ICMIF member NTUC Income (Income) has launched FlexiTravel Hourly Insurance, Singapore’s first travel insurance that enables travellers to purchase travel protection as needed by the hour. Available for those who are travelling only to Bintan, Batam and Malaysia, FlexiTravel Hourly Insurance is a flexible and affordable way for travellers to insure themselves for short or impromptu regional trips by land or sea that range from a few hours to a full weekend.

Spontaneous weekend getaways to destinations such as Bintan, Batam and Malaysia have always been popular with Singaporeans. Some examples of favourite activities include driving to Malaysia for a few hours of golf, grocery shopping and dinner, visiting attractions like Legoland with the family for a day or taking a ferry to Bintan for a weekend vacation. However, travellers often find it expensive or a hassle to purchase travel insurance for such short trips as they are perceived to be less risky and many often travel uninsured.

Designed to give control to customers while protecting them on short trips, FlexiTravel Hourly Insurance charges a minimum of SGD 1.80 for six hours of protection, with the option for travellers to add on coverage at a rate of SGD 0.30 for every additional hour, capped at a maximum charge of SGD 3 per day.

Accessible via the ‘My Income’ mobile app, travellers can easily activate and stop their FlexiTravel Hourly Insurance coverage anytime at their fingertips. With its geolocation feature, Income says FlexiTravel Hourly Insurance is set to make travelling to Bintan, Batam and Malaysia not just spontaneous but safe as the app is designed to push notifications to travellers and remind them to activate their FlexiTravel Hourly Insurance plan when it detects that they are departing Singapore, and to terminate their plan upon arrival back in Singapore. Alternatively, travellers can update their travel details manually on the app to terminate or extend their travel insurance plan accordingly without the need to turn on the geolocation feature.

Annie Chua, Vice President and Head of Personal Lines, NTUC Income, said, “Travelling always involves a certain level of risk, be it short or long trips as unforeseen circumstances can occur any time. Based on a recent survey we conducted, we found travellers to be most concerned about seeking assistance when mishaps occur such as catching COVID or getting injured while overseas and needing medical treatment, as well as losing their personal belongings. However, despite these concerns, majority of the respondents still find purchasing travel insurance for such short trips expensive or cumbersome. With this in mind, we designed FlexiTravel Hourly Insurance to offer a pay-by-the-hour proposition to solve travellers’ pain point so they can continue enjoying their short trips while staying protected.”