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The Best Travel Insurance in Singapore 2016/2017 ZUU Edition
The holiday season is upon us again! If you’re planning your year-end holidays now, one of the first things you should be looking at is getting travel insurance.
You wouldn’t want your holiday plans to be thwarted by unexpected scenarios without some kind of protection.
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Just last month in September, reports surfaced online about an AirAsia X Airbus A300 that was bound for Kuala Lumpur which ended up in Melbourne because the pilot had keyed in the wrong coordinates.
Situations like this, though rare, can prove to be highly inconvenient for travellers. And in instances like these, it would be crucial for one to be protected by travel insurance to avoid having to come up with additional money to solve the issue without being compensated.
Here, we highlight a few insurance plans in Singapore that you could buy before your year-end holidays:
All plans offer single-trip or annual travel coverage options.
The Best Travel Insurance for Families
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Medical bills aren’t going to go easy on you as you and your troops head off abroad. The Straits Times recently ran an article stating that Sompo and NTUC Income have added coverage for Zika under their travel insurance packages.
NTUC gives coverage for an unlimited number of children in a family. Pre-existing medical conditions are also taken care of under the Enhanced PreX plans. In fact, medical expenses for injuries or sicknesses that occur in a trip can also be covered via treatment by a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner or a chiropractor.
Group discounts can also apply if you sign up in a group of six or more. This is an excellent plan for families travelling with kids and elders.
The Classic plan starts at an annual premium of S$489.60 per family.
The Best Travel Insurance for Southeast Asia
Source: HL Assurance
For South-east Asian countries, you could opt for HL Assurance's Basic single-trip travel insurance plan. It costs just S$22 if you’re travelling to an ASEAN country and the plan doesn’t compromise on its coverage.
Overseas medical costs are covered for up to S$150,000 if you’re below 70. There’s a limit of S$3,000 for medical expenses while you’re in Singapore. The overseas hospital cash benefit runs at S$200 for every 24 hours and it can go up to a limit of S$10,000. HL also gives its insurers a post-journey hospital cash benefit of S$200 for 24 hours. This limit is capped at S$600.
If you go for the Enhanced package that costs S$6 more, your flight diversion cover of S$100 for every 6 hours has got a limit that’s double the basic’s amount — S$400. Any lost luggage and personal effects is covered up to a max of S$3000 — the amount is calculated at S$500 for every article lost.
Looking at Asia, DirectAsia Insurance gives two good travel insurance options: Travel 200 and Travel 500. If you need personal liability coverage (you’ve injured someone or damaged his property), you’re covered for up to S$1,000,000 (Travel 500). Lost your personal items? The Travel 200 plan has you covered from S$2,000.
There’s also an optional cover for pet hotels — if your return trip’s been delayed and you’ve incurred additional fees at a kennel or cattery, the additional accommodation fees are paid for, up to S$1,000.
The best insurance for worldwide travel
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MCIS Insurance has an awesome deal for worldwide travel insurance. The company’s TravelEasy insurance plan costs S$306 at the bare minimum (Standard Plan), but it gives you the key benefits of Accidental Death and Total Permanent Disability coverage of up to S$150,000 if the insured adult is below 70 years. This is an annual travel insurance policy.
Under the same age group, the Overseas Medical Expenses are accorded for up to a cost of S$250,000. MCIS’s travel insurance does not cover the Insolvency of a Licensed Travel Operator and Adventurous Activities.
The Best Year-Round Travel Insurance
Source: ERGO Group
For someone who’s always flitting from one country to another, annual travel insurance is a better pick. Ergo TravelProtect has three categories under its wings: Essential, Standard and Deluxe. You’d be covered for a maximum of 90 days for any one trip you make.
The Personal Accident coverage starts three hours before you take off and only ends when you reach home.
The plan extends its cover to extreme sports and adventure activities. Medical and dental expenses are secured for up to S$1,500,000. You would also have unlimited Worldwide Emergency Medical Evacuation coverage. All plans provide automatic extension of the policy for up to 30 days.
The premiums are priced from S$190 to S$520.
The Best Single-Trip Travel Insurance
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Sompo Insurance has got a fantastic package for single-trip travellers. There are four options to go for under the TravelJoy plan – Vital, Deluxe, Go Japan! and Elite.
You’d be forking out no more than S$40 under the Elite plan if you’re travelling to Brunei, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines or Indonesia for one to three weeks. The Deluxe plan gives you personal accident coverage of up to S$250,000 if you’re below the age of 70 and a maximum of S$50,000 if you’re above 70.
Medical expenses that occur overseas also include treatment by a Chinese Physician and chiropractor — you’re covered for S$30 per visit up to a cap of S$500). There’s also a S$500 coverage limit for treatments with a dentist or physiotherapist.
The Overseas Hospitalisation Allowance is at S$200 per day that can be claimed for up to 100 days. TravelJoy includes protection against any delays due to a hijack, loss of your hotel facilities and flight deviations.
The Best Travel Insurance by Cost
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As far as single trips go, the cheapest plan comes under eTiQa's eProtect Travel. Applications must be made online to enjoy the 51% discount, making the plan cost just S$24.01 under the Basic category.
An adult below 70 years of age is covered for Personal Accidents and Overseas Medical Expenses for up to S$200,000 each. There’s an added coverage for medical expenses in Singapore at S$5,000.
The plan carries special benefits of S$1,000 under its Hijacking/Kidnapping and Hostage category, as well as an automatic extension of cover for up to seven days.
eTiQa’s annual travel insurance plan carries the same coverage at a price of S$211.25. This is at 35% off and is subject to an online purchase.
Travel with a peace of mind
Do also check out if your credit card offers travel insurance here. Some travel credit cards even offer a coverage of up to S$1 million!
It’s time travellers started looking at travel insurance on a more serious note. According to Jane Chang of Chan Brothers Travel, theft is one of the common crimes Singaporeans face when they’re overseas. Her views were recently reported by the Straits Times. In another part of the world, AOL UK reports that certain medical bills overseas cost more than the average UK house of £211,000.
Yep, travel insurance should no longer be considered as an afterthought. It should be taken as seriously as you would your boarding pass and passport.
(By Annette Rowena)
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