INSURANCE FOR OLDER TRAVELLERS

A number of readers wrote to us about their experiences with getting travel insurance. As their information may be of interest to others, we share some of them here:

Peta Freebody writes: In June last year I paid AIG Insurance R875 for a three-week trip to Australia, being top-up cover on the automatic cover one receives when paying for a ticket with one’s credit card. I was 73 years old at the time. The ticket was purchased with a Standard Bank Mastercard. I think AIG is somehow linked to Standard, but I’m sure they offer travel insurance to anyone.

The cover I took was the middle one on offer and the benefits are enormous, running into millions of rands.

The company is AIG South Africa Ltd in Sandown. See aig.com or call 011-551-8000.

Discovery’s International Travel Benefit covers emergency medical costs when travelling outside SA, at no extra cost at all.

All one needs to do is phone Discovery, tell them the dates of your trip, and they issue you with the relevant documents.

Selwyn Noik writes: I have spent months looking for comprehensive travel insurance for my wife and myself (both over 70), as most of the companies offer products which exclude vascular, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular cover if you are over the age of 69. This includes TIC. I have managed to find comprehensive cover for senior citizens with Hollard Insurance.

A frightening fact is that most people do not read the small print and believe they are fully covered when they are not.

We can help with your destination dilemmas, visa puzzles and itinerary ideas. E-mail us on travelmag@sundaytimes.co.za