MSIG Travel Insurance Review: Premiums and Coverage

MSIG’s TravelEasy is one of the more popular travel insurance plans in Singapore.

For starters, it’s one of the rare plans that offers coverage for pre-existing conditions. Given that these can span anything from asthma and eczema to cancer, being insured in the event of a flare-up can be a godsend for travellers.

Still, they’re not the only provider offering this, and you want to make sure that MSIG really does have adequate coverage.

Today, we’ll review the MSIG TravelEasy Insurance Plan and give our verdict based on: 

• MSIG TravelEasy vs TravelEasy Pre-Ex
• Pricing and coverage
• Drawbacks of the pre-ex plan
• How TravelEasy compares to other plans in the market
• Whom MSIG TravelEasy is best for

Brief Overview of MSIG TravelEasy & TravelEasy Pre-Ex

	TravelEasy	TravelEasy Pre-Ex
Differences	Excludes pre-existing medical conditions, but includes automatic COVID-19 coverage	Covers stable, controlled pre-existing medical conditions, but does not have COVID-19 coverage
Single Trip Duration & Age Limit	Up to 182 days No upper age limit	Up to 30 days No upper age limit
Annual Trip Duration & Age Limit	Up to 90 days per trip Last entry age is 69. Renewal for 70 to 80-year-olds only for standard plan	N/A – only Single Trip plans Last entry age is 69. Renewal for 70 to 80-year-olds only for standard plan

Eligibility Requirements

Eligibility requirements for both plans are easy to meet. 

All persons residing in Singapore aged 1 month and above can apply. (If you’re a foreigner, you need a valid employment pass or work permit.)

TravelEasy Coverage & Notable Features

MSIG’s flagship travel insurance plan automatically includes COVID-19 coverage. In addition, they cover:

• Up to $1,000,000 of overseas medical expenses
• Up to $600 in TCM expenses
• Up to $15,000 in trip cancellation coverage
• Up to $7,500 in lost or damaged baggage, including $1,000 for a laptop and $500 for each other item

Some of the more notable features of this policy include:

• Coverage for wedding items, including rings, bridal and ceremonial attire, and accessories
• Adventurous activity coverage (e.g. bungee jumping, skydiving, paragliding, hot air ballooning, jet skiing)
• Coverage for loss or damage to home contents due to fire or burglary
• Coverage for pets to continue staying at a local pet hotel due to injury or illness of insured person

TravelEasy Pre-Ex Coverage & Notable Features

Other than the COVID-19 coverage, TravelEasy Pre-Ex offers the same coverage as the regular TravelEasy. The main addition, of course, is coverage for critical care expenses relating to pre-existing medical conditions.

Examples of such pre-existing medical conditions include asthma, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart conditions, stroke, or cancer.

There are a few requirements:

1. Pre-existing medical conditions have to actually be diagnosed
2. You’re not travelling against the advice of your medical practitioner, and you’re not travelling for medical treatment abroad
3. You’ve been following your doctor’s prescribed course of treatment
4. You haven’t received any treatment at a hospitals A&E in the last year (or stayed in a hospital for more than three days in the last 12 months)

But if you meet all those requirements, TravelEasy Pre-Ex covers you in the event of an acute onset of any pre-existing conditions while you’re travelling.

The coverage is lower than that of non-pre-existing conditions though. For example, inpatient overseas medical expenses will only get up to $150,000 cover instead of the $1,000,000 you’d get for non-pre-existing conditions. (But that’s better than not being covered at all.)

Any pre-existing medical conditions that worsen 30 days before your trip will not be covered. If that happens, you can cancel your policy by notifying MSIG and providing supporting documents.

TravelEasy & TravelEasy Pre-Ex Exclusions

The full list of policy exclusions can be found in the policy wording, but here are some of the more significant policy exclusions to note:

• Terminal illness
• Mental disorders & suicide
• Travelling to countries at war
• Participation in professional or compensated sports
• Items taken/destroyed by customs or other officials

Pricing & Coverage For TravelEasy Plan Types

The prices stated here are only applicable to individual travellers. Group travellers such as families and couples have better discounts. Groups of 2 to 10 can enjoy savings of up to 10% while groups of 11 to 20 can enjoy group discounts of up to 15%.

Area A: Southeast Asian Countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, East and West Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam)

Area B: Australia, China (excluding Inner Mongolia and Tibet), Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Macau, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and including countries in Area A

Area C: Worldwide including countries in Areas A and B

Area A	Standard	Elite	Premier
Single Trip (1 week)	S$52	S$70	S$98
Annual Plan	S$225	S$310	S$435
Area B	Standard	Elite	Premier
Single Trip (1 week)	S$64	S$86	S$122
Annual Plan	S$270	S$350	S$480
Area C	Standard	Elite	Premier
Single Trip (1 week)	S$93	S$116	S$160
Annual Plan	S$385	S$485	S$650

As the most basic plan, TravelEasy Standard has the lowest coverage.

For example, if you’re planning an overseas wedding shoot or an adventure sports trip, you’ll want to look at either the Elite or Premier plan.

Other possibly important aspects that aren’t covered under TravelEasy Standard include:

• Fraudulent use of your credit card overseas
• Legal expenses for any wrongful arrests or detention
• Maternity medical expenses overseas
• Daily benefits for ICU hospitalisation overseas

In short, if you’re travelling someplace that may have a lot of petty crime (or you/your spouse happens to be pregnant), go for Elite or Premier instead.

Here’s a brief overview of the coverage you’ll get under the various TravelEasy plans:

Coverage Benefits	Standard	Elite	Premier
Overseas Medical Expenses	S$250,000	S$500,000	S$1,000,000
Trip Cancellation	S$5,000	S$10,000	S$15,000
Trip Postponement	S$750	S$1,500	S$2,000
Missed Travel Connection	S$100, max S$200	S$150, max S$300	S$200, max S$400
Shortening of Trip	S$5,000	S$10,000	S$15,000
Lost Baggage (Limit: S$500 per article, pair, or set of items; S$1,000 for one laptop)	S$3,000	S$5,000	S$7,500
Wedding Clothing & Accessories	N/A	S$2,500	S$3,500
Fraudulent Use of Credit Card	N/A	S$2,000	S$3,000
Lifestyle Cover (e.g. adventurous activities, golfing, etc.)	N/A	Up to S$1,000	Up to S$1,500
Loss or Damage to Rental Vehicle	N/A	$1,000	$1,500

In deciding between the Elite and Premier plans, we recommend estimating the costs of specific incidences. For example, if your flight is delayed, would you have to rebook a connecting flight? If your baggage is delayed or lost, is there adequate coverage for your personal belongings? 

In the case of travel postponement, you can collate the total costs of transportation and any advance bookings you’ve made to see how much coverage you’ll need for the trip.

Items such as unused theme park or concert tickets are also claimable under the lifestyle cover in case of illness or injury.

Pricing & Coverage For TravelEasy Pre-Ex Plan Types

Same area rules apply, and these prices are only applicable for individual travellers. In the Pre-Ex plan’s case, there are no special group discounts for bulk purchases.

Area A	Pre-Ex Standard	Pre-Ex Elite	Pre-Ex Premier
Single Trip (1 week)	S$64	S$82	S$110
Area B	Pre-Ex Standard	Pre-Ex Elite	Pre-Ex Premier
Single Trip (1 week)	S$77	S$97	S$136
Area C	Pre-Ex Standard	Pre-Ex Elite	Pre-Ex Premier
Single Trip (1 week)	S$104	S$135	S$136

Again, TravelEasy Pre-Ex coverage is the same as the regular MSIG TravelEasy plans, with the exception of pre-ex critical care expenses:

Pre-Ex Coverage Benefits	Standard	Elite	Premier
Pre-Ex Critical Care	Up to S$175,000	Up to S$250,000	Up to S$350,000
Overseas Medical Expenses (Inpatient only)	S$75,000	S$100,000	S$150,000
Emergency Medical Evacuation & Repatriation (sub-limit)	S$100,000	S$150,000	S$200,000

TravelEasy Pre-Ex Drawbacks to Note

MSIG’s coverage may seem enticing with a few items rarely found in other travel insurance products in the market. However, here are some drawbacks you may want to take note of. 

1. No COVID-19 coverage for those with pre-existing conditions. 
2. Maximum trip length for Pre-Ex is 30 days. Travellers planning for long haul trips may not get enough coverage. 
3. Pre-existing conditions that worsen within 30 days of your departure date will not be covered. If you’ve sought treatment and your doctor prescribes further treatment, medication, or surgery, your pre-existing condition will no longer qualify.
4. Trip inconveniences caused by your pre-existing condition cannot be claimed. This means any trip cancellations or postponement claims filed due to your medical condition will not be successful.

How Do These TravelEasy Plans Compare?

Let’s take a look at travel insurance with similar coverage:

For Travellers Seeking Best Coverage And Benefits

Coverage Benefits	Allianz Platinum	Aviva Prestige	MSIG TravelEasy Premier
Premium Price	S$101.20	S$78.68	S$98 (S$58 after discount)
Accident & Death	S$100,000	S$500,000	S$500,000
Overseas Medical Expenses	Unlimited	Unlimited	S$1,500,000
Trip Delay	S$1,500	S$2,000	S$1,500
Trip Cancellation	S$25,000	S$20,000	S$15,000

Allianz Platinum is the priciest among the three, but it offers the most trip inconvenience coverage. If you’re most concerned about flight delays or losing baggage, this is ideal. 

If for some reason trip cancellations are a distinct possibility, Aviva Prestige would be the better option. It has fewer exclusions to watch out for while maintaining a great variety of medical benefits, coverage, and personalisation options. Add-on coverage for weddings and extreme sports are also available.

Lastly, amongst the three, MSIG’s TravelEasy Premier is best suited for families who want wider coverage without having to pay additional premiums. This plan automatically covers various lifestyle activities such as rental cars and adventurous activities. Pregnancy-related illnesses are also covered, which is fairly hard to find as most plans usually only cover pregnancy-related emergencies. 

For Travellers Seeking Pre-Ex Coverage

Coverage Benefits	Income Enhanced Pre-Ex Prestige	MSIG Pre-Ex Premier	Etiqa Pre-Ex Luxury
Premium Price	S$149	S$110	S$72
Accident & Death	S$500,000	S$500,000	S$500,000
Overseas Medical Expenses	S$1,000,000	S$1,500,000	S$1,000,000
Trip Delay	Up to S$2,000	S$1,500	$500 ($50 per 3hrs)
Trip Cancellation	S$15,000	S$15,000	S$10,000
Covid-19 Cover	Yes	No	No

These are the only three insurers providing pre-ex coverage in the market. Unfortunately, NTUC Income’s Pre-Ex Prestige plan is quite pricey (almost double of Etiqa).

For those on a tight budget, Etiqa’s Pre-Ex Luxury plan is a great option with various add-ons depending on your itinerary.

If you’re deciding between Etiqa and MSIG, Etiqa’s Luxury plan excludes lifestyle cover on things such as sports equipment and pet hotel fees. MSIG’s Premier plan includes these.

MSIG’s Pre-Ex Premier plan is also great for older travellers with greater medical coverage. 

Our Verdict on MSIG Travel Insurance

Overall, the MSIG TravelEasy Insurance Plans are still very affordable (although not the cheapest in the market), especially with their generous promotions.

MSIG has a few notable perks in their plans, such as the wedding clothing & accessories coverage as well as the adventurous activities coverage. These are only available with the Elite or Premier plans, so we recommend going a tier up from Standard if your budget allows it.

And while no insurer has a perfect customer service record, MSIG has generally had positive reviews from customers who filed claims.