5 Best Annual Travel Insurance Policies in Singapore 2018
Singaporeans travel so frequently – be it for leisure holidays, work trips, random weekend getaways to Bintan, an afternoon in JB to cut your hair – that it is probably well worth it for many of us to buy annual travel insurance instead of single-trip.
Yet, we Singaporeans are a spoilt bunch. We’re always whining about how we have no work-life balance, we’re so burnt out from this rat race, life in Singapore is so boring, blah blah. The fact is Singaporeans travel an average of 5.2 times a year. 5.2! That makes us one of the most well-travelled nations in the world, side by side with those tall handsome Scandinavians who are absolutely swimming in money and leave days.
Not only will buying annual travel insurance save you money if you travel at least 7 or 8 times a year, it’ll also save you the mad scramble of buying insurance online just moments before your plane takes off.
But I’m so busy travelling! Where got time to research and compare?
Luckily for you, I’m paid to do just that. After reviewing some 20 insurance providers in Singapore, I’ve shortlisted the best annual travel insurance plans for the average Singaporean traveller.
I’ve narrowed it down to individual plans with worldwide coverage under $300 after discounts. All plans have all-rounded good coverage, including for medical expenses, emergency evacuation, trip cancellation, baggage loss/damage, plus travel/baggage delays.
Let’s take a quick look at them:
Best annual travel insurance plans 2018
| Travel insurance plan | Price for annual coverage (worldwide) | Medical & emergency coverage | Travel inconvenience coverage |
| Hong Leong HL Assurance Enhanced | $374 ($187 after 50% off) | Medical: $250,000
Evacuation: Unlimited PA: $250,000 ✔ Adventure activities (excludes airborne e.g. skydiving, bungee jumping) |
Delays: $1,000
Trip cancellation: $7,000 Item loss/damage: $5,000 |
| The Wise Traveller Secure | $210 ($188 through MoneySmart) | Medical: $315,000
Evacuation: Unlimited PA: $210,000 ✔ Adventure activities (excludes skydiving, skiing, snowboarding) |
Delays: $1,000
Trip cancellation: $10,500 Item loss/damage: $5,000 |
| Allianz Global Assistance Silver | $432 ($237.60 after 45% off with promo code any45ms) | Medical: $1,000,000
Evacuation: Unlimited PA: $80,000 ✔ Adventure activities (excludes skydiving, skiing) |
Delays: $1,500
Trip cancellation: $15,000 Item loss/damage: $12,000 |
| Aviva Travel Plus | $346 ($242.20 after 30% off for MINDEF/MHA policyholder) | Medical: $2,000,000
Evacuation: $2,000,000 PA: $100,000 ✔ Pregnancy & childbirth ✔ Adventure activities (add on) ✔ Weddings (add on) |
Delays: $1,000
Trip cancellation: $15,000 Item loss/damage: $5,000 ✔ Trip cancellation for any reason |
| Sompo TravelJoy Deluxe | $360 ($288 after 20% off) | Medical: $300,000
Evacuation: Unlimited PA: $250,000 ✔ Pre-existing medical conditions (evacuation only) |
Delays: $1,000
Trip cancellation: $6,000 Item loss/damage: $5,000 |
Looking to buy annual travel insurance? Compare all Singapore annual travel insurance policies by price and coverage first.
Hong Leong travel insurance – best annual travel insurance promotion right now
Hong Leong Finance’s insurance arm HL Assurance didn’t particularly impress me with its single-trip travel insurance. But thanks to an extremely generous promotion, Hong Leong’s annual travel insurance is EXTREMELY good value at the moment.
Hong Leong travel insurance price comparison
Not the absolute cheapest plan, but really affordable still thanks to the current 50% off promo. (Of course, given the crazily competitive nature of travel insurance, this might change any minute.) It’s under $200, what else do I need to say?
Hong Leong travel insurance coverage comparison
Despite its super-cheap price, it has good overall coverage for Singaporeans who mainly travel around Asia with the occasional sojourn to Europe and beyond. Travel inconvenience benefits are rather low, which means it’s more suited to people who don’t spend crazy amounts on travel. Note that airborne activities like skydiving and bungee jumping are excluded, sadly.
Hong Leong travel insurance emergency hotline
+65 6922 6009
How to make Hong Leong travel insurance claims
You can file claims online through a webform, but unfortunately you STILL have to follow up by mailing the original documents to HL Assurance, 11 Keppel Road, #11-01 ABI Plaza, Singapore 089057. See “Claims” section for the list of required documents.
The Wise Traveller travel insurance – independent annual travel insurance
If you want to take your chances with an independent travel insurance brand, consider The Wise Traveller as it has one of the cheapest annual plans around – even without a promotion! You may not have heard of the brand, but the policy is actually underwritten by Tokio Marine and emergency assistance is rendered by Allianz.
The Wise Traveller travel insurance price comparison
Costs only a dollar more than HL Assurance and has significantly higher benefits limits.
The Wise Traveller travel insurance coverage comparison
For the price, you get really extensive coverage on both the medical/emergency front as well as travel inconveniences. In particular, the payout for travel delay is US$150 per 6 hours, much higher than the typical S$100. (All the benefits are in USD.) Unfortunately, snow/ice sports and skydiving aren’t covered.
The Wise Traveller travel insurance emergency hotline
+65 6327 2215 (Allianz Global Assistance)
How to make Wise Traveller travel insurance claims
Simple. Just submit your claims through their online claims portal which also specifies what documents are required. For medical and dental claims, you have to mail the supporting documents + acknowledgement email to Allianz Global Assistance, 12 Marina View, #14-01 Asia Square Tower 2, Singapore 018961.
Allianz travel insurance – premium annual travel insurance for under $240
There are plenty of up-and-comers offering annual travel insurance around the $200 mark, such as FWD, Etiqa and DirectAsia. You might have bought single-trip plans from them, especially if you’re just travelling on a budget. But I must say they are simply NOT comprehensive enough for a year-long commitment.
So if you’re going to pay 200 bucks for annual travel insurance, you might as well pay a little bit more and get pretty much the best on the market – the Allianz Global Assistance Silver annual plan.
Allianz travel insurance price comparison
Ordinarily very expensive, but you can get it for $237.60 with our promo code any45ms
Allianz travel insurance coverage comparison
Amazing! $1mil for overseas medical and unlimited evacuation mean you’re pretty much covered anywhere you go. With VERY high benefit limits for trip cancellation and lost/damage items, it’s suitable for even lavish travellers.
Its main weakness is an extremely low personal accident payout – so either get a separate PA plan or live with it (if you don’t have dependents). Another thing to note is that it doesn’t cover all outdoor activities.
Allianz travel insurance emergency hotline
+65 6327 2215 (Allianz Global Assistance)
How to make Allianz travel insurance claims
Submit claims quickly and easily through their online claims portal. For medical and dental claims, you have to mail the supporting documents + acknowledgement email to Allianz Global Assistance, 12 Marina View, #14-01 Asia Square Tower 2, Singapore 018961.
Aviva travel insurance – best annual travel insurance for women
To be clear, I’m NOT saying that being female is equal to bearing children, like something out of The Handmaid’s Tale. But if there’s the slightest chance that you will be pregnant in the coming year, I’d recommend buying Aviva’s annual travel insurance, which explicitly insures pregnancy and childbirth.
Aviva travel insurance price comparison
Kind of pricey, but if you have an immediate family member with a MINDEF/MHA policy with Aviva, you get 30% off, which makes the plan excellent value.
Aviva travel insurance coverage comparison
I thought $1mil was already amazing, but Aviva has a $2mil limit on overseas medical expenses, making this one of the best plans for total healthcare benefits. Also, while most annual travel insurance plans I’ve highlighted have adventure activity exclusions, with Aviva you can get pretty much everything covered – but must pay extra lah.
Aviva travel insurance emergency hotline
+65 6322 2022
How to make Aviva travel insurance claims
Submit your claim through the online form linked on this page. For any upfront expenses e.g. medical bills, you need to mail original supporting documents (write down your policy number) to Aviva Travel Insurance Claims, Aviva Ltd, 4 Shenton Way, #01-01 SGX Centre 2, Singapore 068807.
Sompo travel insurance – annual travel insurance with cover for pre-existing medical conditions
If you have a pre-existing medical condition like asthma, consider Sompo’s annual travel insurance.
It is not a full-fledged insurance policy that covers pre-existing medical conditions – that’s NTUC Income’s Yearly Enhanced PreX plan, which is available for purchase through their hotline 6788 1222 only.
Sompo’s emergency evacuation benefit has recently been extended to cover pre-existing medical conditions. (Emergency evacuation is very rare, but when it occurs it is very costly.)
Sompo travel insurance price comparison
More expensive than the others, but it’s still under $300 with the current 20% promotion.
Sompo travel insurance coverage comparison
The travel inconvenience benefits are rather underwhelming and you won’t get millions for medical expenses, but there’s no limit on the evacuation benefit. For the price of a regular annual travel insurance plan, that’s a nice value-add to have for a little extra peace of mind.
Sompo travel insurance emergency hotline
+65 6532 2522 (for emergencies or any claim exceeding $5,000)
How to make Sompo travel insurance claims
Refer to Sompo’s claims page. For some claims, you can fill in and submit documents through Sompo’s online travel claims form. For others you will have to download the claims form here and mail with supporting documents to Sompo Insurance Singapore Pte Ltd, 50 Raffles Place, #05-01/06 Singapore Land Tower, Singapore 048623.
How to choose annual travel insurance
There are a few factors you should consider before you take the plunge. It is, after all, a year-long commitment and you can’t switch providers midway just because you buay song. Here are the basics:
- Worldwide coverage: Always choose worldwide coverage so you’re not limited to specific regions when you travel. Even if you don’t have anything planned yet, you just never know where 2018 will take you.
- Individual vs group plans: Generally annual travel insurance is a personal decision, but do note that some insurance providers give you better rates if you buy as a couple. (You don’t necessarily have to travel together.)
- Basic vs upper-tier plan: With travel insurance, you don’t want to be too giam and just stick to the cheapest plan offered by the provider. Instead, consider both basic and mid-tier plans for the best mix of affordability and coverage.
- Medical & emergency coverage: You might end up travelling to expensive countries, so make sure to buffer against high healthcare costs. Go for overseas medical expense limits of at least $300,000 if possible, and at least $1mil for emergency evacuation.
- Travel inconvenience coverage: You can get away with lower coverage for travel delays and such with single trip insurance, like if you’re going to Bali where the tourist infrastructure is strong and accommodation is plentiful. But you wouldn’t want to have to sleep at the airport in the US just because you can’t get enough compensation for a travel delay. So, pick only annual travel insurance with good coverage for travel inconvenience.
- Priced under $300: Generally you won’t want to spend more than $300 on an annual travel insurance plan unless you travel more than 10 times a year. You’ll want your annual plan to save money, not work out to be more expensive per trip.
- Adventure activities: Unlike single-trip plans where you can choose a plan that specifically covers such activities, your annual plan needs to cover anything you might end up doing in the course of the year. Even if you’re not very outdoorsy, your colleagues might talk you into learning to dive with them. You never know. So it’s best to be as unrestrictive as possible.
- Comfort level: Finally, don’t commit to an annual travel insurance plan unless you’re REALLY comfortable with the policy wording, the claims process and the reputation of the brand (both for rendering emergency assistance and for settling claims).
Have you ever bought annual travel insurance? Why or why not? Tell us about your experiences in the comments.
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Tags: Travel Insurance
