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Our travel insurance expert, Adrian Taylor, has some tips for helping you choose a suitable travel insurance policy for your upcoming trip to Hong Kong.
If you have pre-existing conditions, it’s important to declare them to your travel insurance company when applying for a policy. Depending on your circumstances, your pre-existing conditions may be able to be covered automatically or for an additional premium.
Depending on your itinerary and the type of trip, insurers may offer different policies for different needs. While medical-only cover is budget-friendly, it doesn’t come with the same inclusions as a comprehensive policy. Frequent travellers may also prefer an annual multi-trip policy over a single trip policy.
Whether you’re only travelling to Hong Kong, or seeing more of Asia, you can compare travel insurance polices with our online comparison tool. You can search different insurers, prices and policy benefits in just minutes. Simples!
While it’s not compulsory to get travel insurance for Hong Kong, it’s still a good idea to consider getting cover for your trip. Getting travel insurance that covers your trip may provide peace of mind knowing your policy includes cover for things important to you. Travel insurance may reimburse you for losses caused by insured events, instead of having to pay these costs yourself.
Most travel insurance policies will include a few basic benefits, such as a 24/7 emergency assistance service, personal liability cover and medical cover. Further inclusions, as well as higher claim limits, may be included in higher levels of cover.
It’s important to read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) before purchasing a policy to understand the inclusions, exclusions, limits and sub-limits. For further information on whether a policy is right for you, refer to the policy wording or the Target Market Determination (TMD).
When taking out a travel insurance policy, these are some of the inclusions you may want your policy to cover.
While Hong Kong typically has a high standard of medical care, it can be expensive. Travel insurance could cover unexpected personal accidents that require medical treatment, medical expenses due to bodily injury or illness, and emergency medical evacuation or repatriation.
While most policies include cover automatically, a comprehensive policy may also cover additional medical expenses such as emergency dental costs or a cash allowance while you’re in hospital.
Many things can go wrong when it comes to your luggage. Depending on your level of cover, your travel insurance policy may cover the loss, damage or theft of your personal effects including electronics, valuables, cash, credit cards and travel documents, while you’re travelling.
Your policy may also include a baggage delay allowance to cover necessities such as clothes and toiletries if your baggage is delayed beyond a set amount of time (e.g. 12 hours).
Having to cancel or cut short your adventure can hurt your hip pocket. That’s where travel insurance with cancellation cover comes in. If you need to suddenly return home due an unforeseen event, you may be covered for curtailment and the cost of pre-booked tours, flights and accommodation.
You may also be covered for travel delays, such as if severe weather causes flight delays and you can’t make it to your pre-booked accommodation.
Hong Kong has some exciting activities but not all of these are included automatically in your travel insurance plan so you may need to purchase additional cover as an optional extra.
You may want to consider adventure cover if you plan to do adrenaline-inducing activities like bungee jumping, or water sports such as scuba diving, which may not be covered under a standard policy. If you plan to hire a car and drive in Hong Kong, you might want to consider getting rental vehicle excess cover as well, although you may need to check the eligibility requirements.
While you should understand your policy’s inclusions, it’s also worth knowing the common exclusions when it comes to travel insurance coverage for Hong Kong such as:
Hong Kong is a relatively safe destination but like many popular destinations, you should stay alert for pickpocketing and scams and never leave your belongings unattended in public.
There is also a risk of typhoons and heavy rain in Hong Kong that may affect your ability to travel, so check if your insurer covers you for cancellations caused by natural disasters.
Australians can visit Hong Kong for a holiday for up to 90 days without a visa, as long as they meet the other entry requirements.1
However, immigration requirements may differ between Hong Kong and mainland China. Hong Kong is a Special Administration Region (SAR) like Macau, so there may be separate visa and entry rules for mainland China, especially if you plan to cross the border more than once.2 Make sure you understand what visas you need before departing from Australian for your trip.
As the Executive General Manager of General Insurance, Adrian Taylor believes in educating customers about the importance of travel insurance so that anyone can kick back and make the most of their time away from home. While no one wants a disrupted holiday, a suitable travel insurance policy can provide a financial safety net for yourself, your belongings and your trip in case things go wrong.
1 Immigration Department – The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China. Visit Visa/Entry Permit Requirements for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Updated January 2024. Accessed September 2024.
2 Smartraveller – Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Hong Kong. Current as of September 2024. Accessed September 2024.