Frequently asked questions
- How long can I travel?
- Who can be covered?
- Can I travel as a minor by myself?
- Can I change my cover once I've taken out a policy?
- What sports and activities are not covered?
- Who do you cover?
- Can I cover a work trip?
- What are the different regions I can travel to?
- Where can I find countries categorised as ‘Do not travel’?
- Where can I find the Cigna travel alerts page?
- How long does the medical assessment take?
- What is a pre-existing medical condition?
- Will I be covered if I have an existing medical condition?
- What conditions do I need to declare?
- Can I travel with a pre-existing medical condition?
- Can I get cover if I'm pregnant?
- What conditions aren't covered?
- What if my health changes?
- What should I do if I have a medical emergency while I'm away?
- Can I extend my policy?
- How do I make a claim?
- What payment options are available?
- I want to pay by credit / debit card, how secure is the payment online?
- Can I cancel my policy after I've paid?
- When and how do I get my documents?
- What if I delete the email with all my documents?
- Can I have a printed copy of my documents?
- Can I extend my policy?
- How do I make a complaint?
- Who is Cigna?
- Who is First Assistance?
How long can I travel?
You can travel for up to 365 days, plus we'll cover you from the date you buy your policy too, which can be up to 365 days before you travel. This way if you have to cancel your trip you'll be covered.
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Who can be covered?
You must buy insurance before you leave New Zealand.
Individual
Cover for one person over the age of 16.
Couple
Cover for couples (married, civil union or defacto partners who have lived together for over three months) aged 16 and above.
One adult travelling with children
Cover for one adult plus up to six children belonging to either you, your spouse or partner (including legally adopted or fostered children). If you need cover for more than six children please call us on 0800 881 675.
Child or Children means your child, children (including legally adopted or fostered children) or grandchildren. They must be travelling with an insured adult on the trip, are not in full-time employment and are under the age of 21.
They must also be accompanied by an insured adult when travelling.
Family
Cover for couples (married, civil union or defacto partners who have lived together for over three months) plus up to six children belonging to either you, your spouse or partner (including legally adopted or fostered children).
If you need cover for more than six children on a Family policy please call us on 0800 881 675 to arrange cover. Child or Children means a child or children less than 16 years of age (or up to and including 20 if in full time education and financially dependent on you) belonging to either you, your spouse or partner (including legally adopted or fostered children).
They must also be accompanied by an insured adult when travelling.
Unaccompanied Minor
Cover for one person who is up to the age of 16 travelling alone. A parent or guardian is required to purchase this insurance and will need to complete a contact form later in the application.
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Can I travel as a minor by myself?
Yes you can but you'll need a parent or guardian to purchase your insurance and will need to complete a contact form during the application.
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Can I change my cover once I've taken out a policy?
Sure, you can change your policy up to the day you travel, just call us on 0800 881 675 and we'll sort it out.
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What sports and activities are not covered?
We’ve put together some tables which list sports and activities that are and aren’t covered. If the sport or activity you are doing is not on the list, please call us on 0800 881 675 and we’ll let you know if it’s covered.
Sports and Activities
Covered |
Covered if professionally organised and supervised plus you wear appropriate safety equipment and take safety precautions |
Not Covered |
Aerobics | Abseiling | Base Jumping |
Badminton | Archery | Big Game Hunting |
Baseball | Banana Boating | BMX Stunt Riding |
Basketball | Black Water Rafting | Bouldering |
Boogie Boarding | Bungee Jumping | Boxing |
Bowls | Camel/Elephant Riding | Canyoning |
Cricket | Canoeing/Kayaking (no white water rafting) | Caving/Pot Holing |
Croquet | Clay Pigeon Shooting | Coasterring |
Curling | Fencing | Cycle Racing |
Cycling (no racing) | Flotilla Sailing (with professional leader) | Flying except (as a fare paying passenger - see also general exclusions) |
Hiking/Trekking/Tramping (under 4000m) | Go Karting | Free/High Diving |
Fishing | Gymnastics | Gliding |
Golf | Hiking/Trekking/Tramping (between 4000m - 6000m) | Hang Gliding |
Ice Skating | Horse Riding (no Jumping) | Horse Jumping/Hunting |
Jogging | Hot Air Ballooning | Judo/Karate/Martial Arts |
Marathon Running | Indoor Rock Climbing (with belays) | Kite Surfing |
Mountain Biking (on recognised routes) | Jet Skiing | Lacrosse |
Sailing (within territorial waters) | Paint Balling | Micro Lighting |
Scuba Diving (as a certified diver down to a maximum of 30m) | Parascending over water | Mountaineering |
Snorkelling | Pony Trekking | Organised Team Sports (i.e. tournament, sports club related) |
Softball | River Tubing (no white water) | Parachuting |
Squash | Shooting (not big game) | Paragliding |
Surfing | Sleigh riding (as a passenger) | Parascending (over land) |
Swimming | Swimming with dolphins | Participation in competitions unless otherwise agreed by Us |
Table Tennis | Trampolining | Polo |
Tennis | Water Skiing (no jumping) | Professional/Semi Professional Sports or event |
Ten Pin Bowling | White Water Rafting | Quad Biking |
Volleyball | Zip lining/Zip wiring | Rock Climbing |
Walking | Zorbing | Sailing (outside territorial waters) |
Water Polo | Safari (if organised and with professional guide, and in vehicle) | Scuba Diving (below 30m) |
Skiing/Snowboarding (on piste) | Scuba Diving (non certified, to a maximum depth of 18m under supervision) | Shark Diving |
| | Tomb Stoning |
| | Track Days involving motor vehicles including motorcycles |
| | Water Ski Jumping |
| | Weightlifting |
| | Wrestling |
| | Hiking/Trekking/Tramping (over 6000m) |
| | Skiing/Snowboarding (off piste) |
| | Skydiving |
The purpose of this list is to capture the most common activities undertaken during a Trip, it is not exhaustive and if You are in doubt please contact us on 0800 881 675.
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Who do you cover?
We offer cover for all travellers who hold a New Zealand passport, a residency visa or are an Australian passport holder living in New Zealand. Whether you're 23 or 83 we've got a travel insurance product for you (subject to underwriting terms and conditions).
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Can I cover a work trip?
You must tell us if you are travelling on business, or if you are taking business items or tools and want them to be included in the insurance. We'll cover you for an additional cost.
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What are the different regions I can travel to?
Australia & South Pacific Islands: American Samoa, Australia, Bali, Cook Island, Fiji, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Niue, Norfolk Island, Samoa, Tahiti, Tonga and Vanuatu.
Worldwide: All countries in the world except the USA, Canada, Japan, Singapore and Antarctica.
Worldwide: All destinations.
If you stop over in the USA, Canada, Japan or Singapore for more than 48 hours, or you can't see the country you are travelling to above, please choose 'Worldwide' cover.
If you are unsure of which destination to select please contact us on 0800 881 675.
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Where can I find countries categorised as ‘Do not travel’?
These are listed on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade website: (safetravel.govt.nz) Please check before your departure that the countries you are travelling to are not classified as ‘Do Not Travel’.
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How long does the medical assessment take?
The number of questions asked will depend on your condition but the average time it takes our online customers to go through the medical screening is about ten minutes.
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What is a pre-existing medical condition?
A pre-existing medical condition means any illness, injury or medical condition during the two years prior to the policy start date, whether diagnosed or not that:
- You have have/are been treated for or sought any medical advice for; or
- You were/are aware you had
- You have/had signs or symptoms; or
- For which a reasonable person would have sought medical advice or treatment.
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Will I be covered if I have an existing medical condition?
We are able to provide cover for many pre-existing medical conditions for an additional premium. Simply answer yes to our question about Pre-existing condition cover and go through our online medical assessment to check that your condition(s) is covered. If you choose to cover your condition(s) you will be able to claim on your policy and have full use of our assistance and services. So you can travel with complete peace of mind.
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What conditions do I need to declare?
If you’d like to have pre-existing medical conditions covered, you need to declare these, except if they are any of the following excluded conditions:
- Pregnancy, except, if your pregnancy was without complication before buying this insurance we'll cover medical complications as a result of Illness or emergency medical treatment up to and including the 26th week of pregnancy
- Conditions you have that will require, are on a waiting list for, or scheduled to receive a medical procedure (including overnight or day surgery).
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Can I travel with a pre-existing medical condition?
Having a medical condition can make buying travel insurance difficult. With Cigna Travel Insurance we've made it easy. Tell us about your pre-existing condition(s) and we'll let you know if we can cover it for an additional premium. You can even do it online in as little as ten minutes.
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Can I get cover if I'm pregnant?
Pregnancy is not covered unless your pregnancy is without complication before you buy your Policy. We will cover medical complications as a result of Illness or emergency medical treatment up to and including the 26th week of pregnancy.
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What conditions aren't covered?
- Pregnancy, except, if your pregnancy was without complication before buying this insurance we'll cover medical complications as a result of Illness or emergency medical treatment up to and including the 26th week of pregnancy
- Conditions you have that will require, are on a waiting list for, or scheduled to receive a medical procedure (including overnight or day surgery).
If you have any of these conditions, you don't need to declare them but you need to know they will not be covered.
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What if my health changes?
You need to tell us about any changes in your health including changes to your covered conditions or any illness or injury you have before you start your travel so we can check if they affect your cover. If you don't tell us about changes to your health you may not have cover for these conditions. If you want to make any changes to your policy or want to make a claim once you are home, please call us on 0800 881 675.
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What should I do if I have a medical emergency while I'm away?
If you need medical assistance while you're overseas call our emergency assistance provider, First Assistance on +64 9 347 1115.
For emergencies: if you are taken by ambulance to hospital following an emergency call, you or a travelling companion should call us as soon as possible once you have been admitted to hospital.
For non-emergencies: if you need to consult a registered medical practitioner or need to go to hospital or a clinic, call us, and we can guide you to the safest and most appropriate of treatment.
Our highly experienced team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to help you. Our aim is to make sure you get the best treatment available to you.
Our first steps will always be to:
- Confirm you are in a safe place
- Establish the best local treatment available to you
- Consider your health and best interests
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Can I extend my policy?
Yes, you can apply to extend your cover up to a maximum total trip duration of 365 days. If you have already started your trip, you’ll need to apply no later than 48 hours before the end date shown on your policy summary.
If you are extending your policy after your travel has commenced you will need to go through another medical screening.
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How do I make a claim?
If you need to make a claim once you are home, please call us on 0800 881 675.
If you are able to claim back any part of a claim from any other insurance policy or bank/credit card provider you must do this in the first instance and advise us of the details. In this circumstance we will only pay the difference between your loss and the amounts already received.
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What payment options are available?
You can buy your cover with a Visa or MasterCard debit or credit card.
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I want to pay by credit / debit card, how secure is the payment online?
Our website uses 128 bit SSL encryption on the payment pages. This is the highest level of protection possible and therefore the one used by all sites where financial transactions occur.
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Can I cancel my policy after I've paid?
If you want to cancel your policy you can do this by calling us on 0800 881 675. If it is within seven days of purchase, we'll refund your entire premium. We are unable to refund any proportion of your premium outside of this free look period. You won't be able to cancel your policy once you have started your travel.
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When and how do I get my documents?
Your personalised documents will be emailed to you shortly after you buy your policy. If you haven't received them in 24 hours please call us on 0800 881 675. You'll need Adobe Reader to view your documents. Click here for a free copy.
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What if I delete the email with all my documents?
If you accidentally delete the email, just call us on 0800 881 675 and we can re-send the email.
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Can I have a printed copy of my documents?
Sure! The documents we email you can be printed. If you don't have access to a printer, you can call us on 0800 881 675 and we can arrange to post you your documents.
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Can I extend my policy?
You can apply to have your cover extended, but your trip can only be a maximum of 365 days. Please call us on 0800 881 675 (+64 4 897 4005 if calling from overseas).
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How do I make a complaint?
If you have a complaint we are happy to discuss it. Please call us on 0800 881 675 (or +64 4 897 4005 if you are overseas), or email us on complaintsandquality.nz@cigna.com. Our Customer Service team will do their best to resolve your issue straight away. However, if they can't sort out the issue, our dedicated Customer Resolution Consultant will personally take on your case.
Also, Cigna is a member of the Insurance and Savings Ombudsman (ISO) scheme, a free, independent service which can help settle any dispute you are unable to resolve with Us.
Any dispute or action relating to your policy will be determined in accordance with New Zealand law.
ISO contact details
Post P O Box 10 845
Wellington 6143
Phone 0800 888 202
Email info@iombudsman.org.nz
Website www.iombudsman.org.nz
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Who is Cigna?
Cigna New Zealand is a leading specialist provider of insurance products and services including travel insurance, life insurance, identity theft protection, funeral insurance, income protection insurance, accidental death insurance and serious illness insurance.
We've been operating in New Zealand for more than 90 years, and now protect over 275,000 New Zealanders with our insurance policies.
Cigna New Zealand is part of Cigna Corporation, a Fortune 500 company and one of the world's largest publicly owned companies.
A copy of Cigna's latest financial statements is available on request.
Financial Strength
Cigna Life Insurance New Zealand Limited, as the underwriter of this Policy, has an A (Excellent) financial strength rating which was given by A.M. Best Company Inc.
The rating scale is: A++, A+ Superior | A, A- Excellent | B++, B+ Good | B, B- Fair | C++, C+ Marginal | C, C- Weak | D Poor | E Under Regulatory Supervision | F In Liqiudation | S Suspended.
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Who is First Assistance?
First Assistance is contracted by Cigna to provide emergency assistance for this travel insurance. First Assistance is New Zealand's leading assistance company established in New Zealand in 1992 providing travel and medical assistance with Doctors, nurses and mechanical technicians. You can find out more about them at www.firstassistance.co.nz.
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