Great Eastern TravelSmart Premier Insurance Review: High Personal Accident & Overseas Medical Benefits

The Great Eastern TravelSmart Premier has a lot going on under its hood. Here’s a detailed look at what this richly-featured travel plan offers.

One advantage of being one of the largest insurers around is the ability to reach higher and farther than the competition.

This is certainly true in the case of the Great Eastern (GE) TravelSmart Premier, which has one of the highest coverage for personal accident and overseas medical expenses among travel insurance plans.

These headlining features are accompanied by a flurry of travel-focused benefits that make for a long list, but not all offerings may be equally appreciated across the board. This isn’t unexpected, given the varied needs and preferences of different travellers.

So, what exactly does GE TravelSmart Premier offer, and who is most likely to fall into its sweet spot?

What can GE TravelSmart Premier do for you?

GE TravelSmart Premier product summary

• Type of plan: Travel insurance
• Available in: Single-trip plan, annual plan

Cover for:

• Personal accident, with double indemnity on public transport

• Overseas medical expenses and hospitalisation, including COVID-19 (no covered under Basic plan)

• Overseas emergency assistance, evacuation and repatriation

• Travel disruptions, luggage and belongings

• • Automatic extension for COVID-19 (Elite and Classic tiers only)

  • Cover for adventurous activities

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Pros and cons of GE TravelSmart Premier

Key features

#1. High personal accident cover and emergency evacuation benefits

GE TravelSmart Premier offers up to S$500,000 in personal accident cover, bumped up to S$1 million thanks to its double indemnity benefit for public transport.

This means that if accidental death or disablement should occur arising from the use of public transport overseas, your personal accident payout will be doubled.

Even without double indemnity, this plan offers high personal accident cover of S$100,000, S$250,000 or S$500,000, depending on the tier chosen. However, public transport double indemnity is not available for the Basic plan (a theme repeated at several points throughout the policy), so note that in that case, your maximum personal accident payout would be S$100,000 per individual.

Along with the customary fractional entitlement for persons over 70 as well as for children, payouts can also be reduced by family limits, equivalent to about 2.3x of the benefit limit for individuals.

In addition, this plan also offers up to S$1 million in emergency evacuation cover for both the Elite and Classic tiers, with the Basic tier receiving S$100,000 worth of coverage.

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#2. High overseas medical coverage

GE TravelSmart Premier also shines in medical expense coverage, offering up to S$500,000 in overseas medical cover. Notably, its family limit here is a much more generous 4x multiplier, which means a total limit of S$2 million for the entire family.

Further financial assistance is found in the hospital cash benefit of S$200 per day, up to S$40,000 per individual, and up to S$80,000 per family.

Also included are benefits for follow-up medical treatment in Singapore – up to S$25,000 per individual and up to S$100,000 for the whole family. Hospital cash here is also available at a rate of S$100 per day, though payouts are capped at up to S$1,000 per pax and up to S$2,000 per family.

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#3. Automatic extension of cover (for Elite and Classic tiers only)

If you have to change or cancel your trip because your travel partner or family member contracted COVID-19, you will receive an automatic extension of coverage, allowing you to claim associated trip cancellations, curtailment or interruption benefits.

This is helpful in alleviating the financial losses stemming from unused, non-refundable tickets and bookings.

Additionally, your coverage will also be automatically extended at no extra charge for up to 30 days should you be hospitalised or quarantined overseas due to COVID-19.

Who should get GE TravelSmart Premier?

One advantage of GE TravelSmart Premier is that it offers a wider-than-typical range of benefits without the need to purchase add-ons. Specifically, it has a high personal accident benefit that is boosted when travelling by public transport, thanks to its public transport double indemnity clause.

Other noteworthy benefits include home contents cover, domestic pet cover and child education grant; when read together, this plan seems designed for families with young children, who would best be able to benefit from these features.

However, do be aware that there are also many other benefits included which not all may need, such as golfer’s cover and adventurous activities cover. Those who insist on paying only for what they need may be better served elsewhere – provided they can find a more streamlined plan at a competitive price.

Important exclusions to note

Before purchasing GE TravelSmart Premier, be sure to note the following exclusions. For the full list of exclusion, refer to the policy wording.

TravelSmart Premier does not cover any loss, injury or damage arising if:

• You have a pre-existing medical condition.

• You are not fit to travel or are travelling against the advice of a doctor.

• Any strike, riot, civil commotion, dangerous health threat, natural disaster or any events in your host country for which relevant authorities have issued travel advisories.

• Cosmetic or beauty treatments not approved or not performed by a licensed practitioner, including treatments at health spas or nature clinics.

• The use of alcohol, narcotics or unapproved drugs were involved

• Loss of baggage or belongings were not reported to the police or transport carrier within 24 hours.