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Group Travel Insurance vs Family Travel Insurance – Which One is Right For You?

Alevin Chan

Alevin Chan

Last updated 23 August, 2022

Understand the three key differences between family travel insurance and group travel insurance to help you make the most appropriate choice.

When travelling in a group, getting a family or group insurance policy can be a good way to garner savings while gaining important coverage during your trip.

On the surface, both family and group travel insurance plans seem similar – each is an insurance policy that covers you and your travelling companions.

However, closer inspection will reveal crucial differences between family travel insurance and group travel insurance, which means the choice may not always be a straightforward one.

Here’s what you should consider during your trip planning when deciding whether to go with a family or a group plan.


3 key differences between family travel insurance and group travel insurance

Family travel insurance
Group travel insurance 
Covers only immediate family members (i.e., legal spouse and children)
Covers all named individuals
Separate limits for children and adults
All insured individuals enjoy same level of benefits
May offer free child cover
Charged on per-individual basis, but group discount may be offered


SingSaver's Best Price Travel Campaign: All successful applicants of participating Travel Insurance products will receive 1x (single trip) or 3x (annual trip) draw chance to enter our weekly lucky draw, where 1 lucky winner will stand to have their flight ticket reimbursed (up to a maximum of $2,000) and 12 lucky winners will receive a Samsonite Volant Spinner 68/25 EXP worth S$480. Valid till 31 December 2023. T&Cs apply.

Travel Insurance Premium for Individual Cover Covid-19 Coverage Promotion

FWD Travel Insurance

 

from S$22.50 (for 1 week in Asean)
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Use the promo code FWDDAY23 to get 25% off on Single Trip and Annual Trip plans. Valid till 3 October 2023. T&Cs apply. 

 

Receive 1x Airalo eSim with up to 3GB data (minimum premium $60). Valid till 30 October 2023. T&Cs apply.


Enjoy up to 3x chances to enter our Weekly Lucky Draw, where 1 lucky winner will stand to have their flight ticket reimbursed and 12 lucky winners will receive a Samsonite Volant Spinner 68/25 EXP worth S$480. T&Cs apply.

Etiqa (TIQ) Travel Insurance
Tiq_Etiqa_LogoLockUp-02

 

from S$39 (for 1 week in Asean)
Yes

Single Trip: Use the promo code TIQSINGSAVER to get 40% off. T&Cs apply. Valid till 31 Oct 2023. T&Cs apply.

 

Annual Trip: Use promo code TIQSINGSAVER to get 60% off COVID-19 add-on + $20 cashback. Fulfillment by TIQ. Valid till 31 Oct 2023. T&Cs apply.

 

Enjoy 1x chance (Single Trip) or 3x chances (Annual Trip) to enter our weekly lucky draw, where 1 lucky winner will stand to have their flight ticket reimbursed and 12 lucky winners will receive a Samsonite Volant Spinner 68/25 EXP worth S$480. Promotion ends on 31 December 2023.  T&Cs apply.

 

Additionally, stand to win S$3,000 in TIQ Travel Insurance Monthly Lucky Draw Campaign 2023 (Fulfillment by TIQ). Valid till 31 Dec 2023.

Starr TraveLead Travel Insurance


 

from S$11.05 (for 1 week in ASEAN)
Yes

Get up to $50 Grab Vouchers (min. Premium $30) and get 35% off when you use promo code SSVTL35. Valid till 31 Oct 2023. T&Cs apply.

 

Additionally, enjoy 1x chance (Single Trip) or 3x chances (Annual Trip) to enter our weekly lucky draw. 1 lucky winner will stand to have their flight ticket reimbursed and 12 lucky winners will receive a Samsonite Volant Spinner 68/25 EXP worth S$480. Promotion ends on 31 December 2023. T&Cs apply.

Allianz Travel Insurance
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from S$34.10 (for 1 week in Asean)
Yes

Use promo code SSV45 to get 45% discount plus get up to $35 Grab Vouchers  when you apply NOW! Valid till 31 October 2023. T&Cs apply.

 

Additionally, enjoy 1x chance (Single Trip) or 3x chances (Annual Trip) to enter our weekly lucky draw, where 1 lucky winner will stand to have their flight ticket reimbursed and 12 lucky winners will receive a Samsonite Volant Spinner 68/25 EXP worth S$480. Promotion ends on 31 December 2023. T&Cs apply.

MSIG Travel Easy

 

from S$34.10 (for 1 week in ASEAN)
Yes

Enjoy 40% off when you apply for Single Trips and 20% off for Annual Plan plus get up to $38 Grab Vouchers when you purchase now!! Valid till 31 October 2023. T&Cs apply

 

Enjoy up to 3x chances to enter our Weekly Lucky Draw, where 1 lucky winner will stand to have their flight ticket reimbursed and 12 lucky winners will receive a Samsonite Volant Spinner 68/25 EXP worth S$480. T&Cs apply.

Singlife Travel Insurance

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 from S$46.20 (for 1 week in ASEAN)
 Yes

Score an Airalo eSIM with up to 3GB data and receive it before you fly when you apply now! Valid till 31 October 2023. T&Cs apply.

 

Additionally, enjoy 1x chance (Single Trip) or 3x chances (Annual Trip) to enter our weekly lucky draw, where 1 lucky winner will stand to have their flight ticket reimbursed and 12 lucky winners will receive a Samsonite Volant Spinner 68/25 EXP worth S$480. Promotion ends on 31 December 2023. T&Cs apply.

 


Single Trip:
Enjoy a 25% discount when you use the promo code TRAVEL25. Valid till 9 Oct 2023. T&Cs apply.

Allied World  Travel Insurance

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 from S$45 (for one week in Asean)
Yes

Enjoy a 45% discount for Single Trip and 15% discount for Annual Trip when you apply now! Valid till 30 Nov 2023. T&Cs apply.

 

Enjoy 1x chance (Single Trip) or 3x chances (Annual Trip) to enter our weekly lucky draw, where 1 lucky winner will stand to have their flight ticket reimbursed and 12 lucky winners will receive a Samsonite Volant Spinner 68/25 EXP worth S$480. Promotion ends on 31 December 2023. T&Cs apply

AIG Travel Guard® Direct 

aig-logo

 

from S$30 (for 1 week in Asean)
Yes

Single Trip: Apply promo code SSTGD and receive up to $50 worth of Grab eVouchers! (minimum premium $60, fullfilment by AIG)  Valid till 6 Oct 2023. T&Cs apply.

 

Annual Trip: Get up to 6 Plaza Premium Lounge Access Passes with the promo code SSTGD when you apply NOW! Fulfillment by AIG. Valid till 6 Oct 2023. T&Cs apply.

 

Additionally, enjoy 1x chance (Single Trip) or 3x chances (Annual Trip) to enter our weekly lucky draw, where 1 lucky winner will stand to have their flight ticket reimbursed and 12 lucky winners will receive a Samsonite Volant Spinner 68/25 EXP worth S$480. Promotion ends on 31 December 2023. T&Cs apply.

Great Eastern Travel Insurance

Great-Eastern-1

 

 from S$52 (for one week in Asean)
Yes

Enjoy 1x chance (Single Trip) or 3x chances (Annual Trip) to enter our weekly lucky draw, where 1 lucky winner will stand to have their flight ticket reimbursed and 12 lucky winners will receive a Samsonite Volant Spinner 68/25 EXP worth S$480. T&Cs apply. Promotion ends on 31 December 2023. T&Cs apply.


#1: Persons covered

The most important difference between family travel insurance and group travel insurance is the persons covered. 

As per its name, a family travel insurance plan only covers, well, family members. In most cases, only immediate family – legal spouse, and own children – are included. Some insurers, however, may only require the children to be insured to be related to one adult only. 

This also means that extended family members are excluded from family travel insurance plans. So, if you’re travelling with your grandparents, uncles and aunties, cousins, etc, they will require their own travel insurance policy. 

What about domestic helpers? Well, some insurers may offer free coverage for domestic helpers accompanying the family during the trip. If your chosen insurer does not offer this, a separate plan will need to be acquired for your helper. 

In contrast, a group insurance policy doesn't require any of the insured individuals to be related in any way whatsoever. They only need to be named, and fulfil the eligibility criteria – commonly, age and nationality. 

#2: Claims limits

It is common for family travel insurance plans to have different claims limits for adults and children, with the latter covered only for a portion of the sums assured provided to insured adults. 

Not only that, family travel insurance usually institutes an overall cap per family, which adds up to a lower sum than the individual benefits combined. 

For instance, a policy may offer personal accident coverage of S$10,000 per adult, and S$5,000 per child, with an overall cap of S$25,000 per family. This means that the policy essentially only offers full cover to two adults and one child, putting larger families at a disadvantage. 

Of course, travel insurance benefits aren’t meant to be split up like a chicken dinner. However, per-family limits can make it such that the benefits you do receive are insufficient for your needs. 

In contrast, group insurance plans do not have this limitation. All insured persons will have their own individual benefits and limits. 

This may be a more attractive option for some, so you should forego family plans and just sign everyone up for a group plan instead, right? 

Afterall, some group plans require a minimum age of 16, while family plans cover children up to age 18 or 23, for full-time students. This means you should be able to enrol your 17-year-old under a group policy – and thus gain full cover – correct?

Well, maybe. It is up to your insurer to decide if they will insure you and your immediate family under a group travel plan, instead of a family plan. 

Also, if your children do not meet the minimum qualifying age for a group plan, then you’ll have no choice but to go with a family plan instead. 

#3: Premiums charged

A prominent selling point of a family plan is that children are included for a lower cost, or sometimes completely for free. The idea is to let parents feel like they are getting good value for money. 

Group travel plans, in comparison, are charged on a per-individual basis, with the premium carefully calculated to cover the cost of insurance across all individuals in the policy. Another common practice is to offer a discount on single-traveller plans if multiple travellers sign up together. 

While both of these marketing tactics may seem different, they don’t actually matter very much in the grand scheme of things. 

What’s more important is getting sufficient coverage for every traveller, and benefits that are actually useful and necessary, at a reasonable premium.


Conclusion: Should you choose family travel insurance or group family insurance?

At the end of the day, choosing between a family travel plan or a group travel plan really boils down to who you’re travelling with.

For parents travelling with their children, they may invariably only be able to choose family plans, due to age constraints or the requirements of the insurer. 

For those travelling with extended family members, there may be a choice between multiple family plans (one for each nuclear family), or an overall group policy that includes everyone. 

Friends, co-workers and acquaintances will most likely only qualify for group travel policies. But that’s not a disadvantage at all. Sure, premiums may be slightly higher, but each individual will have full coverage. 


Find Out More About Travel Insurance Providers Here:

An ex-Financial Planner with a curiosity about what makes people tick, Alevin’s mission is to help readers understand the psychology of money. He’s also on an ongoing quest to optimise happiness and enjoyment in his life.

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