Bank card travel insurance — FNB, Absa, Nedbank, Capitec

Short answerChecked 31 October 2026

Most South African banks give automatic travel insurance when you buy your return tickets with a qualifying card, but the cover is basic and differs by bank and card. From the banks' own wordings: FNB (TIC, a division of Santam) covers up to 90 days to age 74 and must be activated before you depart at tic.co.za/fnb; Absa and Nedbank (Bryte) up to 30 days; Standard Bank (Bryte) and Discovery Bank up to 90 days; Capitec (Santam) under 92 days, credit card only. Medical limits run from R1 million to R5 million depending on the card.

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Answers come from the law, the regulator and the insurers' own documents, with the source under each answer. General information, not advice.

What should I check before I buy cover?What is an excess?How do I prepare a claim?

On this page · 7 sections

Bank card travel cover side by side
How to activate it, bank by bank
Is card cover enough for a Schengen visa?
What basic card cover leaves out
Claims
FAQ
Sources

Bank card travel cover side by side

In every case the cover applies only if you buy the return tickets with the qualifying card the way the wording requires. Banks in alphabetical order; Tulinde does not rank them. Figures from each bank's own page or policy wording, seen 31 October 2026:

Bank	Insurer	Condition	Trip length	Ages	Emergency medical limit	Activation
Absa	Bryte Insurance Company Limited	Return tickets bought with a qualifying Absa Visa card (not by EFT); trip starts and ends in SA	Up to 30 days	3 months – 74	R1m – R3m by card	Generate the certificate online before you leave (travelinsurance.brytesa.com/absa)
Capitec	Santam	Departure and return tickets paid in full with the Capitec credit card (not debit); SA permanent residents; international only	Less than 92 days	Under 85 (the page also says "85 or younger")	Up to R5m	Automatic once the ticket is bought
Discovery Bank	Discovery Insure Ltd	International ticket bought with the Discovery Bank card or Discovery Miles	Up to 90 days	6 months – 80	R1.5m (Gold, Discovery Account), R3m (Platinum), R4m (Black), R5m (Purple)	Automatic when the ticket is bought
FNB	Travel Insurance Consultants (TIC), a division of Santam	Full return tickets paid with a qualifying FNB card or eBucks; residents of SA, Lesotho, Namibia or Eswatini; international only	Up to 90 days	Up to 74	R3m in the 2025 Tier 1 schedule (an older 2024 schedule on the page shows R5m)	Activate before you depart at tic.co.za/fnb; helpdesk 0861 490 100
Nedbank	Bryte Insurance Company Limited	Return tickets bought with a qualifying Nedbank credit or cheque card (not Dezign or Keyona)	Up to 30 days, local and international	3 months – 74	R1m (Classic), R2m (Gold), R3m (Platinum, Private Wealth)	Activate before you travel in the Money app, Online Banking or with Bryte (0860 885 504)
Standard Bank	Bryte Insurance Company Limited	Return tickets bought with a qualifying Standard Bank credit, Visa or cheque card	Up to 90 days, local and international	3 months – 75	R2m (Platinum, World Citizen, Young Professionals), R1m (Gold, Titanium, Student)	Tell Bryte about the trip before you leave to get the certificate (0861 114 494)

Sources: Absa page and policy; Capitec; Discovery wordings (Purple and Black); FNB page and wording; Nedbank policy and activation page; Standard Bank wordings (Platinum, World Citizen, Young Professionals, Gold, Titanium, Student).

How to activate it, bank by bank

FNB: "You need to activate your cover before you depart", at www.tic.co.za/fnb; Travel Insurance Helpdesk 0861 490 100 (FNB).
Absa: generate your Automatic Basic Travel Certificate at travelinsurance.brytesa.com/absa; the policy asks you to give your travel details before you leave (Absa).
Nedbank: "you must activate this benefit before you travel" — in the Nedbank Money app, Online Banking, or with Bryte on 0860 885 504 / [email protected] (Nedbank). Bryte's customer care (0860 885 501) issues travel certificates and embassy letters (policy).
Standard Bank: tell Bryte about the journey before you leave (0861 114 494, [email protected]) to receive the certificate (wording).
Capitec: "Your free cover is active as soon as you buy your return ticket using our Credit Card"; Santam sends the policy document on +27 11 521 4112 (Capitec).
Discovery Bank: "By using your card to purchase an international ticket, you have activated automatic cover" (wording).

Is card cover enough for a Schengen visa?

A Schengen visa needs travel medical insurance of at least EUR 30,000, valid in every Schengen state for the whole stay (EU Visa Code, art. 15; details on our travel insurance page). All the limits above are stated in rands; none of the six banks' pages describes a certificate written for a Schengen application, except that Nedbank's insurer issues embassy letters on request.

Check your card's medical limit in the schedule, and that the trip length and your age qualify.
Pay the full return tickets with the card (FNB: part-payment does not qualify; Absa: an EFT from the card account does not).
Activate the cover where the bank requires it, and ask the insurer for a certificate in your name with the dates, the countries and the medical limit.
If the embassy will not accept it, buy a travel policy that states the EUR 30,000 cover.

What basic card cover leaves out

The wordings share the same limits: pre-existing medical conditions are excluded from basic cover (Absa, Nedbank, Standard Bank); seniors above the age limit must buy a paid plan (Absa and Nedbank: 75 to 89; Standard Bank: 76 to 89); local journeys carry no emergency medical cover on Nedbank; and on Absa, medical claims over R10,000 need the emergency helpline's approval or the benefit is limited to R10,000 (Absa, Nedbank, Standard Bank).

Claims

Bank	Claims contact (from the wording or page)
Absa	Bryte 0860 222 446, [email protected]; emergencies +27 21 100 4453
Capitec	Santam +27 11 521 4000, [email protected]; emergencies +27 11 991 8409
Discovery Bank	Discovery Travel Insurance 0860 878 233, [email protected]
FNB	TIC +27 11 521 4000, [email protected]; emergencies (MSO) +27 11 521 4575
Nedbank	Bryte 0860 885 201, [email protected]; emergencies +27 21 100 4476
Standard Bank	Bryte 0860 723 270, [email protected]; non-medical claims within 30 days of return; emergencies +27 21 100 4478

A rejected travel claim follows the short-term rules: reasons in writing and at least 90 days to answer, then the National Financial Ombud, free. See insurance complaints.

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Next step

1. Find the cover that fits

Frequently asked questions

How do I activate FNB travel insurance?

Buy the full return tickets with a qualifying FNB card or eBucks, then activate the cover before you depart at www.tic.co.za/fnb (helpdesk 0861 490 100). It covers international trips up to 90 days, to age 74.

Does Capitec give free travel insurance?

On the Capitec credit card only: pay the departure and return tickets in full with it and Santam covers emergency medical costs up to R5 million, for trips under 92 days that start and end in South Africa.

How long does Absa or Nedbank card travel insurance last?

Up to 30 days per trip, for ages 3 months to 74, when the return tickets are bought with a qualifying card.

Who underwrites bank card travel insurance?

Bryte for Absa, Nedbank and Standard Bank; Santam (TIC) for FNB and Santam for Capitec; Discovery Insure for Discovery Bank (from each bank's wording).

Is bank card travel insurance valid for a Schengen visa?

Only if the certificate shows emergency medical cover of at least EUR 30,000 for the whole stay and the embassy accepts it. Ask the bank's insurer for a certificate in your name.