FWD Travel Insurance Review: Covid-19 & Extreme Sports Coverage!

What is covered: 

This standard coverage is offered in all travel insurance plans in Singapore.

This benefit is paid out if you suffer an unexpected illness/injury and need necessary medical treatment because of it. 

The benefit is also paid for a period of up to 30 days from the first date of the treatment and the following: 

• Dental treatment (only if medically necessary to treat injury caused by accident)
• Reasonable costs of ambulance transportation
• Treatment by a medical specialist but only if referred by a general practitioner (not required in an emergency)
• Mobility aids (not including prosthesis)
• Medical equipment to aid recovery 

What is not covered:

• Dental treatment due to tooth/gum/oral diseases or from normal teeth-wearing
• Dental expenses related to non-natural teeth, such as dentures, bridges, implants, fillings, and crowns

What is covered: 

Same as Overseas Medical Expenses Benefit, only difference is if: 

• you have received medical treatment overseas for the same illness or injury that is being treated in Singapore or 
• you seek medical treatment within 48 hours of returning to Singapore for the illness or injury suffered overseas

What is not covered: 

Same as Overseas Medical Expenses Benefit. 

What is covered:

This benefit is paid when the entire trip has to be cancelled or if there is a change to the travel companion who is travelling with you due to any of these events happening within 30 days before the scheduled departure date:

• You or your travel companion suffers a serious injury or illness and is medically unfit to travel as confirmed by a medical practitioner in writing
• You, your travel companion, or your family member dies
• Your family member suffers a life-threatening illness or injury as confirmed by a medical practitioner in writing 
• You or your travel companion needs to be a witness in court during your scheduled period of travel
• You or your travel companion’s home is seriously damaged by fire or natural disaster, and as a result, you cannot travel or have to cut short your trip
• A serious public event happens in Singapore or at 1 of your travel destinations, which prevents you from starting or continuing your trip
• Your onward flight is cancelled by the airline due to airport, runway or airspace closure, or poor weather conditions, which forces the airplanes to be grounded

The benefit paid includes only the costs you paid in advance, which you can’t get back or are legally responsible for paying. 

What is not covered:

The benefit will not be paid if your trip is cancelled because:

• The aircraft you are on board is hijacked for > 12 hours

The benefit is also not paid if you buy your policy < 3 days before the scheduled departure date. 

The benefit also does not cover:

• Additional transport and accommodation expenses (economy class for transport and standard room for hotel) you pay because of your early return to Singapore 
• Any rebooking fees so that you can reorganise the trip (same destination as the original trip) to a date within 180 days from your original scheduled departure date 

What is covered: 

This benefit is paid if you postpone your entire trip or change the travel itinerary due to any of these events happening within 30 days before the scheduled departure date:

• Same as Trip Cancellation and Loss of Deposit excluding the last point

The benefit paid includes the costs you paid in advance which you can’t get back, or are legally responsible for paying, as well as any rebooking fees so thay you can reorganise the trip (same destination as the original trip) to a date within 180 days from your original scheduled departure date. 

What is not covered:

The benefit will not be paid if your trip is cancelled because:

• Your onward flight is cancelled by the airline due to airport, runway or airspace closure, or poor weather conditions, which forces the airplanes to be grounded
• The aircraft you are on-board is hijacked for > 12 hours

The benefit also does not cover:

• Same as Trip Cancellation and Loss of Deposit excluding the last point

What is covered:

This benefit is paid if you are overseas and you have to return to Singapore before your scheduled return date due to any of these events happening: 

• Same as Trip Cancellation and Loss of Deposit excluding last point
• The aircraft you are on-board is hijacked for > 12 hours 

FWD pays you the costs you paid in advance which you can’t get back, or are legally responsible for paying, as well as additional transport and accommodation expenses (economy class for transport and standard room for hotel) you pay because of your early return to Singapore. 

What is not covered:

The benefit will not be paid to you if you buy your policy < 3 days before scheduled departure date. 

Insolvency Protection Benefit 

What is covered: 

This benefit is paid 

• when your trip is cancelled before your scheduled departure date, or
• trip is disrupted while you are overseas during your trip 

because a travel agent, transport provider, tour operator, or accommodation provider who is responsible for part or all of your trip, is declared insolvent. 

Insolvent in this case means they have completed ceased operations because they are bankrupt, convicted for a fraudulent/dishonest act or the owner has ran away with monies belonging to the business. 

What is not covered:

The benefit will not be paid if you buy your policy < 3 days before the scheduled departure date. 

What is covered:

This benefit is paid if:

• You are travelling on a scheduled public transport; and 
• Are diverted to another destination for 6 continuous hours or more

before you eventually reach your scheduled destination. 

Remember that you must have checked in on time for the public transport you booked in your original itinerary. 

What is not covered:

This benefit will not be paid if you, your family member, or your travel companion were the cause.

What is covered:

This benefit is paid if your trip is delayed for 6 continuous hours or more if:

• Your scheduled public transport is delayed; or
• You are forced to travel at another time because your scheduled public transport is overbooked

before you eventually reach your scheduled destination. 

You must also show them written proof of the delay from the public transport operator or your handling agent. It needs to show the number of hours of travel delay and the reason for the delay. 

What is not covered:

Same as Trip Diversion.

What is covered: 

This benefit is paid only if:

• You miss your travel connection as a result of your scheduled public transport arriving late to the transit terminal 
• You are stranded for 6 continuous hours or more because there are no available travel alternatives

What is not covered:

Same as Trip Diversion. 

What is covered: 

This benefit is paid if your trip is disrupted while you are in Singapore or overseas, and you are forced to change your itinerary because of 1 of these events happening:

• You suffer a serious injury or illness and are medically unfit to travel, and this must be confirmed by a medical practitioner
• A serious public event happens in Singapore or at 1 of your travel destinations
• Your flight is cancelled by an airline because the airport, runway, or airspace is closed; or poor weather conditions 

FWD also pays you the following: 

• Additional transport and/or accommodation expenses (the same transport class, and standard hotel room) you have to pay to continue your trip 
• Any costs you have paid in advance, which you can’t get back because of the itinerary change 
• Any costs you are legally responsible for paying because of the itinerary change 

What is not covered: 

• Any additional expenses you incur to extend your trip longer than you originally planned. 
• Any amounts or compensation for customer loyalty points. 
• Any expenses to upgrade you to a better class or category of transport or accommodation compared to your itinerary. This means, for example, changing your flight from a budget airline to a full-service airline.

What is covered: 

This benefit is paid if your checked-in baggage is:

• Delayed, misdirected, or temporarily misplaced by any public transport provider, and
• It reaches you 6 continuous hours or more after you arrive at your scheduled destination (including your final return to Singapore).

The length of the delay is calculated by counting the number of hours between your original scheduled arrival time and the actual time of your baggage. 

Also, this benefit is paid out on a per-claim basis and not per piece of baggage you bring. 

FWD also pays one person the baggage delay benefit even if multiple persons share the same baggage. 

What is not covered:

The benefit will not be paid if you buy your policy < 3 days before the scheduled departure date. 

What is covered: 

This benefit is paid if: 

• Your baggage or personal belongings are stolen or accidentally damaged during your trip 
• Your baggage is lost while in the custody and care of any airline operator 

FWD also decides on the benefit in this manner:

• They decide whether to replace, repair, or pay a cash amount for the stolen or damaged items. 
• They may treat a damaged item as beyond repair. If they do so, they will treat it as lost, and they will become the owner of that item. 
• They will treat items that are a pair or a set as 1 item for the purpose of this benefit, and only 1 amount will be payable for the pair or set. 
• They will use the table below to determine the items’ fair value.

Source: FWD Travel Insurance

What is not covered: 

• Perishables or consumables (including food, skincare products, perfume, contact lenses, and toiletries)
• Motorised vehicles of any form or its accessories 
• Traveller cards, credit value-loaded cards, prepaid debit cards, prepaid gift cards, transportation cards, and any value that is loaded onto any such card
• Loss or damage caused by wear and tear or gradual deterioration
• Musical instruments or their accessories or casing
• Unauthorised phone costs or charges after its loss or theft
• Items that do not belong to you
• Sports equipment
• Business goods or equipment 
• Information stored on storage devices
• Unexplained loss or mysterious disappearance of any baggage or belongings

What is covered: 

This benefit is paid if you lose your passport, other travel documents, and/or your money or travellers’ cheques are stolen. 

This is also under the condition that these items must all be stolen while being carried by you. 

FWD pays the benefit in terms of: 

• The value of stolen cash or travellers’ cheques
• The costs to replace a passport or other travel documents
• The costs or penalties charged by a transport provider to issue replacement travel tickets
• The following costs that are paid to organise for the replacement of lost passport or travel documents: 
  • transport (economy class) or hotel accommodation (standard room);
  • communication expenses; 

where these costs are reasonable. 

What is not covered:

No other expenses you pay to organise replacements will be paid.

What is covered: 

This benefit is paid if unauthorised charges are made on your credit card while you are overseas on a trip. 

Keep in mind that you have to report those unauthorised changes to both your credit card issuers and the police in the country where the theft/loss happened within 24 hours, or else the claim won’t be paid by FWD. 

What is not covered: 

Unauthorised charges made by your family member, travel companion, or any person you entrusted your credit card details with. 

This benefit is paid if you suffer from a life-threatening condition as a result of an unexpected illness or injury that happens while overseas on a trip, and: 

• FWD believes it is medically necessary to move you to a medical facility in Singapore or overseas, or
• You need to return to Singapore for continued treatment after having been moved to an overseas medical facility for treatment, or
• You die while overseas. 

FWD pays the following: 

• The costs involved in arranging and paying for an air ambulance, surface ambulance, regular air transport, railroad, land or sea transport, or any other appropriate method to move you to a medical facility for treatment; and 
• any administrative fees charged by an airline or travel agent to change your travel dates and/or destinations if the existing return ticket can be used to travel back to Singapore.
• any reasonable costs charged by an overseas mortician or undertaker to prepare the body for transport if you die, such as: 
  • embalmment, 
  • cremation (if chosen by your legal representative); and
  • a basic casket or urn.

What is covered: 

This benefit is paid when you are held legally responsible for

• The accidental death of another person
• Bodily injury to another person
• Loss or damage to another person’s property 

While you’re overseas on a trip. 

FWD will pay 

• any damages awarded against you by a court of competent jurisdiction (except for punitive damages); and 
• the legal costs and expenses that FWD agrees to pay for representing or defending you.

What is not covered:

Same as in Chinese Medicine Practioner, Physiotherapist, and Chiropractor Expense Benefit. 

The benefit also does not cover:

• Any damages resulting from a criminal proceeding
• Any claim for loss of or damage to property in your care or custody. 
• Any legal responsibility that results from you owning or using:
  • firearms; 
  • animals; 
  • motorised vehicles;
  •  watercraft; 
  • aircraft of any description including drones; 
  • remote-controlled motorised devices; or
  • bicycles. 
• Any damages that are connected to you engaging in your trade, business, or profession.

What is covered:

This benefit is paid in a lump sum if you suffer an accident that:

• Causes death or 
• Leads to total and permanent disability (TPD) within 90 days of the accident. 

FWD will pay the lump sum according to the % of benefit limit shown in the table below for that death or accidental injury. 

Source: FWD Travel Insurance

What is not covered: 

The benefit will not be paid if the death, total permanent severance or loss of use occurs after 90 days of the accident. 

If your death, total permanent severance or loss of use is not diagnosed by a medical practitioner approved by FWD, or if you are curable, the benefit will not be paid. 

This benefit is paid for every continuous 24-hour period that you are confined to an overseas hospital. 

The hospital confinement must be because of an unexpected illness or injury you suffer while overseas on a trip, and the admission to the hospital must be medically necessary.

This benefit is also doubled for each 24-hour period you are confined in an intensive care unit (ICU). 

This benefit is paid if you are confined to a hospital in Singapore: 

• within 48 hours of your return to Singapore; or 
• within 30 days after you return from a trip if you had sought medical treatment during your trip

as a result of an unexpected illness or injury you suffered while overseas on a trip, FWD will pay this benefit for every continuous 24-hour period that you are confined to a hospital in Singapore. The admission to a hospital must be medically necessary.

Doubling of the benefit works the same as in Overseas Daily Hospital Cash Benefit.

This benefit is where the period of insurance is extended for free if:

• your return to Singapore is delayed by a serious public event, or 
• you are confined to a hospital overseas upon the advice of a medical practitioner.

This benefit is to reimburse the costs of the phone calls you make while overseas. These include:

• Calls to our Emergency Assistance hotline to get advice on medical assistance or to replace lost travel documents. 
• Calls to the police, medical facilities, consulates, or family member(s) in Singapore to get assistance or support as a result of you suffering a serious illness or injury during a trip.

This benefit is to reimburse the costs of an adult family member who travels to be with you if:

• you suffer an unexpected illness or injury while overseas on a trip; 
• as a result of that illness or injury, you are confined to a hospital for a least 5 continuous days; 
• a medical practitioner confirms that you cannot return to Singapore for further treatment; and 
• you have no adult family member with you.

This benefit is to reimburse the costs of an adult family member who travels to be with you if: 

• you suffer an unexpected illness or injury while overseas on a trip; and 
• as a result of that illness or injury, you are confined to a hospital for at least 5 continuous days; and 
• a medical practitioner confirms that you cannot return to Singapore for further treatment; and 
• you are travelling with 1 or more children, and you are the only adult.

What is covered:

This benefit is to reimburse the costs of an adult family member who travels to arrange the return of your bodily remains to Singapore or to your home country if: 

• you die from an unexpected illness or injury suffered while overseas on a trip; and 
• there is no other adult family member on the trip. 

What is not covered:

If the return transport is not economy class or a standard room or if the hotel accommodation is not of a standard room, this benefit will not be paid. 

The payment of the benefit will also stop at the earliest of the following dates: 

• 30 days have passed since you were first confined to a hospital; or 
• the date a medical practitioner confirms you are fit to continue the trip or to return to Singapore.

What is covered: 

There are 2 parts to this benefit: 

What is covered:

The benefit will not be paid if the other person involved is an interested party.