SafetyWing Travel Insurance Review for Digital Nomads
Whether you’re hiking in Bansko or working remotely from top hubs like Medellín, reliable travel insurance is a key part of any digital nomad’s toolkit.
SafetyWing has earned the spot as a top digital nomad insurance thanks to its affordable and flexible subscription-based plans. In this review, we’ll explore what SafetyWing offers and share insights to help you decide if it’s the right fit for your next adventure.
Who is SafetyWing?
Safetywing is an American InsurTech company founded in 2017 that provides travel and health insurance products to remote workers and distributed teams worldwide. They stand out because they were born from a genuine need to simplify the challenges digital nomads face in securing travel and health insurance outside of their home country.
At its core, SafetyWing focuses on the essentials that matter to digital nomads, including unexpected illness, lost luggage in transit, and sudden need to return home and they've crafted their policies to ensure they are covered, no matter where their laptops bring them.
SafetyWing Travel and Health Insurance Options
You can pick from two main policies: Nomad Insurance and Nomad Insurance Complete (and if you’re a remote startup, they even have a policy called Remote Health that covers global health insurance for remote companies).
Nomad Insurance, also known as Nomad Insurance Essential, is their best-selling travel insurance product. It's been thought to be a safety net for medical emergencies, unexpected detours, and even those frustrating moments when your luggage decides to take a different plane than you.
Nomad Insurance Complete is instead their brand-new global health insurance tailored to those digital nomads who need both comprehensive health and travel coverage in their home country and abroad. With an impressive 170+ countries covered, you are covered pretty much everywhere.
In this review, we’ll be focusing specifically on Nomad Insurance, which is among the most popular travel policies for digital nomads out there.
How Does SafetyWing Travel Insurance Work?
They operate on a subscription model that bills you every 28 days, which means you can start, pause, or stop your coverage based on your current plans, whether you're mid-journey or planning the next trip from a beachside café.
From what we've experienced using it, SafetyWing really stands out from other nomad travel insurance providers, and we’d even go as far as to say it's one of the best digital nomad insurance out there. Here’s why we’re big fans:
- Flexibility to buy insurance anywhere - They let you sign up or extend your coverage from anywhere in the world, even if your trip has already begun.
- Pay-as-you-go subscription - Their 28-day billing cycle gives you the freedom to adapt your insurance to your lifestyle, not the other way around. It’s perfect for open-ended trips or for when your travel plans are as flexible as a morning yoga session.
- Travel without a return ticket - For those of us full-time travelers with no set end date in mind is a dream come true. They don’t need a return date or ticket to start your coverage.
- Coverage in your home country (US residents only) - For US residents SafetyWing covers incidental visits home. For every 90 days, you're covered for up to 30 days in your home country for unforeseen eligible medical conditions.
- Motorbike or scooter coverage - Zooming around on a motorbike or scooter? SafetyWing’s coverage of accidents on two wheels is a rare find and a major plus for adventurers.
- What you see is what you get pricing - No need to decode complicated rate charts. SafetyWing keeps it clear with straightforward pricing based on your age and whether your travels include the US.
What Does SafetyWing's Travel Insurance Cover?
SafetyWings has really thought of unexpected medical emergencies and just about everything that could go wrong during your extended travels. These are just a few of the many things that are covered by their Nomad Insurance:
- Emergency medical treatment and hospital stays
- Ambulance and emergency transportation
- Emergency transportation to a better equipped hospital (medical evacuation)
- Emergency dental treatment
- Prescription drugs
- An unexpected event in your home country for which you to need to go home (trip interruption)
- Political Evacuation
- Trip interruption due to death of a family member
- Accidental death and dismemberment
- If you die Arrangement for your body (burial or repatriation of remains)
- Cash payout to your beneficiary (accidental death)
- Accommodation in a different place if a natural disaster causes evacuation
- Stolen passport or travel visa
- Lost checked luggage
- Unplanned overnight stay
- $0 deductible option
What's Not Covered in SafetyWing's Travel Insurance?
If you get SafetyWing's Nomad Insurance, you have to understand that you're not purchasing primary health insurance but a travel insurance plan for unexpected medical emergencies and travel-related costs. That means that not everything will be covered by their Nomad Insurance plan. Below is what you won't find when purchasing their travel insurance plan:
- Pre-existing conditions
- Routine check-ups and preventive care
- Cancer treatment
- Injuries from high-risk adventure sports (unless you purchased the adventure sport add-on)
- Travel to Iran, North Korea, and Cuba
- Any treatment that is not medically necessary
- Mental health disorders
- Limited coverage of stolen or lost personal items (only if you purchased the electronics theft add-on)
- $250 deductible per claim, meaning you cover costs under $250 and the first $250 of larger claims
If you are looking for full health and medical insurance instead, we would recommend looking to upgrade to their Nomad Insurance Complete instead.
How Much Does SafetyWing Travel Insurance Cost?
Now, let's talk about money, shall we? SafetyWing's pricing isn't one-size-fits-all. Their rates vary based on the policy you pick, how old you are, and if your travels include coverage in the United States.
If you want to beef up your coverage, SafetyWing offers a few extra options (for digital nomads living outside the US). You can choose to add protection for trips to the US, cover for injuries related to adventure sports, and even insure against electronics theft.
SafetyWing also balanced the $0 deductible awesomeness with a slight tweak in their pricing.
You can estimate the cost of your nomad insurance coverage on the Nomad Insurance page or using this handy tool below:
Our Experience with SafetyWing Travel Medical Insurance
We have used their Nomad Insurance a ton of times during our travels, and I even personally shared my experience after a road accident in Kusadasi, Turkey, in our newsletter a few months ago. If it wasn't for Safetywing I would be paying more than 1,500 USD to the Kusadasi hospital after the many checks they did to me due to this bike accident (many probably not even needed).
Unexpected events while traveling full-time happen, and thankfully, I had bought their insurance a couple of weeks before when I was already in Turkey, and it was one of the best decisions. I sometimes forget to buy it and the fact that I can just buy it with just a few clicks from my phone when already in the place, it's a lifesaver for me. From the hospital, my girlfriend sent messages to the live chat to verify the coverage, and their customer service was impeccable. The claim process was relatively simple although I must admit I had to wait a few weeks before they made their checks. Thankfully, since then, they have improved their claim process, which was one of their main pain points, making it smoother and faster, confirming the commitment they have in always improving their product.
Pros and Cons of Using SafetyWing Travel Insurance
Drawing from our experience as digital nomads, here's our list of pros and cons for you to make a more informed decision:
How Does SafetyWing Compare To Other Travel Insurance Providers?
Now, if you were wondering what's out there and how SafetyWing compares to the other digital nomad insurance providers, let's see what else is out there. Here's an overview of what we know:
| Insurance Provider | Coverage | Subscription Model | Deductible | Coverage for Pre-existing Conditions | Coverage for Adventure Sports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SafetyWing | Medical emergencies, evacuation, trip delay, lost checked luggage | Yes | $250 | No | Limited |
| WorldNomads | Medical treatment, evacuation, trip cancellation, gear theft | No | Varies | No | Yes |
| Genki | Medical treatment, sports injuries, accidents | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Heymondo | Medical expenses, personal liability, repatriation | No | No | No | Yes |
| Insured Nomads | Medical treatment, trip cancellation | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| PassportCards | Medical emergencies, evacuation, trip delay, lost checked luggage | No | No | No | Yes |
How to Make a Claim With SafetyWing Travel Insurance
If you ever need to file a claim, the good news is that the claims process with SafetyWing has improved a lot.
In the last year or so, they made major improvements to make it more user-friendly, and they've also streamlined their claim process for quicker resolution.
Here's how you can now file a claim with SafetyWing:
Step 1: Fill out their claim form
Begin by filling out the claim form available on SafetyWing's website. If you prefer, you can also download the form and submit it via email or traditional mail.
Step 2: Gather your documentation
Collect all original itemized bills, receipts, and proof of payment for the expenses you're claiming. These documents are crucial in demonstrating the validity of your claim. If you're making a medical claim, don’t forget to include a medical statement from the treating physician or facility, as this provides a comprehensive overview of the services rendered. A mere receipt may not do the trick, as the claims team may need detailed information that only a medical statement can provide.
Step 3: Include essential information
Ensure your claim form includes your policy number and accurate contact details. This information is vital for SafetyWing to process your claim efficiently and to get in touch with you for any further information or clarifications needed.
Step 4: Get your submission on time
It's important to submit your claim within 60 days from the date of service. Prompt submission is key to a smooth claims process, allowing SafetyWing to address your needs as quickly as possible.
Step 5: Get confirmation and follow-up
After submitting your claim, you'll receive a confirmation email, acknowledging that your claim is being processed. For any queries or to check the status of your claim, SafetyWing makes it easy with options to contact their claims team via chat, phone (+1 415 802 0299), or email ([email protected]).
How To Check Your SafetyWing Claim Progress
After you've dotted the i's and crossed the t's on your DocuSign submission, which is a part of getting your claim filed with SafetyWing, a bit of patience is in order. The steps from submission to conclusion for your claim can take from 30 to 45 business days based on our experience.
Now, about keeping tabs on your claim's status — you won't get updates in your inbox. Instead, you'll need to log into the Member Portal.
Once you're there, the following button will guide you to the "Claims and Appeals" tab:
It's here, at the very bottom of the page, where you can catch the latest on your claim's status.
If you're seeing "No claims started" or "Open", it means the claim is still being processed, so you will have to wait up to 30-45 days before getting any updates.
SafetyWing Travel Insurance Review: Our Verdict
There's no denying it, SafetyWing brings something special to the table for us digital nomads. It’s not without its quirks, but its standout features do make it an attractive pick, especially for anyone chasing a budget-friendly and no-fuss insurance option.
That said, the variety of feedback out there really underlines the need to get cozy with the policy specifics and manage your expectations when it comes to filing claims.
Like with anything important, it's smart to browse around and weigh your options when it comes to travel insurance. Go ahead and compare different travel insurance plans to find the one that meshes just right with what you need – just like we did comparing SafetyWing versus Genki and SafetyWing versus World Nomads.
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