scti.com.au

I had 3 days stay in a Chinese Hospital costing over $10,000. SCTI answered the phone no matter what time of the day and liaised with the hospital. Filled out a couple of forms when i returned to Australia and the matter was sorted out in no time. They covered the full cost.
I very rarely leave reviews but felt i should because of the great service they provided.

I highly recommend this company, prompt claims process, good value for money, even with existing medical conditions,great choice of coverage especially for cruisingextra cost very reasonable for two extra medical conditions.

Have used SCTI before but never had to claim until booking replacement flights 3 weeks ago. After claim message saying they needed 9 business days, it's now 3 weeks later and they haven't even assigned someone to the claim and keep saying call back next week and blaming glitches. Out of pocket $4,000 and have had no help from SCTI.

I booked a cruise last year for Norway to be taken in July 2020 and have not taken out travel insurance yet. So just wondering if SCTI or any travel insurance company are covering this issue. I understand if people have taken out travel insurance PRIOR to the notification of this virus will be covered, but what about people who have booked and wanting to take out insurance? If I take out insurance now and no one is covering COVID-19 then is there any use in taking it out, as there's so many exclusions the insurance company can cop out of.

I booked a trip to Bali for my husband and I in Sept 2019 taking out a SCTI policy at the same time. We were departing early May 2020 as this was in celebration of his 60th birthday. Unfortunately due to the Covid-19 virus I had to cancel our trip. I submitted my claim with SCTI and within a couple of days was contacted by the SCTI case manager named Jemma. Right from the onset Jemma was very clear and thorough in what I needed to do in order to have my claim assessed. I was able to obtain the documentation she required, and within a couple of weeks Jemma was able to confirm that my claim for a refund was approved. I must say Jemma's level of customer service was first class. She was very attentive and efficient every step of the way. Nothing was too difficult for her and she ensured that I understood the process right from the get go. I have been a loyal customer of SCTI for many, many years and with the level of service provided by Jemma, why would I go elsewhere?? Thanks so much Jemma for making my travel insurance claim experience so seamless. You've been AMAZING!!! Thanks so much Regards Daria

Tried multiple times ( ie 9 times) to get travel insurance, each time the web site told me it had timed out ( even though I rushed through the filling out of forms in the end)
I haven’t had a problem in the past...but now I have to look for another insurance agent!

I have been a customer of SCTI for many years and purchased their Travel Insurance product every time I travel. My previous reviews have always rated them highly but unfortunately tgis time I am marking them down because tgey dont seem to reward loyalty. In other words no concept of relationship with customer. I have purchased their product many times and never ever made any claims. Yet, the premium keeps increasing every time I buy Travel Insurance. Surely they should recognise the loyalty and history of claims. Apart from this,In terms of service no complaints at all.

I have claimed twice over the years I have booked with SCTI and I cannot fault them. They are efficient and their call centre is easy to reach from overseas. Best prices around too. Will always book with SCTI for my trips

I had a straightforward claim: My flight to NZ was delayed 3 hours then cancelled. Since I was only going to NZ for the weekend, I didn't get on the replacement flight they offered us (which would get me there ate 4PM the following day).

Jetstar refunded my flight, and I claimed the rest (accommodation, car hire, transport to/from airport) with SCTI. I lodged all receipts with them and received my money back about 4 weeks later.

Had to cancel on 27th February at start of Coronavirus outbreak
Only took three weeks to resolve which
regarding the timing just fantastic Had one call for confirmation purposes
Have used before and will again when travel resumes and easy to set up

I have used SCTI numerous times over the last 4 years while travelling overseas to visit family. Comparing policies offered with other companies, I find they meet all my needs, at a reasonable price. Unfortunately I had a need to claim on my trip taken late last year but all benefits were paid as per the schedule quickly and without any hassle.

This is the second year I have taken out a policy with SCTI. No claim on previous trip, and took current policy out in mid February when Coronavirus had not spread to the current level or world concern that it now is. Was hoping caution only would be needed or that it was fading by the time I travelled in several months time.

My choice to take out cover with SCTI was based on reviews here even though a lot don't seems to have had any claims or even made contact with the company, merely based on ease to take out on line, price, able to select nil excess and possibly because it seems to be an Aussie comapany. This was also after reading a choice review on insurance companies where Choice had rated SCTI very low in claims coverage which was based on the number of complaints to the Insurance Ombudsman/AFCA. (This has since been updated as of 6 March and no longer rates claims.) This was a concern to me however I realise that many people take out insurance without understanding what they are covered for and then make unjustified complaints. I worked in insurance for 20 years.

As I would be hiring a car when on holidays I read the excess cover part of the PDS more thoroughly and dicovered that the wording was confusing and could be interpreted in two different ways. Then realised the same wording applied to other areas of the policy.

I emailed SCTI in the first few days of March before Coronavirus was as big an issue as it is today expecting that it may take longer to get a reply, possibly a week. After two weeks I had not received a reply and tried to phone, waited for 20 minutes before I had to hang up. Sent another email. Then I received another auto email asking for a review of the service I had received from SCTI which is triggered when you take out a policy on line and you get bombarded after that - even though there is no customer service involved in taking a policy out on line!! So on this occasion I did reply, rating the service poor and agreeing to them to contact me to discuss. That was nearly a week ago.

Yesterday I received a bulk email from the company in relation to Coronavirus and delays in replying to email and longer waiting times on the phones. It also gave a brief on coverage which stated you would be covered if your policy was taken out before 31 January however this contradicts the wording in the policy regarding epidemics, threat of etc which stated "other things we don't cover" which means a blanket no cover regardless of dates. They also requested people not contact them on anything not virus related. Seriously, what sort of service is this.

SCTI would have seen inquiries increasing and the potential need for more staff to handle them as a result of Coronavirus. They don't appear to have done this and can easily be done by employing temp staff (particularly those with an insurance background), give a couple of days basic training to handle the basic inquiries which a chart could assist them in answering - I would guess that 50% of inquiries would be similar. This would take the load of experienced staff. I suspect the mess they have found themselves in is a result of confusion in their policy wording and interpretation.

I have since reviewed other insurance policies and found that several do cover you for epidemics etc if you took the policy out before it or a warning given on potential health scare. Worth paying a little extra considering the cover in a case like this!!

Very poor organisation and ability to handle claims and inquiries. Most insurance companies have plans in place for catastrophes like storms to handles the extra workload.

Took out a policy with SCTI last September before anyone in the world knew about Covid-19, took out extra cover to cover cost of Trip which was 20K, claimed for accommodation in India and subsequent Flight home having being asked to leave India because all Tourists were being expelled, in the small print on an obscure page apparently it states that if a Pandemic is declared your insurance policy is voided, that's all well and good but at least we should receive a refund of the cost of the policy having taken out our policy as I said above in September everything is weighted in favour of your company and I for one will never use you company again, and I will inform anyone who will listen about how bad you have treated us

Used Southern Cross travel insurance for our Bali trip. My daughter required medical assistance whilst we were away. Came home, claimed online which was a very easy process. Received an email today saying the claim was approved and all medical expenses were refunded. It appears they chose to waive the $100 excess too. Thank you, I will definitely use Southern across for all future travel insurance (when the world goes back to normal!)

Have insured with SCTI over several years now. Applying remains simple and the cover is still great value. I have only ever needed to claim once but the cover is well worth the peace of mind.

I have used SCTI before, but now regret buying travel insurance from SCTI for my upcoming trip to Europe as I find that they don't cover cancellation due to pandemic. I would suggest people considering travel insurance have a good look at the list of travel insurers compared in an article on the Choice website. https://www.choice.com.au
I will not use SCTI again. There are better products on the market.

I had purchased my insurance last year for a trip to South Korea in June. I rang up today to try and clarify how coronavirus impacts my travel insurance [I had originally asked this in late January but received no answer...]. I suggested to the call centre person that because coronavirus was an unexpected event I may be able to cancel my trip.
I was advised that because the WHO had declared it a pandemic that I was not covered. SCTI took this decision at 2pm as I was on the phone....I suggested that there was no actual information to indicate that on the WHO site [there still isn't...] No news organisations have reported this at this stage either...
I was told that a link would be emailed to me that showed it being mentioned in a press conference - this did not happen.
There is nothing on the SCTI website that says the WHO have declared it a pandemic.
Appalling and questionable practices - will never use this company again.

Sick of sending emails and not getting a reply for my very simple claim, I’ve tried ringing but after waiting 40 mins I got sick of the wait. Policy was good value and they had good reviews, the the reality is far different

Second time I chose to use that company for my travels.This time I had to make a claim in regards to my iPhone 8 that got stolen or lost. My claim was settled quickly and efficiently in the most positive way I couldnt be happier.

I took out travel insurance with Southern Cross Travel Insurance, for my trip to Europe. On the 11th November, I had a fall in Athens. SCTI were contacted almost straight away. I had some very kind emails asking how I was. 3 days after the fall, I felt it necessary to call an English speaking doctor to my hotel. He diagnosed a grade two sprain of my ankle and serious swelling. He prescribed some anti inflammatories for me. On the 14th November I sent to the claims team all the paperwork; Dr's report, receipts etc. It is now the 12 January, and I cannot get anyone to answer my questions about payment. Last suggestion was that I ring someone in New Zealand, I am in Melbourne. My next phone call will be to Consumer Affairs.