Credit card travel insurance in Canada (2026): what happens at 65

What does your provincial health plan pay abroad?

Very little. Travel.gc.ca says your provincial or territorial plan “may cover none, or only a small part” of medical costs abroad. B.C.’s plan, for example, pays at most $75.00 a day in Canadian funds for emergency hospital care outside Canada. You pay the rest.

That gap is what credit card travel insurance is built to fill. Your provincial plan still matters, though: every certificate we read pays only the amount left over after your government health insurance plan and any other insurance have paid. To be covered at all, you have to be enrolled in a provincial or territorial plan for the whole trip.

The B.C. figure is a useful reference point. The province says it provides some coverage for emergency hospital care outside Canada, but limits it to a maximum daily payment of $75.00. Any amount above that is the patient’s responsibility. Doctors’ bills are paid at no more than what the same service would have cost in B.C., and the province advises buying extra medical insurance from a private insurer.

Other provinces publish their own out-of-country rules, and they differ. We quote B.C. because its rate is published on a government page we could check. Whatever province you live in, the practical point is the same: the card’s certificate, not your health card, decides most of what gets paid.

How many days does credit card travel insurance cover?

It depends on your age on the day you leave. Under 65, the cards we read cover the first 15 to 31 consecutive days of a trip, and National Bank covers 60 days up to age 54. At 65, four of the six cards drop to 3 or 4 days.

Every certificate counts days the same basic way. The clock starts on the day you leave your province, and the departure day counts as a full day. Your age is taken on the departure date. If you turn 65 halfway through a trip, the certificates we read use the age you were when you left.

Emergency medical days per trip, by age on the departure date

Card	Under 65	65 and over	Notes
TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite	21 days (64 and under)	4 days	Extension can be bought from TD’s administrator
Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite+	25 days	3 days	Scotia Travel Extension Coverage can be bought
RBC Avion Visa Infinite	15 days	3 days	Top-up can be bought from RBC’s Enrollment Centre
CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege	31 days (64 and under)	10 days	Same days from age 65 on in this certificate
BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege	22 days (64 and under)	3 days	Trip doesn’t need to be charged to the card
National Bank World Elite Mastercard	60 days to age 54; 31 days at 55 to 64	15 days at 65 to 75	No coverage at 76 and over

Days are consecutive and include the departure day. Source: each card’s certificate of insurance, checked October 21, 2026.

The drop at 65 is the single largest change in these certificates. On the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite+, cover falls from 25 days to 3, which is 22 fewer days. On the TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite it falls from 21 to 4. On the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege it falls from 22 to 3. On the RBC Avion Visa Infinite it falls from 15 to 3.

Two cards hold up better. The CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege keeps 10 days at 65 and over. The National Bank World Elite Mastercard keeps 15 days from 65 to 75, but its certificate stops emergency medical cover entirely at 76.

Here’s how that plays out. A 65-year-old with the TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite takes a 14-day trip. The card covers the first 4 days. The remaining 10 days need other insurance. At 64, the same trip would sit inside the 21-day limit.

Age 75 is the other line to look for. Of the six certificates we read, National Bank’s is the only one that ends medical cover at an age, at 76. Scotiabank and RBC use 75 as the age where the look-back period for pre-existing conditions gets longer, which the section on stability covers below.

What do the certificates actually say?

Each certificate names the insurer, the maximum payout, the day limits, the look-back period for existing conditions, what triggers cover and how fast you must report a claim. The table below puts those terms side by side, with the effective date printed in each document.

Emergency medical terms in each certificate of insurance

Card	Underwriter (as named)	Emergency medical max	Days by age band	Stability period	Does medical need the trip charged?	Claim notice rule	Certificate effective date
TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite	TD Life Insurance Company	$2,000,000 per insured person per trip	21 days at 64 and under; 4 days at 65 and over	90 days at 64 and under; 180 days at 65 and over	No; account in good standing	Report within 48 hours of hospital admission; claim within 1 year	Not stated in this certificate
Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite+	The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company (Manulife)	$2,000,000 per insured person	25 days under 65; 3 days at 65 and over	180 days under 75; 365 days at 75 and over	No; account in good standing	Contact the administrator without delay; written notice within 90 days	July 1, 2021
RBC Avion Visa Infinite	RBC Insurance Company of Canada	Unlimited, unless otherwise noted	15 days under 65; 3 days at 65 and over	90 days under 75; 180 days at 75 and over	Not stated in this certificate; cover ends if the account is 60 days past due	Call before treatment; notice within 30 days; details within 90 days	Not stated in this certificate
CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege	Belair Insurance Company Inc.	$5,000,000 per insured person per trip	31 days at 64 and under; 10 days at 65 and over	90 days; 180 days at 65 and over	Not stated in this certificate; cover ends if the account isn’t in good standing	Contact Global Excel before treatment; claim within 90 days of service	July 1, 2025
BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege	CUMIS General Insurance Company	$5,000,000 per insured person per trip	22 days at 64 and under; 3 days at 65 and over	90 days; 180 days at 65 and over	No; certificate says so if the account is in good standing	Notify within 24 hours if admitted to hospital; written notice within 30 days; proof within 90 days	Group policy effective July 6, 2023
National Bank World Elite Mastercard	National Bank Life Insurance Company (Canassurance, Insurance Company for Alberta residents)	$5,000,000 per insured person per trip	60 days to 54; 31 days at 55 to 64; 15 days at 65 to 75; none at 76 and over	3 months under 61; 6 months at 61 and over	Not stated in this certificate	Call before incurring expenses; claim form within 30 days; documents within 90 days	Group policy effective September 1st, 2017; document dated 2024

“Not stated in this certificate” means we didn’t find the term in the document we read, not that the term doesn’t exist. Checked October 21, 2026.

Three things stand out. First, the dollar maximums cluster at $2,000,000 or $5,000,000, and RBC’s is unlimited unless otherwise noted. For most emergencies on a short trip, any of those is enough, so the maximum rarely decides which card covers you.

Second, the underwriter is often not the bank. TD’s cover comes from TD Life Insurance Company and RBC’s from RBC Insurance Company of Canada, but Scotiabank’s comes from Manulife, CIBC’s from Belair and BMO’s from CUMIS. The claims line you call is often a third company again, such as Global Excel or Allianz Global Assistance.

Third, two of the six certificates print no effective date for the medical section. The TD guide we downloaded prints dates on some of its other certificates but not the medical one, and RBC’s medical certificate prints none at all. Certificates change. The issuer can amend or cancel cover, and the version that applies is the one in force when you travel.

What counts as a pre-existing condition?

It’s a condition you had before the trip that wasn’t “stable” for a set period before you left. Each certificate defines stable as a list of tests. Fail one test in the look-back window and claims linked to that condition can be refused.

Some comparison pages say no card covers pre-existing conditions. The certificates are more nuanced. Most cover a condition you already have, as long as it met every stability test for the full look-back period. What changes from card to card is the length of that period and the exact tests.

TD’s certificate lists seven statements that must all be true for a condition to count as stable. RBC’s uses the same seven. Paraphrased, they are:

• No new treatment prescribed or recommended, and no change to existing treatment, including stopping it
• No change to any prescribed drug, including a higher dose, a lower dose or stopping it, and no new prescription
• The condition hasn’t become worse
• No new, more frequent or more severe symptoms
• No hospital stay and no referral to a specialist
• No tests, investigation or treatment recommended but not yet done, and no test results still outstanding
• No planned or pending treatment

Both list exceptions. TD treats routine adjustment of Coumadin, warfarin or insulin as stable, as long as the drug wasn’t newly started or stopped, and also allows a switch from a brand-name drug to a generic at the same dose. CIBC’s certificate uses five tests and adds oral diabetes medication to the routine-adjustment exception.

The look-back period is where age comes back in. TD, CIBC and BMO look back 90 days if you’re under 65 and 180 days at 65 and over. RBC looks back 90 days under 75 and 180 days at 75 and over. National Bank looks back 3 months under 61 and 6 months at 61 and over.

Scotiabank’s Passport Visa Infinite+ certificate works differently. Its definition looks back 180 days if you’re under 75 and 365 days at 75 and over. For emergency medical cover, though, it carves out a condition “controlled by the consistent use of medications prescribed by a Doctor”. That carve-out holds only if, in the look-back period before departure, no other treatment or investigation was recommended and the medication didn’t change. A new drug or a dose change counts as a change.

Travel.gc.ca suggests getting written confirmation that your insurance covers any pre-existing condition. The claims lines printed in each certificate are where those questions go, and most certificates say your medical history may be reviewed after a claim is reported.

Must you charge the trip to the card?

For emergency medical cover on the cards we read, no. Cover depends on holding the card with the account in good standing. For trip cancellation and interruption, yes: the certificates require the trip costs to be charged to the card, and most also accept the card’s points.

This is the rule people most often get backwards, because the trigger changes from one benefit to the next inside a single certificate. BMO’s says it directly: the trip does not need to be charged to the card for emergency medical benefits, as long as the account is in good standing.

TD’s and Scotiabank’s medical eligibility rules ask only that the account be in good standing. CIBC’s and RBC’s medical sections set no charging rule that we found, but end cover if the account falls out of good standing or, for RBC, is 60 days past due. National Bank’s medical section asks that you live in Canada and be covered by your provincial plan for the whole trip.

Trip cancellation is different on every card we read. Here’s what each certificate asks for:

• TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite: the full cost of the trip charged to the account and/or paid with TD Rewards Points
• Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite+: eligible expenses charged to the account and/or paid with Scene+ points
• RBC Avion Visa Infinite: arrangements paid with the card and/or Avion points; if points paid only part, the rest must go on the card
• CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege: arrangements charged to the card or obtained with points from the card’s reward program
• BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege: prepaid arrangements charged to the cardholder’s credit card, up to $2,500 per insured person
• National Bank World Elite Mastercard: a portion or the entire cost of the trip charged to the account

Trips paid with points sit in the middle. A flight booked with the card’s own points generally counts for trip cancellation on TD, Scotiabank, RBC and CIBC, by the wording above. Points from a different program, or a trip paid by another card, generally don’t. Taxes and fees on a points booking are usually charged to a card, and the certificates that require any part of the cost on the card look at which card that was.

Rental car damage cover follows the same pattern as cancellation: the rental has to go on the card, or be paid with the card’s points where the certificate allows it. RBC’s certificate, for example, requires the full rental cost to go on the card or be paid with Avion points.

How do you make a claim abroad?

Call the assistance number in your certificate before treatment where you can, or as soon as you reasonably can. Several certificates cut benefits if you don’t. Then send the claim form and receipts within the deadline, which ranges from 30 days for first notice to 1 year.

The call matters because some treatment is covered only if the assistance company approves it first. CIBC’s certificate says you’re required to contact Global Excel before treatment. RBC’s says you must notify it before receiving emergency treatment. National Bank’s says to call CanAssistance before incurring any expenses, unless it isn’t reasonably possible.

TD’s certificate puts a figure on missing that step. A medical emergency must be reported within 48 hours of being admitted to hospital, or as soon as reasonably possible. If it isn’t, the most TD pays is 80% of eligible expenses, to a limit of $30,000. BMO asks for notice within 24 hours of the incident if you’re admitted to hospital, or as soon as reasonably possible.

The documents asked for are similar across certificates. TD lists proof of travel with departure and return dates, medical records showing the treatment was necessary, and itemized receipts. CIBC asks for proof of departure and return dates and says boarding passes are preferred, though a dated credit card receipt or ticket is accepted. BMO asks for a copy of your provincial health card number as well.

Claim deadlines printed in each certificate

Card	First contact	Written notice or claim form	Documents or proof
TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite	Immediately; within 48 hours of hospital admission	As soon as possible	Within 1 year
Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite+	Without delay	Within 90 days	With the claim form
RBC Avion Visa Infinite	Before emergency treatment	Within 30 days	Within 90 days
CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege	Before treatment	Call to start the claim	Within 90 days of the service
BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege	Within 24 hours if admitted to hospital	Within 30 days	Within 90 days; no later than 1 year
National Bank World Elite Mastercard	Before incurring expenses	Within 30 days	Within 90 days

Which credit card with travel insurance fits your trip?

Start with your age on the departure date and the length of the trip, then find a card whose day limit covers the whole trip. Below 65, several Canadian credit cards with travel insurance cover two to four weeks. At 65 and over, only short trips fit.

Where card cover doesn’t fit, say so plainly: a 65-year-old on a two-week trip is outside the day limit on five of these six cards, and a 76-year-old has no National Bank cover at all. A snowbird season of several months is outside every limit in the table. That’s a job for a standalone travel medical policy, which you can compare on our insurance page.

The other route is a top-up. TD, Scotiabank and RBC each print a way in their certificates to buy cover for the days past the card’s limit. Top-ups and standalone policies are priced and underwritten separately, and depending on your age and trip length they may ask health questions. Check the top-up starts the day after the card’s cover ends, so there’s no gap.

If you’re weighing cards rather than trips, our travel insurance credit cards page lists cards with this cover, and the Am I covered? tool checks a specific trip against a card.

How did we build this comparison?

We downloaded each card’s certificate of insurance from the issuer’s or insurer’s own website and read the emergency medical, trip cancellation and claims sections. We checked them on October 21, 2026, and print each document’s effective date where it has one.

We used only issuers’ certificates and government pages: travel.gc.ca for what provincial plans and Ottawa pay, and gov.bc.ca for B.C.’s daily hospital rate. Where a term wasn’t in the certificate we read, the table says “Not stated in this certificate” rather than filling the gap from a summary or a third-party page.

We left out cards whose certificate we couldn’t obtain, including the American Express Platinum Card and the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card. Many of the pages that rank for credit card travel insurance are published by insurers who sell travel medical policies, the product that fills the gap at 65. That’s worth knowing when you read them.

CreditLab may earn a commission when you apply for a card through our links. That doesn’t change the day limits, which come from the certificates.