Direct answer: We review by reading public Product Disclosure Statements, official consumer education, and product structures (who issues, who assists, who distributes). We do not invent premiums, star ratings, or “best insurer” tables. We do not paste archived user reviews that may contain personal information.
Why a methodology page exists
Travel insurance is a YMYL topic. A careless “#1 for Bali” headline can be read as personal advice. This domain once lived as a busy review directory. The Capes rebuild keeps historical URLs and throws away trophy language. If you arrived from a 2016 ranking snippet, treat that snippet as dead.
Criteria
- Medical and evacuation architecture
- Excess and sub-limits
- Exclusions and activity schedules
- Age and residency gates
- Screening and disclosure duties
- Claims and assistance pathways described in the PDS
- Whether the brand still appears to issue to Australian residents
We apply the same list to Allianz, Cover-More, a supermarket white-label, and a historical stub. A featured brand is not a winner.
PDS — what you should actually read
- Definitions of pre-existing condition
- Medical limits and evacuation
- General exclusions
- Claims procedures and time limits
- Table of benefits versus the wording that retracts them
- Who the issuer and assistance provider are this year
If a comparison site and the PDS disagree, the PDS wins. We walk through the reading order in how to read a PDS.
What we will not publish
- Invented premiums or “from $” tables without a dated quote you can reproduce
- Star ratings or podiums
- Verbatim archived user reviews that may include health or identity detail
- Medical advice, obstetric advice, or a promise that a condition is coverable
- Legal outcomes of hypothetical claims
Author and updates
Editorial lead: Callum Sherwood. Role: editorial lead for this educational rebuild. Contact callum.sherwood.seo@gmail.com for corrections. We are not an AFSL holder, insurer, broker, or authorised representative. Pages carry a reviewed date in the byline.
Affiliate disclosure
If a commercial link is used, it will be labelled. It will not purchase a ranking. Today the site is educational. That sentence is also a promise to future-us.
Sources we trust more than forums
- The current PDS and FSG
- ASIC MoneySmart
- AFCA for complaints process
- Smartraveller for destination context
- ASIC for regulator context
Forum threads from 2014 about a Bolivia activity list are research colour. They are not a current Australian PDS.
How brand hubs are written
Each insurance company page explains how the name has appeared (retail, white-label, archive), who typically looks at it, and a checklist. Historical slugs such as columbus_direct and cover_my_trip are kept for Wayback fidelity. We tell you to verify live issuance rather than invent a 2026 product shelf.
How destination pages are written
Destination notes are cover considerations: scooters in Bali, ACC in New Zealand, medical price risk in the USA. They are not hospital recommendations and not visa advice.
How we handle historical URLs
Classic /travel-insurance-reviews.html 301s to the homepage. Company slugs stay even when a brand has left the market, with a verify-issuance warning. Off-niche archive spam (building inspections, coupon codes) returns 410. That is part of the method: path fidelity without rebuilding junk.
Corrections
Email callum.sherwood.seo@gmail.com if a brand has changed issuer, a slug is wrong, or a sentence overclaims. We would rather update a page than defend a stale 2018 adjective.
This methodology is general information. It does not bind an insurer.