8 best travel insurance plans in Singapore
On my very first overseas trip without my parents, the airline lost my luggage for almost 24 hours.
I was headed to Madrid, Spain, and had a layover in Zurich, Switzerland.
It was there (probably while I was drooling over gourmet Swiss chocolates in the airport) that my luggage somehow got left behind.
It caught up to me the next day, magically appearing at the reception area of my accommodation in Spain.
Given the length of time that had elapsed, many people I later recounted this story to asked me, "did you get compensation from your insurance?"
Then 19-year-old me knew enough about the world to get travel insurance, but didn't know enough to realise you need to submit a claim in order to get compensation for delayed luggage.
So no — sadly, I didn't get a cent.
But that's just one travel mishap story.
All things considered, there are plenty of ways a vacation could go awry.
Delayed luggage could end up being completely lost luggage. And that's before we consider flight delays, falling ill overseas, getting pickpocketed, and more.
That's why travel insurance is the next most important thing besides your flight ticket.
Find out how to choose a plan, what to look out for, and the cheapest travel insurance you can buy with our comparison of the best travel insurance in Singapore and their ongoing promotions.
Note: All prices and coverage amounts are correct as of time of writing. Check the latest travel insurance premiums and coverage limits before you check out.
With the sheer number of travel insurance providers out there, it can be 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-we've done the legwork for you and picked out the top 8 travel insurance plans in Singapore:
Best travel insurance Premiums (for a seven-day trip to Asean destination) Covid-19 Coverage
Singlife travel insurance $55 – $118 Optional add-on benefit
Allianz travel insurance $59 – $126 Included
Starr TraveLead Comprehensive $58 – $91 Included
Tiq travel insurance (by Etiqa) $42 – $95 Optional add-on benefit
MSIG travel insurance $45 – $128 Included
FWD travel insurance $37 – $66 Optional add-on benefit
HL Assurance travel insurance $58 – $135 Included
Income travel insurance $74 – $117 Included
Why are these the top 8? We've compared them based on affordability, Covid-19 cover inclusion, emergency medical coverage, and trip cancellation coverage. (If you're an adventure seeker, that's more niche-refer to this article for all the best travel insurance for extreme sports and outdoor adventure instead.)
Ready to dive into the deets? We compared the coverage and prices of most popular travel insurance plans in Singapore.
Here's a summary table for you to work with, arranged from lowest to highest premium:
Travel insurance Premium (for a seven-day trip to Asean destination) Overseas medical coverage Travel inconvenience coverage
FWD travel insurance $37 – $66 (Add $5 for Covid-19 coverage) $200,000 – $1,000,000
Trip cancellation: $7,500 – $15,000
Baggage loss/damage: $3,000 – $7,500
Zurich Travel Guard $38 – $104 $100,000 – $2,000,000
Trip cancellation: $5,000 – $10,000
Baggage loss/damage: $1,500 – $6,000
AMEX travel insurance (underwritten by Chubb) $40 – $63 $500,000 – $2,000,000
Trip cancellation: $5,000 to $20,000
Baggage loss/damage: $3,500 – $8,000
Great Eastern travel insurance (Great TravelCare) $40 – $88 $100,000 to $1,000,00
Trip cancellation: $2,000 to $15,000
Baggage loss/damage: $2,500 – $8,000
OCBC travel insurance (by Great Eastern) $40 – $88 $100,000 – $1,000,000
Trip cancellation: Up to $6,000
Baggage loss/damage: $2,500 – $8,000
MSIG travel insurance $45 – $128 $250,000–$1,000,00
Trip cancellation: Up to $15,000
Baggage loss/damage: $1,000 – $7,500
Tiq by Etiqa travel insurance $42 – $95 (Add $3 – $7 for Covid-19 coverage) $200,000 – $1,000,000
Trip cancellation: $5,000 – $10,000
Baggage loss/damage: $2,000 – $3,000
UOI Travel Insurance (UniTravel) $49 – $87 $100,000 – $700,000
Trip cancellation: $3,000 to $10,000
Baggage loss/damage: $1,000 – $6,000
Tokio Marine Travel Trust Insurance $54– $88 $175,000 to $500,000
Trip cancellation: $2,500 to $10,000
Baggage loss/damage: $2,500 – $7,500
Singlife travel insurance $55 – $118 $250,000 – Unlimited
Trip cancellation: $5,000 to $20,000
Baggage loss/damage: $3,000 – $8,000
HL Assurance Travel Protect360 $58 – $135 $150,000 – $750,000
Trip cancellation: $5,000 to $15,000 Baggage loss/damage: $3,000 – $8,000
Starr TraveLead Comprehensive $58 – $91 $200,000 – $1,000,000
Trip cancellation: $5,000 to $15,000
Baggage loss/damage: $3,000 – $7,500
Sompo travel insurance $59 – $76 $200,000 – $500,00
Trip cancellation: $5,000 to $10,000
Baggage loss/damage: $1,000
DBS TravellerShield Plus (underwritten by Chubb) $66 – $112 $300,000 to $1,000,000
Trip cancellation: $5,000 to $15,000
Baggage loss/damage: $3,000 – $8,000
Chubb travel insurance $67 – $147 $250,000 to $2,000,000
Trip cancellation: $3,000 to $20,000
Baggage loss/damage: $3,500 – $8,000
Income travel insurance $74 – $118 $250,000 – $1,000,000
Trip cancellation: $5,000 to $15,000
Baggage loss/damage: $3,000 – $8,000
AIA travel insurance Enquire with an AIA Appointed Representative $200,000 – $2,000,000
Trip cancellation: $5,000 to $15,000
Baggage loss/damage: $3,000 – $8,000
Note: All travel insurance options above are before promotional discounts are applied. Unless otherwise stated, all include COVID-19 coverage.
If you're having trouble choosing a travel insurance provider, these are our top picks below.
Singlife travel insurance comes in 3 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:
Singlife travel insurance Lite Plus Prestige
Price (Asean) $55/week $84/week $118/week
Price (Asia, Australia, New Zealand) $69/week $107/week $149/week
Price (Worldwide) $102/week $160/week $235/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
Baggage loss/damage $3,000 $5,000 $8,000
On top of the coverage above, Singlife also covers you for chiropractor and/or Chinese physician treatment: $250 ($50 per visit) for Lite, $500 ($75 per visit) for Plus, and $1,000 ($100 per visit) for Prestige.
While not the lowest cost option, Singlife travel insurance has some of the best coverage on our list.
The middle tier plan, Singlife Travel Plus, clocks in at $1,000,000 of medical expenses coverage overseas and $15,000 coverage for trip cancellation.
Upgrade yourself one tier up, and the Singlife Travel Prestige plan raises this to unlimited medical coverage overseas and $20,000 coverage for trip cancellation.
As far as trip cancellation goes, $20,000 is the most generous in Singapore, matched only by Chubb and Amex travel insurance.
Allianz Travel Insurance is competitively priced and offers solid, well-rounded coverage, especially from the Silver plan onwards.
While the Basic plan is more limited and lacks certain benefits like travel delay and personal accident coverage, the higher tiers provide more comprehensive protection across key areas.
Allianz travel insurance Basic Silver Platinum
Price (Asean) $59/week $66/week $126/week
Price (Asia) $63/week $107/week $151/week
Price (Worldwide) $106/week $156/week $237/week
Medical expenses (overseas) $200,000 $500,000 $1,000,000
Emergency medical evacuation $1,000,000 $1,000,000 $1,000,000
Personal accident (death & TPD) - $100,000 $100,000
Travel delay - $1,200 $1,600
Trip cancellation $1,500 $5,000 $10,000
Baggage delay $250 (minimum delay of 6 hours) $500 (minimum delay of 6 hours) $1,000 (minimum delay of 6 hours)
Baggage/ belongings loss $1,000 $3,000 $5,000
Covid-19 cover Automatically included
Notably, Allianz stands out for its relatively high medical coverage limits-up to $1 million-along with consistent emergency medical evacuation benefits across all plans.
Overall, it's a dependable option for travellers seeking strong protection and good value for money.
Starr's travel insurance Starr TraveLead Comprehensive is 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 3 tiers: Gold, Silver and Bronze.
Here are the prices and coverage amounts for each tier. Prices are given with trip coverage included in the plan.
Starr TraveLead Comprehensive prices/coverage Bronze Silver Gold
Price (Asean) $58/week $64/week $91/week
Price (Asia) $58/week $76/week $98/week
Price (Worldwide) $72/week $101/week $130/week
Medical expenses (overseas) $200,000 $500,000 $1,000,000
Emergency medical evacuation Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited
Travel delay $600 ($100/6 hours) $600 ($100/6 hours) $800 ($100/6 hours)
Trip cancellation $10,000 $10,000 $15,000
Baggage loss/damage $5,000 $5,000 $7,500
The Silver tier is a good middle ground, offering you an adequate $500,000 overseas medical coverage, as well as $30,000 medical coverage for Covid-19 and $250 coverage for Covid-19 related trip curtailments and cancellations.
Do you hate making travel insurance claims? I do. That's why when a friend of mine told me that you don't need to make any claim on Etiqa to receive compensation for your flight delay, I was very intrigued.
Etiqa has the most seamless claim process for flight delays. All you need to do is enter your flight details when purchasing your insurance.
Etiqa will monitor your flight and know if your flight is delayed (to count as a delay, it needs to be pushed back at least 3 consecutive hours).
If that happens, they'll transfer money into your Etiqa TiqConnect eWallet-even if you don't submit a claim! You can then encash that sum via PayNow.
On top of this travel delay claim benefit, Etiqa also provides flight check-in reminders and baggage belt collection details via SMS when you land.
I experienced this myself when I bought Etiqa's travel insurance for my trip to the UK this year. Now that's what I call service.
Etiqa's travel insurance is called Tiq Travel Insurance and comes in 3 tiers: Tiq Entry, Tiq Savvy, and Tiq Luxury. Here are their costs and coverage components:
Tiq by Etiqa travel insurance Tiq Entry Tiq Savvy Tiq Luxury
Price (Asean) $42/week $66/week $95/week
Price (Asia, Australia, New Zealand) $53/week $82/week $119/week
Price (Worldwide) $105/week $164/week $238/week
Overseas medical expenses $200,000 $500,000 $1,000,000
Emergency medical evacuation / repatriation of mortal remains (combined limit) $1,000,000 $1,500,000 $1,800,000
Travel delay $300 ($50/3 hours) $300 ($50/3 hours) $500 ($50/3 hours)
Baggage loss/damage $2,000 $2,000 $3,000
Tiq Entry is sufficient to give you essential coverage for travel disruptions. But if you've just a little more to spend, go for Tiq Savvy.
This will more than double your coverage limit for overseas medical expenses from $200,000 to $500,000 for just an additional $5 a week-that's less than $1 a day.
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. I'm excluding the lowest tier because its coverage is very basic, but you can read more about MSIG TravelEasy Lite on MoneySmart.
MSIG travel insurance Standard Elite Premier
Price (Area A) $64/week $91/week $128/week
Price (Area B) $78/week $115/week $159/week
Price (Area C) $132/week $184/week $245/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
Loss/damage baggage $3,000 $5,000 $7,500
One more unusual 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, East and West Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
Area B: Australia, China (excluding Inner Mongolia and Tibet), Hong Kong, India, Japan, Macau, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and all those in Area A.
Area C: Worldwide, including territories in Areas A and B.
MSIG travel insurance's Covid-19 coverage is an automatic inclusion to its travel insurance plans and offers coverage such as trip cancellation, overseas medical expenses, and overseas quarantine daily cash allowance, but excludes daily hospital cash allowance.
FWD travel insurance offers some of the most affordable travel insurance plans in Singapore, so this is a budget-friendly option which still offers you great value for every dollar.
I like that coverage for emergency medical evacuation is unlimited for all tiers, and overseas medical expenses go up to a generous $1,000,000.
Here's a quick run-through of the price and benefits offered by FWD travel insurance plans:
FWD travel insurance prices/coverage Premium Business First
Price (Asean) $34/week $47/week $61/week
Price (Asia) $37/week $59/week $74/week
Price (Worldwide) $61/week $91/week $115/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
Baggage loss/damage $3,000 $5,000 $7,500
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 $6+ to $12+ 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
Hong Leong Assurance's Travel Protect360 offers fairly comprehensive coverage at competitive price points, with all plans including unlimited emergency medical evacuation-a strong plus for peace of mind overseas.
Medical coverage scales up to $750,000 on higher tiers, while benefits like trip cancellation (up to $15,000) and baggage loss (up to $8,000) are also reasonably generous.
Notably, the policy includes dental treatment due to accidental injury, which isn't always standard.
Hong Leong Assurance travel insurance prices/coverage Basic Silver Gold Platinum
Price (Asean) $58/week $79/week $106/week $135/week
Price (Asia) $64/week $85/week $116/week $157/week
Price (Worldwide) $61/week $91/week $115/week $61/week
Medical expenses (overseas) $150,000 $250,000 $500,000 $750,000
Emergency medical evacuation Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited
Travel delay $1,000 ($100/6 hours) $1,000 ($100/6 hours) $1,000 ($100/6 hours) $1,000 ($100/6 hours)
Trip cancellation $5,000 $7,000 $12,000 $15,000
Baggage loss/damage $3,000 $5,000 $7,000 $8,000
What sets it apart are its optional add-ons.
You can enhance coverage for pre-existing conditions, protect the value of frequent flyer miles on cancelled trips, or opt for a flight delay add-on that reduces the waiting time to just three hours, with $100 payouts per delay block-useful for tight itineraries.
Income Travel Insurance stands out in Singapore for its flexibility and comprehensive coverage.
Uniquely, it's the only insurer that lets you purchase travel insurance up to a day after you've already departed-ideal for last-minute planners.
All plans come with unlimited emergency medical evacuation, offering strong protection in serious situations.
Income travel insurance prices/coverage Classic Deluxe Preferred
Price (Asean) $74/week $90/week $117/week
Price (Asia) $84/week $105/week $145/week
Price (Worldwide) $163/week $185/week $231/week
Medical expenses (overseas) $250,000 $500,000 $1,000,000
Emergency medical evacuation $500,000 Unlimited Unlimited
Travel delay $1,000 ($100/6 hours) $1,500 ($100/6 hours) $2,000 ($100/6 hours)
Trip cancellation $5,000 $10,000 $15,000
Baggage loss/damage $3,000 $5,000 $8,000
Travellers also benefit from a complimentary overseas tele-consultation service for non-urgent conditions like flu or colds, adding convenience while abroad.
Coverage extends to adventurous activities such as skiing, bungee jumping and skydiving, making it suitable for thrill-seekers.
Another key feature is its Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) coverage that comes with its Preferred plans.
This allows you to cancel, postpone or shorten your trip-even if you buy the policy more than 30 days after booking.
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, the honour of cheapest travel insurance in Singapore goes to…Zurich Travel Guard.
Travel insurance Premium (for seven-day trip to Asean destination)
Zurich Travel Guard $25 – $43
FWD travel insurance $34 – $61 (Add-on Covid-19 coverage from $6+)
AMEX travel insurance $40 – $63
Great Eastern Travel Insurance $40 – $88
OCBC travel insurance $40 – $88
Tiq by Etiqa travel insurance $42 – $95 (Add-on Covid-19 coverage from $3+)
MSIG travel insurance $45 – $128
UOI travel insurance $49 – $87
Tokio Marine Travel Insurance $54 – $88
Singlife Travel Insurance $55 – $118
Starr Travel Insurance $58 – $91
Sompo Travel Insurance $59 – $77
Chubb Travel Insurance $67 – $147
DBS TravelShield Plus $66 – $112
Income Travel Insurance $74 – $118
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?
In a way, yes. Because Zurich travel insurance may be the cheapest option, but its medical coverage is more basic.
The lowest tier plan, Zurich Travel Insurance Basic, only comes with $100,000 of overseas medical coverage, and Zurich Travel Insurance Prestige maxes out their medical coverage at a $500,000.
Let's look at the next cheapest travel insurance for comparison.
However, Zurich travel insurance's other components, such as trip cancellation coverage and coverage for lost or damaged baggage, are better.
Plus, it has a big perk: if your flight gets delayed for more than two hours, you get free airport lounge access!
Personally, Zurich's lacking medical coverage is a disadvantage for me.
But if the other benefits matter more to you than coverage for medical expenses, Zurich is worth considering.
At the end of the day, ask you yourself what specific travel insurance coverage you want to have, and assess the travel insurance options to find one that suits your needs.
Travel insurers have "limited-time" discounts all the time. This is no secret. It does, however, make it difficult to compare prices when an expensive plan is on 40 per cent off but a cheaper one is on 10 per cent off.
That's why for the table above, we compared base prices without discounts.
But when you take into account promotional prices, which plan is the cheapest?
There's no need to open a million tabs to compare every travel insurance plan out there. Just use our travel insurance comparison tool with the Lowest Price filter on. You're welcome!
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