As RBC begins to send out the Avion Visa cards that will be replacing HSBC World Elite Mastercards you will find there is an FAQ insert that has further details on the credit card migration. There is one key detail in that FAQ that HSBC cardholders should be aware of if they are not already. That detail is in regards to the Out of Province Emergency Medical Coverage and how this HSBC coverage will not be applicable to travel on or after March 29. Other travel insurance coverage will still be applicable however.
Recommended reading: The most in-depth and up to date details of the HSBC to RBC credit card transition (Continually updated)
Thus I just wanted to post this as an important detail to those cardholders who may not be aware of this and who do have travel on or after March 29th that was paid for with their HSBC card. (my mistake here – I should not have put that last part of the sentence Emergency Medical Coverage is in place regardless of payment method)
Emergency Travel Medical Insurance Coverage
In RBC’s credit card section of the transition FAQ they state the following
You will not have Emergency Travel Medical Insurance through your HSBC credit card if your travel departure date is on or after March 29, 2024.
However, you may have coverage through your RBC credit card if your RBC credit card includes Emergency Travel Medical Insurance and your travel departure date is on or after March 29, 2024
This is important to note if you were expecting to rely on HSBC’s Emergency Travel Medical Insurance for your trip, in particular those of you who are 65 and over. What this means is that your trip on or after March 29 will fall under the RBC Avion card’s Emergency Travel Medical Insurance coverage that you will be receiving as a replacement.
Here is a comparison of the Out of Province Emergency Medical Coverage provided on the HSBC World Elite Mastercard and the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card:
| Age | HSBC World Elite Mastercard | RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 64 years old | 31 days | 15 days |
| 65+ | 21 days | 3 days |
As you can see if you are under 65 and your travel that you booked is 15 days or less you don’t have anything to worry about. For those 65 and over, if you have a really short trip of 3 days or less you are golden as well.
However, all trips that exceed the 15 days or 3 days limits, you won’t have coverage on the days that exceed those time limits. If this is your case you may want to look at taking out additional coverage with RBC or other travel insurance providers.
This also brings us to HSBC’s optional paid insurance coverage, the Emergency Travel Medical coverage will no longer be valid as of March 29 however other coverage will still be valid
Your HSBC Optional Travel and Medical Insurance will terminate as March 28, 2024. If you are travelling on or after March 29, 2024, you will not have Emergency Travel Medical coverage through your HSBC Optional Travel and Medical Insurance.
Yes, you will continue to be eligible for Trip Cancellation & Interruption as well as Baggage Delay and Loss Insurance coverage through the HSBC Optional Travel & Medical Insurance that you purchased if you purchased the trip on or before March 28, 2024.
In case you are wondering if this is a new development, it is not. The HSBC-RBC Product Migration Guide does have the following statement:
Note that you will continue to be covered for eligible purchases that were made on your HSBC Bank Canada credit card before the card migration date, as well as eligible medical emergencies for trips with departure dates before the card migration date.
Although I’m pretty sure many have not read the entire 130+ page guide so that is also why I am writing this additional article today.
Other Travel Insurance Coverage
In RBC’s credit card section of the transition FAQ they state the following for the other insurance coverage:
Yes, you will continue to be covered for eligible purchases made on or before March 28, 2024, through your HSBC credit card coverage if your date of loss occurs on or after March 29th, 2024
The above statement applies to the following coverages if included with your HSBC credit card:
- Trip Cancellation
- Trip Interruption / Delay
- Baggage Delay or Loss
- Hotel/Motel Burglary
- Flight Delay
- Car Rental Insurance
- Common Carrier Accidental Death and Dismemberment
- Purchase Assurance
- Extended Warranty
- Mobile Device
You will not have Emergency Travel Medical Insurance through your HSBC credit card if your travel departure date is on or after March 29, 2024.
However, you may have coverage through your RBC credit card if your RBC credit card includes Emergency Travel Medical Insurance and your travel departure date is on or after March 29, 2024.
Wrapping it up
In the initial packages sent out there weren’t a lot of details provided on insurance coverage and there has been some confusion about coverage which the FAQ helps to clarify. I wanted to pass along those key details of the Emergency Travel Medical insurance as I know many HSBC cardholders (especially those over 65) had the card for this specific coverage and need to be aware that the 31 / 21 day coverage does not apply to travel on or after March 29 even if that travel was purchased on the HSBC card.