Single vs Multi-trip Travel Insurance
Find out whether Single or Multi-trip travel insurance is the right choice to suit your travel needs?
One of the most important things you need to prepare before a trip is travel insurance. If you’ve been looking for the best travel insurance for your trip, you might find out that there are two major types of travel insurance: single-trip and multi-trip travel insurance. Both types offer similar coverage, such as hospitalisation expenses, loss of baggage, and trip cancellation, among others. If you’re new to travel insurance, it might be somewhat confusing to differentiate the two and which one is best for you. Therefore, it is essential to learn the difference between the two to choose the right one for your trip. Before we dive into more details of each type of travel insurance, let’s first take a look at what they are, their benefits, and what they offer.
What Is Single Trip Travel Insurance?
Single trip travel insurance provides coverage for only one trip. What’s classified as one trip is when you leave your home, travel for a time, and then come back home. You can visit multiple destinations or even multiple countries, and it will still be considered a single trip as long as you don’t return home.
Single trip travel insurance covers you from the time you purchase the insurance and remains in force until the end of the policy (usually up to 180 days) or the date you return home, whichever is earlier. If you’re traveling for more than 180 days, you should be able to extend the policy.
Key Points
- Both single and multi-trip travel insurance have their own pros and cons.
- Single trip travel insurance provides coverage for only one trip.
- Multi-trip travel insurance allows you to travel as many time as you want in a year.
What Are the Benefits of Single Trip Travel Insurance?
Single trip travel insurance offers numerous benefits that aren’t provided by multi-trip travel insurance. Below are some of the main benefits:
- The premiums of single trip travel insurance are relatively more affordable than multi-trip travel insurance.
- It covers you for a long duration, usually around 180 days.
- You may be reimbursed if you need to cut your trip short.
- It’s more specific and flexible, meaning you can design and customise the plan to suit your trip.
- There’s usually no age limit to single trip travel insurance. Therefore, if you are above the age of 65, this type of travel insurance might be the best choice for you.
- You don’t have to worry about wasting your premium if you can’t travel more than one or two times in a year.
What Is Multi-Trip Travel Insurance?
Multi-trip travel insurance, sometimes known as annual travel insurance, allows you to travel as many time as you want in a year. The policy term begins from the date you purchase it and ends within a year. However, it does have a limit on the duration of the trip. Typically, you are covered for 30 to 45 days for each trip. This means that you may have to pay extra fees to buy more days to extend your coverage if you plan to take longer trips.
Having the right travel insurance plan will save both your time and money.
What Are the Benefits of Multi-Trip Travel Insurance?
Other than covering multiple trips in a single payment, multi-trip travel insurance also offers other benefits. The following are some of the benefits you can enjoy:
- Although the premium may seem more expensive, it may work out cheaper if you regularly travel within a year since you don’t have to keep spending money on a new policy.
- You are always prepared for trips, whether it is due to a business or personal emergency.
- Some multi-trip travel insurance plans are more comprehensive than single-trip travel insurance.
- You can skip the complicated process of selecting and purchasing insurance plans each time you go for a trip.
No matter how often you travel, travel insurance should be with you in every trip.
What’s the Difference Between Single and Multi-Trip Travel Insurance?
From the definition and benefits above, we can see how different both types of insurance are. To help you decide which one is the best travel insurance for you, let’s compare the two and take a look at the major differences.
Validity
- Single trip travel insurance is usually valid for up to 180 days, suitable if you need to travel for a longer period of time.
- Multi-trip travel insurance allows you to travel as much as you want within a year. However, each trip should typically be less than 30 or 45 days. It is best if you frequently travel in a year, but each trip has shorter durations.
Premium
- The premiums of single trip travel insurance are usually lower since the policy is only applicable for one trip.
- On the other hand, the premiums of multi-trip travel insurance are more expansive as it is active throughout the year. However, if you travel often, it may work out cheaper in the end.
Ability to Customise
- With single-trip travel insurance, you can customise the plan to match the needs of every trip.
- With multi-trip travel insurance, you have to use the same plan for different trips in a year.
Eligibility
- In most cases, the eligibility for single trip travel insurance is six months to around 80 years old, though this varies depending on the insurer.
- Multi trip travel insurance is mostly for those who are between 18 – 65 years old.
Which One Should You Choose?
- If you are a first-time traveller, you only travel once to twice a year, and you plan to travel for a longer duration, then you should choose single trip travel insurance.
- If you love to travel regularly or a frequent business traveller, multi-trip travel insurance is better for you.
Things to Keep In Mind Before Purchasing Travel Insurance
After looking closely at the features of both single and multi-trip travel insurance, we know that each has its own pros and cons. In order to select the best one for your needs, make sure to consider factors like the frequency of your travel, your budget, and the duration of your trip.
Whichever one you choose, there are also several factors you need to keep in mind. These include:
- Consider your destination and what you’re planning to do on your trip. The destination is vital because most insurance policies will only protect you in a particular country. Also, the range of coverage and features might differ from each destination and travel purpose.
- While each policy provides basic medical care for unforeseen or existing injuries and illnesses, you must ensure that all medical emergencies are covered.
- Before purchasing a policy, you must declare all current medical conditions. Otherwise, there is a possibility of claim rejection.
- The cancellation cover shall be sufficient to reimburse you for the prepaid travel costs.