Travel Secure, a travel insurance product recently launched by Royal Sundaram, is offered in five different categories — Asia plan (only Asian countries), leisure trip, multi-trip, senior citizen plan and student plan.

Royal Sundaram’s new travel plan is more comprehensive than its previous version, with wider scope of coverage and higher sum insured (SI).

You can give this product a try for overseas travel, if you don’t mind paying a slightly higher premium.

Features

Like every other travel insurance in India, under this policy too, the coverage will be provided only for the duration of the travel. However, the cover gets extended automatically for a period of seven days if the flight is delayed due to events such as natural calamities and terrorism covered by the insurer and no alternative travel arrangement is available. The product offers SI varying between $25,000 and $1 million . One can chose the SI, depending on the country of destination; this will reduce/increase the premium accordingly.

The minimum age for availing the policy is 18 (12 in the case of student plan and 71 for senior citizen).

The common covers provided under all categories include medical expenses, dental treatment, accidental death, delay and loss of checked-in baggage, loss of passport and personal liability. Besides, the product also offers specific covers with additional features under each category.

In the student plan, for instance, there is sponsor protection cover. If the sponsor of the policyholder (parent or guardian) passes away while the period the policy is in force, the insurance company would cover the tuition fees for the student. Similarly, loss of laptop, ambulance charges and suicide are some of the covers available only to the student category. When you consider leisure plan, specific covers such as emergency hotel extension, loss of baggage and personal effects and difference in airfare due to delayed or early return of flight, are provided by this policy.

Exclusions

All insurance companies have deductibles and exclusions in their travel policy and it is better to be aware of them to avoid hassles at the time of claim. Royal Sundaram’s travel plan will not cover any expenses due to pre-existing diseases.

However, if there is a medical emergency that is life threatening, the expenses incurred abroad even on pre-existing diseases will be covered up to a maximum of $2,000.

Further, note that the policy will compensate for delay beyond six hours. This is better than Tata AIG’s Travel Guard’s plan, where the policyholder will be compensated only if the flight is delayed beyond 12 hours.

Any baggage delay in an inward flight (arriving in India) will not be covered.

One should also note that the company will not be liable for loss of any jewellery, perishables or consumables owing to baggage delay or loss.

Also, there is a deductible of $100 for medical claims abroad. Deductibles are also applicable in case of dental treatment, loss of passport and personal liability and loss of baggage.

Our take

Royal Sundaram’s Travel Secure does not have any key distinctive feature compared to other travel plans in the market. The feature of letting the customer choose a plan, depending on the country of destination, that is, Asia or Europe or the US and giving the benefit of a lower premium based on the destination travelled, is available in other travel plans too. Further, the Travel Secure plan is also a tad expensive. For instance, Bharti Axa General’s Smart Traveller Regular, is available for ₹1,665 for 30 days travel period for SI of $100,000, whereas Travel Secure, for the same cover and period, charges premium of ₹1,894 (for age group less than 40 years).

But, if you make up your mind to sign up for the policy, read the policy document in detail.

Travel Secure doesn’t provide coverage if your flight is in transit in such countries as Afghanistan, Myanmar and Congo. All travel insurers do have a list of countries that are not covered; so, watch out.

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