Emirates Free Covid Insurance

[CanadaSam]

Apparently Emirates Airlines are offering FREE travel insurance including covid cover which looks like a really good policy.

 

Does anybody know if this policy can be used to qualify for the requirements to enter Thailand?

[ubonjoe]

Does it have coverage of at least $100,000 and cover your length of stay in the country and is valid from the day you enter the country?

[CanadaSam]

Thanks for you quick reply, Joe, yes, apparently it covers the entire time of your trip including flights, stopovers, quarantine, etc., I will check about the $100,000.

[HashBrownHarry]

I thought this was only for a limited time period that's now finished?

[sqwakvfr]

“Free”  Anything that begins with this word is usually overrated:

 

• Assistance at any time when you fly between 23 July 2020 and 31 December 2020
• Free global cover for all customers
• Applies to every travel class
• Valid for 31 days from the time you depart
• No registration required
• COVID‑19 health expenses up to EUR 150,000
• Quarantine costs EUR 100 per day for 14 days
• Free 24‑hour hotline support number

31 days of coverage.  This is a problem for Thailand due to the fact that 14 day quarantine eats almost half of the coverage time.  

 

 

[BritTim]

6 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

“Free”  Anything that begins with this word is usually overrated:

 

• Assistance at any time when you fly between 23 July 2020 and 31 December 2020
• Free global cover for all customers
• Applies to every travel class
• Valid for 31 days from the time you depart
• No registration required
• COVID‑19 health expenses up to EUR 150,000
• Quarantine costs EUR 100 per day for 14 days
• Free 24‑hour hotline support number

31 days of coverage.  This is a problem for Thailand due to the fact that 14 day quarantine eats almost half of the coverage time.  

 

I have sympathy, in general, with what you write. However, it could be useful. Many Covid policies only provide cover starting 30 days after you take out the policy. The Emirates coverage could cover this period before your main policy kicks in, EUR 150,000 is comfortably in excess of the required coverage amount.

[Chongalulu]

21 hours ago, CanadaSam said:

Apparently Emirates Airlines are offering FREE travel insurance including covid cover which looks like a really good policy.

 

Does anybody know if this policy can be used to qualify for the requirements to enter Thailand?

I recently flew Emirates and contacted them about this. You will have 31 days cover from when you fly  but very unlikely you can use this to obtain COE because they will not issue any separate documentation or email proof to upload on your application. They told me the cover is embedded in the ticket and in the event of a claim you would contact their insurers (Allianz Dubai) with those details and they would have to authorize treatment beforehand. You could not pay and claim back afterwards. A very inadvisable strategy to rely on to get COE.

[007 RED]

1 hour ago, nchuckle said:

I recently flew Emirates and contacted them about this. You will have 31 days cover from when you fly  but very unlikely you can use this to obtain COE because they will not issue any separate documentation or email proof to upload on your application. They told me the cover is embedded in the ticket and in the event of a claim you would contact their insurers (Allianz Dubai) with those details and they would have to authorize treatment beforehand. You could not pay and claim back afterwards. A very inadvisable strategy to rely on to get COE.

Not sure how long ago you flew with Emirates, but they (Emirates) have in the past couple of weeks revised their insurance offer which they claim offers more benefits than the previous version.

 

I have attached a copy of the latest insurance policy document.  Although the policy covers the basic COE requirements, my personal feeling is that it unlikely to be accept for COE applications because it does not specify the policy holder name etc.  The policy also states that if the trip is one way, the policy has a very limited 'shelf life' e.g. 48 hours after arrival which is no good for anyone intending to stay longer term.

Emirates Insurance Policy.pdf

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

It looks as if this scheme is intended primarily for the inbound UAE tourism market, although it does not seem to explicitly exclude other destinations.

 

As with all non-Thai Covid insurance policies, there is the distinct possibility that claims for hospitalization of asymptomatic people will be declined. Almost all other health and travel policies require treatment to be medically necessary and may not respond if a person's medical condition does not warrant hospitalization. Since Thailand hospitalizes anyone who tests positive (except possibly migrant workers) this is a potential issue for anyone who relies on their home country's insurance for their stay in Thailand.

[Upnotover]

Read the FAQ on the EK website.  It tells you how to obtain a named policy including you and your specific flight number.

[Aweful]

Emirates will email you a personalised certificate insurance if you ask them.

You should also download the 27 page pdf terms and conditions.

My concern was that nowhere in the policy or terms and conditions  document does the word COVID 19 appear.

I was assured that the insurance did cover Covid 19 , specifically T&C section C1 refers to "any epidemic or pandemic" and is therefore OK.

It was accepted by RTE London  and I received my COE.

[Farma]

It must depend on the embassy.

This is from a COE requirement list I was sent by the Thai embassy I'm dealing with. 

 

d) valid Health Insurance Policy stating the coverage of all treatments and medical expenses in Thailand including COVID-19 with a minimum coverage of USD 100,000.- 

- Getting a new policy can be done via this website - https://covid19.tgia.org/ 

- The validity of the policy should cover the period that the foreigner will stay in Thailand or the policy should be valid for at least 3 months   

- No travel insurance by any airlines is acceptable

[SunsetT]

1 hour ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

It looks as if this scheme is intended primarily for the inbound UAE tourism market, although it does not seem to explicitly exclude other destinations.

 

As with all non-Thai Covid insurance policies, there is the distinct possibility that claims for hospitalization of asymptomatic people will be declined. Almost all other health and travel policies require treatment to be medically necessary and may not respond if a person's medical condition does not warrant hospitalization. Since Thailand hospitalizes anyone who tests positive (except possibly migrant workers) this is a potential issue for anyone who relies on their home country's insurance for their stay in Thailand.

Not the case. Its worth has already and recently been proved: From Thailand ASQ Hotels Facebook page (link at the end):

 

Kraig Ellis

2tci2Sptgm ronfhmsoteaaDecremeberlff at 1dd4a:i37td  ·

 

Hopefully my final post on the positive test on day 5!

The insurance I bought specifically for Covid was with Tokio Marine! (Please do not buy this insurance)

They literally challenged everything and refused to pay.

Offering me to pay myself and then raise a complaint.

They actually held off notifying me until last minute which would force me to pay.

The free Emirates insurance through Nextcare did however step in when I contacted them and were brilliant!

They paid EVERYTHING (110k Baht) with exception of the second Covid test I asked for.

(Please note, if you do travel with Emirates contact them first when you test positive - all info on website)

My bill was paid an hour ago and I am now on way to airport for my flight south after 5 days in ASQ then 10 days in hospital quarantine.

I wish everyone all the best and hope sharing my experience helps others.

Stay safe.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/298606387906884/?multi_permalinks=386202929147229&comment_id=386233282477527&notif_id=1608631122371982&notif_t=feedback_reaction_generic&ref=notif

[Peter Denis]

22 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

“Free”  Anything that begins with this word is usually overrated:

 

• Assistance at any time when you fly between 23 July 2020 and 31 December 2020
• Free global cover for all customers
• Applies to every travel class
• Valid for 31 days from the time you depart
• No registration required
• COVID‑19 health expenses up to EUR 150,000
• Quarantine costs EUR 100 per day for 14 days
• Free 24‑hour hotline support number

31 days of coverage.  This is a problem for Thailand due to the fact that 14 day quarantine eats almost half of the coverage time. 

As the Emirates free-insurance provides you with 31 days of coverage, that would have been sufficient to cover the required period when entering Visa Exempt (insurance required for the period of stay the permission to stay will provide you on entry).

Unfortunately Thai Immigration has just extended (22 Dec) the permission to stay to 45 days from a VisaExempt entry, so that means that you would need an additional insurance to cover the last 15 days from your permission to stay.

 

[SunsetT]

29 minutes ago, Aweful said:

My concern was that nowhere in the policy or terms and conditions  document does the word COVID 19 appear.

Open 007 Red's link to the latest Emirates policy, and it appears and is clearly stated at the very beginning.

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

17 minutes ago, SunsetT said:

Not the case. Its worth has already and recently been proved: From Thailand ASQ Hotels Facebook page (link at the end):

 

Kraig Ellis

2tci2Sptgm ronfhmsoteaaDecremeberlff at 1dd4a:i37td  ·

 

Hopefully my final post on the positive test on day 5!

The insurance I bought specifically for Covid was with Tokio Marine! (Please do not buy this insurance)

They literally challenged everything and refused to pay.

Offering me to pay myself and then raise a complaint.

They actually held off notifying me until last minute which would force me to pay.

The free Emirates insurance through Nextcare did however step in when I contacted them and were brilliant!

They paid EVERYTHING (110k Baht) with exception of the second Covid test I asked for.

(Please note, if you do travel with Emirates contact them first when you test positive - all info on website)

My bill was paid an hour ago and I am now on way to airport for my flight south after 5 days in ASQ then 10 days in hospital quarantine.

I wish everyone all the best and hope sharing my experience helps others.

Stay safe.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/298606387906884/?multi_permalinks=386202929147229&comment_id=386233282477527&notif_id=1608631122371982&notif_t=feedback_reaction_generic&ref=notif

That is certainly encouraging. It seems that AIG considers the mandatory hospitalization upon testing positive to be the same as mandatory unexpected quarantine that they mention as being covered by their policy.

[007 RED]

26 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:

As the Emirates free-insurance provides you with 31 days of coverage, that would have been sufficient to cover the required period when entering Visa Exempt (insurance required for the period of stay the permission to stay will provide you on entry).

Unfortunately Thai Immigration has just extended (22 Dec) the permission to stay to 45 days from a VisaExempt entry, so that means that you would need an additional insurance to cover the last 15 days from your permission to stay.

 

If you are doing a round trip the policy covers you from when you start your trip and ends when you return to your country of departure, or after 365 days from your departure date, so it will cover the 'new' Visa Exempt 45 days.  However, if you are only doing a one way trip the policy will only cover you for 31 days after your trip commences. 

 

FYI - The details are shown in the policy document which I attached in my earlier post.

[007 RED]

Further to my original post in which I attached a copy of the insurance policy, I have now attached below a copy of Emirates FAQ relating to the insurance policy which I hope some may find useful.

Emirates Insurance FAQ.pdf

[Patjqm]

9 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

As the Emirates free-insurance provides you with 31 days of coverage, that would have been sufficient to cover the required period when entering Visa Exempt (insurance required for the period of stay the permission to stay will provide you on entry).

Unfortunately Thai Immigration has just extended (22 Dec) the permission to stay to 45 days from a VisaExempt entry, so that means that you would need an additional insurance to cover the last 15 days from your permission to stay.

 

Or book 30 days and change flight?

[jacko45k]

15 hours ago, 007 RED said:

The policy also states that if the trip is one way, the policy has a very limited 'shelf life' e.g. 48 hours after arrival which is no good for anyone intending to stay longer term.

Rather surprising for a virus with potentially a 2 week incubation. 

[VBF]

On 12/25/2020 at 6:49 PM, Patjqm said:

Or book 30 days and change flight?

Note that that the document posted by @007 RED (Thank you) includes the following:

 

What is the duration of this coverage if I have a return ticket?
For round trips, the cover ends when you return to your country of departure or 365 days after
your original departure date from your country of departure, whichever is earlier.

 

So for a Tourist planning a 2-3 month stay in Thailand it works. Return tickets are cheaper when bought outside Thailand (usually!) and Emirates change policy is very generous.

Assumes that the ASQ situation changes of course - IMO not many tourists will travel until then anyway - I know I won't!

 

Edited January 1, 2021 by VBF