Annual multi-trip travel insurance
Annual multi-trip travel insurance covers every trip you take in a 12-month period under one policy, provided each trip stays within the maximum trip length you chose and inside the region the policy covers. If you travel more than a couple of times a year, price it against buying a single-trip policy for each journey before you assume either is cheaper; the calculator below does the arithmetic with your own quotes.
The savings are real for frequent travellers, but so are the catches: a cap on how long any one trip can last, a cancellation limit that has to stretch across every booking you make, a region setting that can leave a trip uninsured if it touches a country outside it, and age limits that are often lower than for single-trip cover. Our guide to compare travel insurance covers the single-trip side.
By Better Rate Mate Editorial Team ยท Last reviewed
General advice only. It doesn't consider your circumstances. Read the PDS and TMD before you decide.
Annual vs single-trip calculator
Get an annual multi-trip quote and a single-trip quote for each trip you expect to take in the next 12 months, on the same excess and cancellation amount. Enter them below to see which costs less and how many trips it takes for the annual policy to pay for itself.
Single-trip quotes for each trip in the next 12 months ($)
Enter the annual quote and at least one single-trip quote to compare them.
How an annual policy works
You buy the policy once and it runs for 12 months. During that year you can usually take as many trips as you like, and each one is covered as long as it meets the policy's conditions. There is no need to buy or activate anything per trip, which is half the appeal: the day you book a flight, the cancellation cover is already in place.
The condition that matters most is the maximum trip duration. Insurers offer a choice of caps, and the longer the cap, the higher the premium. Southern Cross Travel Insurance offers 30, 60 or 90 days, InsureandGo 30, 45 or 60 days, and Fast Cover's Frequent Traveller Saver 15, 25, 40 or 63 days. Every single trip has to fit under the cap you choose. Check what happens if a trip runs over: some policies treat the whole trip as uncovered, not just the extra days, unless the overrun was caused by something the policy covers, such as a delayed flight.
Annual multi-trip vs single trip
The two policy types cover the same kinds of events. The differences are in how long, how often and how much.
| Feature | Single trip | Annual multi-trip |
|---|---|---|
| Period of cover | One journey, from the date you buy until you return home | 12 months, covering every eligible trip in that time |
| Trip length | Set to your actual trip, including long stays | Each trip must fit under the maximum duration you chose |
| Destination | Priced on where you are going this time | Priced on the widest region you will visit all year |
| Cancellation cover | Chosen to match this trip's prepaid costs | One limit that must cover whichever trip you are booking |
| Pre-existing conditions | Assessed for this trip | Assessed at purchase; changes in health during the year may need to be declared |
| Domestic trips | Needs a separate domestic policy | Often included, usually with conditions such as a minimum distance from home |
| Age limits | Usually the most generous | Often lower: Allianz's Multi-Trip is sold to under 75s |
| Suits | One or two trips a year, or one long trip | Frequent travellers, business travel, family overseas |
Annual policies: maximum trip length and age limits
These are the terms that decide whether an annual policy fits your year: the longest single trip you can choose, the oldest age you can buy at, the regions and whether trips at home count. They come from each insurer's PDS; where a PDS leaves the trip-length options to the quote, the table says what the insurer's website lists.
| Policy (PDS date) | Longest trip you can choose | Maximum age to buy | Regions | Trips within Australia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Cover Frequent Traveller (4 March 2026) | 21 or 45 days | 69 or under | The countries or regions on your certificate | More than 200 km from home, or with a night of prepaid accommodation |
| Allianz Multi-Trip (19 December 2025) | 15, 30 or 45 days | Under 75 | The destinations or regions on your certificate | Covered when the trip includes a destination at least 250 km from home |
| Australia Post International Comprehensive or Basic annual (22 October 2025) | Chosen when you buy; Australia Post's website lists 30, 45 or 60 days | Not stated in the PDS | One area for all your trips, which must include the Americas or Africa if 20% or more of any trip is there | More than 250 km from home, or with a night of paid accommodation |
| Bupa International Plus or Essentials annual (11 March 2026) | Chosen when you buy; Bupa's website lists 30, 45 or 60 days | Not stated in the PDS | Countries, a region or worldwide | More than 250 km from home, or with a night of paid accommodation |
| Cover-More Comprehensive and Comprehensive+ annual (15 October 2025) | Chosen when you buy; Cover-More's website lists 30, 45 or 60 days | Under 75, per Cover-More's website | Countries, a whole region or worldwide | More than 250 km from home, or with a night of paid accommodation |
| Fast Cover Frequent Traveller Saver (16 July 2026) | 15, 25, 40 or 63 days | Not from 76 | See PDS | See PDS |
| InsureandGo annual (1 April 2026) | 30, 45 or 60 days | Bare Essentials 79 or under; Silver and Gold 100 or under | See PDS | See PDS |
| nib Annual Multi Trip (1 September 2026) | 45 days | No age limit | Worldwide, or worldwide excluding the USA and Nepal | At least 200 km from home, with prepaid public transport, a hire car or a pre-booked night |
| Qantas Annual Multi Trip Plan (1 July 2026) | 45 days | No upper age in its eligibility section | The destinations on your certificate | More than 100 km from home or your usual workplace |
| Southern Cross Annual Multi-Trip (12 July 2025) | 30, 60 or 90 days | No maximum age | The destinations you list, shown on your certificate | Not covered: each trip must include a destination outside Australia |
| Travel Insurance Saver annual (31 December 2025) | The period on your certificate | 90 or under | Australia only; South Pacific including New Zealand; Asia; worldwide excluding the USA, Canada and Antarctica; or worldwide | At least 100 km from home |
| Zoom Frequent Traveller (4 March 2026) | 21 or 45 days | 69 or under | The countries or regions on your certificate | More than 200 km from home, or with a night of prepaid accommodation |
Working out whether it pays
The honest test is arithmetic. Get a quote for the annual policy, then quote single-trip cover for each trip you realistically expect to take in the next 12 months, using the same excess, the same cancellation amount and the same pre-existing conditions. If the annual premium is lower than the total, it wins, and it keeps winning for any extra trip you did not plan. The calculator at the top of this page adds the quotes up for you and shows how many trips it takes for the annual policy to pay for itself.
Count domestic trips only if the annual policy actually covers them. Many do, but usually with conditions: nib's annual policy covers trips within Australia only when they are at least 200 km from home, and Travel Insurance Saver's needs domestic trips to be at least 100 km from home. If your domestic travel does not meet those conditions, it adds nothing to the comparison.
Keeping an annual policy cheap
Annual cover gets expensive when it is set up for the trip you might take instead of the trips you will take. These are the settings that move the price, and the ones to get right first.
- Region. Set it to the most expensive place you will actually visit, including stopovers. Leaving out the Americas lowers the premium; adding them only makes sense if a US or Canadian trip is likely this year.
- Maximum trip length. Choose the shortest cap that fits your longest planned trip. A longer cap generally costs more, and you pay for it all year.
- Excess. A higher excess lowers the premium, as long as you could pay it once or twice in a year if you claim.
- Cancellation amount. Set it to cover your most expensive booking, not the sum of every trip, and check whether it applies per trip or across the year.
- Domestic trips. Don't count on domestic cover you can't use: if your trips within Australia fall under the policy's minimum distance from home, they won't be covered anyway.
- Family. If you travel with your children, a family annual policy can include dependants; see family travel insurance for how dependants are defined.
The region setting
An annual policy is priced on a region, typically something like the Pacific, Asia, or worldwide with or without the Americas. The region has to cover every country you visit during the year, including stopovers. A worldwide-excluding-Americas policy will not help if you add a week in Hawaii, so set the region to the most expensive place you are likely to go, not where you are going first. Medical costs in the United States are the main reason the Americas are priced separately; our USA travel insurance page shows why.
Cancellation cover across several trips
On a single-trip policy you set the cancellation amount to what this trip has cost. On an annual policy one amount has to do for every trip, and some policies apply it per trip while others apply it across the whole year. If you book an expensive trip mid-year, check the limit still covers the prepaid costs and whether you can raise it. A limit set for a weekend in Bali will not cover a European river cruise.
Age and health on an annual policy
Annual cover often has a lower age limit than single-trip cover. In the PDSs we read on 2 October 2026, Allianz sells its Multi-Trip policy only to people under 75, Fast Cover's Frequent Traveller Saver isn't available from 76, and 1Cover's Overseas Frequent Traveller is for people 69 or under. Cover-More's annual multi-trip page, read on 10 October 2026, says its annual policy is sold to people under 75 when they buy it. Others set no upper age for annual cover, including nib and Southern Cross Travel Insurance. Our guide to annual travel insurance for over 60s has the full age table and an age checker.
Pre-existing conditions are assessed when you buy. If your health changes during the year, for example a new diagnosis, a change in medication or a hospital admission, read what the PDS requires. Many policies require you to tell the insurer before your next trip, and the new condition may not be covered until it has been assessed. Our guide to pre-existing conditions explains what counts.
Who it suits, and who it does not
It suits people who fly overseas several times a year, business travellers (check the business equipment and work-activity terms), and anyone with family overseas who visits more than once a year. It does not suit a single long trip such as a gap year or an extended European summer, which will usually break the maximum trip length. For that you want a single-trip policy written for the full length of the journey.
General advice only. This information doesn't take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Consider whether the product is right for you and read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Target Market Determination (TMD) before you decide. We don't compare every product in the market, and we may earn a commission if you take up a product through our links.
What to watch for
- The maximum trip length applies to each trip. A trip that runs past it can be uninsured in full, not just for the extra days.
- Set the region to the most expensive destination you might visit all year, including stopovers and side trips.
- Check whether the cancellation limit applies per trip or across the year, and whether it covers your biggest booking.
- Domestic trips are often covered only above a minimum distance from home, such as 100, 200 or 250 km.
- Check the age limit for the annual product itself; it is often lower than for single-trip cover.
Common questions
Is annual multi-trip travel insurance worth it?
It is worth it if the annual premium is lower than the single-trip policies you would otherwise buy over the next 12 months. Where that break-even point falls depends on your age, destinations and trip lengths, so the only reliable way to know is to quote both on the same excess and cancellation amount, then add them up.
How do I keep annual travel insurance cheap?
Set the region to where you will actually go, choose the shortest maximum trip length that fits your longest trip, pick an excess you could afford to pay, and set the cancellation amount to your most expensive booking. Don't pay for domestic cover your trips won't qualify for.
What is the maximum trip length on an annual policy?
You choose it when you buy, from the options the insurer offers, and every trip in the year must fit under it. Southern Cross Travel Insurance offers 30, 60 or 90 days and InsureandGo 30, 45 or 60 days, for example. Longer caps cost more. A trip longer than the cap may not be covered at all.
Does annual travel insurance cover domestic trips?
Many annual policies include domestic travel, but usually with conditions such as a minimum distance from home: 200 km on nib's annual policy and 100 km on Travel Insurance Saver's. Check the PDS definition of a domestic journey before counting on it.
Is there an age limit for annual travel insurance?
Often, and it is usually lower than for single-trip cover. Allianz's and Cover-More's annual policies are sold to under 75s and Fast Cover's isn't available from 76, while nib and Southern Cross Travel Insurance set no upper age for annual cover. Check the eligibility section of the PDS for the product you are buying.
Can I get annual travel insurance with pre-existing conditions?
Often yes. Conditions are assessed when you buy, and some are covered automatically, some for an extra premium and some not at all. If your health changes during the year, the PDS may require you to tell the insurer before your next trip.
Read the PDS before you buy
Every limit and condition described here varies between insurers. The Product Disclosure Statement is the contract, and the Target Market Determination says who the product is designed for. Both are published on the insurer's website.