an Aussie friend of mine has been doing two 60 day trips to Thailand per year for a couple decades now. he had what i'll call 'basic' travel insurance via a credit card he used to book the trip. but he hit an age limit on that. he called the bank and the bank offered him another card, a debit card w/o an age limit but only covers trips of 30 days or less. he checked around for a 30 day policy with insurance companies in OZ, the fee was 700-1,000 AUD. he tried to explain he was just looking for a policy to cover an accident, moto hits him on a sidewalk, he gets bumped and falls down the stairs, he steps in hole in the sidewalk, etc.... but was also interested in getting a flight home if something bad happens (those cost alot, wishful thinking is my guess !!).

any of the older members have any advice/experience on this ?

My 80yo friend never buys insurance

Check annual travel insurance, they often allow 60+ day trips and excellent value

Edited July 5Jul 5 by scubascuba3

i was telling him it's just a cost of 'doing business' and he should be thrilled he's still able to make the trip and enjoy himself. just pay it.

i will tell him about this annual option.

They are Australian credit cards that include complimentary travel insurance, providing at least three months’ cover for each overseas trip and covering travellers up to 85 years of age.

I’m 75. I have yearly accident insurance from Allianz and I have a friend that’s 76 that has accident insurance from Bangkok Bank. You can get them from any bank. But, because of our age now they charge about 7,500 baht a year. Look online for other options on where to buy insurance. They have it at all insurance companies.

23 minutes ago, kawikasudo said:

I’m 75. I have yearly accident insurance from Allianz and I have a friend that’s 76 that has accident insurance from Bangkok Bank. You can get them from any bank. But, because of our age now they charge about 7,500 baht a year. Look online for other options on where to buy insurance. They have it at all insurance companies.

That Bangkok Bank insurance for the 76yo will only cover 40k baht max usually

33 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

That Bangkok Bank insurance for the 76yo will only cover 40k baht max usually

And it will also not cover costs to “get a flight home if something bad happens”.

2 hours ago, Nemises said:

And it will also not cover costs to “get a flight home if something bad happens”.

Only travel insurance does that which is for travellers not long stayers

37 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Only travel insurance does that which is for travellers not long stayers

Wrong. Being a “long stayer” doesn’t automatically rule you out. If you travel back to your home country for a holiday and meet your credit card’s eligibility requirements, you can still be covered by its travel insurance.

6 minutes ago, Nemises said:

Wrong. Being a “long stayer” doesn’t automatically rule you out. If you travel back to your home country for a holiday and meet your credit card’s eligibility requirements, you can still be covered by its travel insurance.

The repatriation part of travel insurance is to go back to your home country i.e. where you tell them you live. For your credit card company where do you tell them you live?

2 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

The repatriation part of travel insurance is to go back to your home country i.e. where you tell them you live. For your credit card company where do you tell them you live?

You can nominate any residential address you like, as long as the people living there are happy to have you back if you ever need to return. 😉

21 minutes ago, Nemises said:

You can nominate any residential address you like, as long as the people living there are happy to have you back if you ever need to return. 😉

It's kinda fraudulent and you run the risk that they reject the claim when you really need it, better you go legit

19 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

It's kinda fraudulent and you run the risk that they reject the claim when you really need it, better you go legit

Fraudulent? Not if it’s a legitimate address that you’re entitled to use and it complies with the policy’s terms and conditions. If you keep personal belongings there and the policy doesn’t require you to physically live at that address between trips, then where’s the fraud? The key issue is whether you meet the insurer’s eligibility criteria—not whether you sleep there every night. Saying there’s automatically a “risk” of rejection isn’t accurate without pointing to a policy term that’s actually being breached.

30 minutes ago, Nemises said:

Fraudulent? Not if it’s a legitimate address that you’re entitled to use and it complies with the policy’s terms and conditions. If you keep personal belongings there and the policy doesn’t require you to physically live at that address between trips, then where’s the fraud? The key issue is whether you meet the insurer’s eligibility criteria—not whether you sleep there every night. Saying there’s automatically a “risk” of rejection isn’t accurate without pointing to a policy term that’s actually being breached.

You'll find out if you try and claim, the claims dept doesn't always dig though, you may be lucky

35 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

You'll find out if you try and claim, the claims dept doesn't always dig though, you may be lucky

I’ve already made three successful claims under this cover while in Thailand, so “you’ll find out if you claim” isn’t really the gotcha you think it is. Claims are decided on whether the policy terms are met. If you believe there’s a clause I’ve breached, which one is it?

44 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

You'll find out if you try and claim, the claims dept doesn't always dig though, you may be lucky

Funny timing… this landed in my inbox today. Another claim paid. That’s four successful claims now. It seems the claims department is more interested in the policy terms than the hypothetical problems you’ve suggested.

Edited July 6Jul 6 by Nemises

16 minutes ago, Nemises said:

I’ve already made three successful claims under this cover while in Thailand, so “you’ll find out if you claim” isn’t really the gotcha you think it is. Claims are decided on whether the policy terms are met. If you believe there’s a clause I’ve breached, which one is it?

Yes small ones they will pay but bigger ones much more likely they do a fuller check, that's the risk

5 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Yes small ones they will pay but bigger ones much more likely they do a fuller check, that's the risk

You’ve gone from calling it “fraudulent” to “you might get lucky” to “they only pay small claims.” Each time one claim of yours falls over, you replace it with another. That’s a pretty good indication you’re arguing from assumptions rather than experience.

23 minutes ago, Nemises said:

You’ve gone from calling it “fraudulent” to “you might get lucky” to “they only pay small claims.” Each time one claim of yours falls over, you replace it with another. That’s a pretty good indication you’re arguing from assumptions rather than experience.

It's obvious, there are tea leaf expats here who use travel insurance rather than health insurance, of course it's not legit but the company may not do the checks required, but they might for bigger claims

29 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Yes small ones they will pay

Another assumption. You have absolutely no idea how much any of my claims have been for, yet you’ve now decided they were “small” to rescue your original argument. That’s a pretty good illustration of making it up as you go along.

25 minutes ago, Nemises said:

You’ve gone from calling it “fraudulent” to “you might get lucky” to “they only pay small claims.” Each time one claim of yours falls over, you replace it with another. That’s a pretty good indication you’re arguing from assumptions rather than experience.

1 minute ago, Nemises said:

Another assumption. You have absolutely no idea how much any of my claims have been for, yet you’ve now decided they were “small” to rescue your original argument. That’s a pretty good illustration of making it up as you go along.

Phone up your Australian credit card company and tell them you live in Thailand, not Australia, be honest about how many days you are in Thailand and see what they say, let me know

3 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Phone up your Australian credit card company and tell them you live in Thailand, not Australia, be honest about how many days you are in Thailand and see what they say, let me know

I already did. They were pretty clear: as long as I return to Australia within the allowed reset period, it doesn’t matter if I head straight back overseas the next day. They don’t need a running commentary on my travel plans or a moral lecture on where I “should” live.

And yes — all four claims were made while I was in Thailand, so they’re well aware of the pattern and still happy to cover it.

So no, they don’t seem confused at all. That would be someone else in this conversation.

On 7/5/2026 at 1:26 PM, Nemises said:

They are Australian credit cards that include complimentary travel insurance, providing at least three months’ cover for each overseas trip and covering travellers up to 85 years of age.

NAB just cancelled their scheme.

5 minutes ago, crouchpeter said:

NAB just cancelled their scheme.

Yep, old news. I already knew NAB cancelled theirs. Fortunately, they’re not the only bank in Australia. There are still several cards offering complimentary travel insurance—including the one I use. 😉

I would recommend your friend stay in Australia maybe go snorkeling to the Great Barrier Reef.

Enjoy that fine Australian medical coverage for free*

Why pay for something that you get free. Quite an odd economic proposal.

*Free public hospital treatment

On 7/6/2026 at 3:14 PM, Nemises said:

I already did. They were pretty clear: as long as I return to Australia within the allowed reset period, it doesn’t matter if I head straight back overseas the next day. They don’t need a running commentary on my travel plans or a moral lecture on where I “should” live.

And yes — all four claims were made while I was in Thailand, so they’re well aware of the pattern and still happy to cover it.

So no, they don’t seem confused at all. That would be someone else in this conversation.

Do you derive considerable pleasure and satisfaction from adopting a totally ungrateful and grossly supercilious attitude towards those on this forum who are just doing their best to help you, as you have so clearly demonstrated in this thread? 😡

4 hours ago, OJAS said:

Do you derive considerable pleasure and satisfaction from adopting a totally ungrateful and grossly supercilious attitude towards those on this forum who are just doing their best to help you, as you have so clearly demonstrated in this thread? 😡

If correcting incorrect assumptions is now considered “supercilious”, we’ll have to agree to disagree. I posted what my credit card travel insurer confirmed, what their PDS clearly states, and the reimbursement letter I already posted confirms they honoured a claim while I was in Thailand. If anyone thinks that’s wrong, they’re welcome to point to the clause that says otherwise—but attacking my attitude doesn’t change the facts.

Edited July 19Jul 19 by Nemises