or any pre-existing medical conditions you may have, health insurance is important to recover significant up-front costs.
In the case of an overseas emergency, travel insurance for medical emergencies covers a range of expenses, including:
- Ambulance
- Dental emergencies
- Hospital fees
- Lab tests and X-rays
- Operating room charges and anesthesia
Depending on the insurance company, policies also cover expenses if you require medical assistance for injuries from sports or adventure activities. Most cover emergency medical evacuation to a major hospital or your home country.
Rental Car Protection
In Australia, a loss damage waiver and third-party insurance for personal liability are mandatory and therefore included in the contract for any rental vehicle. Premium car insurance, through an authorized representative for rental cars, further limits your liabilities while driving.
Depending on the type of car insurance and the coverage you choose, premium plans may include the following safeguards:
- Collision damage waiver and theft protection
- Personal effects coverage
- Roadside protection
- Tire and windshield protection
As a separate protection and on top of local car insurance, a standard travel insurance policy generally includes rental vehicle “excess cover,” which helps to recoup excess fees you may have to pay for damaged or stolen rental vehicles.
Trip Cancellation Insurance
Standard Australian travel insurance generally provides reimbursement for financial loss due to cancellation up to a limit. If you cancel your vacation before departure, nonrefundable and prepaid expenses are covered. However, trip cancellation insurance is subject to binding rules limiting valid reasons. For flexibility, it’s a good idea to choose CFAR.
One of the most common questions regarding cancellation coverage is how you qualify for it. As general advice, the acceptable reasons include:
- Death of a family member
- Hospitalization, illness or serious injury
- Jury duty
- Military orders
- Severe weather conditions, excluding some natural disasters
How Much Does Australia Travel Insurance Cost?
From an annual multi-trip policy to a single trip, a travel insurance quote depends on your personal preferences, age and the destination. International travel insurance providers often use target market determination to design insurance products to suit your demographic.
To get a travel insurance quote, you’ll enter the following on provider sites:
- Age and number of travelers in your group
- Destination country and location
- Total trip price
We requested quotes from ten travel insurance companies for their most affordable plan for a trip to Australia. The below quotes are for a 30-year-old traveler from Florida, traveling to Australia for ten days in August 2025, with a total trip cost of $4,000. Policies include coverage for cancellations, interruptions, delays, medical care and evacuation.
| Company | Most Affordable Plan | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Faye | Travel Protection | $198.50 |
| Seven Corners | Trip Protection Basic | $115 |
| Nationwide | Essential | $103.34 |
| Berkshire Hathaway | ExactCare Value | $107 |
| Travelex | Essential | $106 |
| AIG Travel Guard | Essential | $110.35 |
| Trawick | Safe Travels Protect | $85.85 |
| Generali | Standard | $113.86 |
| Travel Insured International | Worldwide Trip Protector | $135 |
| Allianz | Basic | $156 |
| Average | $123.09 |
These quotes were collected in March 2025 for a trip in August 2025.
The quotes listed were collected from each company’s website. The most affordable policy plans for international travel insurance to Australia include coverage for trip cancellation, trip interruption, medical expenses for emergencies, baggage loss or delay, and emergency evacuation.
How Do I Get Travel Insurance for Australia?
The first step for getting travel insurance for Australia is to check your credit cards and current health insurance. You might already have travel insurance coverage for an Australian vacation. Most airlines offer comprehensive travel insurance upon booking your flights.
To find the best quote and buy travel insurance, shop around to compare prices. The level of coverage you need depends on your personal preferences.
Australia Safety Tips
Below are safety and travel tips to help you enjoy your trip to Australia with peace of mind.
Crime and Safety
The Australian Travel Advisory from the U.S Department of State is at Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions. For international travel alerts and onward travel, Australia’s Smartraveller site provides information.
In general, U.S. citizens aren’t specifically targeted for crime in Australia. However, it pays to be aware of your surroundings in large cities. Robberies and auto theft are common in some areas, along with pickpockets at crowded tourist destinations.
Day Trips, Tours and Excursions
From diving on the Great Barrier Reef to hiking through the remote Outback, day trips and excursions in Australia are the best way to see the sights. If you’re participating in extreme sports, it’s wise to check with insurance providers with regard to specific insurance coverage.
To ensure tour companies are reputable, use trusted organizations. You’ll find information on Australia’s official tourism site, along with sites in each state you visit.
COVID-19
According to the Australian government, all entry restrictions and rules pertaining to COVID-19 have been removed. Most public health measures have also been removed across the country. Check with local authorities in the event of changes.
The listings that appear are from companies from which this website may receive compensation, which may impact how, where and in what order products appear. Not all companies, products or offers were reviewed in connection with this listing.
Frequently Asked Questions About Travel Insurance in Australia
Travel insurance is the best protection against canceled flights, and it might be the only way you can claim flight compensation. For the most part, U.S. airlines only compensate via refunds if cancellations are a direct result of overbooking or airline fault.
Travel insurance isn’t mandatory for entry into or travel around Australia. Due to expensive upfront medical costs, most travelers choose to buy travel insurance to cover medical expenses in the event of illness or injury.
Not all credit cards offer travel insurance. Credit cards that feature travel rewards often include travel insurance with the benefits. Check the coverage to ensure it’s suitable for your personal needs.
Visitors to Australia don’t receive free health care and are treated as private patients. If you’re admitted to a hospital or need treatment for an injury, costs are usually required upfront. As this may be expensive, travel insurance to cover unexpected medical expenses is recommended.
Our System for Ranking the Best Travel Insurance Companies
Our team created a scoring system to assess travel insurance providers based on cost, coverage, quality and service. We also collect sample quotes from each company, both over the phone and on the internet, to simulate an authentic customer experience.
Here are the factors we take into consideration when reviewing providers, which we use as a scoring basis to then determine a five-star rating:
- Cost (20%): To determine average travel insurance costs, we gather quotes from each travel insurance company based on several traveler profiles. Companies offering rates at or below our calculated average of $221 earn full points in this category. Specifically, we obtain quotes for the following trips:
- A 30-year-old couple taking a $5,000 vacation to Mexico
- A family of four taking an $8,000 vacation to Mexico
- A 65-year-old couple taking a $7,000 vacation to the United Kingdom
- A 30-year-old couple taking a $7,000 trip to the United Kingdom
- A 19-year-old taking a $2,000 trip to France
- A 27-year-old couple taking a $1,800 trip to Greece
- A 51-year-old couple taking a $2,000 trip to Spain
- Coverage Details (15%): We review the baseline coverage each company offers in its cheapest comprehensive plan. A provider with robust travel protection earns full points, including coverage for baggage delay and loss, emergency evacuation and medical expenses, trip delays and cancellations and more. Companies also receive points for featuring various add-ons such as accidental death and dismemberment, extreme sports, valuable items and more.
- Claim Eligibility and Time Constraints (12%): Travel insurance providers enforce time constraints that outline when you can file a claim after a covered event. We give companies more points in this category for having shorter time limits for baggage and weather delays.
- Cancellation and Interruption Coverage (12%): Our team reads through each company’s coverage details and assigns points based on the coverage amount assigned to trip cancellations and interruptions. To earn full points in this category, a company must offer 100% or more coverage.
- Customer Service and Reviews (12%): We look for indicators that a company is well-prepared to respond to customer needs. Companies with an established global resource network, 24/7 emergency hotline, mobile app, multiple ways to file a claim and concierge services score higher in this category. We assess reputation by evaluating consumer reviews and third-party financial strength and customer experience ratings, specifically from AM Best and the Better Business Bureau.
- Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) Coverage (10%): Companies earn points in this category for offering CFAR coverage, which allows you to cancel a trip for reasons outside your policy. In addition to offering coverage, companies received higher scores for meeting or exceeding the standard offering of 75% reimbursement.
- Delay Coverage Amount (10%): We also consider what a company offers for travel delays and baggage delays or loss, all of which can upend a trip. A company can earn 10% total between its travel and baggage delay coverage amounts.
- Credit Rating (5%): Since credit ratings can help customers assess a company’s ability to meet financial obligations, our team considers AM Best ratings when scoring providers.
- Coverage Extras (4%): In addition to standard coverage, we also research how many add-ons a company offers, which can help customers customize their plan. Companies can earn full points in this category for offering eight common travel insurance add-ons.
For more information about how we rate and review providers, read our full travel insurance methodology.
*Data accurate at time of publication.