Looking to travel over the year-end festive period? Read your travel insurance policy conditions to find out what your policy covers to avoid making mistakes with your travel insurance. In this article, we highlight some common conditions to take note of when you purchase your next travel insurance.
1. Pre-existing medical conditions
Pre-existing medical conditions are generally not covered under standard travel insurance unless you have a pre-existing travel insurance policy that specifically includes them. A pre-existing medical condition can be described as any illness or condition you knew about, received treatment for, or took medication for within 12 months before your trip. Some examples include asthma, high blood pressure, allergies, and diabetes. If you have made a claim for a medical condition on a previous trip under an annual plan, the insurer may also consider that condition as a pre-existing condition for future trips.
If you are looking for a travel insurance plan that covers for pre-existing conditions, you may consider these plans:
- FWD Travel Insurance with Pre-existing medical condition add-on
- Income Enhanced PreX Travel
- MSIG TravelEasy Pre-Ex
Key benefits for travel insurance with pre-existing conditions coverage
Do note that coverage for pre-existing medical conditions under travel insurance plans will not cover conditions with a terminal prognosis, such as when the insured has been given 12 months or less to live. In addition, some pre-existing travel insurance may also require a co-payment for related claims. Read our article Our Top Picks for Travel Insurance 2025 for more information on travel insurance with pre-existing conditions coverage.
2. Trip Cancellation vs Cancel for Any Reason Cover
Travel insurance policies include a trip cancellation benefit which helps individuals recover costs for major prepaid expenses like airfare and accommodation. Before assuming that you can file a claim, review your policy wording to confirm that the “unexpected event” you experienced is actually covered. In most policies, trip cancellation applies only to serious and unforeseen events such as a serious injury or illness, the death of a family member at home, natural disasters, or sudden outbreak of riots or civil unrest at your intended destination. This trip cancellation benefit will not cover for instances where you cancel your trip due to other reasons such as a sick pet, or a last minute work trip.
If you wish to get coverage for trip cancellation for other reasons, you will need to purchase a separate "Cancel For Any Reason" add-on. This add-on will allow you to claim for trip cancellation, postponement and a trip cut short for any reason for up to a specified percentage of your costs. To avoid any unpleasant surprises, always check your policy summary to ensure that your specific "unexpected event" is covered.
For travel insurance with Cancel for Any Reason cover, consider these plans and include the optional add-on Cancel for any reason for a small additional premium:
3. Adventurous activities
Just because a travel insurance policy is marketed to have an “adventurous cover” does not necessarily mean that all adventurous activities are included in the coverage. Always read the fine print to understand whether your specific trip or activity is covered and take note of any coverage exclusions.
For example, most insurers will cover hiking only if this is done with a licensed provider for recreational purposes and up to an altitude of 3,000 or 3,500 metres above sea level. If you plan to hike at higher elevations, this is an important limitation to keep in mind. For individuals planning to hike at a higher altitude, consider policies such as Income Travel Insurance for coverage for hiking and trekking up to 6,000 metres above sea level.
4. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and/or Chiropractic treatment
Did you know that many insurers will have a cap or sub-limit on the amount claimable for TCM treatments? For example, while your policy may cover for up to $500 for Chinese medicine practitioner, physiotherapist or chiropractor, there may be a limit on the amount claimable per visit. Some travel insurance policies may also only cover TCM or chiropractic treatment received overseas and exclude coverage for such treatments sought locally. Additionally, some policies may not even cover for TCM and/or chiropractic treatments at all. Read the fine print to understand what your policy covers and avoid receiving a shock at the point of claim.
5. Medical cover and supplements
Medical coverage is generally provided if the insured first gets treated while overseas or within a specified period (usually 48 to 72 hours) upon return. Treatment sought outside of this period will generally not be claimable from your travel insurance. Most travel insurance policies will also exclude claims made for supplements.
Did you know that some travel insurance policies may specify that your claims must be made from your other medical insurance first? Medical related claims for your travel insurance may only be payable once your other medical insurance is exhausted.
6. Special exclusions
Apart from reading what is covered in your travel insurance policy, it is also equally important to pay attention to what is not covered. This can be found in the general exclusions section or under other specific clauses in your policy.
For example, travel delays are generally covered if you are not the cause of the delay and your transport is delayed beyond a specified period. However, the exact conditions for an eligible travel delay claim will vary across insurers with some policies specifying the exact conditions required for the claim. Your claim could be denied if your delay does not fall under the policy’s specified listed events.
A recent example is the 2024 CrowdStrike global IT outage which caused massive travel delays and disrupted flights and airport operations worldwide. In such cases, you may not be able to claim for a travel delay if your policy specifies the events covered and this global IT outage is not a named covered event. Additionally, if your policy has a cyber loss exclusion, this will further exclude claims caused by cyber incidents such as this global IT outage.
Head to Insure > Travel Insurance to view the plans and current promotions available for eight different travel insurance policies. You can even make your purchase directly online!
Or read our article Our Top Picks for Travel Insurance 2025 to find out which travel insurance policy is right for you.
Have a question on your insurance? Reach out to us for a complimentary consultation
*Terms and conditions apply. Read more here.
Read also,
- Still on the old IncomeShield plans? This is your sign to review your policy.
- A Guide to Assessing Your Enhanced IncomeShield Plan [November 2025 Edition]
- Debunking ILP Myths – Here’s the truth about ILPs
- The hidden cost of paying your insurance premiums monthly – and how to avoid it
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Information obtained from:
https://www.income.com.sg/kcassets/8ebe1cb7-73c4-47a4-9e7a-a2b53e23ae3e/GPZ%20GTX_Travel_Policy%20Conditions%20%28w%20SDIC%29_202502_cleanedv2.pdf
https://www.msig.com.sg/sites/msig_sg/files/downloads/traveleasy_policy.pdf
https://www.fwd.com.sg/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/FWD-Travel-Insurance-Policy-Wording-V5.pdf
Information retrieved 18 November 2025.
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