Travel Insurance for seniors in New Zealand - Providers, coverage, and more

Travelling later in life is rewarding, but can come with risks. Whether you’re heading off to enjoy retirement and explore a new country, or are visiting loved ones abroad, having the right travel insurance as a senior can offer peace of mind and protection if things don’t go to plan.

This guide breaks down what there is to know about travel insurance for seniors in New Zealand, from what's usually covered or excluded, to how age can impact pricing and coverage as well as top travel insurance providers in New Zealand for seniors. You can also learn more about the Wise card, an easy way to stretch your dollars when paying in foreign currencies.

Table of contents
What does travel insurance cover? Popular international travel insurance providers for seniors Allianz 1Cover Cover-More Southern Cross Zoom How age affects policy coverage and pricing Pre-existing conditions and travel insurance Heading abroad? Safeguard yourself from foreign transaction fees with Wise

What does travel insurance cover?

Travel insurance is designed to protect you from the financial fallout of unforeseen events that disrupt your trip. While coverage varies by provider, this is what you can usually expect to see covered in a comprehensive policy.

• Medical treatment if you become sick or injured abroad
• Emergency dental services
• Trip cancellations or interruptions due to illness or unexpected events
• Replacement or reimbursement for lost or stolen items, like bags or travel documents
• Missed connections
• Medical evacuation or repatriation back home
• Personal liability cover

Most policies also come with add ons to expand the coverage, for example cruise cover.

What’s generally not covered by travel insurance?

The Policy Wording document explains exactly what your travel insurance policy includes and excludes. It’s essential reading before you buy as it highlights important limitations, like age caps or excluded health conditions, that may affect your coverage.

Here are some common exclusions:

• Pre-existing conditions that were not disclosed and approved ahead of time
• Ongoing or chronic medical issues
• Injuries that are self-inflicted
• Travelling overseas for the purpose of medical treatment
• Traveling against medical advice
• Events related to war, terrorism, pandemics, or natural disasters

Factors to consider when selecting seniors travel insurance

If you’re comparing insurance options as a senior traveller, there are several important factors to keep in mind:

• The maximum amount the policy will pay for medical treatment
• The level of excess you’ll need to contribute if you make a claim
• Whether there are any age limits or higher premiums based on age
• What the process is for medical evacuation if you need specialist care elsewhere
• The claims process and whether emergency support is available 24/7

Popular international travel insurance for seniors in New Zealand

To help you begin your search for travel insurance tailored to seniors in New Zealand, here are some well known providers that offer international coverage and how their policies stack up.

Provider	International plans available	Age limit	Overseas emergency medical expenses	Travel cancellation
Allianz¹	Comprehensive Plan Basic Plan	No limit	$20 million	As selected
1Cover²	Comprehensive Plan Medical Only	69 or under for Medical Only No limit for Comprehensive	Unlimited	As selected except for Medical Only where no coverage is offered
Cover-More³	Comprehensive+ Plan Comprehensive Plan Basic Plan	No limit	Unlimited	As selected
Southern Cross⁴	Comprehensive Plan Medical Only	No limit	Unlimited	$2500 to Unlimited for Comprehensive Plans
Zoom⁵	Comprehensive Plan Standard Plan Medical Only	69 or under for Medical Only and Standard 85 and under for Comprehensive	Unlimited	As selected except for Medical Only where no coverage is offered

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Allianz

Allianz has no age limits to their policies so provided that the premium and coverage is acceptable, people of all ages can purchase their travel insurance.¹ That said, to purchase the Adventure Pack or Snow Pack you need to be under 75 when the Certificate of Insurance is issued.

Allianz Comprehensive Plan

• Overseas Medical - $20 million
• Cancellation - As selected
• Travel Delay - $2000
• Luggage, Personal Effects and Valuables - $10,000

1Cover

With 1Cover people up to 69 years old have access to all policies.² Above that they are required to buy Comprehensive, pushing up the cost while receiving the same amount of health coverage.

People aged 80 or over are also limited to a maximum journey of 90 days and have an excess of $3000 for all claims relating to injury, illness or medical conditions.

1Cover Comprehensive Plan

• Overseas Medical - Unlimited
• Cancellation - Chosen limit
• Travel Delay - $2000
• Luggage and Personal Effects - $15,000

Cover-More

Cover-More also has no age limits so the policies and add-ons are available to people of all ages.³

Cover-More Comprehensive Plan

• Overseas Medical - Unlimited
• Cancellation - Cover chosen
• Travel Delay - $2000
• Luggage and Travel Documents - $20,000

Southern Cross

Like Cover-More, Southern Cross don’t mention any age limited for their travel insurance policies or add ons.⁴ This means if you want to choose the basic or medical only plan to cut down on costs, you have that option.

Southern Cross Comprehensive Plan

• Overseas Medical - Unlimited
• Cancellation - $2500 up to unlimited
• Travel Delay to a Special Event - $2500
• Baggage and Personal Items - $25,000

Zoom

Zoom allows people aged 69 or under to buy any of their policies. People aged 70 to 85 are limited to the Comprehensive policy for international travel, and there’s no coverage available for people over 85.⁵ Also, people aged 80 to 85 are limited to 90 days per journey and a $3000 excess applies for claims relating to injury, illness or medical conditions.

Zoom Comprehensive Plan

• Overseas Medical - Unlimited
• Cancellation - Chosen limit
• Travel Delay - $2000
• Luggage and Personal Effects - $10,000

How age affects policy coverage and pricing

Your age can influence the availability and cost of travel insurance, with some insurers even placing age limits on cover.

Travel insurance premiums also tend to rise with age. As a real-world example of this, here’s what Allianz quoted for a two-week comprehensive travel insurance policy for a trip to Australia.

Age	Comprehensive Travel Insurance⁶
20 years old	$44.97
60 years old	$53.19
80 years old	$167.05
90 years old	$245.91

It’s clear that travel insurance premiums for seniors are generally much higher than for younger travellers, and costs can rise even further if you need cover for a cruise or pre-existing condition. To help keep your policy affordable, here are a few tips that might help you save.

• Shop around and compare providers to find the best value for senior travel insurance
• Opt for a higher excess, which can help reduce the premium
• Consider an annual multi-trip policy if you travel regularly
• Check if you qualify for complimentary travel insurance through a credit card
• Look into discounts for couples or families travelling together

Emergency medical evacuation

If you experience a serious medical issue while travelling in a remote area or a place with limited healthcare facilities, having cover for emergency medical repatriation is essential. Without it, you could face a bill for thousands of dollars in air ambulance or medical transport expenses.

Many comprehensive travel insurance policies include medical evacuation as a standard benefit, so it’s important to review the Policy Wording carefully. Insurers that do offer this benefit include:

• Allianz
• Cover-More
• Zoom
• 1Cover

If it’s not included in your policy, which would be unusual, you might want to consider purchasing evacuation cover separately from a specialist provider. Something to keep in mind is that New Zealand has reciprocal healthcare agreements with certain countries. These may allow you to access emergency hospital treatment through the public healthcare system, even for issues related to pre-existing conditions.

Heading abroad? Safeguard yourself from foreign transaction fees with the Wise card

When you're planning your trip, it's crucial to consider how you’ll be spending abroad. High foreign transaction fees and unfavorable exchange rates can really add up, making your trip more expensive than it needs to be. The Wise card is a simple way to save up to 8x when you're spending internationally. You can spend in 150+ countries at mid-market rate — basically the rate you see on Google. With no foreign transaction fees and low, transparent pricing, Wise usually gives you the best value for your money.

Simply create a Wise account for free, order a card and top-up NZD to get started. Having a physical Wise card allows you to make chip and pin payments, as well as make some free ATM withdrawals each month for when you're abroad. You can get digital cards and add to your Google or Apple Pay wallet for instant use. Spend directly with the Wise account in NZD and let auto-conversion do the trick or convert in advance to your desired currency. You can hold and exchange 40+ currencies in your Wise account and spend the currencies you hold for free.

Wherever your travel takes you, the Wise card makes spending money abroad cheaper and easier.

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Savings claim based on our rates vs. selected New Zealand banks and other similar providers in Jan 2025. To learn more please visit https://payout-surge.live/nz/compare%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

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Sources used:

1. Allianz - Policy wording
2. 1Cover - Policy wording
3. Cover-More - Policy wording
4. Southern Cross - International Comprehensive
5. Zoom - Policy wording
6. Allianz - Quote

Sources last checked on date: 1 May 2025