4 Best Travel Insurance With COVID-19 Coverage in Singapore

This was originally posted on Planner Bee.

With the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic behind us, many are thinking of travelling again, or may already have trips in the pipeline.

Travelling in the post-Covid era has evolved. While travel is a lot less restrictive than it was in the last few years, there is still a fair bit of unpredictability attached to it. So before you jet out to your chosen vacation spot, don’t forget to consider something we think is as crucial and important as your plane ticket: travel insurance.

As people rush to travel again, airports around the world have also been grappling with the sudden influx of visitors. Many locations that lost or cut workers during the pandemic have found themselves unable to cope with the surge in travel, leading to issues like lost baggage, flight delays and cancellations.

And while Covid-19 is now considered endemic in many countries, it continues to be a consideration when people travel.

Covid-19, the new normal

As such, most insurance providers have added varying extents of Covid-19 coverage to their travel insurance plans. Some offer far better coverage than others.

With so many travel insurance providers to choose from, it can be difficult to settle on one. Here’s our compilation of some of the best travel insurance with Covid-19 coverage in Singapore you can get.

Apart from the insurance premiums, these are some other factors in the coverage you should also consider looking out for:

• Trip cancellation/postponement/curtailment
• Medical expenses coverage
• Overseas hospital cash
• Overseas quarantine allowance
• Ease of claims

Looking to travel soon and would like someone to help you with your travel insurance needs? Leave a request via this form and our team will help you each step along the way, from sourcing to making claims if need be.

1. AIG Travel Guard

The AIG Travel Guard offers four types of travel insurance: Basic, Standard, Enhanced, and Supreme. The Standard travel insurance covers:

• Medical expenses: Up to S$100,000
• Quarantine allowance: S$50 per day for up to 14 days while overseas
• Travel cancellation: Up to S$2,500
• Travel curtailment: Up to S$2,500
• Travel postponement: Up to S$500
• Emergency evacuation and repatriation: Up to S$100,000

Pros:

• Flexibility to accommodate changes to your travel plans, with add-ons such as cancellation of your trip if a destination wedding is cancelled or coverage for certain problems that don’t end your trip, such as credit card cancellations, closed attractions and trip delays.

2. Income Travel Insurance

The most basic of NTUC Income’s travel insurance, NTUC Income Classic plan, costs S$61 and provides the following Covid-19 coverage limits:

• Medical expenses: Up to S$150,000 while overseas
• Quarantine allowance: S$100 per day while overseas, capped at S$1,400
• Trip cancellation: Up to S$5,000
• Travel delay: Up to S$1,000
• Loss or damage of baggage: Up to S$3,000

Pros:

• 2x more Covid-19 coverage for overseas transport and accommodation expenses
• One of the few insurers in Singapore that provide comprehensive travel insurance plans that have optional coverage for pre-existing medical conditions, such as asthma, eczema, diabetes, high blood pressure, even heart disease.

3. MSIG TravelEasy

MSIG offers three types of travel insurance: Standard, Elite, and Premier. The Standard plan is the most affordable, and also provides basic coverage for medical emergencies and trip cancellations or delays. MSIG Travel Insurance’s Covid-19 coverage is also automatically included in its travel insurance plans and provides the following coverage:

• Trip postponement, shortening, and disruption
• Traveller replacement
• Medical expenses incurred while travelling abroad
• Medical evacuation in an emergency
• Daily cash allowance for overseas quarantine

This is a pretty good list of benefits, but there are a few things missing, such as a daily hospital cash allowance.

Pros:

• Travellers who need pre-existing condition coverage
• Good for lone senior travellers
• Adventurous activities such as skiing are included

4. Singlife Travel Insurance

Singlife travel insurance is available in three tiers: Lite, Plus, and Prestige.

While Singlife travel insurance provides comprehensive coverage for non-Covid medical bills, travel delays, and trip cancellations, the lack of an international hospital cash allowance for the lite plan and the relatively low Covid-19 trip cancellation coverage across all plans takes a little shine off.

Singlife travel insurance is available in three tiers: Lite, Plus, and Prestige. The lowest tier, Lite, doesn’t come with certain coverage, such as trip cancellation or postponement for any reason, or Covid-19 overseas quarantine allowance.

Pros:

• If you are a business traveller, you will be covered for a substitute traveller (if you are unable to attend the business trip).

• If you are travelling for sports, regardless of the package you choose, you can purchase extensive add-ons for extreme water sports, winter sports, and golfing.

Exclusions to take note of

Covid-19 coverage might vary greatly amongst insurers.

Do bear in mind that travel insurance might have exclusions for travelling against a travel advisory issued by the Singapore government or your destination’s authority.

For instance, if your destination country declares a Covid-19 red alert, your insurer is likely to reject any Covid-19-related claims if you proceed with your travel plans against warning.

Another common exclusion is failing to take Covid-19 precautions. This is stated somewhat ambiguously in the policies, but it might include failing to obey any Covid-19 regulations at your destination or on the airline. To be on the safe side, you should wear your mask any time it’s necessary (or even when it’s not).

Conclusion

Even as we take precautions, the possibility of getting infected with Covid-19 remains. And despite the disease becoming endemic in most parts of the world, coming down with it remains a disruption to travel plans.

In times of uncertainty, it is always wise to be certain of the safety net you have when travelling overseas. Travel insurance can protect you, not only from Covid-19, but also many other nitty-gritties such as baggage loss, flight delays and accidents.

Click here to request for the best travel insurance for your wanderlust needs and bon voyage!