PassportCard Australia has resumed travel insurance sales after months of preparations to restart operations here.

The business has been in “hibernation” since the covid pandemic broke out in 2020, with activities restricted to servicing in-force policies and claims.

“We are delighted to announce we are back writing travel insurance,” the insurer said in a LinkedIn post today.

As reported earlier this year the broker-focused travel insurer, formerly known as TravelCard, sealed a long-term underwriting agreement with Guild Insurance and also made key hires to support the resumption of sales. Before the hibernation, its policies were underwritten by Hollard.

The business launched in June 2018, focusing on the broking channel, and changed its trading name recently to align with its Israeli parent company, PassportCard.com.

“The PassportCard Group has a very robust database that has been built over 15 years,” CEO Peter Klemt said.

“It includes the claims history and cost of claims in 150 countries around the world. Using this data, the company can predict the cost of a specific claim pretty much anywhere.”

He says the insurer’s real-time claims process means policyholders “can get instant payouts while travelling for the most common types of claims – medical emergency overseas, delayed luggage and stolen cash”.

“It’s the way insurance should be – quick, simple, and hassle-free,” he said.

Mr Klemt previously said the insurer will continue with its broker-focused distribution strategy and is also looking at other channels including direct sales.