My Personal Review of Dhipaya Insurance: Should You Buy It? 

Dhipaya Insurance Review: Car, Health and Visa Cover for Expats

Dhipaya Insurance is a state-linked Thai insurer known for cheap car insurance, especially if you don’t drive much. It also sells an O-A retirement visa health plan with THB3.5 million of hospital cover for people up to 80.

When you shop for car insurance in Thailand, Dhipaya’s prices stand out. They are lower than many rivals for similar cover, but its claims handling is stricter, and I’ve seen that first-hand in my own family.

Dhipaya has been selling insurance since 1951. Its big shareholders include Krung Thai Bank, the Government Savings Bank and PTT, so many Thais see it as a semi-government company.

Below I cover Dhipaya’s car insurance, its health and accident plans for foreigners, how claims work and what it all costs, so you can decide whether the savings are worth the stricter claims.

Read more

My Personal Review of Viriyah Insurance: Should You Buy It? 

My Personal Review of Viriyah Insurance: Should You Buy It?

Viriyah Insurance is Thailand’s number one car insurer, and almost every garage accepts it. I claimed with Viriyah several times for my truck and every claim went smoothly, but it costs more than most rivals and it chose not to renew my policy after those claims.

When you look for car insurance in Thailand, Viriyah Insurance is one of the first names that comes up. The name might not sound familiar to expats, but it’s the biggest non-life insurer in the country and best known for car insurance.

I review Viriyah here based on my own experience with them: what they sell, what it costs, how claims work and how good their English support is. The review focuses on car insurance, since that’s their main product.

By the end, you should know whether Viriyah is the right insurer for you, and which alternatives to look at if it isn’t.

Read more

Muang Thai Insurance Review Is It Good for Expats in Thailand

Muang Thai Insurance Review: Is It Good for Expats in Thailand?

Muang Thai Insurance is one of Thailand’s five biggest non-life insurers, and I used its car insurance myself and made three claims that were all handled well. Its health insurance costs less than an international plan, but it pays only THB100,000 a year toward chemotherapy, which is too little for most expats.

Muang Thai Insurance traces its roots back to 1932 and sells car, health, accident, travel, home and business insurance. Most of its customers are Thai, but its car insurance works just as well for a foreigner with a Thai-registered car.

I’ve used Muang Thai Insurance for my own car, so the car section below includes my claims, how fast the agents arrived and what a garage owner told me about them.

This review covers both products foreigners ask about: what Muang Thai’s car insurance covers and costs, how claims work, what its Health ME Plus plan pays and costs, and which alternatives fit better if it doesn’t suit you.

Read more

Life insurance in Thailand ExpatDen cover

Life Insurance in Thailand: A Quick Primer

I’ll admit it: I never bothered with life insurance. In my twenties, I felt invincible – mortality wasn’t even on my radar. In my early thirties, I skipped it because I was single, child-free, and all my other family members were financially stable. And in my forties, well, there’s two kids, a wife and the unfortunate realization that financial security is quite a few more years to go. Life insurance time.