Did anyone buy travel insurance from UOB? UOB Essential?

The general advice is usually to avoid buying insurance policy from the bank. This is regardless on whether it is an endowment policy (which is linked to some insursance company) or a travel insurance policy (which may or may not be linked to the bank).

This is because of associated loose ends. For instance, in the event of claim, who should you contact? If you call the 24 hours hotline, you may or may not get a relevant answer. To this end, you incur overseas call charges which may not be reimbursed.

Instead, consider to get travel insurance from your agent or from a reputable insurance company. Ideally, it will be through your trusted agent, who is well-versed in the contractual obligations of the travel insurance policy. In the event of a covered event, he will be able to advise you on the required documents in order to make the claim.

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Nope, you can buy from other insurance company