February 03, 2020, 04:20 PM
As more confirmed cases of the Wuhan virus are cropping up around the world, many trips have been disrupted or cancelled as a result.
Which leads to the question: Would travel insurers accept claims related to the Wuhan virus?
As the Ministry of Health had issued a travel advisory on Jan. 22 for Singaporeans to defer all travel to Hubei, China and all non-essential travel to mainland China, many insurers have deemed Wuhan virus-related risks as "known".
That means that claims relating to the Wuhan virus are unlikely to be accepted if a person decided to travel after a public announcement had been made.
Different travel insurers have different cut-off dates for claims to be valid.
Here is a table of the details.
| Wuhan nCOV-related claims | |||
| Travel Insurance Provider | Travellers to Wuhan/Hubei | Travellers to mainland China | Travellers to the rest of the world |
| AIA | No coverage for policies purchased after/on Jan. 22 | No coverage for policies purchased after/on Jan. 27 | Contact your provider for more information |
| AIG | No coverage for policies issued after 12am, Jan. 22 | No coverage for policies issued after 12am, Jan. 27 | No coverage for purchases/claims after/on Jan. 31 |
| Allianz Travel | No coverage for policies issued after/on Jan. 22 | ||
| Allied World | No coverage for policies issued after 12am, Jan. 23 | No coverage for policies issued after 12am, Jan. 23 for cities under lockdown | Wuhan virus-related claims are covered, subject to situational changes |
| AXA | No coverage for policies purchased and trips booked after/on Jan. 11 | No coverage for policies purchased and trips booked after/on Jan. 27 | Contact your provider for more information |
| Chubb | No coverage for travellers to and from Wuhan after 5pm, Jan. 22 | Contact your provider for more information | Contact your provider for more information |
| Direct Asia | No coverage for policies purchased after/on Jan. 22 for Wuhan, Jan. 23 for Hubei | No coverage for policies purchased after/on Jan. 27 | No coverage for purchases/claims after/on Jan. 31 |
| Etiqa/Tiqa | No coverage for policies issued after 12am, Jan. 22 | No coverage for policies issued after 12am, Jan. 27 | No coverage for policies issued after 12am, Jan. 31 |
| FWD | No coverage for policies purchased after/on Jan. 23 | No coverage for policies purchased after/on Jan. 23 | Contact your provider for more information |
| Great Eastern | No coverage for policies purchased after 9.30am, Jan. 24 | No coverage for policies purchased after/on 12 am, Jan. 28 | Contact your provider for more information |
| HL Assurance | No coverage for policies purchased after/on Jan. 26. Claims from policies bought before Jan. 26 will be subject to assessment | ||
| MSIG | No coverage for policies purchased after/on Jan. 22 for Wuhan, Jan. 23 for Hubei | No coverage for policies purchased after/on Jan. 27 | Wuhan virus-related claims are covered, subject to situational changes |
| NTUC Income | No coverage for policies purchased after/on 8pm, Jan. 20. Premium refund available for cancelled trips from Jan 20 to June 30. | No coverage for policies purchased after/on 7pm, Jan. 27. Premium refund available for cancelled trips from Jan 20 to June 30. | Wuhan virus-related medical and evacuation claims will be covered. Premium refund available for cancelled trips from Jan 20 to June 30. |
| QBE | No coverage for policies purchased after/on Jan. 23 | Wuhan virus-related claims are covered, subject to situational changes | |
| SOMPO | No coverage for policies purchased after/on 8 pm, Jan. 22 | Only medical fees will be covered. Trip cancellations will not be covered | |
Evidently, those who have bought policies or trips early might have a chance at claiming coverage.
Additionally, refunds for cancelled trips are often provided by airlines or travel agencies rather than insurers, said a representative from Etiqa.
Meanwhile, NTUC Income has told Mothership it offers customers a full premium refund if they have to cancel their trips as a result of the Wuhan virus. To be eligible, the cancellations must be made on or after Jan. 20, and for trips that are between now and Jun. 30.
But always make sure to read the fine print first before buying.
Top photo by chuttersnap from Unsplash.
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