Travel Tips

Complete Guide to Worldcare Travel Insurance for New Zealand Residents [2024 Review]

Aditya Shrivastava
Aditya Shrivastava
28.09.24
Read time 7 minutes

If you’re heading abroad, travel insurance can be a good idea to protect you from financial losses on your trip. A travel insurance policy typically compensates for lost baggage, delayed flights, unforeseen disasters and medical emergencies. It works by purchasing a policy up front, and then if an event occurs, you will be provided compensation. But it's important to keep in mind that if your trip goes smoothly, you won’t get your money back.

Travel insurance can provide security and peace of mind when travelling. Worldcare offers travel insurance for citizens and residents of New Zealand and is easy to purchase online. Read on to learn more about how Worldcare works, types of policies and how to apply. And if you want to make paying in local currencies easier abroad, check out the Wise Travel Card.

Table of contents

What is Worldcare Travel Insurance in New Zealand?

Worldcare Travel Insurance has been available in New Zealand since 2006. New Zealand residents have been using Worldcare for insurance coverage and emergency assistance. Since 2015, Worldcare has offered an easy way to purchase travel insurance online.

Let’s break down how to be eligible for a Worldcare policy and what types of policies are available.1

Worldcare Travel Insurance Eligibility

Here are the criteria you must meet to be eligible for a Worldcare travel insurance policy:2

  • You must be a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident.
  • You intend to return to New Zealand after your journey.
  • The policy must be purchased in New Zealand before you start your trip.
  • The policy's start date is when you leave New Zealand to start your trip.
  • Though the policy wording does not specify any maximum age limit, Worldcare Travel Insurance is generally available for individuals up to 86 years of age.
  • You can include up to ten adults in a single travel insurance policy.
  • Children up to 21 are considered dependent on the adult travel insurance holder.
  • Generally, Worldcare Travel Insurance does not automatically cover pre-existing medical conditions. However, you can apply for insurance coverage for specific pre-existing medical conditions and obtain approval by paying an additional premium.

Types of Worldcare Travel Insurance Benefits

Worldcare Travel Insurance offers comprehensive coverage, addressing almost all travel-related issues you may face when travelling abroad. However, the extent of your coverage will depend on your policy package- and the more extensive your coverage, the higher your premium.3

Here is a brief outline of the overall benefits of Worldcare Travel Insurance for New Zealand residents travelling overseas:

  • Trip cancellations and travel disruptions include loss of deposits, strikes, hijacking, and epidemics.
  • Medical benefits include emergency overseas medical expenses, dental treatment, and incidental hospital expenses.
  • Life benefits include funeral expenses, accidental death, permanent disability, and loss caused by terrorist actions.
  • Baggage and personal effects include loss/damage of baggage, high-value items, travel documents, and personal money.
  • Personal liability benefits include excess rental vehicle liability and personal liability.

The Worldcare GoBudget plan does not offer all the benefits under the GoComprehensive and GoFreedom plans. Take a look at the next section for details.

Types of Worldcare Travel Insurance Packages available

Worldcare offers three travel insurance packages for overseas travel and one package for local travel in New Zealand. The table below shows coverage for overseas travel alone, per insured person.4

Section 1: Trip Cancellations and Travel Disruptions

CategoriesGoComprehensiveGoFreedomGoBudget
Loss of Deposits$100,000 NZD$100,000 NZD$5,000 NZD
Journey cancellation$100,000 NZD$100,000 NZD$5,000 NZD
Curtailment$100,000 NZD$100,000 NZD$5,000 NZD
Missed connections$10,000 NZD$10,000 NZD$500 NZD
Travel Delays$10,000 NZD$10,000 NZD$500 NZD
Frequent Flier Points$4,000 NZD$4,000 NZDNo coverage
Travel resumption$5,000 NZD$5,000 NZDNo coverage
Strikes and Hijacks$5,000 NZD$5,000 NZDNo coverage
Epidemics and Pandemics$100,000 NZD$100,000 NZD$5,000 NZD

Section 2: Medical Benefits

CategoriesGoComprehensiveGoFreedomGoBudget
Overseas Medical ExpensesUnlimitedUnlimited$250,000 NZD
Terrorism - Overseas Medical Expenses$200,000 NZD$200,000 NZDNo coverage
Incidental Hospital Expenses$4,000 NZD$4,000 NZDNo coverage
Accompanying Person$15,000 NZD$15,000 NZDNo coverage

Section 3: Life Benefits

CategoriesGoComprehensiveGoFreedomGoBudget
Funeral Expenses$15,000 NZD$15,000 NZDNo coverage
Accidental Death or Permanent Disability$25,000 NZD$25,000 NZDNo coverage
Accidental Death or Permanent Disability due to terrorist act$20,000 NZD$20,000 NZDNo coverage

Section 4: Baggage, Personal Effects, and Money Benefits

CategoriesGoComprehensiveGoFreedomGoBudget
Personal Baggage - Total Limit$15,000 NZD$15,000 NZD$2,000 NZD
Personal Baggage - Item Limit$1,500 NZD$1,500 NZD$500 NZD
Personal Baggage - Special Item Limit$2,500 NZD$2,500 NZD$500 NZD
Emergency Baggage$1,000 NZD$1,000 NZD$250 NZD
Travel Documents$2,000 NZD$2,000 NZD$250 NZD
Personal Money$500 NZD$500 NZDNo coverage

Section 5: Personal Liability Benefits

CategoriesGoComprehensiveGoFreedomGoBudget
Rental Vehicle Excess$5,000 NZD$5,000 NZDNo coverage
Personal Liability$1,000,000 NZD$1,000,000 NZD$400,000 NZD

To note:

  • The benefits available in the GoComprehensive and GoFreedom packages are similar.
  • Worldcare GoFreedom Travel Insurance package covers multiple journeys throughout a policy year. It is ideal for New Zealand residents who plan more than one holiday yearly.
  • The maximum period of one journey in a GoFreedom pack is 60 days.
  • The GoBudget package is a limited plan that is suitable for most journeys.
  • Though COVID-19 is covered, there is no insurance coverage for lockdowns, quarantine, or losses due to changes in government alert levels.

Pricing Plans

The pricing plans for each Worldcare Travel Insurance policy depend on various factors, including your age, destinations, number of people in your party and pre-existing medical conditions. You can get a quote for each plan and compare it with the others before deciding on your preferred option.

Pre-existing medical conditions must be disclosed upfront when applying for the policy. It might require an additional premium.

How to apply for Worldcare Travel Insurance

It’s simple to buy a Worldcare Travel Insurance policy online. Here are the steps: 5

  1. Visit the Worldcare Travel Insurance website to compare different plans.
  2. Provide details like your primary destination, travel dates (start and end dates), and the number of people travelling with you.
  3. Click on “Get Quote.”
  4. Head to Step 1 of purchasing an insurance policy.
  5. Go through the benefits and choose your plan.
  6. Step 2 includes providing your name and email address.
  7. Confirm your eligibility by ticking the eligibility criteria box and clicking “Next.”
  8. You can add more countries here if you wish to visit them. Please provide details of any high-value items.
  9. Step 3 involves adding pre-existing medical conditions. Click on Yes or No to proceed further.
  10. If you click Yes, continue to add the details of passengers and their pre-existing medical conditions. You may have to pay an additional premium.
  11. If you click No and proceed, you must enter the details of all accompanying passengers.
  12. Enter their details, addresses, and email IDs.
  13. Click on Next and proceed to pay for the insurance.
  14. Step 4 requires you to pay the insurance premium.
  15. You get your policy online with all the details printed on it.

While you can purchase the GoComprehensive and GoBudget plans online, you must call Worldcare Travel Insurance Customer Support for the GoFreedom plan.

Every Worldcare Travel Insurance policy has a 14-day cooling-off period during which you can cancel and get a full refund. To qualify, you must not have started your trip and don’t wish to make a claim or exercise any other right under the policy.6

Period of Insurance

The period of insurance starts from the date you leave New Zealand on your trip and ends on the return date you stated while purchasing the policy. The GoComprehensive and GoBudget plans are available for a single trip alone. The GoFreedom plan can be used for multiple journeys. It gets activated when you start each journey and is covered for a maximum of 60 days.7

If you experience travel delays out of your control, like an illness, injury or transportation delay, you can apply to extend your policy period to 6 months.8

Making a Worldcare Travel Insurance Claim

Travel insurance typically requires you to pay for expenses upfront and then the company reimburses you through a claim. You can submit a claim with Worldcare Travel Insurance online. The process is straightforward and quick:9

  1. Visit the Worldcare Travel Insurance claims webpage and click “Make a Claim.”
  2. It will take you to the Online Claims portal.
  3. Provide the details of the reasons for lodging a claim supported by documents, such as original invoices, reports, receipts, and other vouchers.
  4. Enter your policy details.
  5. Provide any additional requested information and submit your claim.

Allianz Partners handles claims regarding Worldcare travel insurance policies, and all claims are paid in New Zealand dollars. Claims for luggage and personal effects may include depreciation.

Worldcare Travel Insurance Emergency Assistance

You might encounter an emergency during your trip overseas. Worldcare offers emergency assistance 24/7 at the following numbers:10

CountryPhone Number
Within New Zealand0800 486 686
Australia (Toll-free)1 800 554 114
United Kingdom (Toll-free)0808 589 3893
United States (Toll-free)1 800 326 1543
Reverse Charge Call+64 9 486 6868

Worldcare Travel Insurance Contact Details

You can contact Worldcare Travel Insurance for sales, help and claim inquiries:11

CountryContact Details
Free phone within New Zealand - Phone0800 553 550
Overseas - Phone+64 9 487 0806
Overseas - Medical Assessment+64 9 488 1647
Overseas - Emergency Assistance+64 9 486 6868
Anywhere - Sales (Email)sales@worldcare.co.nz
Anywhere - Claims (Email)claims@worldcare.co.nz
Emergency Assistance - Worldwide+64 9 486 6868
From Australia1800 554 114
From the UK0808 589 3893
From the USA1800 326 1543

Meet Wise: The Simple Way to Manage Money Abroad

Now that your travel insurance is figured out, how about your money? Travelling overseas used to be expensive and cost lots of fees, but not anymore. The Wise Travel Card has made paying overseas simple, easy and fast when you travel.

Wise Account

The Wise Travel Card is a debit card that allows you to load up to 40+ currencies and spend in 150+ countries—making country-hopping or extended trips abroad seamless.

Sign up for Wise today

Your Wise Travel Card offers attractive features like contactless payments, which you can use in your Apple Wallet or Google Pay. The best feature of the Wise Travel Card is that it uses the mid-market exchange rate, so you’re never paying a markup on currency exchange.

Get the Wise Travel Card today and enjoy your next holiday hassle-free.

Worldcare Travel Insurance - Frequently Asked Questions

Who underwrites Worldcare travel insurance in NZ?

The Hollard Insurance Company Pty Ltd ABN 78 090 584 473 (incorporated in Australia) underwrites Worldcare Travel Insurance in New Zealand. AWP Service New Zealand Limited, trading as Allianz Partners, issues and manages Worldcare Travel Insurance.

Can I extend or upgrade my Worldcare Travel Insurance policy while travelling overseas?

Generally, you can’t extend the Worldcare Travel Insurance policy while travelling overseas. However, under circumstances like injury or illness preventing you from returning to New Zealand, you can extend the policy to 60 days. In that case, you must contact Worldcare for approval.

Does the Worldcare Travel Insurance cover COVID-19?

Yes, Worldcare Travel Insurance is available for COVID-19.

What is the Worldcare GoLocal Travel Insurance?

Worldcare Travel Insurance offers a domestic travel insurance policy for New Zealand residents, GoLocal, which covers travel-related issues while travelling in New Zealand. This insurance is not available for international travel.

Please see the terms of use and product availability for your region or visit Wise fees and pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.

Sources used for this article:

  1. Worldcare Travel Insurance - A brief intro
  2. Worldcare Travel Insurance - Eligibility
  3. Worldcare Travel Insurance - Benefits - page 6
  4. Worldcare Travel Insurance - Packages - page 6
  5. Worldcare Travel Insurance - Buy an insurance plan
  6. Cooling-off period - Page 4
  7. Period of insurance coverage - Page 3
  8. Extending the policy - Page 4
  9. Making a claim
  10. Emergency Assistance Numbers
  11. Contact Numbers and Details

Sources verified on 11 July 2024.

*Please see terms of use and product availability for your region or visit Wise fees and pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.

This publication is provided for general information purposes and does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its subsidiaries and its affiliates, and it is not intended as a substitute for obtaining advice from a financial advisor or any other professional.

We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether expressed or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.

Money without borders

Find out more

Tips, news and updates for your location