If you have an American Express credit card, you’re probably familiar with Amex travel insurance. Technically, it’s actually Chubb travel insurance, but it’s sold under the brand American Express My VoyageGuard.
Yup, these days you can buy insurance from the nearest bank or credit card company. Kinda like when HMV reduced their CD section and started selling peripheral crap like hoodies and toys. (Anyone remember this… or am I just showing my age?)
Buying travel insurance from your credit card company is convenient, but what’s really in that American Express travel insurance plan? Let’s have a look.
Amex travel insurance at a glance
American Express travel insurance is sold under the My VoyageGuard brand, and it comes in 3 varieties: Essential, Standard and Superior. Here’s how they compare:
| Travel insurance plan | Essential | Standard | Superior |
| Price for 1 week (ASEAN) | $37 | $59 | $74 |
| Price for 1 week (Asia) | $47 | $64 | $96 |
| Price for 1 week (worldwide, excluding USA and Canada) | $72 | $88 | $118 |
| Price for 1 week (worldwide, including USA and Canada) | $86 | $105 | $142 |
| Promotion | 35% off single trip plans until 31 Mar 2019 Gift vouchers of $30, $120 and $200 respectively for annual trip plans, with an additional free Samsonite luggage for superior plans until 31 March 2019. | ||
| Medical expenses (overseas) | $500,000 | $1,000,000 | $2,000,000 |
| Emergency medical evacuation | $500,000 | $1,000,000 | Unlimited |
| Personal accident (death & TPD) | $125,000 | $250,000 | $500,000 |
| Travel delay ($200 every 6 hours) | $800 | $1,200 | $2,400 |
| Trip cancellation | $5,000 | $10,000 | $20,000 |
| Baggage delay ($200 every 6 hours) | $800 | $1,200 | $2,400 |
| Baggage loss/damage | $3,500 | $5,000 | $8,500 |
| Adventure activities covered? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Amex travel insurance promotions
With rather steep price tags, American Express travel insurance is the sort of product you’ll want to wait till there’s a good promotion going on before you buy.
Right now, the super generous 35% off all single trip plans promotion brings the basic plan’s one-week coverage in ASEAN to $24.05.
You can stay up to date on the latest Amex travel insurance promotions here.
By the way, you can get free travel insurance coverage if you charge your full airfare to the Amex KrisFlyer Ascend credit card. However, this is only for travel accidents and delays, not for things like medical expenses, so it’s insufficient for most people.
Card Benefits
- Apply through MoneySmart from 22 Mar - 19 Apr 2018 to get S$100 worth of Grab OR NTUC Vouchers. Application must be approved by 3 May 2018. Submit your (i)Contact Details and (ii)14-digit Reference Number on the Thank You Page upon completion at this link before 19 April 2018. T&Cs
- 1.2 KrisFlyer Miles = S$1
- 2 KrisFlyer Miles = S$1 in foreign currency spent overseas on eligible purchases in June & Dec
- 3.2 KrisFlyer Miles = S$1 for Grab and Uber rides, capped at S$200 per month
- Spend above S$15,000 on eligible purchases on singaporeair.com within first 12 months of Card approval and get upgraded to KrisFlyer Elite Gold Membership
- Four complimentary lounge access to participating SATS Premier and Plaza Premium Lounge each year
- Complimentary night's stay each year at one of over 90 participating Millennium Hotels and Resorts properties worldwide
- Up to $1 million travel insurance coverage
What does Amex travel insurance cover?
First of all, it must be said that the medical benefit of $500,000 is crazy high, especially for a basic plan. You’d typically need to upgrade to a more premium plan to get such a high coverage limit. (I guess buying travel insurance from an American company has its perks, right?)
Another thing that impressed me was that there was absolutely nothing at all in the Amex travel insurance policy wording to exclude outdoor activities or even extreme sports. Definitely one for adventurous #YOLO types.
| Outdoor activity | Covered by American Express? |
| Hot air balloon | Yes |
| Scuba diving | Yes |
| Skiing and other ice/snow sports | Yes |
| Hiking or trekking | Yes |
| Mountaineering or outdoor rock climbing | Yes |
| Marathons or other competitions | Yes |
| Jet skiing | Yes |
| White water rafting | Yes |
| Skydiving | Yes |
| Paragliding, hang gliding or parachuting | Yes |
| Bungee jumping | Yes |
However, apart from the impressive medical coverage limits and ultra-lenient policy, the other travel insurance benefits are merely so-so.
Chubb travel insurance claim procedure
Even though you buy this travel insurance from American Express channels, every aspect of the after-sales support is taken care of by Chubb Insurance.
Chubb has a very good international reputation for its emergency assistance, which is reassuring if your idea of a good time is trying to cheat death.
Emergency hotline: Call the Chubb Assistance emergency hotline at +65 6836 2922.
Online claims: Submit claims and supporting documents online through Chubb’s online portal. Alternatively, download the claims form PDF and email with documents to [email protected]
You’ll get an acknowledgement within 3 days.
Conclusion: should you buy Amex travel insurance?
The answer would vary greatly depending on what the current Amex travel insurance promotion is like.
If there’s a good ongoing promotion off, then yes, the cheapest Essential is probably one of the best travel insurance plans you can buy in terms of medical coverage. This is something you’d want to consider if you’re going to a place known for expensive healthcare, such as Japan, Norway or the US.
The fact that Amex is super lenient and covers almost every death-defying experience you can think of makes it even more impressive. So if you’re that extreme, this might be the best travel insurance in Singapore for you.
On the other hand, if there isn’t a deep discount, then Amex travel insurance is pricier than average and won’t offer that much bang for your buck. Note that its benefits for stuff like personal accident and travel inconveniences aren’t really spectacular.
Looking to buy Amex travel insurance? Compare all Singapore travel insurance policies by price and coverage first.
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Tags: Travel Insurance
