Trip Cancellation
Sometimes, even the best planned trips don't go as expected. If something unexpected forces you to cancel your trip, the Voyager plan’s Trip Cancellation Cover helps cover your non-refundable prepaid travel costs. Here’s how it works — and what makes the Voyager plan different.
- Choose your limit: Up to $20,000
- Flights, hotels & prepaid bookings
- Single & annual plans
What it is
What trip cancellation cover actually does
Trip cancellation cover gives you back the money you’ve already spent on a trip when something outside your control forces you to cancel, postpone, or cut it short. It covers the non-refundable portion of your prepaid travel costs — flights, hotels, tours, entertainment — after you’ve pursued any refund available from the airline or hotel.
What it doesn’t cover is a change of mind. The reason for cancelling needs to be a specific covered event. Most of the time, if something has genuinely gone wrong — a serious illness, a natural disaster, a family bereavement — you’ll have a claim. If you’ve simply decided not to go, you won’t be covered.
Three scenario types:
| Trip cancellation or postponement You haven’t left yet A covered event happens before your departure and you need to cancel or postpone your entire trip. We reimburse your non-refundable prepaid costs. | Trip cut short You’re overseas and need to come home Something happens during your trip that forces you to return to Singapore earlier than planned. We cover the unused portion of your trip and the additional cost of getting home. | Trip disruption Your plans change mid-trip An unexpected event disrupts your itinerary while you’re away — forcing changes to your original travel plans without necessarily ending the trip early. |
| Trip cancellation or postponement You haven’t left yet A covered event happens before your departure and you need to cancel or postpone your entire trip. We reimburse your non-refundable prepaid costs. |
| Trip cut short You’re overseas and need to come home Something happens during your trip that forces you to return to Singapore earlier than planned. We cover the unused portion of your trip and the additional cost of getting home. |
| Trip disruption Your plans change mid-trip An unexpected event disrupts your itinerary while you’re away — forcing changes to your original travel plans without necessarily ending the trip early. |
Covered events
What can trigger a claim
The event that forces you to cancel needs to be one of these — and it needs to happen after you bought the policy, not before. If something was already publicly known before you purchased, it won’t be covered.
- Natural disaster at your destination
Earthquake, typhoon, flood, tsunami, volcanic eruption, or avalanche at or within any destination on your trip. - Serious illness or injury
You, a family member, or a travel companion suffers a serious illness or injury that prevents travel — confirmed in writing by a doctor. - Death of an insured or their family member
Death of the insured, a family member, or a travel companion before departure or during the trip. - Strike, riot, or civil commotion
A strike, riot, or civil commotion at your planned destination that prevents departure or forces your return. - Airport or port closure
Closure of the airport, port, or station preventing your scheduled transport from departing or arriving. - Travel agent or accommodation insolvency
Your STB-registered travel agent or licensed accommodation provider becomes insolvent after you bought the policy, preventing travel. - Denied boarding due to infectious disease symptoms
You’re prevented from boarding by authorities or the transport provider due to symptoms of an infectious disease. - Required to attend court in Singapore
You or a travel companion is ordered by a court to attend proceedings in Singapore that prevent departure. - Serious damage to your home or business
Your home or business in Singapore suffers serious damage from burglary, fire, flood, or a natural event — requiring you to stay or return.
What you can claim back
What trip cancellation reimburses
We cover the non-refundable, irrecoverable portion of what you’ve already paid. If an airline or hotel gives you a partial refund, we cover what’s left — not the whole amount.
| Flights Non-refundable airfare and airline-imposed change fees that can’t be recovered from the carrier. | Accommodation Non-refundable hotel, resort, or holiday rental bookings that can’t be cancelled without penalty. | Tours and excursions Prepaid guided tours, day trips, or excursion packages booked before the covered event happens. |
| Entertainment and events Concert tickets, sporting events, theatre shows, museum passes, and similar prepaid bookings with receipts. | Cruise bookings Non-refundable cruise cabin bookings and prepaid cruise packages where the operator won’t refund. | Ground transport Prepaid car hire, airport transfers, and similar ground transport arrangements that can’t be refunded. |
| Flights Non-refundable airfare and airline-imposed change fees that can’t be recovered from the carrier. |
| Accommodation Non-refundable hotel, resort, or holiday rental bookings that can’t be cancelled without penalty. |
| Tours and excursions Prepaid guided tours, day trips, or excursion packages booked before the covered event happens. |
| Entertainment and events Concert tickets, sporting events, theatre shows, museum passes, and similar prepaid bookings with receipts. |
| Cruise bookings Non-refundable cruise cabin bookings and prepaid cruise packages where the operator won’t refund. |
| Ground transport Prepaid car hire, airport transfers, and similar ground transport arrangements that can’t be refunded. |
What makes Voyager different
You choose your cancellation limit — Up to $20,000
Most travel insurers fix your cancellation limit to the plan tier you buy. With Voyager, you can customise your insured amount — so it reflects what your trip actually costs, not a generic tier. You only pay for the level of cover your trip needs.
Example trip types and suggested limits:
| Weekend trip Batam or Bintan $1,000–2,000 Ferry, resort, short getaway | Short trip Bangkok or KL $2,000–5,000 Flights, hotel, activities | Regional holiday Japan or Seoul $5,000–10,000 Flights, hotels, tours | Long-haul trip Europe or Americas $10,000–20,000 Flights, multi-city hotels |
| Weekend trip Batam or Bintan $1,000–2,000 Ferry, resort, short getaway |
| Short trip Bangkok or KL $2,000–5,000 Flights, hotel, activities |
| Regional holiday Japan or Seoul $5,000–10,000 Flights, hotels, tours |
| Long-haul trip Europe or Americas $10,000–20,000 Flights, multi-city hotels |
Working out the right limit — calculation table:
| What you’ve booked | Typically refundable? | Include in your limit? |
|---|---|---|
| Return airfare | Often non-refundable | Yes |
| Hotel — non-refundable rate | No | Yes |
| Hotel — flexible / free cancellation | Yes | No — you can cancel without loss |
| Prepaid tour packages | Rarely | Yes |
| Concert or event tickets | Usually non-refundable | Yes |
| Cruise cabin deposit | Partially, often not | Yes, the non-refundable portion |
Good to know
A few things to understand before you travel
These aren’t small print — they’re practical details that make a real difference to whether a claim is valid. Worth reading before your trip, not after.
The covered event needs to happen after you bought the policy
If a typhoon has already been announced, or a travel advisory is already in place before or when you purchase Voyager, those situations are known events and won’t be covered. Buy your policy when you book your trip — not after something has already happened.
Contact your travel providers first
As soon as you know you need to cancel, reach out to your airline, hotel, and tour operator. You need to pursue all available refunds and give us written evidence of what you received — or a formal rejection. We cover what genuinely can’t be recovered.
Additional costs are covered at the same standard as your original booking
If your trip is disrupted and you need to rebook, we cover the additional costs — but only up to the same class or standard as your original booking. An economy seat is covered up to an economy seat, not a business class upgrade.
If more than one section applies, we pay once
If your claim could fall under more than one part of the policy, we pay under the section that gives you the highest benefit. We won’t pay under both trip cancellation and trip disruption for the same event.
See trip cancellation in the full plan context
Trip cancellation is one of several benefits in the Voyager plan. View all limits in one place.
FAQ
Common questions about trip cancellation cover
Can I claim if I just decide I don’t want to go on the trip?
No — a change of mind isn’t a covered event. Trip cancellation cover applies when something specific and outside your control forces you to cancel. If you’ve simply decided not to travel, no claim is payable under this section.
Is Covid-19 covered as a reason to cancel?
Yes — Covid-19 is covered by default on all Voyager policies at no extra cost. That includes cancellation if you or a travel companion contracts Covid-19 before departure and are denied boarding due to symptoms. All insureds need to have met the prevailing vaccination requirements of both Singapore and the destination country. Diagnostic test costs aren’t covered.
A family member fell seriously ill and I need to cancel — are they covered even if they’re not on my policy?
Yes. Serious illness or death of a family member is a covered cancellation event even if that person isn’t insured under your policy. Family member includes your spouse, children, parents, step-parents, parents-in-law, grandparents, grandchildren, and siblings. A doctor’s written confirmation of the illness is required.
There’s a travel advisory for my destination. Can I cancel and claim?
It depends on timing. If the advisory was issued before you bought the policy, it’s a known event and no cancellation claim is payable. If it came after your purchase, cover may apply. Either way, travelling against an existing advisory affects all your cover — not just cancellation — so it’s worth checking before you go rather than after.
I bought my policy two days before departure. Am I covered for cancellation?
Unfortunately not — cancellation cover requires the policy to be purchased at least 72 hours before your scheduled departure. All the other sections still apply from the moment you buy — medical, delay, baggage — just not cancellation. It’s one more reason to sort your insurance when you book your trip, rather than leaving it to the last moment.
What documents do I need to make a cancellation claim?
It varies by reason, but you’ll typically need: your original booking confirmations and payment receipts, written confirmation of cancellation from the airline or hotel, evidence of any refund you’ve received or a formal rejection of your refund request, and — for medical cancellations — a doctor’s memo confirming the insured was unfit to travel. Our claims team will guide you through exactly what’s needed for your specific situation.
How do I choose the right cancellation limit?
Add up the total non-refundable, prepaid costs of your trip — flights, non-cancellable hotel rates, tours, event tickets, cruise deposits. That’s roughly the limit you should choose. There’s no benefit in going higher than your actual trip cost. If your non-refundable bookings total S$6,000, a limit of S$7,000–8,000 gives you sensible coverage without overpaying on premium.