Essential Guide to Travel Insurance Claims in Singapore (2021)
Most Singaporean travellers are all too happy buy travel insurance and immediately forget all about it... Until some travel delay or theft happens and they realise they don't know how to make a claim. Don't be like them! Here's an easy peasy guide to the travel insurance claim procedures for common insurers in Singapore.
3 Easy Steps to Making a Travel Insurance Claim
While there is some variation from insurer to insurer - for example, some have an online claim portal while some deal by snail mail - the general process of making a travel insurance claim goes like this:
Contact the Insurer
Should you require emergency assistance, contact the insurer's hotline immediately. Even if it is a non-urgent claim, you should still contact the insurer as soon as possible. Every insurance policy has a cut-off time for claims, be it 7 days or a month from the incident, so it is best to do it ASAP.
Prepare Supporting Documents
To avoid giving the insurer a reason to reject your claim, find out from the insurer what supporting documents you need for your claim. These can sometimes be in written form, e.g. an email from the airline about your flight delay, police report for theft, receipts for lost items and so on.
File Your Claim
Finally, now that you have assembled all your supporting documents, you can file your claim according to the insurer's procedure. Some insurers allow you to claim online or even via an app, but you may need to mail or deliver the original supporting documents to them.
Travel Insurance Claim Procedures for 5 Popular Insurers
Looking for information on travel insurance claim procedures from popular travel insurers like NTUC Income, MSIG and FWD? Or curious to see how the different insurers' claim procedures stack up? Here is a handy guide.
Travel Insurance Claim Procedures for 5 Popular Insurers
NTUC Travel Insurance Claim
MSIG Travel Insurance Claim
FWD Travel Insurance Claim
Aviva Travel Insurance Claim
AIG Travel Insurance Claim
What Supporting Documents Do You Need?
| Travel Insurance Claim | Supporting Documents | |
|---|---|---|
| Medical Expenses / Personal Accident | Original medical bills and receipts, medical report or discharge summary stating date, cause and nature of injury/illness, police report (for accidents) | |
| Loss of Personal Belongings | Police report of lost items, property loss irregularity report, original purchase invoice and/or warranty card | |
| Damaged Personal Belongings | Property damage irregularity report, photos of damaged items, diagnostic report from repairer stating cause and extent of damage, repair bill or quotation, original purchase invoice and/or warranty card | |
| Baggage Delay | Written confirmation from carrier/airline on period of delay or baggage return acknowledgement | |
| Travel Disruptions (Delays, Overbooking, etc.) | Written confirmation from the airline/carrier, written confirmation from the tour agent/carrier/hotel on amount refunded and additional charges | |
| Travel Cancellation / Curtailment | Written confirmation from tour agent/carrier/hotel on the extra charges incurred, hotel accommodation confirmation advice or travel deposit receipt | |
| Travel Cancellation / Curtailment (if death or sickness is the cause) | Death certificate, proof of relationship with the person who is sick or dead, medical report certifying the diagnosis and that the insured is not fit to travel | |
| Rental Vehicle Excess | Rental vehicle agreement, police report/evidence of motor accident (e.g. photographs), original excess payment receipt, repair bills | |
| Personal Liability | Letter of claim or documents received from the 3rd party, photographs of damaged 3rd party property |
Frequently Asked Questions
What does travel insurance cover?
- Travel insurance generally covers expenses that arise from unexpected scenarios, such as flight delays or getting injured abroad. However, there are some things that travel insurance does not cover, such as pre-existing conditions. For example, if you know you have asthma, the insurer will not cover your asthma attack abroad since you should have provided for that contingency yourself. Also, each travel insurance policy has exclusions, which are scenarios that are too high-risk for the insurer to take on. Common exclusions are adventurous activities such as hiking above 3,000m, bungee jumping and skydiving.
How long do you have to file a travel insurance claim?
- It depends on the insurer. Some travel insurers have a tight 7-day window (starting from the date of the incident) in which you must make your claim; others have a more lenient 30-day window. But whichever it is, it is always best to do it as soon as you possibly can, just in case you need to obtain further documents (which may take some more time to produce).
Do you need receipts for travel insurance claims?
- When you want to claim reimbursements for upfront expenses, such as an extra night's hotel stay due to a flight delay, or overseas medical expenses, you must keep the original receipt. Most insurers will ask to see the original document. For claims such as lost or stolen personal items, you also need the original invoice of the item to prove the amount it was worth.
How long do travel insurance claims take?
- The lead time for processing an insurance claim depends on insurer itself, and on the complexity of the claim. Some insurers can take as little as 10 working days, while others may take weeks and weeks. If you are worried about cashflow, consider buying from an insurer known for quick claims processing. On top of that, there's also the claim itself. To expedite your claim, make sure your case is completely unambiguous, provide all supporting documents, and cooperate with the insurer's claims officer.
