The excitement of going on holiday often renders most of us guilty of leaving travel insurance at the bottom of our to-do list upon confirming our holiday plans – but now than more than ever, with a pandemic in tow – it’s crucial to make sure you tick this off your list sooner rather than later.
Here are five reasons why you should buy travel insurance as early as you can.
Avoid the possibility of not being covered for unforeseen events
The unexpected can happen at any time no matter where you go, and buying your insurance only when issues happen will affect your coverage.
If you’ve purchased travel insurance well before your trip, then good for you! Your insurer will likely cover your airfare and accommodation expenses if you decide to cancel your trip, or if any plans get disrupted mid-holiday. However, if you haven’t purchased a cover yet and only do so when issues arise, you may find it challenging to be covered.
It’s important to note that claims arising directly or indirectly from protests or major political events may not be covered by the insurer, so if there’s a chance such events might happen during your upcoming travel, it may be worth cutting your losses and delaying the trip.
Note:
Singlife's Travel Prestige plan allows trip cancellation for any reason, so you can travel with confidence, knowing you’ll be compensated for unused flight tickets, accommodation, and even entertainment tickets.
It protects you if an airline, hotel or travel agency goes bust
Imagine being all set for your holiday, only to read a report that your travel agency or hotel has declared closure! Panic sets in, and you start calling the emergency hotline or your travel agent frantically only to realise no one is available to take your call.
Travel insurance may protect you against these circumstances but again, only if you've purchased your travel insurance before the news hits the local papers.
If you’d like to know how to save more on your next trip, be sure to read our article for 5 must-know hacks.
You can get a refund even if you fall ill before your trip
If you think that travel insurance covers your illness-related expenses only when you fall ill overseas, think again.
Ensuring you’re covered well before you travel means that should you fall sick before your trip, or you unfortunately become too weak to travel, your doctor’s memo is enough for you to claim a refund of expenses you’ve incurred for your missed trip.
To lock in full coverage
For most insurers, there’s likely a cut-off date for you to secure full coverage. For example, for you to utilise the benefits of Singlife's trip cancellation for any reason, you’ll have to purchase your travel insurance within seven days of paying for your flight or accommodation.
Therefore, your best bet is to always practice the good habit of not procrastinating and insuring yourself upon confirming your trip.
You won’t have to pay more
Unlike airfare and accommodation prices – both which tend to fluctuate according to factors such as school or public holidays, the premiums for travel insurance are quite constant, so you won’t lose out even if you purchase it earlier.
In fact, if anything happens, you’ll be thankful that you did!
