Frequently asked questions

How long can I travel?

You can travel for up to 365 days, plus we'll cover you from the date you buy your policy too, which can be up to 365 days before you travel. This way if you have to cancel your trip you'll be covered.

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Who can be covered?

Individual

Cover for one person over the age of 16.

Couple

Cover for couples (married, civil union or defacto partners who have lived together for over three months) aged 16 and above.

One adult travelling with children

Cover for one adult plus up to nine children belonging to either you, your spouse or partner (including legally adopted or fostered children). If you need cover for more than nine children please call us on 0800 BNZ TRAVEL (0800 269 872). Children must be living with you or in full-time education and all aged up to the age of 20. They must also be accompanied by an insured adult when travelling.

Family

Cover for couples (married, civil union or defacto partners who have lived together for over three months) plus up to nine children belonging to either you, your spouse or partner (including legally adopted or fostered children). If you need cover for more than nine children on a Family policy please call us on 0800 BNZ TRAVEL (0800 269 872) to arrange cover. Children must be living with you or in full-time education and all up to the age of 20. They must also be accompanied by an insured adult when travelling.

Unaccompanied Minor

Cover for one person who is up to the age of 16 travelling alone. A parent or guardian is required to purchase this insurance and will need to complete a contact form later in the application.

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Can I travel as a minor by myself?

Yes you can but you'll need a parent or guardian to purchase your insurance and will need to complete a contact form during the application.

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Can I change my cover once I've taken out a policy?

Sure, you can change your policy up to the day you travel, just call us on 0800 BNZ TRAVEL (0800 269 872) and we'll sort it out.

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What activities are not covered?

We've put together a table which lists activities that are not covered. If the activity you are doing is not on the list, please call us on 0800 BNZ TRAVEL (0800 269 872) and we'll let you know if it's covered.

Hazardous Activities

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What ages do you cover?

We offer cover for all travellers who hold a New Zealand passport, a residency visa or are an Australian passport holder living in New Zealand, no age limits, so whether you're 23 or 83 we've got a travel insurance for you.

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Can I cover a work trip?

You're automatically covered if you are including a meeting, training course or conference as part of your trip.

However you must tell us if you are travelling on business, or if you are taking business items or tools and want them to be included in the insurance. We'll cover you for an additional cost.

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What are the different regions I can travel to?

Australia & South Pacific Islands: American Samoa, Australia, Bali, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Niue, Norfolk Island, Samoa, Tahiti, Tonga and Vanuatu.

Worldwide: All countries in the world except the USA, Canada, China, Japan, Singapore and Antarctica.

Worldwide: All destinations.

If you stop over in the USA, Canada, China, Japan or Singapore for more than 24 hours, or you can't see the country you are travelling to above, please choose 'Worldwide' cover.

If you are unsure of which destination to select please contact us on 0800 BNZ TRAVEL (0800 269 872).

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Where can I find the extreme risk countries?

These are listed on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade website: (safetravel.govt.nz). Please check before your departure that the countries you are travelling to are not classified as 'Extreme Risk'.

Extreme risk destinations are destinations where it is advised against all travel to.

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How long does the medical assessment take?

The number of questions asked will depend on your condition but the average time it takes our online customers to go through the medical screening is about ten minutes.

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What is a pre-existing medical condition?

A pre-existing condition is any illness, injury or medical condition you have before you buy your insurance whether diagnosed or not that:

• You have been treated for or sought any medical advice for
• You were aware you had
• You had signs or symptoms of; or
• A reasonable person would have sought medical advice or treatment.

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Will I be covered if I have an existing medical condition?

We can provide cover for many pre-existing medical conditions. Just answer yes to our question about Pre-existing conditions and go through our online medical assessment to check that your condition can be covered. We’ll update your quote with any additional cost. If you choose to cover your condition(s), you’ll be able to claim for any illness because of your medical condition while travelling and you’ll have access to our emergency medical assistance and services.

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What conditions do I need to declare?

If you’d like to have pre-existing medical conditions covered. You need to declare these, except if they are any of the following excluded conditions:

• Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), a sexually transmitted infection (STI) or chronic alcoholism
• Pregnancy, except, if your pregnancy was without complication before buying this insurance we'll cover medical complications as a result of Illness or emergency medical treatment up to and including the 21st week of pregnancy
• Conditions you have that will require, are on a waiting list for, or scheduled to receive a medical procedure (including overnight or day surgery).
• Any psychiatric, psychosomatic, mental or nervous condition including, but not limited to:
  • Stress (including post traumatic stress disorder)
  • Physical symptoms of a psychiatric illness
  • Anxiety
  • Depression or depression related conditions
  • Psychoneurosis
  • Psychotic, personality, emotional or behavioural disorders or
  • Disorders relating to substance abuse and dependency which includes alcohol, drugs or chemical dependency

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Can I travel with a pre-existing medical condition?

Having a medical condition can make buying travel insurance difficult. With BNZ Travel Insurance we've made it easy. Tell us about your condition and we'll let you know if we can cover it, you can even do it online in as little as ten minutes.

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Can I get cover if I'm pregnant?

Pregnancy is not covered unless your pregnancy is without complication before you buy your Policy. We will cover medical complications as a result of Illness or emergency medical treatment up to and including the 21st week of pregnancy.

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What conditions aren't covered?

• Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), a sexually transmitted infection (STI) or chronic alcoholism
• Pregnancy, except, if your pregnancy was without complication before buying this insurance we'll cover medical complications as a result of Illness or emergency medical treatment up to and including the 21st week of pregnancy
• Conditions you have that will require, are on a waiting list for, or scheduled to receive a medical procedure (including overnight or day surgery).
• Any psychiatric, psychosomatic, mental or nervous condition including, but not limited to:
  • Stress (including post traumatic stress disorder)
  • Physical symptoms of a psychiatric illness
  • Anxiety
  • Depression or depression related conditions
  • Psychoneurosis
  • Psychotic, personality, emotional or behavioural disorders or
  • Disorders relating to substance abuse and dependency which includes alcohol, drugs or chemical dependency

If you have any of these conditions, you don't need to declare them but you need to know they will not be covered.

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What if my health changes?

You need to tell us about any changes in your health including changes to your covered conditions or any illness or injury you have before you start your travel so we can check if they affect your cover. If you don't tell us about changes to your health you may not have cover for these conditions. If you want to make any changes to your policy or want to make a claim once you are home, please call us on 0800 BNZ TRAVEL (0800 269 872).

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What should I do if I have a medical emergency while I'm away?

If you need medical assistance while you're overseas call our emergency assistance provider, First Assistance on +64 9 525 0190.

For emergencies: if you are taken by ambulance to hospital following an emergency call, you or a travelling companion should call us as soon as possible once you have been admitted to hospital.

For non-emergencies: if you need to see a registered medical practitioner or need to go to a hospital or clinic, please call us so we can quickly direct you to the best possible care in your area.

Our highly experienced team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to help you. Our aim is to make sure you get the best treatment available to you.

Our first steps will always be to:

• Confirm you are in a safe place
• Establish the best local treatment available to you
• Consider your health and best interests

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How do I make a claim?

If you need to make a claim once you are home, please call us on 0800 BNZ TRAVEL (0800 269 872).

If you are able to claim back any part of a claim from any other insurance policy or bank/credit card provider you must do this in the first instance and advise us of the details. In this circumstance we will only pay the difference between your loss and the amounts already received.

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What payment options are available?

You can buy your cover with a Visa or MasterCard debit or credit card.

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I want to pay by credit / debit card, how secure is the payment online?

The BNZ site uses 128 bit SSL encryption on the payment pages. This is the highest level of protection possible and therefore the one used by all sites where financial transactions occur.

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Can I cancel my policy after I've paid?

If you want to cancel your policy you can do this by calling us on 0800 BNZ TRAVEL (0800 269 872)

Cigna offers you a seven day free look period with a full refund of premium (unless you have started travel). If you cancel the policy after the seven day free look period we’ll refund your premium minus a $35 administration fee. Where the policy was entered into as a result of BNZ initiated negotiations in your work-place, home or over the telephone, under section 36M of the Fair Trading Act 1986, you also have the right to cancel the policy by giving notice to Cigna by phone, in writing or by email to bnztravelinsurance@cigna.com, within five working days after the date on which you receive your policy, or at any time if Cigna has failed to comply with section 36L of the Fair Trading Act 1986, and any premiums paid will be refunded to you.

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When and how do I get my documents?

Your personalised documents will be emailed to you shortly after you buy your policy. If you haven't received them in 24 hours please call us on 0800 BNZ TRAVEL (0800 269 872). You'll need Adobe Reader to view your documents. And click here for a free copy.

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What if I delete the email with all my documents?

If you accidentally delete the email, just call us on 0800 BNZ TRAVEL (0800 269 872) and we can re-send the email.

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Can I have a printed copy of my documents?

Sure! The documents we email you can be printed. If you don't have access to a printer, call us on 0800 BNZ TRAVEL (0800 269 872) and we can arrange to post you your documents.

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Can I extend my policy?

You can apply to have your cover extended, but Your Trip can only be a maximum of 365 days. please call us on 0800 BNZ TRAVEL (0800 269 872) (+64 4 901 7234 if calling from overseas).

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How do I make a complaint?

If you have a complaint we are happy to discuss it. Please call us on 0800 BNZ TRAVEL (0800 269 872) (or (+64 4 901 7234 if you are overseas), or email us on complaintsandquality.nz@cigna.com. Our Customer Service team will do their best to resolve your issue straight away. However, if they can't sort out the issue, our dedicated Customer Resolution Consultant will personally take on your case.

Also, Cigna is a member of the Insurance and Savings Ombudsman (ISO) scheme, a free, independent service which can help settle any dispute you are unable to resolve with Us.

Any dispute or action relating to your policy will be determined in accordance with New Zealand law.

ISO contact details

Post P O Box 10 845
Wellington 6143
Phone 0800 888 202
Email info@iombudsman.org.nz
Website www.iombudsman.org.nz

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Who is Cigna?

Cigna New Zealand is a leading specialist provider of insurance products and services including life insurance, identity theft protection, funeral insurance, income protection insurance, accidental death insurance and trauma insurance.

We've been operating in New Zealand for more than 85 years, and now protect over 275,000 New Zealanders with Our insurance policies.

Cigna New Zealand is part of Cigna Corporation, a Fortune 500 company and one of the world's largest publicly owned companies.

A copy of Cigna's latest financial statements is available on request.

Financial Strength
Cigna Life Insurance New Zealand Limited, as the underwriter of this Policy, has an A (Excellent) financial strength rating which was given by A.M. Best Company Inc.

The rating scale is: A++, A+ Superior | A, A- Excellent | B++, B+ Good | B, B- Fair | C++, C+ Marginal | C, C- Weak | D Poor | E Under Regulatory Supervision | F In Liqiudation | S Suspended.

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Who is First Assistance?

First Assistance is contracted by Cigna to provide emergency assistance for this travel insurance. First Assistance is New Zealand's leading assistance company established in New Zealand in 1992 providing travel and medical assistance with Doctors, nurses and mechanical technicians. You can find out more about them at www.firstassistance.co.nz.

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