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International Premier Plan, International Standard Plan, Domesticcheryl milwardGreater Melbourne (Inner), VIC
value for money travel insurance
I have been using Columbus travel insurance for over 10 years, and find the policy easy to create online,
and easy to understand, also good value for money. I will continue to use Columbus for any furture travel insurance
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Carolyn WMetropolitan Adelaide, SA
Good price
Travel policy and medical assessments were easy, fair and at a good price. We've never made a claim, but pay premiums for pre-existing medical conditions. This was the lowest price policy for pre-existing medical conditions - grateful for that.
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Read the fine print - carefully
I guess I should have read these reviews before I took out a policy with Columbus. The consensus seems to be that they are reasonably priced and reasonably easy to deal with, until you make a claim !!
We are frequent overseas travellers, visiting Europe and Asia one or twice a year over the past 20 or so years. When our previous annual policy came due for renewal, I found that the premium had almost doubled, apparently because I am now 65. We have used the same Insurer for around 20 years, but have never made a claim
I called the Insuranc...Read more
e Council and they gave me the names of a few companies that insure "seniors" at a reasonable cost, and I chose Columbus. We had to return home from France 2 weeks before our planned return, due to the sudden death of my mother in law. Our claim would have been for costs to change our airfares and one hotel charge for 3 nights (luckily most of the hotels gave us a full refund). When I rang to see if I could make a claim I was advised that curtailment costs would be covered due to the death of a close relative, but the policy does not provide cover if the relative is over 85.Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
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DisillusionedPERTH
- 3 reviews
Reliable value for money
I have used Columbus Direct several times and have found their policies easy to understand.
I feel that they offer value for money and it is a very easy online system to use with staff readily available to answer any queries.
I will use again
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RotaryrexMetropolitan Adelaide, SA
Real value for money
Great staff to work with they knew the product and able to tailor the policie to suit me and real easy to set up. I have yet to make a claim. Just read what you're covered for and make sure it's what your want the annual cover for oldies like me is great i can now afford to travel. Thanks
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Robyn B.Greater Melbourne (Outer), VIC
Excellent service. Great quote. Value for money.
Always helpful on phone explain what's is and what's not included in policy. Excellent rates it's our third time with travel insurance. Haven't had to make a claim hopefully they are just as good if the need arises.
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Mauro M.Greater Melbourne (Metropolitan), VIC
Easiest and fairest.......
have been with Columbus for years. They always send me a reminder when it is time to renew, and the process is always painless. Yes, there are cheaper forms of insurance out there, but I feel Columbus always gives me the best value for money I can find.
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John PSouth East Queensland, QLD
One of many trips using Columbus Insurance
I always use Columbus because they give good value for money and are quick to payout when required. I travel to Europe from Australia regularly and have had to make a few claims over the years, all without any issues.
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Insurance a must
We have been existing customers for some years now and find filling out the quote form very easy.
Luckily we have not had to submit any claims.And if we do in the future we will know where we stand
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Elizabeth cGreater Melbourne (Inner), VIC
6th time I have used Columbus Direct in 11 years
Always the easiest to arrange and best value policy available
Claiming is a breeze and payment is very fast. I always feel well covered when I travel with Columbus Direct covering me.
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Happy to use Columbus Direct
10 or more time we have used Columbus Direct as our travel insurance agent. Always way cheaper than the travel agent quote. Never made a claim. . We go through all the disclaimers then pay . Staff dealing with us always easy to deal with and answer any questions.
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Essential insurance
We travel quite a lot so always in need of travel insurance . Usually take me off policies but last one was an annual . Have used this company about six times.
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easiest insurance purchase ever
Your consultant Andrew was the best I've dealt with when buying travel insurance, easy to set up and his "plain speak" made understanding what I was covered for simple well done Andrew
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June
- 2 reviews
Unknown Quantity yet
We have not made a claim yet --- although we are frequent travellers with an Annual Policy. Therefore we can't comment on the ease of making a claim or service to us. However, we are particularly careful and organised travellers, so this insurance is "just in case". Time will tell.
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doyd13AU
- 3 reviews
- 7 likes
- International Travel Insurance - Premier Plan (Single Trip)
- Verified customer
Would Hate To Die
As with all people travelling overseas, we took out a travel insurance policy. It was easily set up and details provided and premium taken.
Then we went off, it was supposed to be just a holiday - but legislation changed and we turned it into a honeymoon. Very exciting that we could finally marry, so off to the US we headed.
Thats when we get to the US and it is COLD. Not just cold, FREEZING. Just freezing. Average temperature in Washington DC and New York was 0. Not the weather we are quite used to in Melbourne.
As a consequence, my h...Read more
usband - who normally embraces the cold (he grew up in Ballarat) got sick. Not just a little man flu - he ended up being diagnosed with Influenza-B. Yes full blown flu and you know, it was killing people around Australia in 2017, but that was irrelevant. So the last week we travelled to Vegas as per our itinerary. This is where his symptoms first appeared, it wasn't anything special but 24-36 hours in I had need to ring the Emergency Assistance line as we could not regulate his temperature. I had really no idea what to do, this was the first time I had ever seen him sick in the 5 years we had been together. So I ring the Assistance line (in the UK) and that was the start of the ordeal. Useless, what a joke - couldn't assist me at all. He wasn't in a position to move, but you know I thought they may have a contact locally? But no, just ring someone. Thanks mate, perfect assistance.2 comments
I rang the "Medical Emergency Assistance" at least three times. And to state that they weren't helpful at all. In the end when you have someone who isn't movable and you just get very little assistanc... Read more
e, it was beyond frustrating. I just gave up as they weren't helpful.Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
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Medical Emergency
Whilst i was overseas i got hit by a motorbike and was rushed in an ambulance to the hospital, my brother who was with me at the time called the Columbus emergency line who paid in full my surgery costs in a timely fashion. Highly Recommend!
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Fantastic customer service - no stress claims
We took out a policy for going overseas while pregnant. Unfortunately at the end of our trip we encountered some serious unexpected complications. We called immediately to get advice on our situation, were provided with fantastic recommendations and straight forward information about what documentation would be required to assist the claim. Couldn’t have thanked them enough for helping us to achieve the best possible health outcomes for me and baby by accessing early medical intervention.
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- Columbus Direct
- Verified customer
Easy to buy but hard to claim
I bought a multi-trip travel policy for our family and thought I'd researched it fairly well by using an insurance comparison site.
I was happy with the price and the website was easy to use.
On our last trip overseas our son was hospitalized so we put in a claim.
The claim was rejected due to having a pre-existing medical condition.
When I then compared policies around this medical condition, the requirements of whether it needed to be declared varied significantly between insurance companies. And Columbus Direct was one of the stricter po...Read more
1 comment
Columbus DirectColumbus Direct
Hi Rich – Thanks for taking the time to review us. We were very sorry to hear about your son’s hospitalisation on your last trip. We were also concerned to read that your expectation regarding cover f... Read more
or your son’s pre-existing medical condition was different to what we could provide. Making sure our customers understand what we do and don’t cover, including our requirements around disclosing medical conditions, is extremely important to us. To make buying travel insurance for pre-existing medical conditions as straightforward as possible, in-depth medical screening forms a key part of our quote process. We also have a dedicated page with FAQs around the topic (https://www.columbusdirect.com.au/travel-insurance/pre-existing-medical-conditions/). If you think there is more we can do to help customers better understand our cover in this regard, please do get in touch with us to discuss.Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
Seem good until you claim!
My wife and I took out a one month worldwide policy for a multi-part trip in October 2017. I have used Columbus for over 10 years, and at least 15 different trips I have records for, and always liked their clear and easy website for purchasing policies. I'd never actually made a claim until this time. Then I discovered what they are really like! Trust me, you want to avoid them!
Firstly, there's the delays. It took 2 weeks of contacting them to even get a claims form emailed to us. Then the processing delays kick in. Weeks pass with no upda...Read more
tes. Then finally, the questions begin. Receipts aren't enough poof of costs incurred - please provide bank statements; you must provide a medical diagnosis report; you must provide flight details that exactly align with the dates the policy covers (god forbid you have a policy that extends a day beyond your return!). And still no sign of a conclusion. This is for a AUD$200 claim for minor medial treatment in Oman, over 3 months ago - I'm now having to try and contact the medical centre there for a diagnosis report for an hour of treatment. I've spent hours and hours on completing Columbus' myriad array of forms and emails, all clearly intended to drive you away in confusion and weariness. I probably won't ever get my money from these crooks, but I can do my upmost to hit their business by alerting everyone I know (and those I don't!)1 comment
Columbus DirectColumbus Direct
Hi Paul – Thank you for leaving us such detailed feedback and for choosing us to cover your trips over the last 10 years. We are very sorry to hear about the trouble you experienced with your recent c... Read more
laim, and we regret that our service on this occasion has fallen short of your expectations. Your frustration at the amount of paperwork involved in filing your claim is certainly understandable. While we can assure you that we only request information that is needed to assess your claim, we clearly haven’t done a good enough job of explaining why we are asking you to provide the requested information. We were also sorry to hear you felt your claim wasn’t processed fast enough and that you didn’t receive updates as often as expected. Our claims team works to defined timelines and service levels, and we would like to investigate on your behalf whether these have been met.Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
- Columbus Direct
- Verified customer
Excellent Service
Very easy to set up...only took 2 minutes and it was completed...I have always used Columbus Travel for all
my Travel Insurance when going Overseas...I feel I get good value and protection when travelling
September 12th 2018 Update: Easy to use
I have been using Columbus for all my travel insurance for the last 14 years and will continue to do so.
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Questions & Answers
Jenniwrenasked
Is the cost of an annual multi travel insurance for a couple (husband and myself) or is it individual.
1 answer
Columbus DirectColumbus Direct
Hi Jenni,
The price displayed on our online quotes is the total price for the number of travellers entered. So when requesting a quote for 2 people, the price displayed is the total price for both.
It’s worth noting that our policy cover limits and excesses apply per person. For Annual Multi-trip policies each adult is considered separately insured, and so you don’t have to be on the same trip for cover to apply.
Thanks
Casey (Customer Care)
Jennyasked
I have insured with you in the past. I am now 60yrs old with diabetes Type 1 and multiple sclerosis, with no admissions to hospital for more than 30 yrs. Can I still be covered if I wish to take out a policy?
2 answers
I have previously had a policy with you. Now I have reached 60yrs, with both Type 1 diabetes & MS am I able to purchase travel insurance? I have not been in hospital for more than 30yrs & am well.
Columbus DirectColumbus Direct
Hi Jenny,
We are often able to cover pre-existing medical conditions. We use a quick and easy medical screening process to assess cover for each customer's conditions individually.
Our screening process can be completed online. If you would prefer to speak to someone, I'd be happy to arrange a call for you. I've sent you a message with my contact details.
Thanks,
Casey (Customer Care)
T Casked
Does your travel insurance policy cover the age over 80 years old?
2 answers
Columbus DirectColumbus Direct
Hi T C – thanks for your question. We can cover travellers up to and including the age of 84 on our single trip policies. Our Annual Multi-trip policies and some sports cover add-ons, however, are only available to those aged under 70. You can enter your trip details and travellers’ ages into our online quote engine at https://travel.columbusdirect.com.au to check what cover is available. Alternatively, feel free to give us a call on 1300 669 999 to discuss your situation with our customer care team in Sydney. We hope you find what you’re looking for!
Yes it does but charges extra $ because the customer is 80 yrs and older. They also have strict exclusions.
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Columbus DirectColumbus Direct
Hi doyd13 – We were sorry to hear about the situation that unfolded on your trip, and your dissatisfaction in how we handled things. Our Medical Emergency Assistance service is there to assist custome... Read more
rs as far as possible in the case of a medical emergency. In the first instance customers should seek appropriate medical attention. The assistance service will become further involved where there is a need for hospitalisation or emergency medical repatriation. They can also authorise additional costs for a customer to return home early if it is deemed medically necessary. We appreciate your expectation as to what the policy should provide cover for was different to this and if you would like to discuss your claim with us we would encourage you contact us by email [email protected] or by phone on 1300 669 999.