luggage and personal effects 

It’s not a great start when you arrive at your holiday destination but your luggage hasn’t! With the current state of travel post-pandemic, many transport carriers are gradually getting back to normal levels of service but this hasn’t come without its fair share of hiccups so it’s more important than ever to understand when you’re covered when it comes to your travel insurance with 1Cover. Our handy guide details all you need to know about travel insurance and your lost, stolen or delayed baggage. 

What's Covered?
  • Stolen or lost items. We will pay the repair costs or value of any Luggage and Personal Effects which are stolen, accidentally damaged or are permanently lost.
  • Delayed items. We will reimburse you up to $250 if any items of your Luggage & Personal Effects are delayed, misdirected or misplaced by a carrier for more than 12 hours.
  • Items left in a motor vehicle are only covered during daylight hours if they were left in a Concealed Storage Compartment of a locked motor vehicle, & forced entry was made.Please see PDS for full details
  • Expensive items. If you are taking expensive items on your trip, you can increase your cover for an item up to $5000. Your items will not be depreciated if you apply for High Value Cover. Unless you have High Value Cover, we calculate the amount payable based on the depreciated value of an item due to age, wear and tear. The depreciated amount will be determined by 1Cover.

Terms and conditions, limits and exclusions apply. Please see PDS for full details.

what's not covered?
  • Items lost by airlines and other transport carriers. We do not cover for any loss or damage to items jewellery, mobile phones, tablets, cameras, video cameras, personal computers, computer equipment or their accessories after you have checked them into the hold and until you have collected them again from the luggage conveyor as the transport is at fault for their loss or damage and you should seek compensation from them. 
  • Certain items. There are general exclusions that apply to our policies and we do not cover for loss, theft or damage to bicycles, drones, watercraft (other than surfboards) 
  • Unsupervised & unattended items. We will not pay if you the leave items unsupervised in a public place when they were taken. ‘Unattended’ means, but not limited to, when an item is not on your person at the time of loss, left with a person other than your relative or travelling companion, left in a position where it can be taken without your knowledge including on the beach or beside the pool when you swim, leaving it a distance where you are unable to prevent it from being unlawfully taken. 
  • Unreported incidents. Make sure you report the incident. We will not pay if you do not report the incident within 24 hours to the police/airline/bus line/ shipping line or rail authority. Make sure you get a written statement from whoever you reported it to.
  • Items you’re already receiving compensation for. We will not pay if the transport carrier that lost or delayed your luggage is already offering you compensation.  
  • Unattended items in motor vehicle at night. If your items were left unattended in a motor vehicle during night-time hours. 
  • Wear and tear. Ordinary wear and tear, deterioration of your items is not covered, only cover for unexpected and unforeseen situations where your items are damaged 

Terms and conditions, limits and exclusions apply. Please see PDS for full details.

Find out what else travel insurance covers here.

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Luggage & personal belongings FAQS

  • How much Luggage cover Do you cover?
  • We offer up to $15,000 Luggage and Personal effects cover under our Comprehensive Travel Insurance. As well as up to $5,000 for Credit Card and Fraud Reimbursement, $250 for theft of cash and $250 for expenses to buy essential items if your luggage is delayed more than 12 hours. Sub-limits apply to how much we can reimburse you for depending on the type of items you are claiming for:
    - $3,000 AUD for Personal computer, Video recorder or Camera 
    - $1,000 AUD for Mobile phones & tablets (including PDA’s & any items with phone capabilities) 
    - $750 AUD for other unspecified items or sets 
     

  • What If The Benefit Limits Are Not Enough To Cover The Items I Am Bringing? 
  • We offer an additional $5,000 cover for High Value Items which you can add to your policy as you make your quote online. We cannot cover all items, for example we do not cover bicycles or watercraft other than surfboards, so make sure you check our full policy wording.  

  • If The Airline Loses My Luggage Will My Travel Insurance Replace The Items?
  • If you are entitled to be reimbursed by the bus line, airline, shipping line or rail authority you were travelling on when the loss, theft, misplacement or damage occurred, then you may not be covered.

    However, if you are not reimbursed the full amount of your claim, there may be a provision to claim for the difference between the amount of your loss and what you were reimbursed. However, the amount you can claim for will be based on the limit of your cover and needs to allow for depreciation due to the age, wear and tear.

    Please note that you need to obtain a written statement outlining what you have been reimbursed from an airline, bus line or rail authority before a claim is lodged with 1Cover.

  • What If My Bags Are Delayed? 
  • We cover you for essential expenses you have to pay because your baggage is delayed more than 12 hours. We cover $250 to help you pay for necessities like toiletries, clothes, medicines, not to replace your entire bag’s contents. So move over Gucci and Prada, whilst you might have a preference for the nicer things in life, remember that our cover extends to the essentials that you might need. 

  • What if my bag never turns up? 
  • It varies between airlines but if your luggage is missing in action for somewhere between 21 days and 30 days the airline may declare it as lost and you can claim with the airline. For example with Air NZ, after 21 days if your baggage has not been located you can submit a delayed baggage claim online and complete their customer care form. If your baggage is lost and irrecoverable from the airline, you may have provision to claim on your travel insurance under lost luggage.  

  • If I Drop My Phone Due To No-Ones Fault But My Own Will It Be Covered?
  • Each claim is assessed on a case by case basis, and there may be a provision to claim for your phone. Please note that there is no cover available for damage to the screen nor for water (or any liquid) damage.

  • What Evidence Do I Need To Make A Claim? 
  • If your luggage is delayed more than 12 hours and you purchased essential items, we need receipts for those as well as baggage delay report, and letter showing you have not received compensation from the airline already. 
    If an item is lost or stolen we need proof of ownership of items, a written police report, damage or repair report. For mobile phone claims, please block the IMEI with your network provider and provide written proof of this. 

  • What Will You Accept As Proof Of Purchase?
  • With online claims we only ask for the documents we really need. So the best way to find out exactly what documents we do need in your specific circumstances is to start an online claim. Your answers to the questions we ask you about your claim determine what documents you'll need to provide.

    In terms of determining ownership or proof that you purchased something, these are examples of what we may ask for:
    - Receipts or invoices for non physical and physical purchases; 
    - proof of purchase/ownership certificates; 
    - documentation that confirms dates/locations (e.g. itinerary, ticket bookings, hotel confirmations);
    - copies of credit card statements. 

  • How Is Your Depreciation Weighted? 
  • When calculating the amount payable we will apply depreciation due to age, wear and tear. The amount of such depreciation will be determined by our Claims team. No depreciation will be applied to goods purchased duty free prior to your departure or goods purchased during your journey. We will not pay more than the original purchase price of any item. 

 

 

 

 

Luggage Tips

Lost or stolen belongings can sure put a dampener on your holiday so follow our tips to avoid any destination disaappointment.

Don’t panic. Airport efficiently varies dramatically around the world. If your items don’t show up on the carousel immediately, it may not mean that your item is lost, it might just be taking longer than usual

Track your luggage. Isn’t modern technology great! Some suitcases now come with in-built trackers, or you can get something like an airtag put in your bag to know where it is at all times

Pack back-ups in your hand luggage. Having a spare pair of undies or some toothpaste is never a bad idea. If the unexpected happens and your checked luggage is mishandled having a few essential items is a life-saver. 

Keep expensive items at home. You can’t lose an expensive watch or sentimental item if you leave it at home. Travel is unprectable and you can lessen your risk by not taking for exxy items away with you in the first place 

Keep expensive items on your person. We won’t cover you for items left in the hold where they are unattended and unsupervised from you. So make sure any expensive items are in your hand luggage 

Be vigilant. When you get money out of an ATM, or are using your phone in a busy area, be aware of what's around you and don’t make it too obvious you’re a tourist   

Use a bum bag (or fanny pack). All the rage these days, you can look cool and be safe by keeping your money close to your person as you explore making it harder to be at the victim of pick pockets 

Never leave items unattended. Taking your eyes off your items for even 30 seconds is long enough to have your holiday turn from happy to horrible. Remember we don’t cover you if you leave your items unattended and unsupervised, so don’t leave your items with strangers, left alone on the beach or under a table that you can’t see where an item could be taken without your knowledge

Report any incidents. If something does go wrong, go to the authorities to report it as soon as you can so they can help you. Make sure you get a report that you can give to us if you need to make a claim

How To Report Your Missing Luggage At The Airport

1. Go to the baggage services counter. Sadly lost luggage and delays are regular occurrences, but this means there are standard systems in place to follow. Go to the desk file a claim for your lost luggage with your airline. If the airline is at fault, it’s their responsibility to get your bags to you.  

2. File your lost luggage claim. Ensure you get a case number and all complete information on where you are staying and your contact details so you and your items can be reunited. Get their details too so you can follow up. You mighe be required to show your luggage tag you got when you checked in. 

3. Find out your compensation. Each airline’s compensation varies, you might be entitled to monetary, or be given essentials, or offered frequent flyer miles. Make sure you know what you’re entitled to depending on the estimated delay of your items.  

4. Keep receipts of any items you buy. If your airline are not playing ball you can rely on us to reimburse you up to $250 if any items of your Luggage & Personal Effects are delayed, misdirected or misplaced for more than 12 hours.  If you end up purchasing any items like clothes or toiletries make sure you keep receipts and get evidence of the delay to your luggage so you can provide that to us when you claim. 
 

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