Travel Insurance 101: A Guide To Five Things All Travellers Must Know

Travel insurance is a must-have, but purchasing a plan can be intimidating for first-timers. Here are five basic but important things to know when choosing the best travel insurance plan.

Are you planning for your next vacation soon?

In between tracking down hotel deals and scrambling for cheap flights, there’s one more task you shouldn’t ignore. That is, buying a suitable travel insurance policy as a safety net in case anything goes awry during your trip. It’s not just a matter of buying the first travel insurance policy you chance upon, there are a few things you will need to figure out which includes the coverage the travel insurance policy affords you and how much travel insurance coverage is enough?

In this Q&A article, we detail five things all travellers must know when buying travel insurance.

Table of contents:

Travel insurance providers and promotions
Five things to note
Conclusion
Extra FAQs

Travel insurance providers and promotions

Check out the best travel insurance plans in Singapore and ongoing promotions!

Five things all travellers must know

Be it medical coverage, travel disruptions, emergency medical evacuation or personal accident, these are some important things to note before you purchase your travel insurance.

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Q1. How early should I purchase travel insurance?

Technically speaking, there’s no limit on how early you can purchase your travel insurance, although most people would only buy a plan once they have confirmed their holiday. This usually means anywhere from a few months to a few days prior.

Having said that, different insurers may have varying limits on how far in advance you can purchase your travel policy; up to 90 days in advance is common. Although, that’s not usually a big deal – you can simply come back later if you’re too early.

On the other hand, it is best not to leave your travel insurance to the last minute, lest you end up making a hasty decision and spending more than you need.

There are many insurance plans available on the market, so you should give yourself sufficient time to compare various options and find the best balance between budget and coverage.

Another reason not to delay buying your travel insurance is that you may need to cancel your trip before departure. If you do not have a travel insurance plan by then, you won't be able to claim any trip cancellation benefits.

Related to this topic: When Is It Too Late to Get Travel Insurance?

Q2. Should I get a single-trip or an annual travel policy?

This will depend on the number of trips you’re taking in a year, how long your trips are, where you are going, and what you will be doing on your trip.

Simply put, an annual trip policy covers you for multiple trips within 12 months, so if you plan on taking more than a few holidays within the year, you may find an annual trip to be more cost-effective compared to buying several single trip policies.

Do note that annual plans may restrict how long each trip will be covered, so this may not work for exceedingly long holidays.

For instance, if you’re planning to stay for six months in Paris, and two months in Japan, but your annual policy only allows up to 90 days of coverage per trip, then the Paris leg of your odyssey will not be covered.

In this case, you will need two separate single-trip policies. Most single-trip plans offer up to 180 days of coverage, but do check before buying.

Next, travel insurance is priced according to geographical region, and tends to go up as you move from Southeast Asia to Asia Pacific to the rest of the world. In particular, travel insurance premiums are especially costly in the USA, due to the country’s exceedingly high healthcare costs.

This is important because when including multiple countries in the same travel policy, your premiums will be charged based on the farthest destination.

For instance, if you’re taking five trips in Southeast Asia, and one trip to Brazil, your entire policy will be priced at the highest tier.

The same principle applies when it comes to activities that require additional coverage, such as golfing or scuba diving. Because add-ons are applied to the entire plan, you may end up paying for benefits that you can’t use during certain trips in an annual plan.

It’s worth noting that single-trip travel insurance doesn't mean “single destination”; you can choose multiple countries under one policy, which means you don’t always have to choose an annual plan if you’re travelling to more than one location.

Compare Single Vs Annual Trip Travel Insurance

Best Annual Travel Insurance Plans

Q3. Can I be covered by travel insurance if I’m not vaccinated for COVID-19?

Yes, you can.

In fact, earlier on during the pandemic when vaccines were still in development, many border control authorities required travellers to obtain travel insurance cover specifically for COVID-19. This means that insurers were required to provide coverage to the unvaccinated and most likely still do.

Requiring COVID-19 insurance to enter a country for tourism has now largely been dropped, but it’s still a good idea to ensure you have proper COVID-19 coverage just in case.

Note that having COVID-19 insurance does not exempt you from adhering to the entry requirements of your host country.

If the country you visit requires all travellers to be vaccinated, being unvaccinated will bar you from entry.

Your insurer may then refuse your claims for trip curtailment because you did not adhere to the host country’s travel requirements.

Hence, always make sure that you meet the entry requirement of your host country, though most of the restrictions are now pretty much back to pre-COVID times.

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Q4. Can I extend my insurance while I’m overseas?

Yes, you can. Travel insurance may be purchased from wherever you are, and you will receive coverage as long as your payment is made and no policy exclusions are triggered.

Although, technically, it’s not an extension, as you would need to purchase a new policy starting from when your old one ends.

So if you need to prolong the duration of your travel insurance, all you have to do is to purchase a new travel plan online to cover the remainder of your holiday. You can even choose a different insurer or plan if you wish.

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Q5. Are there any penalties if I were to cancel my travel insurance plan?

No, there aren’t any penalties for cancelling a travel insurance plan due to a disruption, but you may only be able to get back part (or none) of the premiums you paid, depending on the type of travel plan you purchase.

Single trip plans are sold without refunds, as they are issued immediately upon payment. Hence, there’s no point cancelling your policy, as that will only leave you out of pocket and without coverage.

Annual plans may allow a partial refund, but it depends on the duration remaining on the policy. Some insurers may only offer a refund up to 6 months in, while others may offer a prorated refund at several junctures throughout the policy.

That’s not to say you won’t be able to get a refund no matter what, and it is possible your insurer may relent under certain circumstances.

However, you should be aware that travel insurance policies are sold without free look periods (that’s the mandatory 14-day period within which you are free to cancel a life insurance policy and get a refund), and thus insurers are well within their rights not to offer a refund.

All the more reason to carefully compare travel insurance policies before you buy!

Conclusion

Purchasing travel insurance isn't actually that hard. The key thing to note is to do your own research to find out which travel insurance plan suits you the best in terms of coverage and premium pricing.

Compare the best travel insurance deals here on our site!

Extra FAQs

#1: What does travel insurance cover?

The main categories of travel insurance coverage include medical expenses overseas, personal accident, death or total permanent disability, travel disruptions or cancellation, baggage loss, flight delay, COVID-19 medical expenses and rental car coverage.

Best Travel Insurance for Phones

#2: Which travel insurance is easiest to claim?

There is no single insurer that is reputable for being the easiest to claim, but it's great to look out for insurers that allow online claims to be done, instead of having to submit a physical claim form.

Do note that the period of which your claim is approved or rejected also depends on other variables like the type of claim you're making, and whether or not you have properly submitted all necessary documents.

Failure to do so may cause delays to your claim approval process and maybe even get rejected.

#3: Is travel insurance mandatory?

In most scenarios, travel insurance is not mandatory but it's definitely encouraged and good to have to safeguard you against any unexpected travel inconveniences. However, there are situations where travel insurance may be required for your trip:

Visa requirements — Certain countries may require travellers to buy travel insurance as a requirement for obtaining a visa, especially for long-term visas, visas for studying or working abroad.
Cruise ships — Some tour operators or cruise lines may require you to purchase travel insurance as part of their package or booking.
Specific travel destinations — In some remote or high-risk destinations, travel insurance might be required for the safety and well-being of travellers during emergencies. Do also note that certain countries like Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Liberia, Congo, Sudan, and Syria are not covered by insurers because of how dangerous they are, so it's best to do your research first.

#4: Will my travel insurance premium increase if I file a claim?

Unlike car insurance premiums that increase after a claim is made, any claims made will not affect the premiums of your next travel insurance.

Travel insurance premiums are solely based on the destination and duration of your trip.

Travel Insurance: 5 Things You Must Know + SingSaver tips

Alevin K Chan