With the developing Covid-19 situation, your travel plans in the near future could possibly be impeded. How do you then go about continuing your trip or claiming possible refunds and travel insurance claims if you choose to cancel? Does your travel insurance also cover such “known” events?
While many insurers have adjusted their claims policy to accommodate the situation, cut-off dates and fine prints still apply. So we’ve decided to shed some light and pulled an easy-to-read summary on your insurer’s coverage for the situation.
We recommend all travellers to review guidance from the World Health Organization and to follow official travel advisories issued by their home countries.
All information in this article is accurate at the time of writing and subject to change without prior notice. ShopBack users should also check the relevant merchant pages for Terms and Conditions on Cashback earnings in the event any cancellation is made.
Are you covered for Trip Disruptions?
| Insurer | Travel to Wuhan | Travel to Mainland China | Travel to other parts of the world | For Insurance Policies purchased |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AXA | ✔ | ✔ | Unspecified | Before 11 Jan 2020 (Wuhan) Before 27 Jan 2020 (rest of Mainland China) |
| AIA | ✔ | ✔ | Unspecified | On or before 21 Jan 2020 (Wuhan) On or before 26 Jan 2020 (Mainland China, excluding Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan). |
| AIG | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | Before 22 Jan 2020, 0001 hours (Wuhan) Before 27 Jan 2020, 0001 hours (rest of China) Before 30 Jan 2020, 0001 hours (other parts of the world) |
| Allianz Travel | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | Before 22 Jan 2020 |
| Aviva | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | Before 20 Jan 2020 |
| Etiqa | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | Before 22 Jan 2020, 00:01 hours (Wuhan) Before 27 Jan 2020, 00:01 hours (rest of China) Before 31 Jan 2020, 00:01 hours (other parts of the world) |
| FWD | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | Before 23 Jan 2020 (Mainland China, excluding Hong Kong, Macau & Taiwan) Before 31 Jan 2020 (other parts of the world) |
| Great Eastern | ✔ | ✔ | Unspecified | Before 24 Jan 2020, 9.30am (Wuhan & Hubei Province) |
| MSIG | ✔ | ✔ | Subject to change | Before 22 Jan 2020 (Wuhan) Before 23 Jan 2020 (Hubei Province) Before 27 Jan 2020 (rest of Mainland China) |
| NTUC Income | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ (for Daegu and Cheongdo in South Korea) | Before 20 Jan 2020, 8pm (Wuhan) Before 27 Jan 2020, 7pm (rest of Mainland China) Before 23 Feb 2020, 6pm (Daegu and Cheongdo in South Korea) |
As the situation continues to develop in certain destinations, we will continue to update this article once official announcements are made by the insurance companies.
For flights and hotels cancellations and rebook/refunds:
- Is Your Flight Ticket covered by Flight Rebook, Reroute and Refund Policies?
- Cancelling your Trip? Here’s what you must know about Hotel Cancellation and Refund Policies.
Generally speaking, insurers will work towards providing coverage for specific destinations once travel advisories and/or travel bans have been announced for them.
Otherwise, you should continue to keep a lookout for the latest updates from your insurance provider.
What happens if you only buy your Travel Insurance now?
Most policies coverage extends to those are bought prior to late January. Hence, if you’re only purchasing your travel insurance now, it will be tough to get any trip cancellation claims.
But as the situation develops, we might see future adjustments to accommodate the latest travel advisories. In any case, it will still be good to get your travel insurance for other trips that you’ve planned later in the year!
Read also:
- Things You Should Know About Travel Insurance And Claims Benefits
- Travel Insurance in Singapore: What Are the Best and Affordable Options?
- How to Claim From Your Health Insurance – Simples Steps to Follow
We hoped this has made things easier for you. Let us know in the comments down below other topics that you would like to see us cover!
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