3,381 reviews
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I have been waiting since the 7th April for a refund as my credit card had expired Southern Cross couldn't refund to that which I find amazing as other companies can , so I had to give my bank details instead and was told 5-7 days for the refund but NO it was 1-10 business days when the finance mob got my details which I emailed on the 7th April .… Read more
Southern Cross my of just said you will get back your money in 10 business from the 13th April because that is how long they made me wait. No very good customer service .
I am very happy to have my international travel insurance with Southern cross insurance. They took great care of me with what I needed during the tour in Europe. I highly recommend. Show details · 1
User friendly website makes it easy to purchase a policy online and to register an account with the policy number provided. Competitive price for short single trip. Fortunately, everything went to plan and so can't comment on anything with respect to claim process with SCTI. Show details
Reviews with attachments
Covered everything we needed including skiing in Canada for seniors Show details · 1
I have used SCTI for over 15 years. Being on line they are very easy and quick to use - this recent trip I actually had to add an updated medical condition and I was able to speak to a consultant who assisted me. I will continue to use SCTI for future travels. Thanks Lisa Show details
I took out travel insurance to travel to Bali. When in Bali I get on the back of scooter run by local companies. So I was looking for accident cover in case I was involved in an accident on a bike. It was very difficult to ascertain if other insurance companies covered this event but it was very easy to find on Southern Cross. Thankfully I did not need to make a claim Show details
Great Support, Easy Claim Process and Excellent Outcome – Glad I chose SCTI - not the cheapest but will now be my travel insurer of choice. Had a minor car accident in Sri Lanka while travelling and while the hire company, hire car insurers and just about everyone else there peppered me with endless phone calls and vague threats, SCTI were calm and helpful, checking on our well being and guiding us… Read more · 1
through the claims process. Paid the hire company up front to stop the noise but had to fight to get an invoice. Once we had that and put it together with all the relevant paperwork and sent it to SCTI they did the rest. A couple of weeks later claim was paid in full. Couldn't be happier - definitely recommended.
Fast and excellent service – SCTI are exceptionally easy to work with and provided very prompt, professional and caring service. Show details · 1
SCTI (Southern Cross Travel Insurance) Exploited My Grief and Gave Me Nothing I’m writing this while still overseas after losing my grandmother—a deeply painful time that was made so much worse by Southern Cross Travel Insurance (SCTI). I paid extra for a policy that included mental health coverage, thinking I’d be protected if anything happened… Read more
while I was away. When my grandmother passed, I submitted my claim on June 16th, providing a medical certificate and explaining that I was cancelling my flight due to bereavement and mental distress.
They took two full weeks to respond—replying on June 30th, a day before my flight. No updates, no follow-up, just silence during one of the most emotionally fragile periods of my life. And when they finally replied, their message was filled with fake empathy and no actual help. It was a carefully worded non-response that felt like a stalling tactic.
Their email sounded “compassionate,” but they didn’t approve anything, didn’t offer reimbursement, didn’t even try to ease the burden. It felt like they were hoping I’d just give up and go away.
I am lucky I was flying with Austrian Airlines, who treated me like a human being. They rebooked my flight with understanding and fairness. SCTI, on the other hand, sold me mental health coverage then emotionally abandoned me when I needed it most.
This was not just poor service—it was exploitative. SCTI’s policies look good on paper, but when it comes to real support, they fail completely.
I’ve reported their handling of this to Consumer Affairs and the ACCC, and I strongly advise others to stay away from SCTI unless you want to be gaslit in your most vulnerable moments.
immediately upon paying SCTI for a service, I start getting SPAM - some of it masquerading as legitimate business correspondence. Imagine claiming that my giving you my contact details (which i cannot purchase a policy without supplying) is "implied consent"? SCTI no doubt derives an income stream from selling advertising to us - misusing and… Read more
abusing our contact details to jam their "products and services" into our inbox. Contrary to what they are taught in marketing school, this does NOT endear us to them, or their 'business partners' (others that pay for these details)
"to contact you from time to time, including within a reasonable time of your policy expiring or you ceasing to be covered by the policy, about products and services offered by us and our business partners; If you or an authorised representative have provided your email address or mobile phone number to us, we will take this as your implied consent to receiving this communication until you unsubscribe or opt out."
Hi Frank. Thanks for your… Read more
Latest follow-ups
The good news. Very competitive pricing. The bad news: Their website is difficult. Mainly due to the fact that if you need a copy of the… Read more
quote, it can't be done.
At the end of filling in all the details, the only choice is to pay.
After searching for the quote, don't log out because it disappears.
Don't phone or try to get a copy because it's a very polite reply that it can't be done.
Not much point in emailing because the quote is somewhere in the ether
I spent a total of four hours trying to get it to work on a phone or tablet.
The buttons disappear under the bottom banner, whether in portrait or landscape.
In my opinion it makes for an unpleasant experience that made me worry that the whole or organisation could be dodgy.
I do however, believe that they are a good and trustworthy organisation that is let down by an amateur website.
There must be a reason they decided to design their site that way.
I did purchase a policy anyway and to their credit the certificate and pds arrived in my email almost immediately.
So it wasn't all bad.
Follow-up · The payment process was similar to most online payments. So not much of a hassle. I didn't try it on a PC. But it should work on the most common platform, Android. I don't have an iPhone. I tried it on my android phone and tablet. It was truly a painful waste of time. It must put off a lot of customers unnecessarily. Especially when the helpline was as close to useless as possible.
Follow-up · See latest answers to some queries.
Hi there, Thank you for sharing… Read more (+2 replies)
Was in New Zealand when my wife was suddenly ill due to her pre-declared condition. We spent 1 day in hopsital, and had to cancel around $600 of planned activities as a result. SCTI were quick to respond and approved the claim without question.… Read more · 1
They were also concerned about my wife's health and offered to fly us out the next day, however we already had flights booked a few days later, and she was feeling better, so we declined.
Customer support is great, and claim was approved. I always read the full DPS. Only downside is that the insurance is typically more expensive than others, but at least its not fake insurance.
Follow-up · 0 excess Policy covered all Worth
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We chose to go with southern cross travel insurance as they covered MND/ALS. Pretty much all insurance deny insurance even though I am able to still do everything myself, only my walking is slow and I tire quickly, so a wheelchair is needed. It did… Read more
cost a good chunk to add the cover but for peace of mind it was worth it. I will mention that was a recent trip to Singapore, they won't cover me for our next trip to the USA (Hawaii). I can't comment on the claim experience as in all our years of overseas travel we have never had to make one.
Follow-up · We went to use southern cross for our next holiday to Hawaii however they would no longer cover for MND/ALS. I still have the same requirements, no difference but obviously the country makes the difference. A little disappointed!!
In-depth reviews
Wow! What can I say! Our 18 year old daughter and her friend travelled through Europe for 4 months. Towards the end of their trip, our daughter became very ill on one of the Greek islands. To cut a long story short, she was in hospital in Athens for 5 days before flying home. My wife and I were worried sick about her and with much trepidation… Read more
about being let down again by yet another insurance company, we contacted Southern Cross to discuss our situation. Well, we were more than pleasantly surprised, elated in fact!
From the very first phone call to the last (and there were many (plus a considerable number of emails)), we were astonished at the reassuring, compassionate, helpful and professional approach of all of the staff. We spoke to 6 or 7 staff members throughout the whole process and EVERY single one of them was amazing. Your training program must be something else!!
Nothing was too much trouble. All of the medical bills were paid without question and without us having to get embroiled in any of the admin hassles. In addition, the staff were genuinely concerned about our daughter's well being which contributed considerably to the overall experience.
So, from the bottom of our hearts, we would like to express our gratitude to your company and to your staff. We cannot thank you enough and we now rave about you to everyone!! Keep it up, you are a breath of fresh air!
***In fairness I did not read Page 58 through 65 of the policy document & the insurers position is in accordance with the policy. My issue is that the policy is tantamount to fraudulent as it effectively excludes cover by stealth**** Background - As a result of a baggage handling issue in Spain my bag was delayed. In re routing the bag the… Read more
baggage handlers loaded an invalid flight number which left my bag "lost" in Barcelona.
After 6 weeks engaging with BA I submitted a claim to BA for reimbursement and lodged a claim with Southern Cross for the value of the items in the bag.
The claim was for circa NZ$4,000 (well under coverage of $25k) being exclusively clothing & footwear, toiletries and a day pack.
It was then that the Insurer sprung the magic clause on page 60 of the policy..... Give us proof of ownership and value. You must send us: • proof of when you bought the item and how much you paid for it (for example, the receipt)
Maybe I am unusual but I do not retain proof of purchase for all my clothes or shoes. I have no idea how someone is supposed to "prove" they owned things purchased in the years before they travel. I assumed (applying some common sense) that when you travel for 1 month there would be an expectation that you would carry goods up to a certain value in their bag and if that bag were lost those goods would be covered but that is not the case.
YOUR PERSONAL BELONGINGS ARE NOT INSURED UNLESS YOU CAN PROVE OWNERSHIP / VALUE OF EVERY ITEM IN YOUR BAG.
I do not know if this is just a Southern Cross Travel Insurance issue or if it is standard across the Industry but in my opinion this is tantamount to fraud. Inserting a clause on page 60 of a policy that effectively negates any ability for a normal person to claim for lost goods should be unacceptable.
I guess you live and learn....... and I suggest anyone getting travel Insurance should check what coverage they have if there bags go astray..... can you proive ownership / value of every item in your bag.
*****Update***** BA "found the bag after 11 weeks and claim was cancelled. In fairness Insurer MAY have made a payment, however my experience up to that point was that they would only reimburse for those items where I could evidence purchase. Still underwhelmed. ******
We can’t thank enough SCTI for their professionalism and support in our worst moment during our recent trip. One of our family members had through review of all travel insurance policies and recommended SCTI to us and he is correct. Our extended family members all took our travel insurance with SCTI and unfortunately one of the family members… Read more
became very ill and was admitted to ICU. We contacted SCTI and they were very helpful and supportive during the whole process. Due to the complexity of sickness our claim was very lengthy but SCTI assessing officer Amiena was in contact with us during whole claiming process. We had to make few amendments to our claim, but Ameina was very helpful, understanding and very supportive and truly a customer care professional. We are very happy with the overall outcome of the claiming process with SCTI. It was a pleasant experience for us and we must state the assessing officer Ameina made it a very positive experience for us. SCTI will be out travel insurance of choice for rest of our life and we highly recommend SCTI to everyone.
Positive reviews
I was recommended SCTI by my friend stated that they are really good when you need to make a claim. No one really want to claim if your holidays all went well. Unfortunate my husband had cancer procedure 3 months before our Northern Lights/cruise holidays. The staff from SCTI was compassionate and guide me all the way how to lodge a claim. Though… Read more · 1
it take a while to finalize my claim but I understand that they must follow all the procedure. I honestly highly recommend if you are looking for Travel Insurance please buy from SCTI. I bought comprehensive ( annual trip), easy to set up. I will surely buy from SCTI again.
I began using SCTI 8 years ago on the recommendation of an experienced friend. This last trip I was hospitalised in Mexico with a concussion and micro-bleed (CAT scans etc). The SCTI emergency team were very supportive and easy to deal with - absolutely seamless. Once home I lodged my claim which, after a few missing details were added, got… Read more · 1
reimbursed in full without delay. This is in direct contrast to what friends had advised would happen as they are both still waiting for their claims (with another very well know company) to be settled. One of them has been fighting for 14 months as the insurer keeps rewriting the rule book! SCTI seem to have no qualm in honouring a legitimate claim and do so with both compassion and exceptional professionalism. If you’re looking for peace of mind at a reasonable price (60% cheaper than Flight Centre quoted for the same trip!) go with SCTI every time.
By purchasing insurance I felt at ease about my bus tour straight away. I hadn't heard of SCTI previously, so googled them. They seemed to have decent reviews, so I went ahead with them. I like that they stay in contact with you, and, nowadays, no matter where you're going, insurance is simply vital. Show details · 1
Negative reviews
objective ? why when u bozos showed now compassion of a minor error. Made a mistake in putting in the dates bc YR system jumped all over the place, no chance to review and correct. Grab my money and run. have nuffin to do with u ever again. Hate to think what u would be like if someone made a claim Show details
Hi Steve. Thanks for your review.… Read more
I was in hospital needing to contact them to ensure they would cover my substantial medical expenses and called the 24/7 hotline.. no answer, the doctors called, no answer, emailed, no answer.. tried again and again.. no answer.. disgraceful when one is alone in another country and very unwell. This was not in a remote area, all the… Read more
phones/wifi/email were working. I received an automated email 24hrs after the emergency from them saying they will be in touch in 2 days!!! I have lodged an official complaint and will never ever ever recommend this company to anyone.
Hi Bron. We’re sorry to hear… Read more
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It was nice to know if I had any problems health wise you were just at the end of the phone, thank goodness I didn’t need to ring you. This is the 2nd year I have your insurance & im very happy to use you again at anytime. Show details
Recent reviews
The insurance booking was easy. The price was very competative and follow up e-mails were reassuring that they were aware of my travel and aware when I was back in Australia Show details · 1
Whilst overseas in 2024, I dropped my phone & cracked the screen. Got back & made a claim for the repair of the screen & SCTI were courteous and very helpful in processing & approving my claim. I've used them last year and will do so in the future. It's not an insurance policy until the claims been processed and paid - good to see others with similar positive claim experiences with SCTI. Show details · 1
First time using SCT for our Singapore trip, fortunately all went well and there was no need to claim but signing up and their follow up contacts were very helpful and I would sign up with them again if I were to travel. Show details · 1
It is good that you only need to insure what for would cost you a lot of money and not for all the other items that you probably would not use, especially if you have an excess of $100 or more on your policy. Show details · 1
Easy to do online. the medical History was straight forward to complete, luckily we didn't have cause to use it so I can not vouch for its resolution procedure. A good realistically priced travel insurance Show details · 1
We have taken many policies with SCTI whenever we travel. You can only rate an insurance company on cover and claims performance and SCTI have been awesome on two occasions ive needed to claim. Ill keep buying their policies Show details · 1
Needed medical assistance and they expedited my claim . Also make regular checks and recommendations about my treatment. The experience with Southern Cross insurance was awesome thankyou Show details · 1
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Hi Helena. Thanks for your… Read more