Fast Cover Travel Insurance - Basics

You don't need it, until you need it...and we did! – We have just returned from the trip of a lifetime, 12 months travelling (backpacking) overseas to ring in our retirement. There are not too many companies that offer 12 months, most only do 3 months cover. I did my research to determine what we really 'needed'. Fast Cover ticked all our boxes and with a competitive price point. So we signed up. Of… Read more ·  1

course you don't want anything to go wrong and even though the 12 months flew by, of course we did have a hiccup. A five night stay in a Dubai Hospital with pneumonia was not on our itinerary, even though we were only ever planning a few days ahead at a time. I consider myself a capable person and alone in a foreign city would not normally phase me, but when your partner is extremely ill, it gets a little tough. I could not fault Fast Cover, from the get go they had me organised, kept in daily contact, even after being discharged, took control of medical reports, payments to the hospital and follow up consults. They were BRILLIANT. I cannot recommend them highly enough. They are our first choice from here on in. Thank you to all the staff who assisted us and made a very dark few days, bearable.

Still my go-to company four years on – I started using Fast Cover about four years ago when my previous go-to budget insurance company (1-Cover) suddenly jacked their prices up. I've reviewed Fast Cover positively twice before during those years, but after a long Covid-induced break from travel for two and a half years, I did some shopping around to make sure they were still the best… Read more ·  1

bang for the buck and I'm glad to say they are. Here's what I like about Fast Cover:

They're not the absolute cheapest, but they are the only company among the cheap ones that has an up-front and easy to understand PDS (Product Disclosure Statement; the rules governing what they will pay for and what they won't). All the other cheapies have deliberately confusing and difficult-to-read PDS' and once you read the fine print you'll see that the others have loopholes that they'll use to wriggle out of paying in the event of a claim. The worst offender for this is Budget Direct. Go and have a look at their reviews to get a glimpse of the nightmare scenarios that happen when a company leads you to believe you're covered for certain things when in fact you're not.

I also like the user-friendly website and the big, chunky layout which makes it easy to compare policy types, check the PDS, get quotes, buy policies and extend them once overseas. Some of the other companies have fiddly websites which make this a real pain. I also like the colourful, fun theme of the website. Not only do websites like this brighten up your day a bit but it shows that the company prioritises user experience which usually tends to be an indicator of how your interaction with them will be in other areas. There's only one element of the website I don't like, but more of that later.

One of the main things I like is that if you have a query about a policy or want some advice before committing to a policy, you can ring their number AND SOMEONE IN AUSTRALIA WHO ACTUALLY WORKS FOR THE COMPANY WILL ANSWER THE PHONE STRAIGHT AWAY AND GIVE YOU THE ANSWERS YOU NEED. You won't be on hold for an hour, you won't end up talking on a scratchy line to a call centre in India only to not get your question answered.

Another big advantage of this company is that if you take out a lengthy policy (let's say a year), if you have to break your trip and come back to Australia for some reason, your policy stays active and will resume when you leave Australia to carry on with your trip. This is not how many of the other companies do it. You would think that if you bought a years worth of travel insurance, you'd be covered for a year, right?! But many of the other companies hide a clause in their PDS that says "Your policy starts when you leave your house for your holiday and ends when you return to your home". So that means that if you have a policy for one year and have to return home after 2 months, your policy dies the minute you arrive home. I almost learned this the hard way several years ago and realised to my horror that for years there'd been many times I thought I was covered when in fact I wasn't thanks to this clause. However, Fast Cover do it differently; briefly returning home won't kill your policy.

Probably the biggest positive of Fast Cover is the easy way you can extend your policy online once you're overseas. I tend to travel frequently for long periods, and I rarely have set plans so I like to keep things flexible. Therefore what I do is take out 1 month's travel insurance and then extend it month by month while I'm over there. Doing it this way ends up being the same price as if you had've bought the full policy up-front. For example, let's say 6 months insurance is $500. Whether I buy the full policy for $500 upfront or buy one month then extend month by month totalling 6 months, the price will be the same ($500). Using the extension system, it would work something like this : 1 month = $175, 2nd month = $125, 3rd month = $100, 4th month = $50, 5th month = $25, 6th month = $25, GRAND TOTAL= $500. Just DON'T FORGET TO EXTEND BEFORE THE POLICY EXPIRY DATE OTHERWISE THE POLICY WILL DIE AND STARTING A NEW ONE COULD BE DIFFICULT IF YOU ARE ALREADY OVERSEAS.

Now, I should qualify my review by saying that I've never had to make a claim with Fast Cover so I can't comment on what their performance is like on that front. I did have occasion to contact their medical hotline after being bitten by a dog and received advice and instructions including the best place in my area to receive medical treatment, but in the end the cost of the treatment was less that the $200 excess on the policy meaning it wasn't worth lodging a claim. But given the conscientious way the company behaves in other areas, I'd be surprised if paying claims is any different.

Now for the only thing I don't like. I've previously mentioned this in other reviews but unfortunately the issue remains. If you have previously used Fast Cover, you become eligible for a returning customer 5% loyalty discount when you buy your next policy. To claim this discount you have to log in to your account and start the quote from there. However, to log in you have to enter a pervious policy number, which could mean searching your emails and finding an old policy number. It'd be much easier if they just allowed you to set up your account with a username and password. Maybe it's a security measure doing it the other way, but it's a bit of a hassle. What I've done now is just save my very first policy number in a document that has all my passwords etc and I use that to log in, but I'd prefer username and password. It's not a huge deal I guess, but it's just a bit clunky when everything else about the user experience on the website is so seamless.

My final bit of advice for anyone choosing any travel insurance policy is to never go on price alone; you need to get into the PDS and have a good look what you are actually covered for. There's no point having the cheapest policy out there if their policy is so full of loopholes they'll wriggle out of paying any claim. I've heard horror stories of people who go overseas thinking they've automatically got travel insurance from using their credit card to buy their tickets, only to find out when it's too late that the policy is so limited and restrictive that they're hardly covered for anything. Many years ago I was hospitalized twice overseas with Dengue Fever from a mosquito bite and almost died. The hospital bill came to $100,000 but luckily I had a good travel insurance company and I was covered (not Fast Cover; this was long before their time). But I've heard plenty of stories of other people who had similar things happen to them who ended up with relatives having to mortgage houses to pay hospital bills. The consequences are too dire to not get your travel insurance choice right. I've researched the hell out of a lot of companies and Fast Cover is my choice. However, if for some reason you don't use Fast Cover, please do your homework. 15 minutes of reading through a PDS could literally be the difference between life and death down the track. People don't realise that without a guarantee of payment from a travel insurance company (or another source), hospitals in many countries WILL NOT TREAT YOU. I know it's hard to fathom that a hospital would let someone die in the triage room because they're not sure if they're going to get paid or not, but this is exactly what happens. So, take the time and get it right.

Read the policies and follow up – I called to lodge a claim as my flight has been cancelled by the airline due to mechanical issue in the plane . the gentleman on the phone explained that fast travel insurance and other insurers policy don't support claims made for trip interruption or cancellation due to airline malfunctions ( which was quite strange but I accepted it) … Read more

following the above , I requested to adjust my policy to total of 7 days instead of 9 days hoping that I will get a different total cost for the policy ,the gentleman said he will forward it to the sales team and they will call me on the day I made the call but no follow up since them.

so I basically bough a flight ticket for a malfunctioning aeroplane , booked a hotel that I can't usefor at least 2 days !! and an insurance policy for ~$240 that don't accept claims in that regards

the morale of the story is , 1- read the policies of insurers and airlines before you travel because the headlines meanings are inclusive but the fine writing waives their responsibility

2- when companies take your money is easy , but to pay you back even a portion of it for a service that hasn't been rendered is kind of impossible

The travel insurance options were suitable for me and I could provide details of my pre existing medical condition to include in my cover. It was easy to navigate on the website. Show details ·  1

I thought I was dealing with Allianz, in whom I place a lot of confidence. It was fruitful speaking with Hans on the phone, who helped me work out what to buy. It was easy going through the process online. It would have been helpful to learn that this is an Allianz policy. This is the first time I have used Allianz for travelling. Show details ·  1

I always use Fastcover, this time I didn't do the screening correctly, was able to call, and staff helped me finish the screening and make the additional payment, I refer all my family and friends onto Fastcover. Show details ·  1

There always some reason why insurance companies find a reason not to pay I needed help last year a plane delay left me missing a cruise stranded in Sydney I asked for help from insurance company it’s what you pay it for with accommodation and the situation I was in and there was no help I have since asked for my money back but they have refused should of went with southern star insurance Show details

Easy to purchase , great set up , but when we went to make a basic claim , which was a Dr visit on a cruise ship and medication, the claim became complicated. Fast cover wanted forms fill out by our normal GP , which was another cost of $120 and totally unnecessary. Cost of excess , plus a GP visit on a claim of $360 … Show details

Hmm... will do more shopping around – I did not make a claim as they have pandemic exemption clause. but I did ask for unused travel portion of premium to be refunded. This was declined citing an undisclosed actuarial formula (offered 10% discount on next purchase). So i have my doubts to their fairness level in future. Also it's not so flexible to amend. You can add packs, but not… Read more

drop any, even if it's a net increase in premium.

After review on this site, was refunded the small amount of prorata unused premium. Thanks [Name Removed]. If only the contact centre took the time to be a bit more reasonable, could have avoided this post.

Process of purchasing Fast Cover travel insurance was very convenient, took only a few minutes and was easy to follow. It was the most economical travel insurance I found. Show details ·  1

Hans created a trusting environment for me through his thoughtful approach. The product was well defined and clarified. I understood my responsibilities and rights and I appreciated his personal approach. Overall, I feel confident about the choice and quality of the product I have purchased. Show details ·  1

Super easy purchase, took out the required cover for my destination and didn’t need to buy unnecessary covers. Was also able to increase my excess to reduce premium. Show details ·  1

70 years old, lots of travelling plenty of insurances over the time...I found Fast Travel an absolute fantastic price much better than competitors, they also cover many existing illnesses without extra costings just make sure you list your existing conditions you will be surprised. Very easy online interface. Show details ·  1

Very happy that Abby your sale staff explained in details contents of travell insurance which resulted in substantial saving in premium for me. I also had advice from my travel agent that Fast cover was best for the travell insurance and hassel free dealing with. Thank you Show details ·  1

Have used this Company before and was very happy with it the policy. Have just done another policy and I asked a lots of questions and was very happy. The lady was very helpful and very happy explaining everything to me. I can recommend Fast Cover for all your travel insurance. Thank You. Show details ·  1

First time to use this insurance. Easy to navigate website. Easy to set up. Fast access to policy. Cheaper than my usual travel insurance. Very competitively priced. Hopefully I don't need to see how they look after me in case I need to make a claim! ;-) Show details ·  1

I rang got my quote immediately, rang back and paid for my insurance. This was explained to me clearly and the process was done so easily for me. Thank you very much for excellent service Show details ·  1

So easy to navigate the website to consider and purchase type of travel insurance. Having the option to select DUO was the deciding factor for selecting Fast Cover for our travel insurance. Amazing value too! Show details ·  1

I was drawn to this insurance company because it was user friendly and simple to use without stress. Explanations were explained clearly and in plain english. Only took a few minutes. Show details ·  1

Very straightforward and easy to understand process to complete insurance cover. I have never had to make a claim though so don't know how well they would be when needed. Show details ·  1

We purchased Fast Cover Travel Insurance (Basics) for our international trip including a cruise, and it was the most affordable option we found at only $162 for both of us. The online quote and purchase process was quick, clear, and very easy to complete. Disclosure of pre-existing conditions was straightforward, and the policy details were easy… Read more ·  1

to understand. Great value for money with good coverage and no hidden surprises. Highly recommended for anyone looking for affordable and hassle-free travel insurance.

Website very easy to use. Adding on existing medical conditions was very easy. Very happy with the cost of the cruise insurance. It was about $60 less than my previous cruise insurance with another company for the same number of days. Show details ·  1

I have always had positive experience when dealing with Fastcover's customer service. Although I have never had to make a claim I have had my queries and requests dealt with very quickly and have always had knowledgeable staff assisting me like today. Thanks Chi you fixed my mistakes very quickly and helped me with my policies to get reduced multi rate. Show details ·  1

We have a fast cover ins for our trip to New Zealand. Our travel Agent went belly up and our deposit was paid back to us through our insurance policy. So in November we are still heading on our trip to NZ and still insured with Fast Cover....So when a quick escape from the Austalian Winter came up to Bali we went straight to Fast Cover again. Now… Read more ·  1

our daughters and families are heading to Bali in October and have also taken travel ins with Fast Travel. And so it's automatically going to be part of out trip plans. Thanks Fast Cover...Lauren