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Life | Travel

5 ways travel insurance protects you during the Covid-19 pandemic

And why you need travel insurance more than ever

By Her World Team - 

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Looking to travel now that countries are opening up? You've got to get yourself some travel insurance. It's not even optional anymore: according to Julien Callard, Managing Director of Retail and Health at AXA Insurance, many countries now require inbound visitors to have travel insurance that covers Covid-19 related medical expenses with a minimum cover.

But that doesn't mean you should just choose any insurer, because apart from the amount of coverage, the type of benefits may also differ.

"Some insurers such as AXA have a 24/7 travel hotline that provides easy access to information on policy coverage. It also provides travel assistance and gives information on the nearest hospitals or clinics and receive medical consultations over the phone," he says. He tells us more about the five ways travel insurance protects us during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Overseas medical expenses or hospitalisation allowance after testing positive for Covid-19

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Travellers may encounter a situation where they test positive for Covid-19 and require hospitalisation during the trip. In this situation, travel insurance can help to cover for the associated medical expenses incurred during the trip and provide daily hospitalisation allowance.

Cancellation or postponement of the trip after being diagnosed with Covid-19

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Travellers may have to cancel or postpone their trip if they are infected with Covid-19. Some travellers could even be faced with a situation where they must cancel their trip after failing the temperature screening at the departure gate at the airport and are later certified to be infected with Covid-19. In these scenarios, travel insurance can protect travellers against paying for a holiday that did not materialise with reimbursement for their prepaid travel fare and hotel accommodation if the trip has to be cancelled, or the administrative charges to postpone the trip and change the dates of their flight and hotel stay.

Cancellation or postponement of the trip when a family member or sole travelling companion tests positive for Covid-19

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Travellers may have to cancel or postpone their trip if a family member or their only travelling companion tests positive for Covid-19. While not all insurers cover this situation, certain travel insurance plans, such as AXA Wanderlust and AXA SmartTraveller, will cover the costs of travel and accommodation expenses that have been cancelled or postponed for this reason.

Emergency medical evacuation and repatriation due to a pandemic

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Travellers may need to be medically evacuated or repatriated to another location (or back to Singapore) if the required medical treatment is not available locally, for example in remote areas where specialist medical care is limited. Travel insurance can cover the cost of transportation including medical supplies for such a scenario.

Having to be quarantined due to Covid-19 infection whilst overseas

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Travellers may be forced to be quarantined due to Covid-19 infection whilst overseas. Each country has different requirements for people infected with Covid-19 and travellers may be unexpectedly placed in mandatory quarantine overseas. The costs can quickly add up as they may have to pay for the hotel accommodation as well as other ancillary costs. Some travel insurance plans offer an overseas quarantine allowance.

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