Great Eastern Travel Insurance Singapore Review 2018

March 28, 2018

Great Eastern used to be one of the biggest life insurance companies in Singapore, back when everyone wore huge-ass shoulder pads. Even so, the brand has never quite been top-of-mind when it comes to travel insurance. Now that the field has been disrupted by so many young upstarts, can the Red Lion still play the game? Here’s what Great Eastern travel insurance looks like now:

Great Eastern Travel Insurance Price and Coverage

Travel insurance plan	Great Eastern Travel [email protected]	Great Eastern TravelSmart Classic	Great Eastern TravelSmart Elite
Price for one week in…	Asia: $36 Worldwide: $54	Asia: $50 Worldwide: $77	Asia: $58 Worldwide: $91
Promotion	30% off for single trip plans until 31 Mar 2018
Medical expenses (overseas)	$200,000	$300,000	$500,000
Emergency medical evacuation	$1,000,000	$1,000,000	$1,000,000
Personal accident (death & TPD)	$100,000	$200,000	$300,000
Travel delay ($100 every 6 hours)	$1,000	$1,200	$1,200
Trip cancellation	$5,000	$10,000	$15,000
Baggage delay ($200 every 6 hours)	$1,000	$1,000	$1,200
Baggage loss/damage	$3,000	$5,000	$5,000
Adventure activities covered?	Some (excludes airborne activities and scuba diving)	Yes	Yes

GE travel insurance price comparison

Great Eastern is currently quite affordable thanks to its 30% discount, but if there is no discount the plans are more expensive than average across the board. Note that there is a cheaper basic TravelSmart plan ($20 for a week) for Malaysia, Batam or Bintan.

GE travel insurance coverage comparison

If you’re not too fussed about medical coverage, GE’s Travel [email protected] plan isn’t a bad choice as a basic travel insurance plan (as long as you still get a promotional rate). But honestly, it’s not very impressive either.

Take note of the activity restrictions on the Travel [email protected] plan though. If you’re interested in scuba diving or any aerial activity (like skydiving, ziplining, bungee jumping, helicopter rides, etc.) you have to upgrade to the TravelSmart Classic or just find another insurance provider.

That said, the TravelSmart Classic and Elite plans are even less impressive for 2nd- and 3rd-tier plans. In particular, the limits for travel delays, baggage delays and loss are really quite low. If you’re willing to pay more, there are definitely better value-for-money plans out there.

Looking to buy Great Eastern travel insurance? Compare all Singapore travel insurance policies by price and coverage first.

How to make Great Eastern travel insurance claims

Refer to GE’s travel insurance claim page for claim form, procedures and required documents.

For emergencies, you can call Great Eastern’s emergency hotline at +65 6339 2155.

Otherwise, claims can only be made by mail. Print out the travel claim form and mail it with supporting documents to Great Eastern General Insurance Limited, 1 Pickering Street, #01-01 Great Eastern Centre, Singapore 048659 (Attention: General Insurance Claims Department).

Summary: Pros & cons of buying travel insurance with GE

PRO: Cheap basic plan for Malaysia, Batam and Bintan. Just escaping to these neighbouring destinations for the weekend? You shouldn’t overpay – the cheapest GE plan should be more than enough.

CON: Coverage is… meh. The limits aren’t bad, but they’re not really that high. I wouldn’t feel confident buying GE insurance to go on a great Shinkansen tour of Japan, but perhaps it’s fine for cheaper countries.

CON: Scuba diving and aerial activities not covered in basic plan. GE Travel [email protected] is strictly for landlubbers. If you’re NOT interested in being underwater and looking at all the weird life forms down there, and the thought of dangling in mid-air makes you go “hell no”, then it’s fine. But if you wanna do those things, there are other basic plans that will cover you.

CON: Outdated claims process. Hey Great Eastern, 1995 called. They want your insurance claims procedure back.

Have you ever bought travel insurance from GE? Share your experience with us in the comments.