A wide range of travel insurance products are available in the market, but the coverage of the products may vary from policy to policy. In general, common coverage includes the following:
The insured person will be paid cash compensation in a lump sum in the event of accidental death, permanent disablement or severe burns during the journey.
Medical expenses cover reasonable and necessary medical expenses for consultation and treatment by a local registered medical practitioner, including out-patient and in-patient care, resulting from the insured person's accidental injury or illness during the journey.
If the insured person seeks medical treatment abroad, reasonable and necessary medical expenses arising from follow-up consultations, including physiotherapy and Chinese medicine treatment, for the same accidental injury or illness are also covered within a specified period (e.g. 90 days) after returning to Hong Kong. There is a maximum daily limit or maximum limit per journey for each medical benefit item.
COVID-19 protection
Nowadays, many travel insurance policies in the market provide coverage for COVID-19. The insured person and accompanying family members or travel companions may be protected in the following circumstances:
Some policies also provide protection for the insured person after returning to Hong Kong:
Note:
The definition of an infectious disease or pandemic, as well as their related policy terms, varies from insurer to insurer. It is the best for policyholders to contact the relevant insurer to ensure the coverage details before taking out a policy.
The insured person should note that the cost of the emergency evacuation and repatriation will not be covered if such services are not approved or arranged by the insurer’s authorised emergency assistance service provider. Policyholders should carefully read the policy terms and conditions to be sure they understand the details of the relevant services.
This benefit will be provided to the legal personal representative or designated beneficiary of the insured person in the event of death as a result of serious injury or illness during the journey.
In the event of a trip delay due to adverse weather, a natural disaster, industrial action involving a public common carrier, mechanical and/or electrical breakdown of arranged public common carrier airport closure, the insured person can generally claim a cash allowance or additional accommodation and transportation expenses incurred according to the specific hours of delay (e.g. 6 hours or more) stated in the policy.
The insured person can be reimbursed for irrecoverable deposits or prepaid expenses (e.g. accommodation, transportation and tickets to missed events) or additional air ticket expenses in the event of trip curtailment (e.g. for earlier-than-expected return to Hong Kong) under some circumstances, which generally include:
The insured person can be reimbursed for irrecoverable and prepaid expenses for the journey (e.g. accommodation, transportation and tickets to missed events) in the event of trip cancellation within a specific period before departure under some circumstances, which generally include:
Outbound travel alert coverage
Nowadays, most travel insurance policies provide coverage for Outbound Travel Alerts (OTAs). If the travel insurance is purchased before departure, and the trip is cancelled due to the issuance of a Red or Black OTA for the travel destination (e.g. 1 week before the scheduled departure) by the HKSAR government or the curtailment of the trip due to the issuance of a Red or Black OTA during the journey, in general, the insured person can receive partial reimbursement, depending on the relevant clauses in the policy. However, no reimbursement will be provided if the travel insurance is purchased after the issuance of the OTA.
Insured persons can be reimbursed for the incurred costs of an emergency purchase of essential items (e.g. clothing and personal care products) if their personal baggage is delayed for a specific number of hours (e.g. at least 6 hours) after their arrival at the travel destination.
This covers the insured person against claims for legal liability to third parties arising from accidental death or bodily injury, or property loss or damage due to the negligence of the insured person.
Some travel policies offer protection in addition to the above common coverage, including home content protection during a journey and additional pet accommodation due to trip delay.Some policies offer free extension of the cover period of insurance (e.g. 10 to 14 days) if the journey is unavoidably postponed or delayed arising out of circumstances beyond the control of the insured person.
The above information is for reference only. For the coverage, exclusions, benefit limit and premium levels of a specific insurance plan, please refer to the relevant policy terms.