Can You Have Two Travel Insurance Policies?

Quick summary for busy readers:

• Yes: You can hold more than one travel insurance policy at once. This is known as dual insurance.
• It often happens by accident: For example, you already have complimentary annual cover through your credit card, then buy a standalone policy for the same trip without realising you’re doubled up.
• Some travellers do it deliberately: To cover gaps in their existing policy, like exclusions, cover bans on a specific event, or missing add-ons such as cruise or snow sports cover.
• You can’t profit from claiming twice: Insurance only pays out for what you actually lost, not more, even if you hold two policies.
• If you do claim on two policies: You need to disclose this to both of your insurers. They’ll coordinate so you’re not paid more than the value of your loss.
• Check your Policy Wording: It will explain exactly how your insurer treats a claim when another policy is involved.

 

Most travellers assume they can only hold one travel insurance policy at a time. It’s a fair assumption, but not quite right.

Whether you’ve ended up with two policies by accident or you’re weighing up buying a second one on purpose, you’re probably wondering if that’s even allowed, and what happens if you actually need to claim on both.

Never fear, here’s exactly how dual insurance works, and what to know before you claim.

Can I have two different travel insurance policies?

Yes. Holding more than one travel insurance policy that covers the same trip is known as dual insurance, and it’s more common than you'd think.

Sometimes it happens by accident. You might already have complimentary annual travel cover through your credit card, then buy a standalone policy for the same trip without realising you’re doubled up.

Other times, it’s deliberate. Travellers buy a second policy to cover gaps in their existing one, such as:

• Exclusions or cover bans on a specific event.
• Missing add-ons, like cruise or snow sports cover.
• A lower level of cover than they’d like.

One common scenario is a natural disaster exclusion, often called a “known event” ban. Once a natural disaster becomes public knowledge, insurers generally stop offering cover for related disruptions on any new policy bought after that point.

Take Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki in Indonesia as an example. It erupted repeatedly throughout 2025 and disrupted Bali flights each time. Once an event like this makes headlines, insurers who haven’t already excluded it will usually stop covering it on any new policy from that point.

So, say a couple named Daniel and Hannah have just booked flights from New Zealand to Bali, and a volcano-related cover ban is currently in place.

Buying a policy now locks in cover for everything else straight away – like cancellation, illness, and injury – but the volcano exclusion stays on that policy permanently, even if the ban is later lifted for new customers.

And while waiting until the ban lifts avoids the exclusion, that leaves them with no cover at all in the meantime. So, if Hannah’s mum falls ill or Daniel breaks his leg before they’ve bought travel insurance, they could be thousands of dollars out of pocket.

Buying a policy now, then adding a second one once the ban lifts, solves both problems. The first policy covers everything from today. The second, bought after the ban lifts, adds volcano cover on top, and keeps that cover even if the ban is reinstated later, since exclusions are usually locked in at the time of purchase.

Can you claim from two travel insurance policies?

No, not for a profit. Insurance exists to put you back in the same financial position you were in before your loss, not a better one. You can’t claim against two policies and walk away with more money than you actually lost.

If you do hold two policies and need to claim, tell each insurer about the other policy when you lodge your claim. From there, one insurer might pay the claim in full, or the two insurers might split the cost between them, depending on their terms.

Most Policy Wording documents state that if you’ve already been compensated from another source, whether that’s a second travel insurance policy, a credit card provider or somewhere else, your insurer will only pay the difference between what you’ve already received and what you actually lost. Claiming more than 100% of your loss would be considered insurance fraud, which is a crime.