This article is brought to you by Daro International Vacation Sdn Bhd. Daro International Vacation is a licensed travel agency with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia. It specialises in tailor-made private tours to Bhutan and beyond. It also offers a variety of local and overseas travel packages for companies, individuals, and groups.

As we enter the second week of Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO), many of us start to come out of our houses. Slowly, we are returning to our life before the pandemic.

For the past few months, COVID-19 affects foreign travel plans, whether for work or leisure. Even though interstate travelling is now allowed, but for us that wants to travel abroad will have to hold a little longer.

However, this does not stop us from planning for our next overseas trip. Some are also rescheduling trips that are affected due to the lockdown in many countries. Airlines are allowing affected passengers to change their flights or convert it to credits.

As more and more people are planning for their upcoming overseas trip, eventually, they will start to find which travel insurance will cover for COVID-19.

At the time of writing, no travel insurance will provide coverage if you are diagnosed with COVID-19 during your trip.

So, what can you do if you are worried about contracting COVID-19 while travelling overseas? The following are a few things you can do. I also included some insurance that covers COVID-19 for FREE!

1.      Get a direct term insurance

Purpose: To cover the event of death – short term solution

I have covered direct term insurance extensively in an earlier article. A direct term insurance is an insurance that you purchase directly from the insurance company. This means that you do not need to pay commission to any agents thus lowering the premium.

Most direct term insurance are renewed on an annual basis, so this could be a good boost to your existing life insurance and you only need this extra protection for a short period of time.

2.      Get a proper life insurance review

Purpose: To cover the event of death – long term solution

If you are worried that contracting COVID-19 will affect your finances, chances are your insurance may not be sufficient. Get a reliable insurance agent or a financial planner to review your existing insurance coverage.

A proper review includes understanding your current financial position and consider your future plans. You may find out more about the processes here.

3.      Get free insurance

Purpose: To get covered without additional cost, its FREE

My good colleague Clarence Lim has brought to my attention that few insurance companies are offering free insurance. Yes, these insurance companies are offering insurance coverage for free even if you are not a client of theirs.

Prudential

Prudential is allocating RM300,000 through their CSR fund for non-Prudential clients. You will receive RM1,000 cash relief if you are diagnosed with COVID-19. All you need to do is to register through their app Pulse.

You can download Pulse here.

Image: Prudential Malaysia

Allianz

Allianz is also offering free COVID-19 coverage for non-customers. Just like Prudential, Allianz will provide a cash relief of RM1,000 if you are diagnosed and hospitalised due to COVID-19. In the event of death, Allianz will also pay a lump sum death benefit of RM8,000.

You may sign-up for this free insurance here. Do note that you must register before 31 July 2020 to enjoy this benefit.

Image: Allianz Malaysia

Tokio Marine

Unlike the previous 2 companies, Tokio Marine do not provide free coverage. However, it is still in this list because the cost of this insurance is relatively low, starting only from RM88 per year.

For a small price, Tokio Marine does not only cover COVID-19 but also provide coverage for other respiratory diseases such as Bronchitis, Lung Infection, H1N1, Pneumonia, Asthma, Avian (bird) flu, Tuberculosis, and Influenza.

You may find out more about this plan here.

Image: Tokio Marine Malaysia

Summary

If you are planning for a trip, it is important that you are adequately covered. I hope this article is helpful in your vacation planning. Do note that the information in this post is accurate at the time of writing.

Let me know if you have any questions in the comment below. Have fun and stay safe!