Compare the Best Travel Insurance in Hong Kong for 2024

Best Travel Insurance Plan in Hong Kong 

MoneyHero has compared a few travel insurance products based on their characteristics for you to select the most suitable product according to your own needs.

What does Hong Kong Travel Insurance cover?

Most Hong Kong Travel Insurance plans provide coverage for personal accidents, overseas and follow-up medical expenses, and worldwide emergency assistance services. They also protect the insured from different types of travel disruptions, such as travel delays, baggage loss, and trip cancellation. Losses of personal money and travel documents are also covered if they are caused by accidents covered under the specific insurance policy. Other Hong Kong Travel Insurance protections include compensation on rental vehicle excess, theft of mobile devices, and personal liability.

It is essential to look at the major exclusions in the terms of the policy before purchasing a Hong Kong Travel Insurance plan. If the above situations are caused by events listed under “Major Exclusions”, the insured usually won＇t be compensated by the Hong Kong travel insurance company. Some common major exclusions are war, civil war, acts of foreign enemies, rebellion, military or usurped power, nuclear hazards, acts of terrorism, and pre-existing, congenital and hereditary conditions.

If the insured will participate in leisure and sports activities during his/her trip, he/she should check in advance whether the activity falls into the scope of “high-risk activities” that are usually listed under “Major Exclusions” in the policy terms, such as trekking at an altitude limit greater than 5,000 meters above sea level or diving to a depth greater than 30 meters below sea level.

Normally, Hong Kong travel insurance plans require any activities in the air, unless an insured person is traveling as a fare-paying passenger in a licensed aircraft operated by a recognised airline, or participating in an activity of which the maneuver or navigation is managed and controlled by another licensed person and the provider of such activity, to be authorized by the relevant local authority.

How to claim travel insurance online? 

Step 1: Check the time limit for submitting claim form

• Travel insurance companies usually require you to make the claim within a specific time limit, usually within 21 to 30 days of the occurrence.

Step 2: Prepare original documents / proofs / reports

• Here are some common documents that are needed for claiming travel insurance online. Each insurance company may have their own list of required documents, please checkout their official website for specific requirements. Click here to find the contact information of the insurance companies.

• Documents required for medical claims: Boarding pass (shows the travel period), official medical receipt (with detailed medical expanse), medical report and detailed diagnostic report / referral letter / discharge certificate from a registered doctor.

• Documents required for flight delay / baggage delay: Flight tickets and boarding pass with the actual boarding time, delay confirmation report issued by the airline, official receipt of the additional expense due to the delay (e.g. hotel).

• Documents required for lost / damage of personal belongings: Clear photo of the lost / damaged item, purchase receipt, repair receipt, boarding pass.

Step 3: Download and fill in the claim form

Step 4: Upload the claim form and related documents to the insurance company’s official website

How to compare travel insurance?

An all-rounded travel insurance that is suitable for you can save you from a lot of trouble from handling travel incidents, so you can devote more time to enjoying your vacation or business trip. Employers should also select travel insurance that is catered for employees who travel for business consistently to protect the interests of both parties.

Please keep in mind that insurance companies may have some exclusions in the travel insurance policies. Therefore, price should not be your only concern when selecting a suitable travel insurance. You should also pay attention to items that are not covered in your policies so you can plan ahead and avoid unexpected expenses. For example, you should check if the Hong Kong Government issued any Outbound Travel Alert to certain politically unstable countries and if the travel insurance policy covers any accidents that occur in countries under Outbound Travel Alert.

There are 2 major things you need to consider when comparing travel insurance, your travel destination and your travel activities.

Outbound Travel Alert / Terrorist Attack

The Hong Kong Government introduced The Outbound Travel Alert System to help people better understand the risk or threat to personal safety in traveling to popular travel destinations. It classified countries / territories into 3 alert levels, Amber, Red and Black, based on the severity of the threat in a place that may affect personal safety. 

Some travel insurance plans cover countries that are under Outbound Travel Alert, normally there will be compensation for the expenses from trip cancellations due to the issue of Travel Alert before departure, and the accommodation charges and additional expenses from curtailment of trip. However, you should pay attention to the terms and conditions of reimbursement, as some travel insurance only covers Black Outbound Alert. Not all travel insurance policies cover the acts of terrorism, and even if it does, it is not applicable under certain circumstances. 

The definition of acts of terrorism

Each travel insurance company may have their own definition of acts of terrorism. Some of them may see whether war, military power, nuclear weapons etc. are involved. War is generally not covered, only Allied World covers war that occurs during the journey, while AXA, Blue Cross, FWD, MSIG, STARR and Zurich do not cover any acts of terrorism related to nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, or radioactive contamination. However, as long as the government in your destination declared the event as acts of terrorism, even though the event only involves common terrorist attacks like guns and bombs, there is still a high possibility of a successful claim.

Self-driving tours

Excluded in third-party liability insurance

Most insurance companies will offer third-party liability insurance but not covering self-driving tours with rental cars as the medical and personal accident benefits are only applicable to the  insured person. Overseas car rental companies would usually purchase car insurance for their rental cars, which already covers personal accidents, traffic accidents and third-party assets.

Rental Vehicle Excess

In case of traffic accidents, part of the repair cost may be self-financed, those are usually referred to as “Collision Damage Waiver Excess” or “Rental Vehicle Excess”, which is determined by the car rental company and the rest are compensated by the insurance company. For example, if you purchased an insurance policy with HK$3,000 excess and the car rental company has a HK$5,000 excess, you will be responsible for HK$2,000 and you can claim the remaining HK$3,000 from the insurance company after you return to Hong Kong. STARR’s “Essential” and “Extra” Travel Insurance plans do not cover Rental Vehicle Excess.

Medical Coverage

If there is any serious injury that leads to hospitalization, you will have to pay attention to the medical expenses coverage, and check the details of medical treatment overseas hospital cash allowance and worldwide emergency assistance service.

Keep the traffic accident record

Travel insurance companies normally require the insured person to provide car rental receipt, car rental insurance proof, traffic accident record and NOC (Non-Operation Charge) receipt etc. Please ensure that the report number, police station information, accident description, car rental company reference number and car rental company corporate seal is included in the traffic accident record. 

What should I do if I get injured during the trip?

Call for prior approval

Prior approval from some insurance company may be required before any assistance or hospital admission deposit is guaranteed. The insured person or his/her representative should call the corresponding emergency hotline to provide the insurance certificate number or the policy number, the name and HKID card or passport number of the insured person, and the nature and the location of the emergency for validation.

Keep official documents

All the original copies of the related medical documents must be properly preserved, so it can be used to claim the medical expense after returning to Hong Kong. Those medical documents must be able to show the disease or injury the insured person suffered, like medical certificate, receipts or bills, doctor’s certificate, medical report etc. You should also keep the proof of traveling, like boarding pass and statement of travel records, to submit them along with the claim form.

Some travel insurance plans may not cover all injuries or medical expenses during your trip. For example, most insurance companies cover leisure and amateur sports activities during the journey including winter sports, bungee jumping, hiking, rock climbing, horse riding, scuba diving and other water sports etc., but exclude any dangerous sports with altitude limit not over 5,000 meters above sea level or depth not greater than 30 meters below sea-level. So any injuries that are caused by sports activities excluded from the plan will not be covered.

What should I do if I lost digital gadget during the trip?

If you lost your digital gadget during the trip, you should report it to the police station within 24 hours and keep all the related documents and official receipts for filing the travel insurance claim. Please keep in mind that if there is evidence of the insured person not taking proper care of the said property, travel insurance companies have the right to not cover the loss. 

Check if your digital gadget is covered

Most travel insurance companies will list out the digital gadgets that are covered (and not covered) in their policy wordings. For example, FWD covers for loss of mobile phone but excludes the loss of pager, handheld portable telecommunication equipment and computer equipment. Blue Cross stated that only one mobile phone for each insured person will be covered in the same period of insurance.

Also, not all plans under the same travel insurance cover the same amount of items. You may require to purchase a high level plan to get both of your mobile phone and laptop computers covered.

Report to the police and take pictures of the digital gadget

Proof is required to claim for lost digital gadget and police report is one of the important documents that would facilitate your claiming process. You may also want to take a clear picture of your digital gadgets before starting your journey, so it can be a proof for the insurance company. If your digital gadgets are damaged, you would also need to take a picture as a record of its condition.

FAQ

1. Which travel insurance offers Covid-19 Coverage?  

MoneyHero has sorted out a few Covid-19-covered travel insurance products for your easy comparison. Please click here to learn more details on our Covid-19 Travel Insurance Comparison page.

2. When should I buy travel insurance?

You should buy travel insurance BEFORE starting your journey. The insurance plan is activated at the moment you purchase it, so the earlier you buy the better. You are suggested to purchase travel insurance right after you purchased your flight ticket, so even the unexpected changes before your departure may be covered. For example, FWD provides reimbursement of irrecoverable prepaid costs due to cancellation of trip in the event of the Insured Person being diagnosed with COVID-19 30 days before the start of the journey.

If your flight is canceled or delayed due to adverse weather conditions, you may be covered if you have already purchased travel insurance before any weather warnings are issued.

Also, if unfortunately a Black Outbound Alert is issued to your destination, you will be covered if you have already purchased travel insurance that covers trip cancellation due to Black Outbound Alert before it is issued. However, if you purchase the travel insurance after the Black Outbound Alert is issued, you may not be covered.

3. Can I buy travel insurance during my trip?

No. Since travel insurance policies are normally only valid for travel originating from and returning to Hong Kong, any purchase of travel insurance after departure will not be accepted. There will be no compensation even if you have encountered any accidents during the trip. So please do not leave everything until the last minute and buy travel insurance as soon as your departure and return date is confirmed. 

4. What is the difference between Single Trip and Annual Travel Insurance? Is annual travel insurance cheaper?

Annual travel insurance is best for frequent travelers and business travelers as annual travel insurance covers unlimited trips per year. Employers should purchase travel insurance for employees who travel business trips frequently to protect mutual interests.

Single-trip travel insurance is best for people who do not travel frequently and prefer short trips or short-distance travel. As the price is generally lower than the annual one, you can purchase single-trip travel insurance at a lower cost while bringing you peace of mind during your trip.

5. Which travel insurance cover flight delay and trip cancellation? What are the claim procedures?

Normally a travel insurance company covers flight delays resulting from adverse weather conditions, natural disasters, closure of airport, hi-jack, technical or other mechanical derangement. 

Trip cancellation will be covered if it is due to death, serious sickness or injury of the Insured Person, adverse weather conditions, natural disaster or unexpected outbreak of infectious diseases, riot at the destination that prevents the Insured Person from continuing the journey or Black Outbound Alert for the destination is in effect during the journey.

Most insurance companies have policies that cover flight delay and trip cancellation, including Allianz, STARR, Allied World, FWD, Zurich and AXA. You may refer to this article for more information.

6. Can I specifically require coverages on top of my current travel insurance plans?

Apart from the regular benefits included in the travel insurance plans, some travel insurance companies allow insured person to add extra benefit items. So you can partially customize your insurance plan to fit your needs even better. For example, AVO offers winter sports extra benefits, water sports extra benefits and pre-wedding photoshoot and wedding extra benefits. These optional add-ons let you choose your own travel insurance coverage based on your travel purpose.