I’m glad that you’ve found my post because it means that you’re keen to purchase travel insurance for your upcoming holiday/travel plans.
Are you feeling surprised by my comment? Well, that’s because in the pre-covid times, I do know of quite a number of people who do not see the need of purchasing travel insurance for their overseas travel. For myself, I am not allowed (strict mum) to travel without travel insurance (apart from going to Johor and Batam) and when I grew older, I was very surprised to find out that it wasn’t the norm for most people. I have previously written a travel insurance post back in 2014 where I listed out all the available options/companies selling travel insurance and now that it is a whole new world with covid-19, thought that it would be meaningful for me to write a fresh entry on the concerns, options, pricing.
Just a disclaimer, things are forever changing and the information below is accurate as of Nov 2021. Please do your own due diligence if you’re reading this as the covid-19 rules are very fluid and changes happen all the time. The information below shall serve as a ‘guideline’ and not a source of truth; so please do use the info with caution!
To add, some VTL destinations (such as South Korea) requires you to purchase COVID-19 insurance with a minimum of 30 million won coverage (approx $34,000 SGD). Not too sure if they will actually check this upon arrival but the minimal they would do is to make you do a declaration and when shit happens, you’re screwed. For the most updated info, please check Korea’s embassy website (info has been changing but I find that this site has the most comprehensive and updated information).
If you read my previous entry, you’ll notice that I compared the prices between single trip and annual coverage. However, this would be a little less relevant in the COVID context as some insurers do not include ‘COVID’ coverage for the annual coverage, but to be honest you can’t really blame them for not wanting to provide coverage for this unknown black hole.
When purchasing travel insurance, I usually focus on the coverage for the following categories as part of my decision-making process:
| Insurer | Price Range for 14 day trip to Europe (UK) | Price Range for 10 day trip to Korea | COVID coverage (cancelation/ medical) | Other comments |
| NTUC income | $179.4 – $265.40 | $105 – $163 | $2k / $150k | At the point of writing, there’s a 50% promo code: VTL50 |
| Travel Covid by Sompo Insurance | $161 – $206 | $92 – $119 | from $2k /$100k | |
| Travel Guard by AIG | $90 – $197 | $68 – $153 | from $2.5k /$50k | |
| Aviva (may be rebranded to Singlife soon) | $95 – $203 | $49 – $99 | from $0.5k/$10k*
Coverage not sufficient for Korea’s requirement |
18% off with Promo code TRAVEL18 + extra 30% off for MINDEF & MHA or POGIS policyholders
*Coverage i |
| HL Assurance | $188 – $251 | $101 – 135 | from $1k/$50k | At the point of writing, there’s 50% off (without promo code). Note: There’s an even cheaper plan without covid coverage too. |
| TravellerShield plus by DBS (Chubb) | $293 – $392 | $145 – $195 | from $2.5k /$50k | 55% off until 31 Dec 2021 (no promo code) |
| $162.90 – $228.30 | $99 – $137.74 | from $1k /$75k | 50 to 52% off (no promo code) | |
| Travel Smart Premier by Great Eastern | $152 – $174 | $83 – 102 | from $1k /$25k*
*Classic coverage of $25k is not sufficient for korea’s requirements |
|
| FWD Insurance | $63 – $103 Add. $41.89 for covid coverage |
$34 – $61 Add. $24.85 |
from $1k /$100k | 30% off with Promo Code: TRAVEL30 |
| TravelEasy by MSIG | $159.50 – $265 | $83.50 – $153.50 | from $1k/$65k | |
*Will be adding more companies to the list when more insurers add the COVID-19 coverage into their policies.
If you happen to know of insurers that I have yet to add to my list, feel free to let me know in the comments below 🙂
Important notes (and fine print you may not have read):
- If you’re not fully vaccinated, there may be additional rules (PCR testing) required before you depart.
- If you’ve tested positive for COVID before, you may not be eligible for COVID coverage
- Cancellations and refunds relating as a result of COVID-19 would only be given IF the hotel/airline is unwilling to provide refunds/vouchers/credits. In order to claim, you will need to have an official document from the hotel/airline/tour operator stating that they are not giving you anything in return.
Tips
Thanks for scrolling till the end! I highly recommend everyone to purchase their travel insurance right after purchasing their flight tickets! Some insurers would even provide you coverage even if your travel companion is infected with C+, and that if you decide to cancel or postpone the trip. Even if your airlines is giving you the assurance of offering a refund/cancellation whenever the covid rules change, or if you get C+, it may be difficult to negotiate a refund with most accommodation providers, especially if you go through third party agents. Furthermore, if you have booked attraction tickets (e.g. Disneyland or broadway musicals etc.), these are usually non-refundable.