Visas ยท head to headFreely vs Southern Cross Travel Insurance
Freely vs Southern Cross Travel Insurance
Compared on eligibility rather than price: who each will actually accept. App-first Australian cover that insures to 99 and can start when you are already away. The Kiwi default, with a rare five-year working-overseas product. Buy before you leave.
The rules side by side
| Rule | FreelyPay-as-you-go travel cover | Southern Cross Travel InsuranceInternational Comprehensive / Working Overseas |
|---|---|---|
| Who can buy it | Set list of countriesAustralian residents on the AU product; a separate product exists for US travellers. | Set list of countriesNew Zealand permanent residents on the NZ site, Australian residents on the AU site. |
| Buy after you have left home | YesPurchasable when already overseas, with a 72-hour no-cover period for anything arising in that window. | NoThe policy wording requires that you have not already left New Zealand when you buy. |
| Maximum age | 99Insures up to age 99 (reported from two independent sources). | No capNo overall maximum stated, though the personal accident benefit runs 16 to 80. |
| One-way or open-ended trips | Not verifiedNot verified. | NoYou must intend to return to New Zealand: it is an eligibility criterion. |
| Longest trip | 12 months, renewableMonth-by-month structure suits long and open trips. | 12 monthsTwelve months including extensions. The separate Working Overseas policy runs up to 60 months. |
| Pre-existing conditions | YesMore than 30 pre-existing conditions automatically covered, with others assessed through a short in-app medical questionnaire. | YesMandatory online medical assessment with a three-year lookback. A diagnosis is not required for something to count. |
| Cover in the USA | YesWorldwide including the US, with unlimited overseas medical reported. | YesIncluded in worldwide cover. |
| Schengen visa certificate | NoNot applicable: an Australian market product. | NoNot marketed for Schengen visas. |
| Winter sports | With conditionsVia add-on. | With conditionsSnow sports via add-on. |
| Scuba diving | With conditionsVia add-on. | With conditionsCheck the wording for depth limits. |
| High-altitude trekking | With conditionsNot verified. | With conditionsCheck the wording for altitude limits. |
| Scooters and motorbikes | With conditionsOptional motorcycle and moped add-on; licence rules not verified. | With conditionsOptional moped and motorbike add-on capped at 200cc, or 15kW electric, with the correct licence class. Includes pillion passengers and motorbike taxis. |
| Working abroad | Not verifiedNot verified. | With conditionsThe standard policy covers non-manual office and conference work only. There is a separate Working Overseas policy for people actually working. |
| Trip cancellation | YesBase A$5,000 or a chosen limit, increasable. | YesBase NZ$2,500 with options up to unlimited. |
| Families | YesMulti-traveller supported. | YesFamily policies available. |
| No fixed country of residence | NoAustralian residency required. | NoResidency in NZ or Australia required. |
Both columns are generated from the same rule database the checker uses. Sources: Freely and Southern Cross Travel Insurance, checked 2026-08-03.
Who each one suits
- Freely makes sense when you have already left home, or you are comfortably under 99.
- Southern Cross Travel Insurance makes sense when age is the constraint that usually blocks you.
Both columns come from the same rule database the checker uses. Sources: Freely and Southern Cross Travel Insurance, checked 2026-08-03.