Tower travel insurance. What’s on offer and how does it work?

Wondering if travel insurance is really necessary? What if you’re only planning to head to Australia? It’s not so far from New Zealand and the shared Commonwealth healthcare benefits should be enough, right?

Did you know that in 2019, Kiwis travelling to Australia claimed back an average of $1036 through their insurers? Most of these claims were related to medical reasons and this is despite reciprocal healthcare being in place.¹

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It’s easy to imagine how much higher those out-of-pocket costs could be in other destinations without reciprocal care. This is why travel insurance is so highly recommended – no matter where you’re headed.

In this guide, we’ll take a look at New Zealand-based insurer Tower. Delving into their offerings, types of coverage, benefits, claims process and more, we’ve got the answers you need to decide whether Tower is the best fit for your needs while travelling.

Who is Tower?

A fixture in the New Zealand and Pacific insurance industry, Tower has been helping their customers protect themselves and their possessions for over 150 years. ²

Offering a range of different insurance products, Tower travel insurance is specifically tailored to meet the needs of Kiwis travelling overseas.

Tower travel insurance packages

Tower offers three main insurance packages to choose from with variations in coverage, limits and cost.³

1. Essentials Plan

Offering reduced cover for travellers seeking only the basics, this option provides coverage on essentials such as medical and dental but with lower claim limits.

2. Comprehensive Plan

Providing coverage across a wide range of scenarios, the comprehensive plan offers unlimited medical care as well as higher claim limits for most benefits.

3. Frequent Flyer Plan

Intended for those who travel back and forth from New Zealand regularly, this policy offers comprehensive cover for multiple trips, not exceeding 60 days each time, for a period of 12 months.

Who Administers travel insurance on behalf of Tower?

All policies provided through Tower Insurance are also underwritten by Tower.⁴

It is worth noting, however, that while they underwrite their policies they are an Allianz Worldwide Partner. This partnership sees Allianz handling all travel insurance services and claims support including the 24/7 emergency support benefit.⁵

What are the main benefits of travel insurance with Tower?

Unsure if Tower is a good fit for your needs? Here are some key benefits you can expect as a policyholder.⁶

• 24/7 emergency assistance backed by the Allianz Partners Emergency Assistance programme
• Confidence in a locally owned, but globally experienced company with over 150 years of experience supporting Kiwis with their insurance needs²
• Selected cover for pandemics or epidemics
• Free cover for dependent children when travelling with an adult holding a relevant policy
• Automatic cover for some pre-existing conditions with the option to apply for coverage on others for an additional premium⁷

Types of coverage offered by Tower travel insurance

Compared below are the key benefits and claim limits associated with Tower’s three core travel insurance products.³

Prices in NZD	Essentials Plan	Comprehensive Plan	Frequent Flyer Plan
Maximum policy duration	12 months	12 months	12 months
Medical	$250,000	Unlimited	Unlimited
Emergency dental	$500	$3000	$3000
Cancellation or changes pre-departure	$5000	Unlimited	Unlimited
Travel delay	$500	$15,000	$15,000
Baggage and personal items	$5000	$30,000	$30,000
Travel documents	$500	$3000	$3000
Personal liability	$500,000	$2,500,000	$2,500,000
Rental vehicle excess	$1000	$6000	$6000

As seen on 20 October 2023

Tower travel insurance main fees

As Tower travel insurance is tailored to your specific travel needs, there is no set price quoted per policy.

Tower advertise their Comprehensive plans starting from NZ $30 and Essentials cover from NZ $22.⁸

However, keep in mind that your travel duration, destination, activities and pre-existing health conditions, if any, will all need to be factored in to determine your final premium.

What’s not covered under this travel insurance

As with most insurers, not everything is covered while travelling, Tower will not cover claims arising from.⁹

• Any undeclared pre-existing medical conditions
• Incidents where the policy holder was under the influence of drugs or alcohol
• Travel in conflict with advice given by SafeTravel
• Breaking the law in the country of destination
• Riding a motorbike or moped where policy conditions for this are unmet
• Certain recreational activities such as skydiving and parachuting
• Complications from elective cosmetic or medical procedures
• The theft of unattended baggage or personal effects

This list is by no means exhaustive so be sure to check out your policy’s specific exclusions contained in the product disclosure statement to ensure you are covered as expected.

Eligibility for Tower travel insurance

As with most insurers in New Zealand, to be eligible for coverage you are usually required to meet the following basic criteria.

• Live in New Zealand permanently
• Be permitted to obtain funded treatment under New Zealand’s public health and disability services
• Policy must be purchased prior to departure
• Your trip will see you will depart from New Zealand and return to New Zealand
• You have not been denied cover previously or had a claim declined, policy cancelled or voided due to fraudulent activity

Currently this eligibility criteria is not clearly outlined in Tower’s International Travel policy wording. Should you have concerns regarding eligibility please contact Tower directly for guidance.

How to get travel insurance with Tower

To find out what a policy with Tower will cost or to purchase a policy, you can use their online quote portal.

Once you have input all details related to your trip and if you are happy with the price quoted, you can then choose to purchase the policy via the same portal.

Confirmation will be sent to your nominated email along with the product disclosure statement and any other important documents.

Remember, if you have disclosures to make, such as those related to pre-existing health conditions, it is best to speak with a Tower representative before proceeding to purchase.

Making a claim with Tower travel insurance

Travel insurance claims through Tower can be easily submitted online via their dedicated claims portal. Simply submit, wait for your claim to be assessed and you’ll be advised of the outcome as quickly as possible. ¹²

Before beginning a claim, they request that you have at hand documentation to support your claim including:

• Your policy number
• Travel itineraries
• Confirmation details of any cancellations
• Details of any refunds already received
• Police reports
• Medical documents and/or reports
• Receipts for any costs incurred
• Bank details for any approved return of funds

Be mindful that most insurers require you to claim within a limited timeframe following the event, this is usually outlined in your insurer's product disclosure statement.

A word on Tower travel insurance and COVID-19

Tower international travel insurance offers selected coverage for COVID-19 including benefits related to:

• Trip costs for cancellations or changes due to having to isolate or quarantine when directed to do so by a government health authority
• Medical costs for treatment as needed if diagnosed while travelling

They do not cover costs incurred from a disinclination to travel due to fear or change of mind related to COVID-19.

Additionally, should you choose to travel against advice provided by the New Zealand government concerning COVID-19, cover will also be unavailable for any claims relating to this. ¹³

Additional things to keep in mind

Before deciding if Tower is the right insurer for you, be sure to consider:

• Whether they offer coverage for any pre-existing health conditions and the costs involved for adding these
• That not all recreational activities are automatically covered and strict conditions apply for those that are
• Whether you’re happy dealing with Allianz as a third party provider during emergencies
• All benefit limits and whether these are sufficient for your trip specifics
• Your travel duration, destinations and purpose and whether Tower offers the required cover for these

Contacting Tower

Whether you want to speak with Tower in advance of purchasing a policy, post purchase or in case of Emergency, here’s the numbers you’ll need.¹⁴

In New Zealand:

• Call 0800 800 048

From overseas:

• For 24/7 emergency assistance call +64 9 486 6868

Alternatively, you can email their customer care team at help@allianz-assistance.co.nz

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Sources:

1. Allianz – NZ traveller claims data pg. 2
2. Tower – About
3. Tower – Plan types and comparison
4. Tower – Underwriter Information
5. Tower – Allianz Worldwide Partner
6. Tower – Why Choose Us?
7. Tower – Pre-existing health conditions
8. Tower – Policy costs
9. Tower – Policy exclusions pgs. 7–8
10. Tower – How to purchase a policy
11. Tower – Making a claim
12. Tower – COVID-19 cover
13. Tower – Contact details pg. 13

Sources checked on: 20 October 2023