FAQ

FAQ

FAQ

Travel Insurance

Home Insurance

Travel Insurance
  • What should my policy inception date be for a flight schedule starting at midnight?
  • I had planned to travel to Taipei this weekend, but a typhoon just hit the island today. I want to cancel my trip. Am I covered?
  • Taipei has been hit by an earthquake today. Although I plan to go there in one month, I want to cancel my trip now. Can I claim the travel expenses I have already paid for?
  • I know that riots are taking place in my travel destination but I have to go as planned. Will that affect the coverage of my iTravel Plus Policy?
  • My planned period of travel is within the insured timeframe of my iTravel Plus Policy. In the middle of my trip, I wish to extend my travel plan. Will my iTravel Plus Policy automatically extend the period of insurance?
  • I planned to fly back from New York to Hong Kong but my flight got delayed for ten hours. The airline explained that the delay was due to "air traffic control." Can I claim for the delay?
  • In case of emergency, who should I contact for assistance?
  • Will I be covered if I am injured by a terrorist attack while travelling?
  • I lost my camera during the trip. I wanted to keep taking pictures so I bought a new camera overseas. Can I make a claim for that under my travel insurance?
  • When I returned to Hong Kong from a trip, my baggage was delayed. Am I covered under my iTravel Plus Policy?
  • I fell sick while I was travelling but I did not consult a doctor. I only did so when I returned to Hong Kong. Am I covered?
  • I have an iTravel Plus (Annual) insurance policy. Does it cover all my journeys made during the year?
  • How can I save money on travel insurance?
You are recommended to take out travel insurance a day prior to your midnight flight in order to ensure that the journey from your home/office to the airport will also be covered.

For example, your flight is scheduled for 00:30am on 10th March. If you take out travel insurance from 10th March and, unfortunately, your car crashes during your journey to the airport at 11.30pm on 9th March, then you will not be protected by your iTravel Plus Policy, as the travel insurance policy is only effective on 10th March.
Yes. Since your departure from Hong Kong was delayed by a period of not less than 24 hours because of the typhoon, and you purchased the insurance policy before the news of the typhoon was widely reported, you will be covered for any unused travel and accommodation expenses that you have already paid or must pay, if at the same time you cannot recover them from any other source.
Unfortunately, you cannot claim under our policy if you make the cancellation now. Our Trip Cancellation cover will only become operative if the natural disaster has resulted in a more than 24-hour delay in your scheduled departure from Hong Kong.
It depends on when you take out the travel policy. If riots are known to be occurring or are announced prior to your application for travel insurance, any loss arising from the riots will not be covered by the travel insurance as it has become a known incident which is excluded by travel insurance policy. However, any loss not arising from the riots will be covered according to the policy.

However, if the riots are known only after you have taken out travel insurance, then any loss arising from the riots will be covered as usual.
Your iTravel Plus Policy will only be automatically extended for a maximum of 14 days, for the reasons stated in the Travel Delay and Trip Rearrangement sections. If you wish to extend your trip for other purposes and also extend the period of insurance, you are advised to contact us before expiration of the policy to obtain our prior consent. An additional premium may be required to extend your period of insurance under these circumstances.
We are sorry that we cannot proceed with your claim because "air traffic control" does not fall within our policy coverage, as set out in the Travel Delay section. However, you will be compensated with HK$250 for the first 6 hours of delay and for each subsequent period of 12 hours of delay if the delay from "air traffic control" was either the direct or indirect result of adverse weather conditions or natural disaster which had not yet taken place or been announced when you purchased the travel insurance.
You can call our 24-hour Worldwide Travel Assistance Services hotline at any time at +852 3122 6899 for travel and medical assistance including:

-Emergency medical evacuation and repatriation after treatment
-Repatriation of mortal remains or ashes
-Deposit guarantee for hospital admission overseas
-Compassionate visits
-Children escort arrangements
-Unexpected return to Hong Kong, etc.
Yes. iTravel Plus Policy covers death or bodily injury, medical expenses and emergency assistance services in case of terrorist attack while travelling. However, it should be noted that we do not cover such acts of terrorism that involve the use of biological or chemical agents, or nuclear devices.
Yes. If the camera is less than one year old, we will pay the replacement cost of a similar item. If it is more than one year old, we will deduct from the replacement cost a reasonable amount of depreciation. The most important thing is that you need to report the loss at a nearby police station and obtain a "lost certificate" from the police to support your claim with MSIG.
No. Delayed Baggage protection is only available if your check-in baggage is delayed for your outward journey. The intention of this cover is to assist you when you are deprived of essential supplies while abroad.
Unfortunately, medical expenses incurred after your return to Hong Kong are not covered. Under your iTravel Plus Policy, we only pay for medical expenses incurred as follow-up treatment in Hong Kong, if you have consulted a legally registered medical practitioner overseas for the same sickness during the insured trip.
The policy provides cover for an unlimited number of journeys made during the insurance period. Maximum duration of each journey should not be more than 90 days. If the journey exceeds 90 days, the whole journey will not be covered under the policy.

If your journey lasts more than 90 days, you are recommended to take out iTravel Plus (Single Trip) insurance policy which covers any journey up to 182 consecutive days.
If you are a frequent traveller, one of the best ways is to purchase our annual travel policy. Not only is our annual travel policy more cost-effective, it also saves you the trouble of taking out a policy every time you travel.
Home Insurance
  • What is covered under iHome Insurance Policy if a water pipe bursts at home?
  • I am moving to a new home. Am I covered under my iHome Insurance Policy?
  • If my domestic helper causes damage to third party properties or injures a third party, am I covered under iHome Insurance Policy?
  • If a window frame falls from my flat, am I protected by my iHome Insurance Insurance Policy?
  • My apartment is let. Can I just take out the optional cover of the Building Insurance under the iHome Insurance Policy?
When a pipe bursts, the following may happen:
the wall behind which the pipe is laid may require repainting ;

the wallpaper may need to be replaced;

the wooden flooring may need to be replaced;

the electricity cables and switches may need to be replaced;

the lower part of the furniture such as the dining table, the wardrobes, the beds may be wet, requiring repair or replacement;

water may have seeped through the floor to the unit below, resulting in a claim for the cost of repairs etc. from the tenant below


The reasonable cost of repairs to, or replacement of, the furniture will be paid as Household Contents subject to a policy excess. In some cases, the claim payment is also subject to a deduction for wear and tear.

The cost of replacing the electricity cables and switches, repainting the wall or replacing the wallpaper is not payable under the Household Contents Section of the Policy as the wall, wiring and switches form part of a Building. However such cost can be paid, subject to a policy excess, if you have purchased the Building Section of the Policy. The same situation would apply to the wooden flooring.

It is worth noting that unless there is clear evidence to show that the pipe burst is caused by an external accident e.g. someone has struck the wall hard to break it and subsequently the pipe, the cost of repairing or replacing a burst pipe is not covered under any insurance policy. As pipes are usually hidden behind and protected by walls, if they burst it is most likely to be caused by their own wear and tear (which is a common exclusion by insurance policies) unless there is obvious external force.

As to the claim from the landlord below, the Personal Liability Section of the Policy will help you take care of this. Whether the Policy will eventually pay out depends on whether you are legally responsible for the burst and the subsequent escape of water to the floor below. If it is proven that the water damage occurred because of your negligence, the Policy will pay the indemnity after recovering from you a policy excess. If you are not responsible for the water damage, the Policy will not pay the tenant below.

In order for the insurance company to handle the claim on your behalf, please ensure that you comply with the Claims Conditions.
Subject to a few exceptions and a maximum limit, your Household Contents are covered under the Policy in the course of your household removal if this is done through the service of a professional remover. Please refer to your Policy for the amount of the maximum limit. Each loss is also subject to a policy excess as stated in the Policy.

The items of Household Contents which are not covered in this situation are:
Money

Valuable Property

fragile items which are unsuitably packed
If the domestic helper causes the damage or the injury while she is working for you, e.g. when she is cleaning the windows at home or shopping in the supermarket for your household needs, legally you are liable for her acts. In this situation, the Policy will provide cover for you.

If the domestic helper causes the damage or the injury while she is acting for herself only, e.g. when she is on leave, you are not legally liable for her acts. Under these circumstances, the Policy will not provide cover for such damage or injury.
Firstly, it has to be determined whether the window frame is an original fixture or the insured’s own improvement and the coverage of the policy. iHome Insurance policy covers household improvement under home contents section. Household improvement refers to improvements and betterments to walls, windows, ceilings, floors or doors, which then cease to be the property’s original fixtures as purchased. Therefore, if the insured has made improvements to the original window frames, he/ she should make a claim under his/her home contents insurance.

By contrast, if there is no improvement or betterment made to the window frames, they will be regarded as part of the building structure and will only be covered by the building section which is an optional cover to iHome Insurance policy. If you have purchased the Building Section, the replacement cost of the window frame is covered by the Policy as long as the cause of its fall is not excluded by the Policy.

Customers are advised to consider taking out a home contents insurance with a building section as the optional cover in order to enjoy comprehensive coverage.
Unfortunately you cannot. The Household Contents Section is the basic cover of iHome Insurance Policy which is mandatory for purchase. If your apartment is let together with your furniture and electrical appliances, iHome Insurance Policy will provide relevant cover. In your case where you are not residing in the insured apartment, the cover will be limited to any loss of or damages to the household contents caused by the named perils such as fire, explosion, flood, typhoon, etc.