Philippines Travel Insurance

Do I Need Travel Insurance for the Philippines?

Travel insurance isn't mandatory to enter the Philippines. However, purchasing a plan can help you access the medical care you need if you become sick or injured during your journey and protect your finances from common travel-related issues, such as trip delays, interruptions, cancellations and lost or stolen baggage.

Traveling without coverage puts you at risk of taking a financial hit if your trip is disrupted or you experience a medical emergency.

Learn more: What Does Travel Insurance Cover?

What Does Travel Insurance for the Philippines Cover?

Travel insurance won't cover every hiccup you may experience, but it can protect you from some of the most common challenges you might encounter.

• Trip cancellation, delay and interruption: If your trip is canceled, interrupted or delayed because of illness, injury, severe weather, family emergency or another covered event, your insurer will reimburse your nonrefundable prepaid travel expenses. Check your policy for a complete list of all covered reasons.
• Emergency medical evacuation: With more than 2,000 inhabited islands, you may not be able to get the health care you need, especially if you're traveling to a remote location. This benefit covers the cost of transporting you to a facility that can provide the necessary treatment, or even getting you home for care.
• Medical emergencies: Many U.S. health insurance plans don't cover you when traveling overseas. If you get sick or injured on your trip, travel insurance can cover the costs, saving you hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
• Lost, damaged or delayed baggage: After standing at the baggage carousel for 15 minutes, watching as everyone else takes their luggage off the belt, you realize your bags aren't there. It's not a great start to your vacation, but it doesn't have to ruin your trip. With travel insurance, you'll receive an allowance to replace items in your lost, delayed or stolen luggage.
• Rental car: Some travel insurance plans allow you to add coverage for a rental car if you need one to get around once you reach your destination. This benefit provides property damage coverage if your rental is damaged in an accident, vandalized or stolen. However, it doesn't offer liability protection or cover your injuries if you're hurt in an accident.
• Travel and emergency assistance: A nonmonetary benefit of many plans, travel and emergency assistance services can help you coordinate medical care, arrange transportation, provide translation services, replace lost or stolen passports and travel documents and more.

What Isn't Covered by Travel Insurance for the Philippines?

While travel insurance provides many benefits, most plans come with a list of exclusions your provider won't cover, including:

• Dangerous activities: If your trip includes thrill-seeking adventures, such as bungee jumping, scuba diving, mountain climbing or other activities insurers define as "dangerous," many plans won't cover them. If you want coverage, look for a plan that includes adventure sports.
• Preexisting medical conditions: Most travel insurance plans don't cover preexisting medical conditions without a waiver. To qualify, you typically need to purchase coverage within a few weeks of booking your trip, insure the total cost and be medically cleared to travel at the time of booking.
• Named storms: While travel insurance usually covers disruptions due to severe weather, if a storm has already been named when you purchase your policy, you won't receive reimbursement for disruptions caused by the storm.
• Non-covered events: Travel insurance policies typically have a list of covered reasons that qualify for reimbursement. Other events aren't usually covered unless you have a cancel for any reason (CFAR) plan. CFAR policies allow you to cancel your trip, usually up to 48 hours before your scheduled departure, and get reimbursed for 50% to 75% of your nonrefundable prepaid travel expenses, regardless of your reason for canceling.
• War: Civil unrest is common in certain areas of the Philippines. However, if there's a war or political unrest while you're visiting, don't count on your travel insurance plan to protect you.
• Pandemic: Insurance providers typically do not cover medical expenses or travel disruptions related to pandemics or epidemics.

How Much Does Travel Insurance for the Philippines Cost?

The price tag for a travel insurance plan varies based on several factors, but generally ranges from 4% to 8% of the trip cost, according to the U.S Travel Insurance Association. Factors that may affect the amount you pay include:

• Your age: Because older travelers are more likely to need medical care, the price of a plan typically increases as you age.
• Trip duration: The longer you're away, the more opportunity there is for something to go wrong. Insurance for longer trips typically costs more than coverage for shorter ones.
• Policy limits: Higher plan limits mean the insurance company is on the hook for more expenses if something goes wrong. Plans with higher limits cost more than those with lower limits.

Learn more: Average Cost of Travel Insurance

Is Travel Insurance for the Philippines Worth It?

When traveling internationally, travel insurance can provide monetary and nonmonetary benefits. It offers peace of mind, knowing you're covered if the unexpected happens and your trip is derailed. Travel insurance can reimburse you for emergency medical treatment, evacuation services, trip expenses and your personal belongings if they're lost or stolen.

Additionally, navigating an unfamiliar location can be challenging. Travel insurance often provides assistance in your native language to help you manage the health care system, arrange transportation, book lodging, replace travel documents and more.

How to Choose the Best Travel Insurance for the Philippines

Not every travel insurance plan will meet your needs. Here are some tips to help you find one that does.

1. Compare providers and plans. Insurers typically offer different levels of coverage. As benefits and policy limits rise, the price of the plan typically increases as well.
2. Ensure adequate coverage for activities. If you're planning to spend your time touring cities and relaxing on the beach, a standard plan may provide sufficient coverage. However, if your plans include heart-pumping, high-risk activities like scuba diving, bungee jumping, mountain climbing or other excursions your insurer considers dangerous, a standard plan probably won't provide the coverage you need. Look for policies that include coverage for adventure sports. If you can't find one through a traditional insurer, check out specialty providers.
3. Choose the plan that meets your needs. Review insurance companies and plan options carefully to find the right one for you. When choosing policy limits, it may be worthwhile to research health care and evacuation costs in the area you plan to visit to ensure you have adequate coverage.

The Bottom Line

Philippines travel insurance can help you avoid financial losses related to travel disruptions, illness and injury that may occur during your trip. However, travel insurance doesn't cover everything and policy limits can vary widely between providers and plans. If you decide travel insurance is a good bet, it's crucial to review your coverage options and policy limits carefully to ensure you have adequate coverage if you need to file a claim.

Also check if your credit cards offer credit card travel insurance. This coverage isn't as extensive as standalone travel insurance, but it may provide sufficient reimbursement. If you want a card with this type of coverage for your trip to the Philippines, consider looking at travel credit cards.