Travel Reward Credit Card Medical Insurance Coverage

Make sure you enjoy that golf course in Palm Springs

knowing that you are properly covered by your

Credit Card travel insurance

PLEASE NOTE THIS POST HAS NOW BEEN UPDATED ON THE MAIN REWARDS CANADA SITE. CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST AND MOST UPDATED VERSION

With the emergence of Credit Card Emergency Travel Medical Insurance coverage
over the past few years, I have been receiving more and more requests from some of Rewards Canada ‘seasoned’ readers about coverage once they
hit 65 years old. I did look into this a few years back and just personally responded via email to those who asked. But somehow when 2013 hit,
I have already received numerous emails asking about which credit cards provide Emergency Travel Medical Insurance coverage for people
over the age of 65. So I figured it was best to summarize all the information into one post.

I have gone through all of the major Travel Rewards credit cards in Canada that
provide this insurance benefit and summarized their age coverage in the chart below.

I do want to stress however that if you are picking a card primarily for the
Travel Medical Insurance coverage be sure to read the policy before you get the card to see what is and what isn’t covered, coverage periods and more
as each card has their own ‘exclusions’ and such. Here are some of the things that stood out for me:

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  • Most of the plans will only cover you for pre-existing conditions (known or
    unknown in some cases) when those conditions are/were considered stable prior
    to traveling. Now the difference comes in in the time period that you have to be stable, I found most cards require
    90 days prior to travel but some were as high as 180 days. Now a pre-existing
    condition can be different than a Medical or chronic condition which is controlled but
    once again during that 90 or 180 day period there usually can’t be any changes
    or other treatment for the condition. Some will not cover routine care for a
    chronic condition
  • If you are traveling 9 weeks prior to or after giving birth many of the cards
    will not cover you if any medical issues arise that are related to the pregnancy
  • If you are young (or young at heart) and go party in Cancun during Spring Break,
    many of the cards will not cover you for medical emergencies that happen while you are intoxicated.
  • Certain dangerous or professional sports are not covered, even Scuba Diving
    is an exclusion unless you hold a basic designation from a certified school or licencing body.

These are only a few of the conditions and/or exclusions. Key word here in many of the cases is Emergency, so if you are getting routine
care for something prior to travel there is a possibility it may not be covered.
Also many of the policies require you to contact the insurer as soon as possible
and get approval for the treatment except where the emergency is life threatening: This excerpt is taken from the Scotiagold Passport Visa policy:

“No benefits will be payable for surgery or invasive procedures (such as
cardiac catheterization) without prior approval by Scotia Assist, except in
extreme circumstances where a request for prior approval would delay surgery
needed in a life threatening medical crisis.”

So please, before you choose a card based solely on the medical insurance please
read the policies of those that you are considering before making your decision.

Emergency Travel Medical Insurance Coverage Periods by Age

Bolding represents the best offer for the age category

Card / Age Group 54 or under 55-59 60 – 64 65 – 75 76+
American
Express AeroplanPlus Platinum Card
15 Days 15 Days 15 Days No Coverage No Coverage
American
Express Gold Rewards Card
15 Days 15 Days 15 Days No Coverage No Coverage
The
Platinum Card from American Express
15 Days 15 Days 15 Days No Coverage No Coverage
BMO World Elite MasterCard 21 Days 21 Days 21 Days No Coverage No Coverage
CIBC
Aerogold Visa Infinite
15 Days 15 Days 15 Days 3 Days 3 Days
CIBC
Aventura Visa Infinte
15 Days 15 Days 15 Days No Coverage No Coverage
CIBC
Aventura World MasterCard
15 Days 15 Days 15 Days No Coverage No Coverage
CUETS Platinum Class MasterCard 31 Days 31 Days 31 Days 31 Days No Coverage
CUETS Gold
MasterCard
31 Days 31 Days 31 Days 31 Days No Coverage
Delta SkyMiles® World MasterCard® from Capital One® See Application
Desjardins Odyssey
GOLD
48 Days 48 Days 23 Days 15 Days Please Contact them
Desjardins Module
GOLD
3 Days 3 Days 3 Days 3 Days 3 Days
Desjardins Elegance
GOLD
3 Days 3 Days 3 Days 3 Days 3 Days
HSBC Premier MasterCard 17 Days 17 Days 17 Days Unknown Unknown
National Bank of Canada
Platinum MasterCard
60 Days 31 Days 31 Days 15 Days (to 74) No Coverage
Priority Club® World MasterCard® from Capital One® See Application
RBC
British Airways Visa Infinite
31 Days 31 Days 31 Days 7 Days 7 Days
RBC
Cathay Pacific Visa Platinum
31 Days 31 Days 31 Days 7 Days 7 Days
RBC
Rewards Visa Preferred
31 Days 31 Days 31 Days 7 Days 7 Days
RBC
Visa Infinite Avion
15 Days 15 Days 15 Days 3 Days 3 Days
Scotiabank
American Express Card
8 Days 8 Days 8 Days 3 Days 3 Days
Scotiabank
Gold American Express Card
25 Days 25 Days 25 Days 10 Days 10 Days
Scotiabank
Platinum American Express Card
31 Days 31 Days 31 Days 10 Days 10 Days
Scotiagold
Passport Visa
31 Days 31 Days 31 Days No Coverage No Coverage
TD
First Class Visa Infinite Card
15 Days 15 Days 15 Days 4 Days 4 Days
WestJet
RBC World Elite MasterCard
15 Days 15 Days 15 Days 3 Days 3 Days

“The
interest rates, fees, rewards details, benefits and other details of
the Capital One product(s) described in the article may have changed
since the time of publication. Please consult the product information
pages on the Capital One website for accurate product details. In the
event of any conflict between the product details in this article and
the Capital One website, the details on the Capital One website shall
prevail.”