Best Travel Insurance For Camera Equipment
Updated: 17 May 2024
Written byEmma Lam
Love capturing the best moments of your overseas trip on film? Protect those digital/analogue memories with extra camera equipment coverage through these travel insurance plans.
If you think about it, cameras and their equipment are like investments. They are hefty expenses to purchase, be it for passion pursuits or professional endeavours.
That said, you’d want the best travel insurance coverage for your expensive camera equipment when travelling abroad. Of course, we always hope for the best when going overseas, but sometimes, the unexpected happens: your camera gear might be mishandled, damaged, or worse, lost or stolen.
Whatever the scenario, it’s important to choose the right travel insurance policy offering the best coverage payout to protect your camera gear and equipment — be it your valuable canon, sony or prized compact camera.
What is included in camera travel insurance?
There's no specific travel insurance just for cameras. Typically, baggage coverage is an existing category already included in your plan’s benefits. However, there are some policy plans that offer you the base tier featuring basic medical coverage. Therefore, you’ll have to be careful and ensure you tick or check the box for add-on baggage coverage in such cases.
In essence, travel insurance with camera equipment coverage should entail photography gear, lighting equipment, your camera and lenses on and off filming premises as well as during transit or transportation.
Do make sure to check with your insurer or read the policy wording before purchasing, as some insurers may exclude cameras from their travel insurance coverage.
If your camera equipment are lost or stolen, here's what you should do:
- Contact your travel insurer to inform & ask about the claims process
- Report to the local authorities (especially if it's stolen)
- Visit the Singapore embassy (if needed)
What is not included in camera travel insurance?
A large part about getting your insurance claim for your stolen, lost or damaged camera has got to do with how it happened.
For example, if it's due to wear and tear of your camera, your claim might not be approved. Same for damage or loss caused by your own negligence, like leaving it unattended, dropping your camera or leaving it in a vulnerable position.
Other exclusions include loss of data. Most of the insurers will not cover the loss of data if your camera's memory card is stolen or damaged.
Additionally, if your camera is stolen, you’ll need the basic documents like the purchase receipt, serial number of your camera gear, a photo of your gear, and maybe even a photo of you with your camera.
Of course, the documents required vary depending on your plan. Please read through your respective policy’s T&Cs closely to avoid doubt.
Overview: Best travel insurance coverages for camera equipment in 2023
Making sure your camera equipment is well covered is essential if you're into travel photography and capturing moments abroad. If you're reading this, you're probably familiar with how much cameras can cost, along with the equipment that comes with it.
Because let's face it, sometimes your iPhone can't just make the cut. Whlile the image quality and autofocus have improved significantly, nothing beats the crisp resolution that your DSLR offers. There are even mirrorless cameras and cameras that come with interchangeable lenses.
Got any of these? It's best to purchase a travel insurance plan that covers your valuables.
Disclaimer: All the coverage limits and premiums stated are based on the maximum plan single-trip coverage offered by the base plan tier for each insurance policy. For example, the coverage limits and premiums listed for Singlife Travel Insurance are under their Travel Lite Plan.
All policy plans were filtered based on an average 5-day trip to an ASEAN country like Thailand.
The coverage benefits listed here aren’t exhaustive either. Please refer to the respective insurance T&Cs for more comprehensive details.
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Travel insurance policy
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Coverage for lost/stolen camera
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Other coverages
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Premium
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[Bronze]
Area B: From S$44
Area C: From S$69
Asia, Oceania: S$52.42
Worldwide: S$77.93
[Essential]
Area B: From S$90
Area C: From S$165
[Bronze]
Zone B: S$101
Read more:
Best COVID-19 Travel Insurance Plans (2022)
Best Travel Insurance in Singapore (2022)
Best Travel Insurance Plans and Promotions in Singapore (November 2022)
Top 3 Things Travel Insurance Should Cover (And How Much is Enough)
So which travel insurance policy is the best for camera equipment coverage?
Most value-for-money: Starr TraveLead Travel Insurance (Bronze Plan)
For those on a budget, Allianz Travel Insurance (Bronze Plan) offers excellent camera-related coverage for only S$21 onwards in premiums, subject to your trip’s duration.
Offering a claim benefit of up to S$1,000, you can rest assured your valuable camera and accessories will be well protected.
This is one of the rarer travel insurance policies that allow for maximum camera claims as compared to other similarly-priced bronze plans like Allianz Travel’s one, which only allows claims of up to 50% of the original camera equipment cost.
You can view more policy details here.
Highest coverage: Tokio Marine Xplora Plus Travel Insurance (Classic Plan)
The Tokio Marine Xplora Plus Travel Insurance (Classic Plan) is another worthy contender to safeguard your camera and equipment. It offers up to S$1,000 coverage for stolen, misplaced, or damaged cameras and video cameras per article limit.
Compared to the above Starr TraveLead policy, this Tokio Marine Xplora Plus policy has a higher coverage limit of up to S$5,000 for baggage and personal belongings overall. Thus, if you’re a paranoid or forgetful traveller, this extra bit of coverage might serve you well.
Unfortunately, the downside to this plan is its hefty premium charge depending on the country zone you’re embarking to — S$70 for Zone A and S$101 for Zone B.
You can view more policy details here.
Honourable mention: Allianz Travel Insurance (Bronze Plan)
An honourable mention goes to Allianz Travel for its above-average coverage and decent premium price for camera equipment.
Likewise, it offers up to S$1,000 in coverage for cameras except there’s a catch. Only 50% of the original cost of the camera and related accessories can be claimed in benefit, provided that the relevant receipts and documents claims are submitted.
Premiums start from S$33.88, which is still fairly affordable.
You can view more policy details here.
Read more here:
Best Annual Travel Insurance Plans In Singapore (2023)
Best Travel Insurance In Singapore (2023) - SingSaver
Best Travel Insurance for Pre-Existing Conditions (2023)
Best Family Travel Insurance Plans in Singapore 2023
Single Trip vs Annual Travel Insurance: Which Should You Get?
Conclusion
If you want to safeguard your precious camera equipment from any overseas mishaps, it's best to purchase a travel insurance that offers high coverage for your possessions.
Compare and make the best decisions to find the best travel insurance providers for your needs
- Find Out About Etiqa Travel Insurance Singapore
- Find Out About HL Assurance Travel Insurance Singapore
- Find Out About Great Eastern Travel Insurance Singapore
Read these next:
Where to Buy Travel Insurance 2022 (With COVID-19 Coverage): Insurers, Credit Card Rewards, or Airlines
Travel Insurance Plans For Stolen/Lost Phones: Claim Up to S$2,000
10 Tips on Buying the Right Travel Insurance in Singapore
Travel Insurance Add-ons: Which Ones are Worth Your Money?
About the author
Emma Lam
Although she struggles *slightly* in resisting good deals and sales, Emma is on a lifelong journey to understand what financial independence as a Z-llennial means. That said, her inner child is still very much alive… with animals and gaming being her weaknesses.
