Manage your services with My Singtel App
Manage your services with My Singtel App
Whether you’re travelling solo, with your family or friends, the unexpected can always arise despite careful planning. To give you an idea of what unexpected things could happen when you’re travelling across countries, let’s delve into potential scenarios and explore how travel insurance can be a safeguard against these situations:
- Medical emergencies:
Travelling with children or the elderly, who generally have lower immunity, can increase the risk of medical emergencies. Not to mention, medical treatment and hospitalisation costs in a foreign country can often be expensive. If you’re travelling alone and fall ill abroad, the situation can also be daunting, as you may lack immediate support.
In this instance, having to buy travel insurance can help manage the financial risks of medical emergencies during travel. It's particularly vital for breadwinners or self-employed individuals who can't afford the added financial strain of medical expenses while already facing income loss due to time off work.
Let's consider Malaysia, a popular destination for many Singaporeans. Despite a relaxation in travel insurance requirements, the country subsequently experienced a spike in COVID-19 cases. These fluctuations underscore the unpredictability of the pandemic situation, even in destinations that seem to have the pandemic under control. Having purchased travel insurance shows a level of preparedness for mitigating uncontrollable risks like COVID-19, ensuring peace of mind during your travels.
- Trip cancellation:
When you’re travelling with your family or in a group, travelling often involves extensive planning and higher costs. Trip cancellations or delays, therefore, can lead to substantial financial losses. Travel insurance can help mitigate these losses by covering expenses related to cancellations or delays, such as your flights or accommodations.
And if you’re travelling solo, this coverage is also equally important. How? Because it offers reimbursement for unexpected changes in your travel plans, allowing you to rebook your flights or hotel stays.
Taking the example of the flight delay on the 6th of September 2023, passengers on Singapore Airlines flight SQ833 to Shanghai experienced significant inconvenience due to an extended delay and subsequent cancellation. This incident underscores the value of travel insurance, which can provide financial protection against unforeseen costs like additional hotel accommodations to stay the night or flight rebooking. Such coverage is crucial for both group and solo travellers, safeguarding against unexpected travel disruptions.
- Lost luggage:
The risk of luggage misplacement increases with group travel due to the higher number of bags involved. According to Baggage IT Insights 2022 by aviation technology provider SITA, mishandled bags increased by 24% to 4.35 bags per thousand passengers as travellers returned to the skies in 2021.
This unpredictability underlines the importance of buying travel insurance. It compensates for the contents of your lost luggage, reducing the financial and emotional stress of such incidents, which is particularly valuable whether you’re travelling solo or in groups.
Depending on whether you travel alone, with family or friends, or make multiple business trips year-round, selecting the right insurance plan can help you save more money, reduce mental stress, or do both. With an array of options available, let’s explore the various travel insurance plans, each tailored to meet different travelling needs and situations, ensuring that you’re well-prepared for whatever your trip may bring.
- Family Trip Plan
As the name suggests, this plan is designed for families travelling together. It covers the policyholder, their spouse, and children. Getting a whole family under one policy is simply more cost-effective and simplifies management and claims processes.
- Single Trip Plan
This plan is ideal for individuals or families travelling on a one-off trip. It’s tailored for a specific trip’s destination and duration, offering comprehensive coverage for that particular journey.
- Worldwide Plan
A worldwide plan provides comprehensive travel insurance covering international anywhere in the world. It’s perfect for global explorers who plan to travel from one country to another.
While worldwide travel insurance plans offer extensive coverage, it's important to check on the exclusion of high-risk activities and specific regions with increased danger or instability.
- Annual Plan
The annual plan is suited for frequent travellers, covering multiple yearly trips. It’s convenient and often more cost-effective compared to repeatedly buying single trip plans if you already know you’ll travel to various destinations within a year.
Psst… Here’s a tip for you! Singtel Travel Protect offers all the above-mentioned plans, making sure that you’ve got travel insurance coverage that suits your unique needs.
While the above-mentioned types of travel insurance policies are standard in many ways, there are some essential factors that you need to carefully evaluate before deciding which plan is most suitable for you.
1. Cost:
The price of the insurance policy is a primary consideration. Compare different plans to find one that fits your budget and offers the coverage you need. It’s crucial to balance affordability with comprehensive protection, like the ones that Singtel Travel Protect can provide.
2. Coverage:
Examine the extent of coverage each policy provides. This includes looking at medical emergency coverage, trip cancellation, baggage loss, and coverage for specific activities you might engage in, such as adventure sports.
3. Customer support:
Reliable customer support is crucial, especially in emergencies. Look for insurers known for their responsive and helpful customer service, and check if they provide 24/7 support. This could be invaluable when you need immediate help or guidance while travelling.
4. Claim processes:
Understanding the insurer’s process for filing and processing claims is paramount. A straightforward and efficient claims process can greatly ease the financial and mental stress in case you encounter issues during your trip.
5. Declare any pre-existing medical conditions:
If you have any pre-existing medical conditions, make sure you declare them at the time of purchasing the travel insurance policy. Failing to do so might result in your policy becoming void.
6. Policy reviews, ratings, and refund policy:
Before finalising a travel insurance policy, it's important to assess the insurer’s reviews and ratings for reliability and customer satisfaction.
Also, be aware of the refund policy, which can be crucial if your travel plans change unexpectedly. This step ensures that you choose a policy that not only covers your medical and travel needs but also offers flexibility and dependability.
