Consumer group Choice has praised AIG and Queensland-based Lloyd’s coverholder Online Insurance Brokers for offering comprehensive travel insurance policies with above-average cover at below-average prices.

It gives AIG’s Good2Go The Works policy a 77% score for features, while Online’s Travel Insuranz Deluxe receives a 71% rating.

Both are in the second-lowest grouping for average premiums and are named “Choice buys”.

Choice lists 23 top-ranked comprehensive policies in a report in its November magazine, with QBE, Allianz, Southern Cross Benefits, AAI (Suncorp) and Lloyd’s also represented.

Online’s Travel Insuranz Classic is named the best budget buy, based on the second-highest features score for the category and its low premiums.

Choice buys in the “annual” category are QBE’s Annual Multi Trip and AIG’s Good2Go Frequent Traveller.

Choice also warned that auto-selecting policies offered by Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin when purchasing a plane ticket online could leave consumers grappling with exclusions and over-paying.

“Jetstar Essentials was the worst of the policies we found served up to consumers during the online checkout process,” Head of Media Tom Godfrey said.

In case of theft, the policy gives only $250 per electronic item, such as smartphones, laptops or cameras, capped at $750 for all items, Choice says.

“If your flight is delayed for six hours or more and it was caused by your carrier, the insurance with other airlines we looked at will give you up to $425 per 24 hours for meals and accommodation. But with Jetstar Essentials you’ll be starved and sleeping in the airport,” Mr Godfrey said.

Choice also found airlines only give consumers 10 minutes to read a 14,000-word disclosure document before the flight payment screen times out, even though it would take the average reader close to an hour to digest.

The review ranks policies across five price brackets based on more than 1000 quotes for comprehensive, budget, annual and mature traveller categories.

The features section draws on information from 30 insurers covering 81 comprehensive, budget and annual multi-trip policies.

Medical cover is given the largest weighting in the features score, followed by cancellation, and baggage. Cover for public liability, activities, pre-existing conditions, life and total and permanent disability, dependents and rental cars is also considered.