Many of Canada’s top credit cards offer out of province emergency travel medical insurance coverage and for some Canadians, it is actually the number one determining factor in choosing a credit card. Despite differences in the amount of coverage, age brackets of coverage and length of coverage, most of the credit emergency travel medical insurance policies generally read the same and operate in a similar manner to one another.
Recommended reading: RWRDS Canada’s Guide to Credit Card Emergency Medical Insurance Coverage
However, there are some that do not, most notably credit cards issued by National Bank of Canada, Desjardins and Collabria. These cards have a potentially impactful condition in place for trips that exceed the maximum number of days covered for their out of province emergency travel medical insurance. (Thanks to Kemila who brought this to our attention as she has the National Bank of Canada World Elite Mastercard)
What is the condition to be aware of?
What is this condition you may ask? It is a term that states the cardholder will not receive ANY out of province emergency travel medical coverage if the trip is longer than the coverage provided.
National Bank’s insurance certificate states “If the length of the trip exceeds the maximum number of days, no coverage is offered for that trip.”
So this means if you have a trip that exceeds the number of days included, you will not be covered at all for the entire trip. And based on the term “the length of the trip cannot exceed the following maximum number of days” it does not appear National Bank provides any option to buy extended coverage.
Likewise with Desjardins they state: “If you’re going to be away for more than the number of days indicated, you have to ask us to extend your coverage. Otherwise, you won’t be covered at all for your trip”
At least Desjardins and as such Collabria credit cards which have insurance provided by Desjardins, allow cardholders to extend their coverage.
So why is this significant? Most other cards in Canada will cover you for the specified duration even if your trip exceeds that. Have 31 days of coverage and travel for 33? You simply won’t have coverage for the two days beyond the coverage period unless you choose to purchase additional coverage.
Examples of other card policies
Here are some examples of other card’s policies:
Here’s the policy stipulation on the CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card:
Except in the circumstances when coverage is automatically extended (see below “When does your coverage automatically extend?”), you do not have coverage under this certificate for any days of your trip that extend beyond the coverage period. However, you may purchase additional coverage for the excess portion of your trip by calling CIBC Travel Medical Insurance at 1 800 281-9109.
The American Express Gold Rewards Card:
You will be covered for the first: 15 consecutive days of a trip, including the date you leave on your trip and the date you return from your trip.
And the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card:
Only the first 25 consecutive days of a Trip are covered under Travel Emergency Medical Insurance, as determined by the originally scheduled departure and return dates. There is no coverage for that portion of a Trip which extends beyond the first 25 consecutive days.
As you can see from these small examples you will be covered by these card’s insurance for the specified duration even if your trip extends beyond the said amount of days. And this is the case with the majority of cards in Canada that provide this coverage.
Is it really a big deal?
For most people, not really. Given the length of coverage provided by National Bank and Desjardins of up to 60 days, the majority of people should be fine but nonetheless it is good to know about this rule should you be taking longer trips.
However, with the National Bank of Canada World Elite Mastercard heralded as one of the better options for the 65+ age bracket, it is really critical to know about this rule as the coverage for those 65 to 75 is only 15 days. This is the case of RWRDS Canada reader Kemila as she has the NBC World Elite Mastercard and is over 65. With the coverage only being 15 days and no ability to top it off/extend it, she is on the hunt for a card that will provide coverage for the first 15 days regardless of the length of the trip – and provide her the option to top it up (looks like Desjardins may actually be the way go since it can be extended)
Wrapping it up
This is our second loyalty lesson to delve into the world of credit card insurance. And while this one isn’t as convoluted of a topic as seen in our lesson on Desjardrins’ age restrictions on baggage insurance, it is still noteworthy. With the majority of card issuers providing this insurance for their published number of covered days regardless the length of trip, it is an oddity that National Bank, Desjardins and Collabria don’t do so and it is good for the holders of these cards to know of this restriction on out of province emergency travel medical insurance coverage.