Fisher1 Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 (edited) I have recently run up against something new that could do with an airing ... travel insurance. There is apparently a magic gate that you pass through at age 65 (in some cases 66) beyond which you are not to be trusted abroad for longer than 30 -60 days. The older you get, the more it costs to get travel insurance (well we knew that didn't we?) However this time thing has really thrown me. It seems that, as you get older, you cannot happily continue to spend two - three months a year in Oz, making up for lost time, because the travel insurance is going to become impossible to obtain... starting at 65 !!!! I would be interested to know whether other people have come up against this time limit and if they have found a way round it. Edited October 10, 2015 by Marisawright Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amibovered Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 Very interesting thread and some great responses! I have recently run up against something new that could do with an airing ... travel insurance. There is apparently a magic gate that you pass through at age 65 (in some cases 66) beyond which you are not to be trusted abroad for longer than 30 -60 days. The older you get, the more it costs to get travel insurance (well we knew that didn't we?) However this time thing has really thrown me. It seems that, as you get older, you cannot happily continue to spend two - three months a year in Oz, making up for lost time, because the travel insurance is going to become impossible to obtain... starting at 65 !!!! I would be interested to know whether other people have come up against this time limit and if they have found a way round it. Might be worth a browse at this: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/insurance/over65s-travel-insurance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisher1 Posted October 10, 2015 Author Share Posted October 10, 2015 Thanks, but this is mainly about getting insurance at all. Its very easy to get travel insurance if you are over 65. My point was that many companies limit the cover to about 35 days on any one trip. 35 days is just not enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 Thanks, but this is mainly about getting insurance at all. Its very easy to get travel insurance if you are over 65. My point was that many companies limit the cover to about 35 days on any one trip. 35 days is just not enough. I suppose the question is, what do you need cover for? I haven't really thought about it, so maybe I'm missing something - but you are covered by Medicare while you're in Australia, so you don't really need medical insurance. Australia is not a third world country so you're not going to need repatriating to get advanced treatment. I suppose if one of you dies (God forbid), and you'd want to take the body home for burial, that would be an issue - is that something you'd worry about? Other than that, the only thing I can think of is cover for cancellation of your flight home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 You absolutely do need medical cover - you may well need to be repatriated if you have a serious accident and the reciprocal cover doesn't cover everything only "essential". As a visitor you could be up for thousands with a bit of a disaster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerberus1 Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 http://www.go-walkabout.co.uk/over_60s_travel_insurance.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gbye grey sky Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 It would be interesting to know what you are quoted when you follow this link. You mention going every year to Oz. If you add together all the premiums you have paid in the past and add those in the future it will amount to a great deal. If you happened to have sizeable savings then potentially you could cover any risk and put the money saved on insurance premiums towards any potential cost. By the looks of this you will ultimately struggle to get the cover you want should you wish to continue visiting after the age of 75 anyway. I only ever insure the things that I have to and reckon I have saved thousands that way. Despite this I reckon I have still paid tens of thousands of £s to insurance companies in the last 4 decades and yet to make a claim of any sort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tea4too Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 This might be worth a look too: http://www.saga.co.uk/insurance/travel-insurance/single-trip.aspx T x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisher1 Posted October 10, 2015 Author Share Posted October 10, 2015 Hi all I found some similar threads and realised the question has been asked before. One poster pointed out that you could have serious problems if you were taken ill on the plane and had to be taken to the nearest place for help ... which might not have a reciprocal agreement. Personally, I find the whole issure of travel insurance terrifying ... even when you've got it, there's always the awful possibility of them saying 'well we've found out you didn't tell us about the ingrowing toenail you had when you were ten, so we're not going to pay up for your heart attack'. Seriously though, it seems it is a bit of a minefield and it is great to realise that we are covered by medicare while in Australia, whether we have insurance or not. I will certainly be following up those links and will post anything interesting on here. Thanks for the replies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarrisL16 Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 I suppose the question is, what do you need cover for? I haven't really thought about it, so maybe I'm missing something - but you are covered by Medicare while you're in Australia, so you don't really need medical insurance. Australia is not a third world country so you're not going to need repatriating to get advanced treatment. I suppose if one of you dies (God forbid), and you'd want to take the body home for burial, that would be an issue - is that something you'd worry about? Other than that, the only thing I can think of is cover for cancellation of your flight home. you need travel insurance for the 600visa for longer stays to cover the length of stay we had to show this before the visa was granted for 12 months stay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisher1 Posted October 12, 2015 Author Share Posted October 12, 2015 Are / were you under sixty five at the time? If not, can I ask which agency you used? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarrisL16 Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 Are / were you under sixty five at the time? If not, can I ask which agency you used? Hi no we were both under 65 , 56 & 61 , I used explore travel insurance but I had to have a medical immi requested think because I was on regular medication hope this helps Lorraine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.