What Claims Are You Missing Out on for Your Travel Insurance?

This post was originally posted on Planner Bee.

We have come a long way since the days of Covid-19, and travel has resumed with a vengeance. But with travel going full swing, reports of unexpected accidents in the air and new viruses spreading across borders can spook us. Travel insurance has become more than a good-to-have – it’s practically an essential.

While you may buy travel insurance without missing a beat, when was the last time you made a claim? Does the thought of the administrative process throw you off, or do you feel you don’t have the time to comb through pages of benefits and conditions? You could be missing out on reimbursements that would offset what you’ve paid for the plan, as well as other costs incurred by travel inconveniences.

We’re here to help–let’s explore common travel incidents that you may not have claimed for, and demystify the process of submitting your claim.

Illnesses that begin overseas but are treated locally

While it’s natural to think about claiming for medical treatments that take place overseas, how about for those done in your home country after you return? Did you know that travel insurance plans often cover these treatments as well, though with different conditions?

For instance, AIG’s Travel Guard Classic plan allows you to claim up to S$1,000 to S$2,000, depending on the age of the traveller, for local treatments of illnesses that you contract while overseas, but which are not serious enough to require evacuation. (To give you a sense of the minimum claims possible, we’ll mostly mention the lowest tier plans when giving illustrations in this article.)

Do note the time limit in place for seeking medical treatment locally though. For AIG’s plan, if you have received medical treatment overseas, you’ll need to have your follow-up visit to a local doctor within 30 days of arriving in Singapore. If you were not treated overseas, you’ll need to seek medical treatment within 48 hours of your arrival in Singapore. (As different plans have different time limits, do know what your plan’s is – generally it can be between 24 to 36 hours). You’ll then also be reimbursed for follow-up treatments that take place within up to 30 consecutive days of your arrival.

Another point to note is that the amount of reimbursement you are eligible for can vary depending on whether you have been treated by a doctor overseas. For example, Chubb Travel Pro Enhanced’s Essential plan provides for claims of up to S$2,500 if you have been treated by a doctor overseas, and S$200 if you have not.

If catching bugs that leave you with lingering symptoms long after you’re back is a frequent travel hazard for you, do check out the claim amounts that your plan makes you eligible for. In particular, if your child is the one who usually falls ill, you might want to seek out a plan with higher coverage for medical treatments post-travel. EQ Travel’s Essential plan covers up to $15,000 per child in a family plan for medical expenses in Singapore.

TCM treatment

Not a fan of doctors or western medicine? Travel insurance has you covered too. Should you prefer to seek out a cure via alternative means such as Traditional Chinese Medicine, chiropractic or acupuncture, your insurer may provide reimbursement for the cost of treatment. Besides the professions mentioned above, AIG Travel Guard also allows for visits to herbalists, bonesetters and osteopaths.

However, not all tiers of your plan may allow for you to claim for such treatment. The middle tier and above plans for AIG Travel Guard provide for this, permitting claims of up to S$500 for the middle tier Superior plan.

Meanwhile, Chubb Travel Pro Enhanced provides for this treatment and up to S$750 in claims, for all tiers of its plans with the exception of its lowest Basic tier, if this is a continuation of alternative medical treatment sought overseas. Otherwise, claims go up to S$200.

Replacement of traveller

The tickets are booked and accommodation settled, but someone in your travel group has a bad fall and is unable to fly, or your relative passes on and you need to stay in Singapore for the funeral. While these incidents are unfortunate in themselves, they are compounded by the hassle of arranging for another person to take your or your travel companion’s place.

At the very least, travel insurance can cover the fees and charges of making these changes. Under EQ Travel, if a serious injury or illness befalls yourself, your immediate family or travel companion within 30 days before the start of the trip, they will reimburse you up to S$200 for their lowest-tier Essential plan.

Not all travel policies include this benefit for their most basic tiers though. For example, it only comes along in middle tiers and above for AIG and Etiqa.

Pregnancy-related illnesses

You’re on a babymoon when you’re hit by waves of nausea, stricken by severe morning sickness. Or you’re involved in a car accident overseas, and worried about its impact on your pregnancy. Carrying a child is a precious thing, so it’s understandable that you’d want your insurance to help safeguard you against worries that may arise on trips.

However, pregnancy-related claims tend to be a bit tricky. Generally, travel policies do not cover expenses related to childbirth and miscarriages. Nonetheless, some plans do cover pregnancy-related illnesses and miscarriages caused by accidental injuries, and emergency medical check-ups.

Another factor to look out for are what trimesters of pregnancy the policy covers. AIG Travel Guard and EQ Travel, for instance, cover the second trimester of pregnancy onwards.

Emergency calls to insurer

Insurance matters can be tricky to sort out, especially when you’re flustered by an emergency. Fortunately, most insurers provide a hotline that you can call for help. Lest you worry about the phone bill that this might run up, insurers usually include either the cost of calling their hotline, or reimbursement for these calls up to a certain amount, in their plans. So do take note of the relevant phone numbers, in case you need to dial them for assistance!

Read more: Travel Insurance: Do I Really Need It and What Should I Take Note Of?

Extended boarding for pets

Extending your stay in a foreign country due to unexpected circumstances is one thing, but if you have pets, you’ll also want to make sure that they continue to receive care and boarding while you’re away. The good news is that insurers have taken your furry companions’ well-being into consideration too.

If you are unable to return because of injury or illness, or face a travel delay, travel plans can provide cash coverage of a certain amount per a stipulated number of hours of delay (for instance, every eight hours, or every 24 hours), up to a certain limit. If this is a priority for you, ensure that the rate paid out and the upper limit will be sufficient for your pet’s boarding arrangements. Singlife Travel Prestige has one of the highest upper limits, at S$1,000.

High-risk sports

It would be easy to think that travel insurance would exclude covering riskier activities like extreme sports. In actuality, a number of insurers provide coverage for activities that are catered to tourists and the general public, with qualified guides and instructors guiding and supervising. Other insurers have conditions that exclude activities that take place in certain arenas – say, in the air.

If you want to engage in as broad a scope of adventure as possible, make sure that your insurer can help provide you peace of mind even as you jump off a plane or descend deep into the ocean. For instance, you can check out Income Travel’s plans, which cover water, winter, air and other outdoor activities, or Tokio Marine’s Xplora Plus, which specifically covers “adventure sports” such as bungee jumping, rock climbing, jet skiing and marathons.

Claiming for travel insurance

In order to ensure that your claim process goes smoothly, be sure to retain your physical boarding passes as proof of travel. Also, hold on to all receipts for associated costs – from medical treatments, to tickets and accommodation. You’ll also want to make sure that a doctor signs off on any medical documents that you might need for a claim, especially when showing that you, a close family member or travel companion has become seriously ill or injured.

Once you have your documents in order, head over to your insurer’s website to follow the steps for making the claim. You can also call their hotline if necessary. Or, get your policies through Planner Bee for assurance that our team of specialists will assist you with any follow-ups, including with claims.

Pro-tip:__ Select from a wide range of travel policies using our comparison table