Update: With the COVID-19 pandemic considered a known event, most insurers will not cover for any claims arising from COVID-19 should you purchase your travel insurance now.
As of 30 January 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the Novel Coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19) a public health emergency of international concern. Following this declaration and the lockdown of Wuhan city, the Coronavirus outbreak is now a known event.
With China under lockdown and the Coronavirus spreading outside of China, some may wonder if their travel insurance still covers for upcoming trips. In this article we elaborate on the coverage conditions of travel insurance with regards to the Coronavirus outbreak.
(See "Best Travel Insurance Singapore")
#1 Trip cancellation and postponement to Mainland China
Travel plans to Mainland China will receive coverage for trip cancellation, postponement, disruption or curtailment if travel insurance was purchased before the Novel Coronavirus outbreak became a known event. However, if your policy was purchased after the outbreak became a known event, your insurer is unlikely to cover for these travel benefits to Mainland China.
The dates for which insurers consider the Coronavirus outbreak a known event are shown in the table below. Do note that coverage levels are subjected to the terms and conditions as stated in your policy.
Insurer |
Coverage conditions for trip cancellation, postponement, disruption and curtailment to Wuhan |
Coverage conditions for trip cancellation, postponement, disruption and curtailment to the rest of Mainland China |
FWD Insurance |
Not covered if you bought your policy on or after 23 January 2020 for any claim related to outbreak of travel in, to or through Mainland China. |
|
Sompo |
Covered for trip cancellation or postponement if travelling directly to Wuhan and Hubei Province from 1 February to 31 March 2020. Plans must be bought before 22 January 2020, 8pm. |
Covered for trip cancellation or postponement if travelling directly to Mainland China from 1 February to 31 March 2020. Plans must be bought before 27 January 2020, 7pm. |
MSIG |
Not covered if plans are bought after 22 January 2020 for travel to or through Wuhan and after 23 January 2020 for travel to or through Hubei Province. |
Not covered if plans are bought after 27 January 2020 for travel to or through the rest of Mainland China. |
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#2 Trip cancellation and postponement to the rest of the world
For travel to other parts of the world, you will not be able to claim for trip cancellation, postponement, disruption and curtailment if you change your travel plans due to personal reasons or fear of the Coronavirus outbreak.
An example of this would be you cancelling your trip to Japan due to fears of the Coronavirus outbreak. In such a scenario, you will not be able to claim for trip cancellation.
However, if the insured contracts the virus and as a result is unable to proceed with the trip to Japan, he/she will receive coverage if the plan was bought before the outbreak became a known event.
Insurer |
Coverage conditions for trip cancellation and postponement to the rest of the world |
FWD Insurance |
Covered if your policy and travel arrangements were purchased before 31 January 2020 and it is within 30 days before your travel date. |
Sompo |
For travel to Daegu or Cheongdo in South Korea: For plans purchased before 23 February 2020, trip cancellation is covered only if insured contracts COVID-19 in Singapore and is unable to proceed with the trip. No coverage for cancellation of trip due to the COVID-19 outbreak. For plans purchased after 23 February 2020, claims related to the COVID-19 outbreak will not be covered. For travel to the rest of the world: Only covers for trip cancellation if the insured contracts the COVID-19 in Singapore and is unable to proceed with the trip. No coverage for cancellation of trip due to the COVID-19 outbreak. For policies purchased after 11 March 2020, there will be no coverage for any claims related to COVID-19. |
MSIG |
For travel to Daegu or Cheongdo in South Korea:
Covered if your policy is purchased before 23 February 2020. For travel to South Korea, Italy and Iran: Covered if your policy is purchased before 27 February 2020. For travel to Japan: Covered if your policy is purchased before 27 February 2020 for departures from 7 March 2020. For travel to the rest of the world: Covered if your policy is purchased before 27 February 2020 for departures from 12 March 2020. |
Note: your affected trip must be starting within 30 days for FWD Insurance and MSIG to receive coverage for trip cancellation or postponement.
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#3 Medical expenses incurred for COVID-19
With each insurer having a different set of coverage conditions, it is important that you read the coverage conditions of your respective insurer. This is because while some may cover if you travel to other countries and unfortunately contract the virus during your trip, others only cover if the trip had commenced before the declaration of Coronavirus as a known event.
Insurer |
Coverage conditions for medical expenses |
FWD Insurance |
For travel to Mainland China:
For travel in, to or through Mainland China, medical coverage does not apply if you bought your policy on or after 23 January 2020. For travel to rest of world: No coverage for any claims related to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) if your plan was bought on or after 6 March 2020. Should you choose to proceed with your trip after WHO’s declaration of COVID-19 as a pandemic, there will be no coverage for any COVID-19 related claims. |
Sompo |
For travel to Mainland China: Covered if trip commenced before 22 January 2020, 8pm to Wuhan or before 27 January 2020, 7pm to the rest of Mainland China. Should the insured choose to proceed with the trip to Wuhan or Mainland China on or after 22 January 2020, 8pm or 27 January 2020, 7pm, he/she will not be covered for COVID-19 claims regardless of when the policy was purchased. For travel to Daegu or Cheongdo in South Korea: Covered if trip commenced before 23 February 2020. For trips that departed on or after 23 February 2020, there will be no coverage for COVID-19. For travel to rest of world: Covered for COVID-19, provided that the individual is not traveling against a travel advisory. For policies purchased after 11 March 2020, there will be no coverage for any claims related to COVID-19. |
MSIG |
For travel to Mainland China: Covered for claims relating to the COVID-19 if the policy is purchased before 22 January 2020 for Wuhan, 23 January 2020 for Hubei Province and 27 January 2020 for Mainland China with trip departures before 12 March 2020. For travel to Daegu or Cheongdo in South Korea: Covered for claims relating to the COVID-19 if the policy is purchased before 23 February 2020 with trip departures before 12 March 2020. For travel to South Korea, Italy and Iran: Covered for claims relating to the COVID-19 if the policy is purchased before 27 February 2020 with trip departures before 12 March 2020. For travel to Japan: Covered for claims relating to the COVID-19 if the policy is purchased before 2 March 2020 with trip departures before 12 March 2020. For travel to the rest of the world: Covered for claims relating to the COVID-19 if the policy is purchased before 12 March 2020 with trip departures before 12 March 2020. For policies purchased after 27 February 2020 and trip departures from 12 March 2020, there will be no coverage for claims related to COVID-19. |
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#4 For other benefits unrelated to COVID-19
For other travel insurance benefits, your coverage should remain unaffected if your claims are unrelated to the COVID-19. Some examples of these include lost or delayed baggage, loss of personal belongings, terrorism etc. Coverage is subjected to the benefit limits of your travel insurance policy.
(See "Your Cheatsheet To The 2020 Holidays")
Protect your holidays
While no one would have been able to predict such an outbreak, having your travel insurance purchased in advance can help to protect you in the event of such situations. Should you be travelling to Mainland China and have bought your travel insurance in advance, chances are that most insurers would cover for trip cancellation and/or postponement. However, if you did not purchase any travel insurance before the Coronavirus outbreak, then you may have to bear the cost of any potential trip cancellation or postponement.
Ongoing travel insurance promotions
FWD Travel Insurance |
Sompo TravelJoy |
MSIG TravelEasy |
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Disclaimer: The information above is accurate as of 16 March 2020 and are not representative of the insurer(s). Changes are subjected to the insurer's discretion. For the latest travel advisory updates please refer to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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