Citibank travel insurance is one of the most popular travel insurance options in Singapore, perhaps because you can get complimentary Citibank travel insurance if you charge your travel fare to selected Citibank credit cards.
In this article, we’ll take a look at the free travel insurance coverage and see if it’s adequate, or whether you should pay for an upgrade (by opting for paid Citibank travel insurance).
Citibank complimentary travel insurance – is it good enough?
You can get complimentary travel insurance if you charge your full travel fare to either a Citi PremierMiles Card or a Citibank Cash Back or Citibank Rewards Card. Here’s a quick look at the coverage:
| Citibank complimentary travel insurance | Citi PremierMiles (provided by AXA) | Citibank Rewards / Cash Back Card (provided by AIG) |
| Medical expenses (overseas) | $40,000 | $40,000 |
| Emergency medical evacuation | $100,000 | $100,000 |
| Personal accident (death or TPD while on common carrier) | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Flight delay ($100 every 8 hours) | $500 | $500 |
| Trip cancellation | $500 | $500 |
| Baggage delay ($200 every 8 hours) | $600 ($100 every 8 hours) | $500 ($200 every 8 hours) |
| Baggage loss/damage | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| Adventure activities covered? | Some | Some |
So, is this free travel insurance good enough? It depends on what kind of coverage you need.
First, both plans focus on personal accident coverage – i.e. a payout in the event of a plane crash, car accident and the like, and so the PA component is much higher than that of the standard travel insurance. However, everything else has MUCH lower coverage limits.
The free travel insurance you get with Citi PremierMiles, which is provided by AXA, is slightly better. It even covers stuff like skydiving, bungee jumping, rock climbing and parachuting. Both policies cover the basic stuff like hiking up to 3,500m and scuba diving with a license.
However, you should note that the PA component is specifically for while you’re on a common carrier (i.e. mode of transport, e.g. train, plane, bus). So you won’t get a payout in, say, a tragic trekking accident. You can only claim for evacuation or medical expenses.
Another limitation of the free travel insurance plans is the exclusion of COVID-19 benefits. In the event of travel inconveniences or testing positive before or during your holiday, you will not be covered by the free coverage plans. A big boo-hoo especially if you’re travelling in the time of a pandemic, you want to cover all your bases.
Bottom line: Citibank complimentary travel insurance has very low coverage limits compared to even basic travel insurance plans. You may want to boost your coverage by opting for a paid plan and definitely, looking into a COVID-19 add on.
Citibank travel insurance at a glance
Citibank does not sell “house brand” travel insurance (like DBS does with DBS TravellerShield Plus), but it does distribute Direct Asia under Citibank travel insurance.
Unlike the typical travel insurance plans that are categorised into 3 different tiers, Direct Asia’s Trip Saviour travel plans are offered in 2 tiers: Deluxe and Premium.
| Travel insurance plan | Deluxe | Platinum |
| Price for 1 week (ASEAN) | $57 | $69 |
| Price for 1 week (Asia) | $71 | $86 |
| Price for 1 week (worldwide) | $90 | $114 |
| Promotion | 25% off till 31 March 2022 | |
| Medical expenses (overseas) | $500,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Emergency medical evacuation | $1,500,000 | $1,500,000 |
| Personal accident (death & TPD) | $500,000 | $500,000 |
| Trip cancellation | $15,000 | $15,000 |
| Travel delay ($100 per 6 hours) | $1,500 | $2,000 |
| Baggage delay | $2,500 | $2,500 |
| Baggage loss/damage | $5,000 | $7,500 |
| Adventure activities covered? | N0 | No |
Citibank travel insurance promotion
In the past, Citibank distributed travel insurance from two of the most high-end travel insurers in Singapore, AXA and AIG. However, now, that has changed to Direct Asia who hold a reputation for their budget-friendly travel insurance plans.
There’s a current promotion of 25% off which shaves off the price even further. A week’s coverage in ASEAN will still set you back $42.75. However, this is far from the cheapest plan on the market given that it offers no COVID-19 coverage. For the Trip Saviour plans distributed by Citibank, COVID-19 add-ons are not an option. So, even if you wanted to top up your plan with additional coverage to protect yourself from travel inconveniences, you can’t.
What does Citibank travel insurance cover?
Citibank’s Trip Saviour travel insurance coverage is pretty impressive with generous payouts for both the Deluxe and Platinum plans. From medical emergencies to travel inconveniences, it offers comprehensive coverage on all fronts. However, the Trip saviour plans do not come cheap. For instance, a week in Malaysia will add up to $57. The generous payouts do come with a hefty price tag.
Citibanks Trip Saviour plans are great if you’re going on vacation for R&R. This is to say you won’t be doing much else than going to spas, shopping, and stuffing yourself silly. The plans do not cover outdoor activities. If you’re intending to embark on an adventure, Trip Saviour’s plans are not ideal.
To make things worse, Citibank’s Trip Saviour plans do not offer any COVID-19 coverage. It’s not even an optional add-on. If you’re travelling in the time of a pandemic, look here instead for travel insurance plans with COVID-19 coverage.
Citibank travel insurance claim procedure
Emergency hotline: Depending on the plan, either call the AXA emergency hotline at +65 6322 2566 or AIG emergency hotline at +65 6733 2552 for the free travel insurances and Direct Asia for plans you have purchased through Citibank at +65 6603 3699.
AXA claims procedure: Submit your claim through this online form or print the travel claims form and mail with your documents to AXA Insurance Pte Ltd, 8 Shenton Way #24-01 AXA Tower, Singapore 068811
AIG claims procedure: All the info and forms you need are on the travel insurance claim page.
You can submit a claim through the online form or download the hard copy claim form and mail them with your documents to Travel Claims Department, AIG Asia Pacific Insurance Pte Ltd, AIG Building, 78 Shenton Way, #07-19, Singapore 079120
Direct Asia: All the information you need are available on the travel insurance claim page. You can submit a claim through the online form.
Conclusion: should you get Citibank travel insurance?
With Citibank, you have a choice between complimentary travel insurance (with a Citi PremierMiles, Citibank Cash Back or Citibank Rewards Card) or paying for a premium insurer.
Free things are always nice, but if you look at the coverage limits on the complimentary insurance plans, you’ll realise that the limits fall way short of industry standards for paid travel insurance. Take it up at your own risk!
If you plan to buy travel insurance with Citibank, you’ll have to pay a premium for the Direct Asia plans. It’s expensive and the coverage isn’t spectacular for what you pay, considering that it does not offer any COVID-19 or outdoor activities coverage. It’s a deal breaker, if you’re asking me.
Looking to buy Citibank travel insurance? Compare all Singapore travel insurance policies by price and coverage first.
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