Free travel insurance is being reduced or removed altogether from major banks’ credit cards. If you’ve booked a holiday, check when your cover was activated as you may still be covered under the old terms. Contact your card provider if you are unsure whether your trip is covered; The key dates (below) vary for each bank. Last year I went on a three-week trip to Europe with my family and didn’t spend a penny on travel insurance. Not because I’m happy to throw caution to the wind, but because I had free insurance on my credit card. This saved me a pretty penny. We’re going overseas again next year and I’ll have to be more strategic this time. Because credit card travel insurance is changing—and not for the better. What will change with free credit card insurance? Free travel insurance is cancelled. Some cards lose free travel insurance altogether; others have reduced coverage. Fewer benefits offered. Cancellation, baggage and trip delay insurance are among the benefits that will be removed or reduced. Higher excesses apply. On some maps the deductible jumps to $350 per event. Long trips and high claim limits benefit. Banks are reducing the maximum travel duration and claim limits for cards that retain insurance. What to do if you have booked a trip abroad? Booked a vacation with a credit card and were planning on getting free travel insurance, and now your credit card’s travel insurance is disappearing? You may or may not be covered: the answer depends on your bank. Here’s a quick overview of what the Big Four banks do: Bank If you have already booked If you haven’t booked yet NAB If you have an affected card, the old travel insurance will not necessarily apply just because you booked it before the changes. The NAB changes apply to coverable events from 15 May 2026, so check your policy and the date you became eligible for cover. New conditions apply. Some NAB cards have lost their free travel insurance, while others have reduced cover. Please check what insurance your card currently offers before booking. Commbank If you have already activated your travel insurance before September 28, 2026 and have met the $500 travel expense prepayment requirement, your existing policy will remain unchanged. Simply booking your holiday before 29 September is not enough – you need to activate your insurance. The new insurance conditions apply from September 29, 2026. You will be required to spend at least $500 per transaction on prepaid travel expenses and activate travel insurance before departure. Coverage varies by card, with some benefits reduced or removed. ANZ ANZ says your cover is determined by the date of the claim, not the date you book your trip. This means that booking before changes are made will not necessarily protect you from the new conditions. New terms and conditions apply from the relevant change dates. Some cards will see their travel insurance costs reduced, and Rewards Platinum and later Rewards Black will lose free travel insurance altogether. Westpac Westpac is the most generous when it comes to existing orders. If you met the qualifying requirements before October 1, 2026, your old policy may continue to apply to eligible travel completed before September 30, 2027. The new conditions apply from October 1, 2026. Complimentary coverage is reduced to travel medical insurance, domestic travel insurance and rental car deductible, while cancellation, trip delay and baggage coverage are removed. If you have a trip booked and are not sure where you are, it is best to contact them directly to confirm. If you’re traveling after the changes come into effect due to new rules and insurance policies, check what exactly your card covers. Some banks waive things like cancellations, baggage coverage and travel delays, while maintaining some health insurance and car rental coverage. For peace of mind, you can add your own separate travel insurance in addition to the card’s coverage. Get an offer in 30 seconds. Post navigation Supreme Court asks Vivo executive to get guarantee from Chinese consulate to return to India if he is allowed to travel to China Fragmentation of digital payments is hampering global travel…