Is Travel Insurance With COVID-19 Coverage Still Necessary?

The time of the year that we have all been patiently waiting for has finally arrived: the festive season. And what better way to celebrate it than to hit the roads and book a ticket out of Singapore to satisfy our travel bug?

With travel restrictions to most countries being close to none, even unvaccinated travellers can now hop on a plane and yeet out of Singapore on their long-awaited trip. ART and PCR tests for most countries are no longer required, helping us shave off your travel expenses.

So the question begs: do I still need COVID-19 coverage if I’m purchasing a travel insurance plan? The whole world has practically contracted COVID-19 at least once, do I still need the safety net that travel insurance plans offer?

Best travel insurance plans with COVID-19 coverage

Before we get into the nitty-gritty, here is a list of the best travel insurance plans in Singapore you can consider before your next trip. While most of the plans offer COVID-19 coverage, the rest have COVID-19 coverage only in certain tiers or require an additional top-up for a COVID-19 rider.

Here are the deets:

Travel Insurance	COVID-19 coverage?	COVID-19 coverage	Premiums
AIG Travel Guard	Yes	- COVID-19 related medical expenses coverage of up to S$250,000 - Up to S$7,500 for trip cancellations or early return - Overseas quarantine allowance of up to S$100 a day for 14 days	From S$38
FWD Travel Insurance — COVID-19 Rider	Yes, as a rider	- Only applicable for COVID-19 rider add-on - Up to S$200,000 for medical expenses - S$100 local or S$50 overseas hospitalisation cash per day for 14 days - Up to S$5,000 for trip cancellation	S$13.33
MSIG TravelEasy	Yes	- Up to S$250,000 for COVID-19 medical coverage - Up to S$5,000 travel cancellation coverage for COVID-19 - Up to S$1,400 overseas quarantine daily benefit	From S$29.40
Singlife Travel Insurance	Yes	- Up to S$200,000 coverage for COVID-19 related overseas medical expenses - Up to S$100 per day for overseas quarantine, up to S$2,000 (no overseas quarantine allowance for Lite plan) - Up to S$2,000 reimbursement for trip cancellation or postponement	From S$34.12
Sompo Travel (COVID-19) Insurance	Yes	- Up to S$200,000 for COVID-19 related medical coverage - Up to S$4,000 travel postponement or cancellation coverage - Up to S$1,400 quarantine allowance	From S$49
Starr TraveLead Travel Insurance	Yes	- Overseas COVID-19-related medical expenses of up to S$65,000 - COVID-19 trip-related cancellation or curtailment of up to S$500	From S$27
Tiq Travel Insurance — COVID-19 Rider	Yes, as a rider	- Only applicable for COVID-19 rider add-on - Overseas COVID-19 related medical expenses of up to S$300,000 - COVID-19 trip-related cancellation of up to S$5,000 - Overseas quarantine allowance of up to S$1,500 (S$100/24 hours)	From S$14 (for rider)

Premiums are based on a single plan for a 5-day trip to Thailand (ASEAN).

What does COVID-19 coverage cover?

Trip cancellation or postponement 

It’s all fun and games when you finally manage to secure your air tickets and lock in a date for your overseas trip. But it isn’t fun anymore if you fall sick right before your trip, especially if you’ve gotten COVID-19.

Thankfully, travel insurance with COVID-19 cover can reimburse you certain travel expenses like your flight ticket and accommodations if you choose to cancel your trip altogether. But that is only if you or your travel companion is down with COVID-19. Some travel insurance plans also allow reimbursement of pre-booked day tours or packages.

Most travel insurance also offers reimbursements if your family member is hospitalised or has passed away due to COVID-19.

Medical expenses overseas

If you got on Lady Luck’s bad side and unfortunately get COVID-19 while you’re travelling abroad, you’ll be able to claim medical expenses overseas if you seek medical help. That applies to any medication you’ve gotten from local doctors or any other treatments related to COVID-19 from overseas hospitals. 

Most travel insurance plans do not cover medical expenses incurred in Singapore before your trip, while some do offer coverage if you get COVID-19 after returning to Singapore for a stipulated period.

Bear in mind that you’ll have to produce and submit documentary proof of you being diagnosed positive for COVID-19 and the date you took the COVID-19 test.

Hospitalisation benefit

Some travel insurance plans also give offer hospitalisation benefit that pays you a cash benefit for each day (usually up to 14 days) if you’re admitted due to COVID-19.

Quarantine allowance

If in any situation you test for COVID-19 overseas and are forced to wuarantine in a COVID-19 facility or government-approved hotel, some travel insurance plans wil pay you daily allowance under their Quarantine Allowance benefit to defray teh cost of your quarantine. 

But different companies and tiers differ in the cost and frequency of payment.

Emergency medical evacuation and repatriation

The chances of the COVID-19 infection turning into a fatal illness has been exponentially decreased due to the introduction of the COVID-19 vaccines. However, there could still be a chance that COVID-19 could prove fatal to you.

In such situations where you need emergency transportation or evacuation from abroad due to COVID-19 implications, you will be able to claim for it under travel insurance. Repatriation is also covered, usually up to S$1,000,000 or even with no cap.

Why do I still need COVID-19 coverage?

#1 You have the option to cancel or make changes to your trip

Without any COVID-19 testing regulations in place for most countries you are travelling to, you can technically go undetected if you really are down with COVID-19. However, the most responsible thing you can do if you’re infected is to self-isolate to prevent infecting others around you.

Or let’s say you’ve served your 7-day self-isolation and you’re COVID-19-free. But we all know just how long it takes for your body to fully recover, as many have reportedly experienced fatigue and an incessant cough even after being negative.

In these cases, you’ll have the option to at least cancel or postpone your trip. You won’t want to travel when you’re not in the pink of health right?

#2 You can cancel your trip if a travel companion gets COVID-19

This is also especially helpful if your travel companion is down with COVID-19. Instead of travelling alone (unless you wouldn’t mind going on a solo trip), you can either postpone your trip to another date when you and your travel companion can make it, or cancel the trip altogether and get a full refund.

With COVID-19 coverage, you would at least still have the option to postpone or cancel your trip if need be instead of being forced to go ahead with your plans, knowing that all your money will be wasted if you don’t.

#3 You can claim for medical expenses overseas

Thanks to the invention of the COVID-19 jabs, most of us are no longer afraid of COVID-19 being a fatal infection unless we have pre-existing conditions that could be triggered by the infection.

Despite this, COVID-19 can be extremely uncomfortable. Your body feels like it’s on fire, your throat feels like sandpaper and you have trouble sleeping because of the constant coughing. So even if your symptoms aren’t that bad, you can still visit the local doctor to get some paracetamol for your illness. 

With COVID-19 coverage, you’ll be able to make claims even if your infection doesn’t require you to be hospitalised. At least you know that such medication will help to alleviate your symptoms a little, and won’t require any out-of-pocket expenses.

Should I get travel insurance with COVID-19 coverage?

The bottom line? Just get it. Most travel insurance plans come with COVID-19 coverage anyway, so it doesn’t cost you anything more to get covered for COVID-19.

However, there are still some plans that require you to top up COVID-19 coverage as a rider or opt for a higher-tier plan for the coverage. And we recommend you to do it. It could save you a whole lot of inconvenience and money if you or your travel companion gets infected before or during the trip!