Your Travel

It is important to have travel insurance as things do not always go to plan. Read on to find out reasons why you must get protected while travelling overseas:

Easily targeted
When you travel overseas, you become a potential target for pickpockets and other awful acts. The chances that you may lose your personal valuables increases with travel, and even items such as passports or travel documents may be misplaced.

Health or Accidental Risks that are unexpected
While travelling, there are many things that could happen while you are away from the comfort of your home. Things like getting injured by falling luggage while on the way to the airport and getting involved in vehicle accidents can be things that one experiences while travelling. Travelling exposes you to things that might raise serious concerns, and it is much different getting treatment in another country as they may not provide the same quality and care as you might have back home. Getting a travel insurance can save you from unexpected medical expenses and repatriation charges should you be involved in an emergency situation that requires global assistance.

Problems back at home
In the event that you have a family member that has fallen seriously ill and you have decided to return or cancel your trip, a flight cancellation or trip curtailment cover will work for you. Having an insurance plan that can take care of your refund and rebooking fees can help you to focus on what matters more.

Terrorist Acts
There have been terror threats and travel alerts around due to political and social instability present in certain countries. For example, Paris claimed to have rebounding tourism although there were terrorist attacks a few days before their presidential elections. Many popular travel destinations have been experiencing the growth in violent crimes, which is concerning to travellers. For example, in April 2017, Australian travellers were kidnapped and robbed in Guatemala, and another incident saw a Toronto woman and her American boyfriend missing after having a meal at a restaurant. The prevelance of crime and violence has been a concern and governments have been releasing travel advisories for travellers travelling to problematic locations.

Did you know? Singapore's passport is known as one of the world's most powerful, allowing you to visit 122 destinations without needing to apply for a visa. With greater freedom, it does come with great risks. Applying for an insurance plan can help to ease the possibility of any bad experiences that may entail while travelling.

It is definitely great to travel knowing that you are well protected and free. Go where your heart truly desires with a peace of mind, and get a quote for a holiday insurance plan with assistance globally!

Here are some common travel insurance services that trusted insurers provide:

Single trip - This is a short-term plan that covers one trip that has the same starting and ending location, which is Singapore. This policy covers a traveller for a single return trip. This plan is ideal for those who do not plan to travel frequently within a year.

Annual cover - For a year, this plans covers you or anyone that you have insured on the plan, allowing travel within a region for up to 90 days in a trip. It covers trips to and from Singapore. However, you should check offers with your insurer as the price would depend on where you are flying to. There are cases where insurance coverage for trips to two or more Asian countries which are cheaper with single trips as compared to annual cover packages.

Individual plan - This plan covers only you or another person if you are buying it for them.

Family plan - With this family plan, it can cover you, your husband or wife as well as your children. Some providers have limits on the number of family members that can be on the plan, so check with your insurer to know more.

Group Plan – If you have a group of five people or more travelling together, you can consider getting a group travel insurance plan. It offers similar benefits as those in individual plans but at a much lower cost. Deciding which insurance plan may seem daunting and difficult, but if you know where you are going and what you are going to do on the trip can help make the decision easier!

It is best to buy it 30-60 days before your trip.

Purchase before you require it - It is suggested by most insurers that comprehensive plans including overseas medical insurance should be bought ahead of the trip to provide full protection beforehand. It is definitely not advisable to purchase insurance after you identify the need for medical evacuation.

Together with flight tickets – You should purchase travel insurance when you pay for flight fees, so that it would be easier to calculate the total costs.

Budget it together with your first payment – Even though you may have set enough budget to pay for just the flight alone, but you should try to purchase your trip insurance plan immediately after.

Annual Multi-Trip Plan is for frequent travellers. This plan provides coverage for unlimited numbers of overseas trips made within the year of policy, given that each trip is less than 90 consecutive days.

We provide both Individual and Family Annual Multi-Trip Plan. Note: To be eligible for the Family Annual Multi-Trip Plan, you must have 2 adults that are legally married to each other with a child or children that is related to at least 1 of the adult. Each adult can travel alone, but children must be accompanied by at least one adult.

A child is someone under the age of 18 who is unmarried, or a full-time student who is under 23 years of age at the time of the policy. For the Family Per-Trip Plan, the child must be related legally to at least 1 of the insured adults and is unemployed. For a Family Annual Multi-Trip Plan, the child has to: Be the natural or adopted child of the insured adults that are legally married together. Be reliances on either or both of them for financial assistance and support, and travelling with at least 1 insured adult during the whole trip.

* For a Per Trip Policy: 182 consecutive days * For an Annual Multi-Trip Policy: 90 consecutive days for each overseas trip

During a Major Travel Event: - Natural disasters - Epidemic or pandemic at a Phase 4 level or higher as announced by the World Health Organization (WHO) or the Singapore government issues a non-essential travel notice or the government of the country you are travelling to; - Major industrial accident; -Civil Unrest, Riot or Commotion that results in the cancellation of scheduled Common Carrier services or in a relevant government warning against non-essential travel; -Strike resulting in cancellation of scheduled Common Carrier services; or any event that leads to airspace or multiple airport closures.

Your policy is able to be extended for a maximum of 72 hours without additional premium after its expiry, if you are unable to notify the insurer to extend it due to factors such as natural disasters, epidemic, civil unrest or airspace closure.

Making claims are not as difficult and complex as it may seem. It is to lighten the burden from baggage loss or cancelled holiday trips. Insurers have clear guidelines on how to claim refunds on charges and fees that have been incurred during the trip that is covered under the policy. Reading these steps can help you easily get your claim acknowledged and approved so that you can get your travel insurance company refund:

Submit claims before the time limit
There is a time limit in which you can notify your insurers of your claim. It is adviced for you to contect customer service within 30 days after the incident as there are other procedures that needs to be completed and authorities that would be involved.

Accurately fill out the claims form
Ensure that the details provided on the claims form from your insurer are accurate, and be aware of what you are claiming for, such as post trip medical expenses or rental vehicle excess cover, as each cover has a different procedure involved. Claiming medical expenses may have a different process from claiming trip cancellations.

Prepare your evidence Pictures of tampered passports due to accidents or receipts from a hospital where you visited for treatment are all considered evidence that can support the validity of your claim. Obtaining a letter from the airline explaining your circumstance that interrupted your travel can help your claim also.

Submit your claim early during the window period
Provide sufficient time for your insurer to review your claim, and remember to get an acknowledgement receipt for it. If you think there is no response after a period of time, contact your insurer and inform them on what causes the delay. They may need other supporting documents to pursue the process.

Prepare for the possibility of an appeal
You might need to make an appeal for the insurer to reconsider your claim if they judged the circumstance differently. Ensure that you have sufficient information and prove to improve your claims.