Sompo travel insurance review: Comprehensive Covid-19 coverage at wallet-friendly prices
Sompo travel insurance has gone through some major upgrades.
PHOTO: Pexels
PUBLISHED ONJune 01, 2022 10:07 AMByClara Lim
Sompo travel insurance has gone through some major changes since we've last talked about it. Let's first recap the basics of Sompo's travel insurance plans:
Back then, Sompo's travel insurance plans were known as Sompo Travel Joy insurance plans. They were categorised into three tiers: The basic Vital plan, the middle-tier Deluxe plan and the Japan-focused GO Japan! plan.
It even had an Elite plan as it's basically a bumped-up version of the Deluxe. In the past, Sompo travel insurance was one of the most comprehensive and best travel insurance plans for those travelling to Japan.
But let's get up to speed with the current Sompo travel insurance and compare them against the other travel insurance plans. P.S. There's nothing special about the plan for Japan anymore.
1. Sompo travel insurance: Summary
While most travel insurance plans offer three tiers of plans, Sompo's travel insurance (with Covid-19 coverage) only has two tiers:
- The Essential plan and
- The Superior plan.
As its name suggests, the Sompo Essential travel insurance plan offers you basic coverage while the Sompo Superior plan offers you more comprehensive coverage. Both plans, by default, come with Covid-19 coverage.
Here is a summary of Sompo travel insurance's price, benefits and coverage:
| Sompo travel insurance | Essential plan | Superior plan |
|---|---|---|
| Price
*Area A, Southeast Asia |
$52 /week | $66 /week |
| Price
*Area B, Asia |
$72 /week | $92 /week |
| Price
*Area C, Worldwide |
$103 /week | $132 /week |
| Overseas medical expenses | $200,000 | $400,000 |
| Emergency medical evacuation | $500,000 | $800,000 |
| Personal accident (death & TPD) | $200,000 | $500,000 |
| Overseas travel delay ($100/six hours) | $800 | $1,200 |
| Trip cancellation, postponement, curtailment | $5,000 | $10,000 |
| Overseas baggage delay ($200/six hours) | $1,200 | $2,000 |
| Baggage loss/damage | $1,000 | $1,000 |
Travel insurance plans are priced based on the country that you're travelling to.
Take Sompo travel insurance, for example, whether you decide on the Essential or Superior plans, you'll find that there are three different prices.
Check which countries Sompo travel insurance covers here:
- Area A: Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam.
- Area B: Australia, Cambodia, China (excluding Tibet and Mongolia), Hong Kong, India, Japan, Laos, Macau, Myanmar, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan, and all countries listed under Area A.
- Area C: Worldwide excluding countries in the Country Exclusion List: Afghanistan, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Iraq, Liberia, Somalia, Sudan and Syria.
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If you and your squeeze are going to elope and travel the world, you'll obviously need the most comprehensive and expensive Area C worldwide coverage.
No lah, won't get Covid while travelling. Jokes on you, because this Singaporean couple dropped their jobs and tried to travel the world but they got Covid-19 while on holiday in Istanbul.
Here's Sompo travel insurance's Covid-19 coverage at a glance:
| Sompo travel insurance (Covid-19) | Essential plan | Superior plan |
|---|---|---|
| Overseas medical expenses (Covid-19) | $100,000 | $200,000 |
| Emergency medical evacuation (Covid-19) | $100,000 | $200,000 |
| Trip cancellation (Covid-19) | $2,000 | $4,000 |
| Trip postponement (Covid-19) | $2,000 | $4,000 |
| Overseas quarantine allowance (Covid-19) | $700 | $1,400 |
| Overseas hospital cash (Covid-19) | $700 | $1,400 |
2. Sompo travel insurance's coverage includes Covid-19
Before you buy something, you should know exactly what you're buying. When buying travel insurance, you should know what the plan covers you for.
From baseline baggage loss, flight delay, and medical coverage to Covid-19 coverage and outdoor sports coverage, we broke down the Sompo travel insurance here:
Sompo's basic travel insurance coverage
As with all travel insurance plans, Sompo's travel insurance covers you for:
- Personal accident.
- Medical expenses (overseas).
- Flight delay.
- Missed flight connections ($100 for Essential, $200 for Superior).
- Overbooked flight.
- Baggage delay/ loss.
- Stolen or lost passport.
Those are the basic requirements of any travel insurance. Now, moving on to Covid-19 coverage.
Sompo has integrated Covid-19 coverage into their travel insurance plans. So, all Sompo travel insurance plans come with Covid-19 coverage. You don't need to add on any Covid-19 riders.
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Sompo's Covid-19 claims & coverage
Sompo's Covid-19 coverage is actually pretty decent. It starts covering you before you even depart for your holiday. However, as with all travel insurance, there are lots of secret potholes, hidden terms and conditions, and caveats.
Also, what does a travel insurance's Covid-19 coverage include?
Here, we break down Sompo's Covid-19 claims and coverage for you:
Pre-Trip Cancellation: Coverage starts 30 days before your trip. If you or your travelling partner (must be under Sompo travel insurance) gets Covid-19 and you both decide to cancel the holiday, you can claim from Sompo any transport expenses, accommodation, tour agency, cancellation fees that you've already pre-paid for.
Pre-Trip Postponement: Again, coverage starts 30 days before your trip. If you or your travel partner (both under Sompo travel insurance) gets Covid-19 and you both decide to postpone your holiday, you can claim from Sompo any rescheduling admin fees charged by your transport and accommodation providers.
Shorten Trip due to Covid-19: If you're already travelling and you or your travel partner gets Covid-19 and you need to curtail (means to shorten) your trip, you can claim from Sompo any transport, accommodation, and cancellation fees that you've already pre-paid. You can also claim economy transport tickets and hotel you've had to make to facilitate your return to Singapore.
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Flights & Accommodation disrupted due to Covid-19: Already travelling but you or your travel partner got Covid-19 and stalled your plans? Maybe you had to miss your onward flight to the next country and missed the hotel stay too. You can claim from Sompo the new bookings you've had to make.
Overseas Covid-19 Medical Expenses: If you got Covid-19 while travelling, took a ride on the local ambulance, admitted into their local hospital for Covid-19 treatment, you can claim 45 days' worth of medical expenses.
Emergency Medical Evacuation or Repatriation: If you're down super serious with Covid-19 and need to be sent back to Singapore for treatment (or body if passed away), all necessary medical evacuation and repatriation transport costs and admin fees will be covered.
Overseas Quarantine Allowance: Means if you catch Covid-19 while travelling and the local authorities put you in quarantine, you will get a cash amount everyday you are in quarantine.
Overseas Hospital Income: If you get Covid-19 while travelling, you get admitted into the local hospital, you get a cash amount every 24 hours.
However, as with all travel insurance claims, you need to prove to Sompo that you've already tried your best and banged tables at your airline, hotel, and travel agency for rescheduling or refunds… but to no avail. Then, you must contact Sompo ASAP and very urgently to let them know about the situation.
Note that there's also a $100 excess to be paid by you first before Sompo's coverage kicks in.
3. Sompo travel insurance's disadvantages
There are several jarring cons to Sompo's travel insurance that you must know before you buy one.
Frankly, you might want to give Sompo a miss if you're flying on business class, or using air miles and rewards points such as Agoda points to redeem your hotel stay.
You shouldn't buy Sompo travel insurance if you are setting off on an adrenaline junkie's adventure-filled trip. Sompo travel insurance's lack of coverage for outdoor activities is also one of its main drawbacks.
Here, some caveats hidden in Sompo's travel insurance terms and conditions that you must know:
Vaccination: You must be fully vaccinated according to Singapore's Covid-19 regulations to be eligible for Sompo's travel insurance coverage.
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Waiting period: If you bought Sompo travel insurance today, and get Covid-19 in the next 14 days, you cannot claim(!!).
Air Miles/ Credit Card/ Membership Points: If you got your flight or hotel accommodation via any air miles redemption, credit card points, or some sort of hotel membership points redemption, you cannot claim it from Sompo at all.
Business Class Tickets/ Hotel Suites: If you only travel luxury and got yourself Business Class or First Class tickets and deluxe suites, Sompo's travel insurance cannot reimburse you for your expensive bookings. They can only reimburse you the cheap economy value prices.
Specialist Treatments due to Covid-19: Listen up if you have some health conditions that may be worsened by Covid-19. If you got Covid-19 overseas and you need to have your heart condition, pregnancy, etc. checked out at the same time, you must have a referral letter by the general doctor attending to you in that overseas hospital. Else, you can't claim those specialised treatments you got overseas even though it's related to your health and Covid-19.
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In terms of outdoor activities, Sompo travel insurance does not cover activities like scuba diving, car racing (Sepang guys, take note), and professional sports tournaments (sorry Muay Thai and BJJ peeps going to Malaysia or Thailand to compete).
If you're planning to hike the Japan Alps, you won't be covered.
| Outdoor activity | Covered by Sompo Covid-19 travel Insurance |
|---|---|
| Hot air balloon | No |
| Scuba diving | Yes (up to 30m, PADI cert) |
| Skiing and other ice/snow sports | Not stated |
| Hiking or trekking | Yes (below 3,500 meters) |
| Mountaineering or outdoor rock climbing | No |
| Marathons and sports competitions | No |
| Jet skiing | Not stated |
| White water rafting | Not stated |
| Skydiving, abseiling, cave diving | No |
| Paragliding, hang gliding or parachuting | No |
| Bungee jumping, Base jumping | No |
It's not explicitly stated in the Sompo terms and conditions whether activities like skiing, and white water rafting are covered.
In the past, the previous Sompo travel insurance was more lenient, stating that some of these sports may be claimable if taken for leisure purposes. However, that clause has since been removed.
If you're not sure which type of travel insurance you should be buying, here's a useful guide explaining how to choose travel insurance.
4. Sompo travel insurance claims
According to reviews from Reddit users, Sompo travel insurance's claims process is smooth and easy. Sompo will take 10 working days to process your claim before they get back to you. If all is done, you will receive your claimed amount via PayNow.
Here are some handy information for your Sompo travel insurance claim:
Emergency hotline: For travel insurance emergencies, call Sompo's emergency hotline at +65 6532 2522.
Online claims: You can submit your Sompo travel insurance claims online via the official Sompo website. Otherwise, you can reach out to [email protected].
Hard copy claims: Download the claims form and mail with supporting documents to Sompo Insurance Singapore Pte Ltd, 50 Raffles Place, #05-01/06 Singapore Land Tower, Singapore 048623.
App claims: Download the Sompo SG app and submit the supporting documents via the app. You can take photos on the spot or choose from your files. Claims submitted through the app are instantly submitted and enjoy priority assessment.
Things to note: Claims must be reported within 30 days of your return to Singapore. For useful info on supporting documents needed, refer to Sompo's claims page.
5. Sompo travel insurance promo code
Comparing across the board of travel insurance plans that offer Covid-19 coverage, Sompo travel insurance is one of the cheapest.
At the moment, there are no ongoing Sompo travel insurance promo codes and promotions. However, the premiums that you'll be paying is pretty budget-friendly and value-for-money.
6. Sompo travel insurance review
The great thing about Sompo's Covid-19 travel insurance is the flexibility it offers in rescheduling your travel plans when you unfortunately contract Covid-19.
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Compensation for trip cancellation or postponement is offered if you, an immediate family member or a travelling companion also insured by Sompo, got diagnosed with Covid-19 before your departure date (within 30 days).
If your travel partner gets Covid-19, you can choose to claim for your travel expenses rather than go home alone.
On top of that, you can make a claim for having to change your itinerary if your travelling companion or an immediate family member back in Singapore gets diagnosed with Covid-19 and you need to cut short your trip to return to Singapore.
However, considering that Sompo's Covid-19 coverage kicks in 30 days prior from departure date, but there's a 14 day waiting period before your coverage can be "activated", you have to buy your Sompo travel insurance 44 days (or 1.5 months) before your trip.
So… is Sompo travel insurance good?
If you're planning a leisure holiday well ahead of time that mostly involves an itinerary of eating, shopping and sightseeing, Sompo's Covid-19 travel insurance plan is well worth looking into.
It offers comprehensive Covid-19 coverage on top of the regular policy benefits at wallet-friendly prices.
Given that the price difference does not vary much between the Essential and Superior plans, top up a little extra for the Superior plan to enjoy twice as much coverage.
However, the medical coverage offered by Sompo does pale in comparison to other travel insurance plans in the market.
If you're healthy, vaccinated, and your chances of hospitalisation are close to none due to Covid-19, the Sompo travel insurance is definitely one to consider.
This article was first published in MoneySmart.