6 best travel insurance with Covid-19 coverage in Singapore (2023)
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PUBLISHED ONOctober 05, 2023 3:52 AMByKames Narayanan
Now that the worst of Covid-19 is behind us, a lot of us are making or have already made travel plans. Before you jet off to you dream travel destination, don't forget to purchase the next most important thing besides your flight ticket. We're talking about travel insurance!
Remember the good old days when lost luggage was your biggest worry? These days, there's a bigger downer when it comes to travel-disruptions are likely going to be related to Covid-19, be it an infection or a trip cancellation.
Most insurance providers have added Covid-19 coverage to their travel insurance plans, but to varying extents. Some offer far better coverage than others. Find out how to choose, what to look out for, and the cheapest travel insurance you can buy with our comparison of the best travel insurance with Covid-19 coverage in Singapore.
1. Best travel insurance with Covid-19 coverage
With the sheer number of travel insurance providers out there, it can be a wee bit overwhelming to compare everything against everything else. We know that pain, because that's exactly what we've just done. Wipe away those tears of exasperation, because we've done the legwork for you and picked out the top 5 travel insurance plans in Singapore:
| Best travel insurance | Premiums (for a 7-day trip to Asean destination) | COVID-19 Coverage |
| Bubblegum Travel Insurance | $30 | Included |
| FWD Travel Insurance | $30 – $53 | Add $15.45 |
| Starr TraveLead Comprehensive | $35 – $58 | Included |
| MSIG Travel Insurance | $61 – $114 | Included |
| Singlife Travel Insurance | $40 – $79 | Included |
| DBS Chubb Travel Insurance | $75 – $122 | Included |
Why are these the top 5? We've compared them based on affordability, Covid-19 cover inclusion, high emergency medical coverage, and high trip cancellation coverage. If you're an adventure seeker, refer to this article for all the best travel insurance for extreme sports and outdoor adventure instead.
If you're ready to dive into the deets, we've compared the most popular travel insurance plans with COVID-19 coverage in Singapore. So if you're looking for a specific type of coverage for your travel needs, e.g. high trip cancellation coverage, this is a better summary table for you to work with:
| Travel insurance | Premium (for 7-day trip to ASEAN destination) | Regular coverage limits | COVID-19 coverage limits |
| Bubblegum Travel Insurance | $42 | – Overseas medical expenses: $150,000 – Trip cancellation: $5,000 |
– Trip cancellation or disruption: $600 – Overseas medical expenses: $65,000 |
| FWD Travel Insurance | $30 – $53 (Add $15.45 for Covid-19 coverage) |
– Overseas medical expenses: $200,000 – $1,000,000 |
– Trip cancellation or disruption: $5,000 |
| Starr Travel Insurance | $35 – $58 | – Overseas medical expenses: $200,000 – $1,000,000 – Trip cancellation: $5,000 – $15,000 |
– Trip cancellation or disruption: $250 – $500 (only Silver and Gold plans) |
| NTUC Travel Insurance | $61 – $98 |
– Overseas medical expenses: $250,000 – $1,000,000 |
– Travel cancellation: $2,000 |
| AIG Travel Insurance (AIG Travel Guard Direct) | $48 – $125 |
– Overseas medical expenses: $100,000 – $2,500,000 |
– Travel cancellation: $2,500 – $7,500 |
| MSIG Travel Insurance | $61 – $114 |
– Overseas medical expenses: $250,000–$1,000,000 |
– Travel cancellation: $3,000–$5,000 |
| Singlife Travel Insurance | $44 – $86 |
– Overseas medical expenses: $250,000 – Unlimited |
– Travel cancellation: $500 – $2,000 |
| DBS Chubb Travel Insurance | $51 – $120 |
– Overseas medical expenses: $300,000 – $1,000,000 |
– Travel cancellation: $2,500 – $7,500 |
| Great Eastern Travel Insurance | $65 – $75 (Covid-19 coverage for Classic, Elite only) |
– Overseas medical expenses: $300,000 – $500,000 |
– Travel cancellation: $3,000 – $5,000 |
| Sompo Travel Insurance | $64 – $83 |
– Overseas medical expenses: $50,000 – $100,000 |
– Travel cancellation: $2,000–$4,000 |
| AIA Travel Insurance | Enquire with an AIA Appointed Representative | – Overseas medical expenses: $200,000 – $2,000,000 – Trip cancellation: $5,000 – $15,000 |
– Travel cancellation: $1,500–$4,000 – Overseas medical expenses: $80,000 – $150,000 – Overseas quarantine allowance: $50 – $100/day (up to 14 days) |
| Etiqa Travel Insurance | $39 – $72 (Add $18 – $40 for COVID-19 coverage) |
– Overseas medical expenses: $200,000 – $1,000,000 |
– Travel cancellation: $3,000–$5,000 |
| Tokio Marine Travel Insurance | $78 – $101 |
– Travel cancellation: $5,000 to $10,000 |
|
| AMEX Travel Insurance | $40 – $63 |
– Overseas medical expenses: $500,000 – $2,000,000 |
– Travel cancellation: $2,500–$10,000 |
| UOB Travel Insurance | $46 – $76 |
– Overseas medical expenses: $200,000 – $750,000 |
– Travel cancellation: $1,500–$5,000 |
| OCBC Travel Insurance (by Great Eastern) | $65 – $75 (Covid-19 coverage not included in the Starter Plan) | – Overseas medical expenses: $300,000 – $700,000 – Trip cancellation: $5,000 to $15,000 |
– Travel cancellation: $3,000 to $5,000 |
Note: All travel insurance options above include Covid-19 coverage unless otherwise stated.
2. Bubblegum Travel Insurance
Bubblegum Travel Insurance is a great option if you're looking for fuss-free, essential coverage at affordable rates. Bubblegum's travel insurance model is simple, offering just one travel insurance plan. Here are its pricing and coverage benefits:
| Bubblegum Travel Insurance | Prices/coverage |
| Price (Asean) | $42/week |
| Price (Asia, Australia, New Zealand) | $45/week |
| Price (Worldwide) | $53/week |
| Overseas medical expenses | $150,000 |
| Emergency medical evacuation | Unlimited |
| Travel or baggage delay | $400 ($100 per 6 hours) |
| Trip cancellation or curtailment | $5,000 |
| Hospital cash allowance | $1400 ($100 per day) |
| COVID-19 medical expenses | $65,000 |
| COVID-19 trip curtailment or cancellation | $600 |
If fuss-free, essential travel insurance is your top priority, we think Bubblegum is a great option for you. Their travel insurance also comes with travel cancellation and travel delay coverage comparable to other providers, plus Covid-19 coverage at no additional cost.
And if you're a thrill-seeker looking at adventurous activities, Bubblegum Travel Insurance will also cover you for hot air ballooning, scuba diving and skiing, with no restriction on height or depth.
3. FWD Travel Insurance
FWD travel insurance offers some of the cheapest travel insurance plans in Singapore, so this is a budget-friendly option which still offers you great value for every dollar.
Here’s a quick run-through of the price and benefits offered by FWD travel insurance plan (with Covid-19 add-on rider):
| FWD Travel Insurance prices/coverage | Premium | Business | First |
| Price (ASEAN) | $30.00/week | $40.80/week | $52.80/week |
| Price (Asia) | $32.40/week | $50.40/week | $63.60/week |
| Price (Worldwide) | $50.40/week | $64.80/week | $87.60/week |
| Medical expenses (overseas) | $200,000 | $500,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Emergency medical evacuation | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Travel delay | $300 ($100/6 hours) | $500 ($100/6 hours) | $1,000 ($100/6 hours) |
| Trip cancellation | $7,500 | $10,000 | $15,000 |
| Covid-19 medical expenses (Post-trip) | $200,000 | $200,000 | $200,000 |
| Covid-19 overseas hospital cash ($100/day) | $1,400 | $1,400 | $1,400 |
| Covid-19 overseas quarantine allowance ($50/day) | $700 | $700 | $700 |
| Covid-19 trip cancellation | $5,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 |
When you’re purchasing FWD travel insurance, the Covid-19 benefits are an add-on. The price of the Covid-19 add-on costs between $11.59 to $21.70 depending on the part of the world you’re travelling to. If you choose to add it on, it’ll give you comprehensive coverage of the following:
- Trip disruption
- Trip cancellation
- Overseas hospital cash
- Hospital cash while in Singapore
- Medical expenses
- Emergency medical evacuation and repatriation
The plan reimburses your travel-related expenses if you are diagnosed with Covid-19 no more than 30 days before your scheduled departure date, or if you have to change your itinerary because of a Covid-19 diagnosis while overseas. You also get to claim medical expenses and a hospital cash benefit if you get hospitalised overseas or for up to 14 days in Singapore upon your return.
On top of that, there’s also an automatic policy extension of up to 21 days should you be prevented from travel as per foreign government regulations due to:
- You contracting Covid-19; or
- You or your travel companion needing to be self-isolated due to being in close contact with someone diagnosed with Covid-19
4. Starr Travel Insurance
Starr's travel insurance is called Starr TraveLead Comprehensive, and they're certainly a leader in terms of how customisable their insurance is.
When signing up, medical coverage (including Covid-19 coverage) is automatically included in all plans, but you can choose whether or not you want to add trip coverage (e.g. document loss, travel delay) and baggage coverage (e.g. baggage delay). Then, you can also easily add riders for Golf Protection, Cruise Vacation, Scuba Diving, and Snow Sports.
Starr TraveLead Comprehensive comes in three tiers: Gold, Silver and Bronze. While all are pretty comprehensive (as the name suggests), we advise you go for at least Silver. This affords you S$500,000 overseas medical coverage, as well as $250 coverage for Covid-19 related trip curtailments and cancellations — let's face it, these things may happen. You won't get this coverage in the Bronze plan, so go for Silver or Gold.
Here are the prices and coverage amounts for each tier. Prices are given with trip coverage included in the plan.
| Starr Travel Insurance prices/coverage | Bronze | Silver | Gold |
| Price (Asean) | $34.80/week | $45.60/week | $57.60/week |
| Price (Asia) | $37.20/week | $49.20/week | $62.40/week |
| Price (Worldwide) | $48.00/week | $63.60/week | $80.40/week |
| Medical expenses (overseas) | $200,000 | $500,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Emergency medical evacuation | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Travel delay | $500 ($100/6 hours) | $600 ($100/6 hours) | $800 ($100/6 hours) |
| Trip cancellation | $5,000 | $10,000 | $15,000 |
| Covid-19 medical expenses (overseas) | $15,000 | $30,000 | $65,000 |
| Covid-19 trip cancellation | NA | $250 | $500 |
5. MSIG Travel Insurance
MSIG travel insurance is categorised into three plans — Standard, Elite, and Premier. The cheapest, basic plan still offers pretty adequate coverage in medical emergencies and trip cancellations or delays.
Here’s a quick run-down of the plan’s key benefits:
| MSIG Travel Insurance | Standard | Elite | Premier |
| Price (Area A) | $61/week | $81/week | $114/week |
| Price (Area B) | $74/week | $101/week | $143/week |
| Price (Area C) | $117/week | $146/week | $201/week |
| Medical expenses (overseas) | $250,000 | $500,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Emergency medical evacuation | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Travel delay | $500 ($100/6 hours) | $1,000 ($100/6 hours) | $1,500 ($100/6 hours) |
| Trip cancellation | $5,000 | $10,000 | $15,000 |
| Covid-19 medical expenses (overseas) | $75,000 | $150,000 | $250,000 |
| Covid-19 overseas hospital cash | – | – | – |
| Covid-19 overseas quarantine allowance | $700 ($50/day) | $1,400 ($100/day) | $1,400 ($100/day) |
| Covid-19 trip cancellation | $3,000 | $4,000 | $5,000 |
One area of coverage that MSIG includes is emergency dental expenses. You get $5,000 to $15,000 in coverage, depending on the travel insurance tier you select.
MSIG’s Areas A and B refer, roughly speaking, to Asean and Asia respectively. Here’s a more comprehensive list of the countries in each category:
- Area A: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam
- Area B: Australia, China (excluding Inner Mongolia and Tibet), Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Macau, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and including countries in Area A
- Area C: Worldwide
MSIG Travel Insurance’s Covid-19 coverage is an automatic inclusion to its travel insurance plans and offers the following coverage:
- Trip cancellation, postponement, shortening, disruption
- Replacement of traveller
- Overseas medical expenses
- Emergency medical evacuation
- Overseas quarantine daily cash allowance
6. Singlife Travel Insurance
Singlife travel insurance comes in three tiers — Lite, Plus, and Prestige. The price you pay and the coverage you’ll get increase with each plan.
Here are Singlife travel insurance’s key prices and benefits:
This is quite a decent list of benefits, but do note that daily hospital cash allowance is missing from the list.
| Singlife Travel Insurance | Lite | Plus | Prestige |
| Price (Asean) | $43.51/week | $61.67/week | $86.05/week |
| Price (Asia, Australia, New Zealand) | $53.95/week | $77.93/week | $108.61/week |
| Price (Worldwide) | $80.25/week | $116.94/week | $171.09/week |
| Emergency medical expenses / evacuation | $250,000 | $2,000,000 | Unlimited |
| Travel delay | $500 ($100/6 hours) | $1,000 ($100/6 hours) | $2,000 ($100/6 hours) |
| Trip cancellation | $5,000 | $15,000 | $20,000 |
| COVID-19 medical expenses (overseas) | $50,000 | $100,000 | $200,000 |
| COVID-19 overseas hospital cash | – | – | – |
| COVID-19 overseas quarantine allowance | – | $1,000 ($50/24 hours) | $2,000 ($100/24 hours) |
| COVID-19 trip cancellation/postponement | $500 | $1,500 | $2,000 |
On top of the coverage above, Singlife also covers you for chiropractor and/or chinese physician treatment: S$250 (S$50 per visit) for Lite, S$500 (S$75 per visit) for Plus, and S$1000 (S$100 per visit) for Prestige.
As far as Covid-19 coverage goes, here’s a quick run-down:
- Overseas medical expenses
- Emergency medical evacuation, repatriation
- Overseas quarantine allowance
- Trip cancellation, postponement, interruption
While Singlife travel insurance’s coverage for non-Covid medical expenses, travel delay and trip cancellation is comprehensive, we have to dock some points for the lack of overseas hospital cash allowance and pretty low Covid-19 trip cancellation coverage.
Also, do note that the lowest tier, Lite, doesn’t come with certain coverage, such as trip cancellation or postponement for any reason and Covid-19 overseas quarantine allowance.
7. DBS Chubb Travel Insurance
DBS travel insurance is one of the most popular travel insurance plans in Singapore. It’s underwritten by Chubb, which has great worldwide reputation and recognition as the world’s largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance company.
Do not mistake DBS Chubb Travel Insurance for the free complimentary travel insurance that you get from your DBS Treasures credit cards. (Also check out our review of DBS credit cards’ free travel insurance plans.)
Here’s what you get with the three-tiered DBS Chubb Travel Insurance:
| DBS Travel Insurance | Economy | Business | First |
| Price (ASEAN) | $51/week | $74/week | $120/week |
| Price (Asia, Australia, New Zealand) | $50.50/week | $71/week | $115/week |
| Price (Region 4) | $94.50/week | $136/week | $204/week |
| Overseas medical expenses | $250,000 | $500,000 | $2,000,000 |
| Emergency medical evacuation | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Travel delay ($100 for first 4 hours of delay overseas; $200 for every 12 hours thereafter) | $800 | $1,000 | $2,000 |
| Trip cancellation | $3,000 | $10,000 | $20,000 |
| Covid-19 medical expenses (overseas) | $50,000 | $100,000 | $200,000 |
| Covid-19 overseas hospital cash | $700 ($100/day) | $1,400 ($100/day) | $1,400 ($100/day) |
| Covid-19 overseas quarantine allowance | $700 ($100/day) | $1,400 ($100/day) | $1,400 ($100/day) |
| Covid-19 trip cancellation | $2,500 | $5,000 | $10,000 |
Like Singlife, Chubb travel insurance also covers you for traditional Chinese medicine treatment overseas. It’s $750 across all their plan tiers.
Chubb travel insurance plans automatically include Covid-19 coverage for the following:
- Overseas medical expenses
- Emergency medical evacuation, repatriation
- Trip cancellation, curtailment
- Overseas hospitalisation cash benefit
- Overseas quarantine cash benefit
The Chub travel insurance plans are very comprehensive, generally offering coverage that is comparable to or slightly higher than what other providers offer. This is especially for their overseas medical expenses, which start at $300,000.
8. Cheapest travel insurance in Singapore
When I buy travel insurance, I don’t really care whether the insurer has 900 years of experience or if the plan comes with extra coverage for Chanel bags. Just give me the cheapest travel insurance plan can liao!
If that sounds like you too, you’ll be glad to know we’ve done the legwork for you. After assessing the most popular travel insurers in Singapore, assuming you add on a Covid rider if necessary, the honour of cheapest travel insurance in Singapore goes to… Starr travel insurance.
| Travel insurance | Premium (for 7-day trip to Asean destination) |
| Starr Travel Insurance | $35 – $58 |
| AMEX Travel Insurance | $40 – $63 |
| Bubblegum Travel Insurance | $42 |
| FWD Travel Insurance | $30 – $53 (Add on $12 for COVID-19 coverage) |
| Singlife Travel Insurance | $44 – $86 |
| UOB Travel Insurance | $46 – $76 |
| AIG Travel Insurance (AIG Travel Guard Direct) | $48 – $125 |
| DBS Chubb Travel Insurance | $51 – $120 |
| Etiqa Travel Insurance | $39 – $72 (Add on $18 – $40 for COVID-19 coverage) |
| NTUC Travel Insurance | $61 – $98 |
| MSIG Travel Insurance | $61 – $114 |
| Sompo Travel Insurance | $64 – $83 |
| OCBC Travel Insurance | $65 – $75 (COVID-19 coverage not included in the Starter Plan) |
| Great Eastern Travel Insurance | $65 – $75 (COVID-19 coverage for Classic, Elite only) |
| Tokio Marine Travel Insurance | $78 – $101 |
But as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for. Will you regret being a cheapskate and lose out on important coverage if the only number you look at is the price?
Looking first at non-Covid coverage, STARR's overseas medical expense limit of $200,000 is similar to that of other providers. FWD's lowest tier also comes with a $200,000 overseas medical expenses limit.
Next, we take a look at Covid-19 coverage. STARR's Bronze tier doesn't cover you for Covid-related trip cancellations, but does give you $15,000 medical coverage for Covid-19. STARR's next tier, Silver, will cost you $46 for $250 reimbursement should you have to cancel your trip due to Covid-19. You may be better off with AMEX, Bubblegum, or FWD-these come with higher Covid coverage for less.
At the end of the day, ask yourself what specific travel insurance coverage you want to have, and assess the travel insurance options to find one that suits your needs.
9. Does travel insurance cover Covid-19?
When the Covid-19 pandemic started, most insurers did not extend their coverage to Covid-19-related mishaps. (Read more here.) The pandemic was quickly considered a "known event", which insurers usually do not offer compensation for. So, if your flight got cancelled because of Covid-19, you'd be out of luck trying to get your insurance claims approved.
Now, as travel restrictions get lifted, insurance companies are rushing for a slice of the pie. Since the virus looks like it's here to stay, most insurers are offering coverage that includes specific benefits for Covid-19. Where Covid-19 benefits aren't already included in the policy, insurers offer an optional Covid-19 rider you can pay for to add on to the existing regular coverage.
Read your policy documents carefully to see if Covid-19 is covered, and add it on if you need to.
10. How do I choose the best travel insurance with Covid-19 coverage?
Covid-19 coverage can vary quite a bit from insurer to insurer. When you're shopping for the best insurance policy, there are three things you want to look out for when it comes to choosing the best travel insurance with Covid-19 coverage:
- Medical expenses coverage
- Overseas hospital cash
- Overseas quarantine allowance
- Trip cancellation
Do note that the plans still exclude travelling against a travel advisory put in place by the Singapore government or by the local authority at your trip destination. Meaning, if your destination country goes on red alert for Covid-19, visitors are highly likely to come into contact with the virus and your insurance is highly likely to reject any Covid-19 claims. So be sure to check announcements on both ends before you depart.
Another common exclusion is failing to take precautions against Covid-19. This is worded kinda vaguely in those lengthy insurance policies, but could include not following any Covid-19 regulations at your destination or on the plane. So make sure you wear your mask whenever it's required (or even when it's not, if you want to play extra safe) and don't attend any illegal raves.
11. What do I do if I get Covid-19 during or after travel?
First of all, when booking your trip, you should retain all receipts, tickets and itineraries in case your trip has to be cancelled or altered.
At the first sign of a Covid-19 infection or related travel disruption, you should call your insurer and ask for guidance. Many insurers maintain a 24-hour hotline for travel claims. Save that number before you depart Singapore so that you aren't stuck somewhere without wi-fi or 4G to Google the hotline.
To make a claim, you will usually have to submit your insurer's form with supporting documents by the deadline mentioned in your contract (usually 30 days). Don't wait until you're back in Singapore to check which documents you need.
If you catch Covid-19 while you're in Singapore, you will likely have to submit the results of a PCR Swab Test or Antigen Rapid Test conducted at a clinic or hospital.
It gets a bit more complicated if you're overseas. The insurer will likely require documentation from the hospital as well as a doctor's letter stating that you are unfit to travel and/or recommending treatment.
If you need to be quarantined overseas, you should make sure you have a quarantine order from the government, otherwise you may not be able to claim for quarantine allowance. Remember to ask for this as not all countries automatically issue such documentation.
ALSO READ: Top 5 reasons why travel insurance claims are rejected, according to insurance providers
This article was first published in MoneySmart.