Best Travel Insurance Comparison in Malaysia 2023

Hannes Ausmees

20.02.23

7 minute read

Planning a trip and trying to work out what is covered by travel insurance and what’s likely to be excluded? Or maybe you’re looking for a comparison of travel insurance providers for local and international trips. You’re in the right place.

Travel insurance is essential for peace of mind and protection when travelling - particularly when you take an overseas trip. International travel insurance can cover changes to your plans, lost luggage, medical costs, and accidental death or disablement. All pretty important things to think about when you’re away from home. Join us on our best travel insurance Malaysia review, as we look at how a few popular providers measure up.

And as a bonus we’ll also touch on how you can save money abroad with the Wise card.

Table of contents
What is covered by travel insurance? What to look out for when choosing your travel insurance Comparison of travel insurance providers in Malaysia Spend ringgit abroad without hidden fees with the Wise card Travel insurance for foreigners in Malaysia

What is covered by travel insurance?

Travel insurance policies can vary significantly, depending on the specific package and provider you select. Some options have relatively basic cover, but lower fees - while others can offer add on protections and higher claim limits, usually with premium prices too. Different insurance policies suit different customers needs - so it’s important to compare a few policies to find one you’re comfortable with.

Look out for cover including:

Accidental death and disablement
Medical expenses including emergency hospital admission
Medical repatriation and ongoing care
Covid 19 protections
Loss of luggage or documents
Delays in your trip
Cancellation of plans
Missed connections when travelling
Sports and adventure activity cover
Emergency dental care

What usually isn’t covered by travel insurance?

All insurance policies will also have exclusions - things which aren’t covered by the policy. Again, these can vary between providers. However, you’ll usually find things which are not covered by travel insurance include:

Working while you’re away
Self inflicted injuries
Extreme and competitive sports
Any previously diagnosed and treated conditions
Chronic conditions
Illegal activities
Acts of God, terrorism and war

Because policy cover and exclusions can vary pretty widely, it’s essential to make sure you’ve read through the terms of your package very carefully. If you’re forced to make a claim and discover the issue you’re claiming for isn’t covered, you’ll end up out of pocket. Particularly in the case of medical care, this can end up being a very expensive oversight.

What to look out for when choosing your travel insurance

Comparing a few travel insurance providers will help you find the best policy for your needs. Different companies structure their cover and their fees quite differently, including offering single trip, annual or domestic only policies. You can also find Shariah compliant policies, with different levels of cover usually coming with their own features and fees.

You’ll need to read through the conditions and cover for any policy you’re interested in, before deciding. Check out things including:

Are all the activities you plan to do covered - some common holiday activities like scuba diving may be excluded
What’s the level of cover if you have an accident or fall ill - and will the policy cover getting you back home in an emergency?
How do the fees and cover vary based on different destinations and lengths of policy - annual plans may cost more, but often have more features too
What happens if your plans are cancelled, changed or delayed?
Does the provider offer covid 19 cover or is this an exclusion?
How easy is it to make a claim should you need to do so?

Comparison of best travel insurance providers in Malaysia

Before we start to look at popular insurance companies in Malaysia one by one, let’s get an overview of some of the key features in some of the most popular travel insurance plans offered by each provider.

Don’t forget that there are often other plans available from insurance companies, which may better suit your needs. To keep the comparisons fair, we’ve used the provider’s standard, or basic advertised plan which covers international travel. Before you buy your travel insurance, read through all the policy documents and terms and conditions carefully, including how to make a claim should you ever need to.

Provider	Accidental death cover	Medical expenses	Travel delay cover	Other features
Allianz Travel Easy	200,000 MYR	200,000 MYR	Travel delay, luggage delay, loss of documents	Cover includes sports activity and mountaineering
AIA Safe Trip	100,000 MYR	100,000 MYR	Travel delay, luggage delay, luggage loss	Specific cover for personal computers included
Etiqa TripCare 360 Silver	Up to 100,000 MYR	100,000 MYR	Travel delay, luggage delay, missed connections	Shariah compliant policies available
Kurnia Supreme	Up to 300,000 MYR	Up to 400,000 MYR	Travel delay, luggage delay, loss of documents	Single trip and annual policies available
AXA Annual policy	500,000 MYR	300,000 MYR	Travel delay, luggage delay, loss of documents, loss of luggage	Domestic, single trip and annual policies, with varying cover
AIG Basic	250,000 MYR	250,000 MYR	Travel delay, luggage delay, loss of money or documents, loss of luggage	Fraudulent use of credit card included

Allianz travel insurance¹

European financial services group Allianz is based in Germany, but operates around the world with a good selection of insurance products for different customer needs.

Here in Malaysia, Allianz offers its Travel Easy and Travel Care packages, which have different levels of coverage and are offered as annual plans only. The Travel Easy package is offered for sale online only, and has slightly lower coverage levels than the alternative package. However both options cover all the basics you’d expect, plus covid-19 cover, and sports injury coverage.

200,000 MYR to 500,000 MYR accidental death cover depending on the policy you select Good range of travel inconvenience cover High altitude mountaineering and sports activities are covered as a standard Allianz offers covid 19 cover on both policies

AIA travel insurance²

One of the biggest financial service groups in Asia, AIA is based in Hong Kong, and provides a broad range of insurance services here in Malaysia.

AIA offers various types of insurance, including the online only SafeTrip policy³. SafeTrip is available for travel of up to 90 days, both domestically and locally. It comes with a basic level covid cover as a standard, but you can pay an extra premium to top up this cover option to provide better protection if you’d like to. Aside from this, the AIA travel insurance policy has all you’d expect, such as travel delay and cancellation coverage.

Accidental detail cover of 100,000 MYR, or 20,000 MYR cover for death caused by covid Buy the AIA SafeTrip policy online, and pay according to your destination, locally or internationally Premiums and cover may vary based on the trip type

Etiqa travel insurance⁴

Part of the Maybank group, Etiqa is a popular provider of insurance in Malaysia and the broader region.

Etiqa has a few different policy options, including Shariah compliant cover for local and international travel. We picked out the TripCare 360⁵ policy for our comparison. You’ll get a discount when buying your travel insurance online, as well. It’s useful to note that some coverage - such as accidental death cover - can vary based on whether the person involved is an adult or a child. Adventure activities can be covered for an extra fee.

100,000 MYR to 500,000 MYR accidental death cover depending on the policy and individual involved Policies are cheaper when bought online Shariah compliant options for both domestic and international travel are available

Kurnia travel insurance⁶

Kurnia is a Malaysian insurance company which has a suite of different products including motor and travel insurance packages.

Choose between the Kurnia Care policy, which is for single trips only, or the Supreme policy⁷ which can be taken for single trips or on an annual basis. The basic plan doesn’t cover medical repatriation, although medical costs while you’re away, and in an emergency may be covered. Compare both plans to see which suits your trip best.

Up to 300,000 MYR accidental death cover for adults - cover for children may be lower Medical expenses may vary based on the customer's age Plans may have limits based on individual and family total costs

AXA travel insurance⁸

French multinational giant AXA offers travel insurance in Malaysia, as well as in a broad range of other countries.

You can buy AXA Malaysia travel insurance online, for single trips, on an annual basis, or for domestic travel only. Policies and cover can vary based on the package you select, but can include medical evacuation and follow up treatment in Malaysia, as well as the sorts of cover you would expect like luggage delay and loss. Generally, you’ll get a higher level of protection if you take out an annual plan rather than a plan to cover one trip only.

Up to 500,000 MYR accidental death cover if you take an annual plan Follow up medical treatment in Malaysia may be covered to plan limits Baggage delay and loss, and travel cancellations are all covered

AIG travel insurance⁹

AIG is a major global business offering a broad range of financial services, across Malaysia and beyond.

AIG has travel insurance at multiple different levels of cover, which can help you find the perfect package for your trip. Basic plans have 250,000 MYR of accidental death cover, for example, while the top tier Deluxe package offers 400,000 MYR plus higher levels of protections across other categories. Depending on the plan you pick you may also get cover for fraudulent use of your credit card or car rental expenses.

Up to 400,000 MYR of accidental death cover with top tier travel insurance plans Winter sport and scuba diving is included in most packages, you can add on extra cover if you're on a golfing trip Get cover as an individual or family, with varying fees based on the customer's age

Travelling somewhere? Spend ringgit abroad without hidden fees with the Wise card!

Once you’ve got your travel insurance lined up, it’s time to work out the best way to spend when you’re overseas. Meet the Wise account and card.

wise-card-checkout

Open a Wise account online or in the Wise app, add money in ringgit right from your bank account, and switch to any of the supported 50+ currencies with the Google exchange rate. You’ll be able to get a linked Wise card to spend and make ATM withdrawals all around the world, with the mid-market exchange rate and low, transparent fees. That can mean you save significantly compared to using your bank, as you’ll avoid foreign transaction fees and can rest assured you’re getting one of the fairest exchange rates out there.

No matter where you’re headed, take Wise with you, to cut the costs of transacting internationally.

Get a free Wise account today!

Pricing/fees: Please see Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information

Travel insurance for foreigners in Malaysia

If you’re a foreigner in Malaysia, you’ll want to check the terms and conditions before you buy any travel insurance policy. The providers we profiled above are major local, regional and international companies, which usually provide policies for Malaysian citizens and permanent residents, as well as foreigners legally residing in Malaysia with proper legal status. However, exactly which policies you can apply for might depend on the type of visa or pass you hold.

Most Malaysian travel insurance providers note on their policies who is eligible, but if you can’t find the information you need you can always reach out to the provider directly.

So there you have it - our full roundup of some of the best Malaysian travel insurance providers, and how some of their most popular policies line up side by side.

With so many different options out there, the trickiest thing is likely to be finding the perfect match for your needs. Use our guide as a starting point to research your options, and don’t forget to check out the Wise account and card as another travel essential you can’t afford to be without.

Sources:

Sources checked on 13/02/2023

This publication is provided for general information purposes only and is not intended to cover every aspect of the topics with which it deals. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content in this publication. The information in this publication does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its affiliates. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether express or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.