SafetyWing Travel Insurance: A Complete Review (2024)

If you’re thinking about using SafetyWing travel insurance as a digital nomad, long-term traveler, or simply for your next trip, this post is for you.

One of the most important things to consider when traveling is travel insurance. Not only does it provide peace of mind, but it can also save you a lot of money in case something bad happens (although I really hope this won’t ever be the case).

After getting altitude sickness in Peru, being hospitalized due to giardia in Pakistan, having a scooter accident in India, and losing part of one of my teeth in Vietnam, I would never even consider traveling without insurance. You never know what might happen and the last thing you want to worry about if something does happen is the financial side of things.

Now, when you Google “SafetyWing”, the results will show both people saying this is the best digital nomad insurance in the world as well as people claiming it’s a complete scam (which it’s not). I’ve been using SafetyWing for more than three years now and will share my personal experience as well as what it covers, what it doesn’t, and its pros and cons in this post.

So, let’s dive right into it – here’s an honest review of SafetyWing travel insurance (not sponsored!).

What is SafetyWing and how does it work?

SafetyWing is somewhat different from most travel insurance companies as it’s fully remote and mainly focuses on providing coverage for digital nomads and long-term travelers. It was created by nomads who know exactly what remote workers need.

This being said, you don’t have to be a digital nomad or long-term traveler to use SafetyWing. What makes SafetyWing so appealing for long-term travelers, however, is its subscription-based policy which is auto-renewed.

You can pay month per month and easily start, pause, or stop your coverage according to your personal plans. This means that you will have a lot of flexibility and that you won’t need to set an end date for your travels.

Safety Wing offers two policies; Nomad Insurance and Nomad Health. While Nomad Insurance is a more basic travel insurance, Nomad Health is a global health insurance that provides more coverage and includes your family.

In this review, I will focus on Nomad Insurance, which is the most popular option and the one I’ve been using for over 3 years.

What’s Covered by SafetyWing’s Nomad Insurance?

Nomad Insurance offers coverage for over 180 countries around the world and it includes the following:

• Emergency medical coverage: up to 250,000 USD
• Emergency dental care: up to 1,000 USD
• Emergency medical evacuation: up to 100,000 USD
• Accidental death and dismemberment: up to 25,000 USD
• Political evacuation of up: to 10,000 USD
• Terrorism: up to 50,000 USD
• Trip interruption: up to 5,000 USD
• Lost checked luggage: up to 3,000 USD per certificate period; 500 USD per item (up to 6,000 USD lifetime limit)

Read the full description of what’s covered on the Safety Wing website.

It’s also good to know that the maximum limit is 250,000 USD for U.S. residents under the age of 65 and 100,000 USD for U.S. residents over the age of 65.

All in all, SafetyWing’s coverage is wide and it has your back in plenty of cases. It’s reassuring to know that in case something bad happens and you end up in the hospital, you won’t need to worry about money.

What Isn’t Covered by SafetyWing’s Nomad Insurance?

As with all travel insurance policies, some things aren’t covered. You will find the most important ones below:

• Pre-existing conditions
• High-risk adventure sports
• Cancer treatments
• Routine check-ups and preventive care
• Non-medically necessary treatments
• Mental health disorders and suicide or attempted suicide
• Sexually transmitted diseases and conditions
• Illnesses or injuries that happened as a result of substance abuse
• Travel to Belarus, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria, and Ukraine
• Stolen electronics (unless you purchase an add-on)

You can find a full list of what’s not covered in SafetyWing’s nomad insurance description of coverage.

It’s also important to note that the cost of your claim should be over 250 USD or it won’t be covered (this is the reason why most of my – very cheap – medical expenses in Asia weren’t covered) and that SafetyWing doesn’t cover people older than 70.

Pros and Cons of SafetyWing Travel Insurance

Now, let’s talk about the pros and cons of SafetyWing insurance. To me, the pros outweigh the cons, but this is different for everyone.

Pros:

• Affordability: SafetyWing is one of the most cost-efficient travel insurance companies out there. While some other insurance companies offer more coverage at higher rates, what’s covered by SafetyWing is perfect for me.
• Flexible subscription model: This is perfect for digital nomads and long-term travelers. You don’t need an end date for your travels and you can easily pause or stop your subscription at any time.
• Wide coverage of medical emergencies: Although not everything is covered, the most important things are, which will give you peace of mind.
• 24/7 human customer support: If you need assistance, you can talk to someone at any time and you will get an answer right away.
• Ease of use: SafetyWing is very easy to use, the website is straight to the point and it doesn’t take long to subscribe or file a claim.
• Can be purchased abroad: Contrary to most insurance companies, you can sign up for SafetyWing while you’re already abroad.

Cons:

• Limits in coverage: SafetyWing doesn’t cover pre-existing conditions, routine check-ups, and some other less common things.
• Add-ons: If you want to be covered for theft or adventure sports, you will need to purchase add-ons (these cost 10 USD a month each).
• Your claim needs to be for at least 250 USD: Because of this, most of my doctor and hospital visits in Asia weren’t covered (they were super cheap, though).
• It can take up to 45 business days for a claim to be processed: Because of this, it can take a while before you get reimbursed.
• Age limit: It’s not possible to purchase SafetyWing travel insurance if you’re over 70.

SafetyWing Travel Insurance: Pricing

If you’re on a budget, this is an important one, so let’s talk about pricing!

SafetyWing insurance’s rates vary based on how old you are and whether it should include coverage in the United States. There are also two extra options you can pick that can affect the price: insurance against electronics theft (10 USD per month) and coverage for injuries related to adventure sports (10 USD per month).

For travel outside of the U.S., the monthly prices for SafetyWing’s nomad insurance are as follows:

• 10-39 years old: 56.28 USD
• 40-49 years old: 92.40 USD
• 50-59 years old: 145.04 USD
• 60-69 years old: 196.84 USD

This makes SafetyWing one of the more affordable insurance companies out there, though there’s a significant difference depending on your age.

My Personal Experience With SafetyWing’s Nomad Insurance

While I was backpacking in Vietnam, a part of one of my teeth fell off and I had to pay a visit to the dentist. They told me I needed a crown, which is quite a pricey undertaking (I paid about 400 USD).

This was the first time I made a claim with SafetyWing. The process was super easy and the website is extremely user-friendly. After gathering the documents the dentist gave me, I went to my dashboard on their website, filled out a form, and uploaded the necessary documents, which took about 5 minutes.

It does take a while for the claim to be processed – it can take up to 45 business days. In my case, it took about six weeks to be approved and for the money to be in my bank account.

Although I was hospitalized due to giardia (and an overdose of antibiotics, I kid you not) in Pakistan and had an accident with the scooter in India, the medical costs were under 250 USD both times, meaning they weren’t high enough to be covered by SafetyWing.

Apart from its simplicity and ease of use, another thing I love about SafetyWing is the 24/7 customer service. I admit to only using it once, but I got an answer to my question in the chat almost immediately – and it was a human answering, not a robot (I find this so important these days).

Last but not least, as I’ve been traveling full-time and occasionally return to my home country (where I have separate insurance), I love how easy it is to start, pause, or stop my insurance plan, it literally only takes a couple of seconds.

All in all, SafetyWing gives me peace of mind when I’m abroad as I know I can count on them in case something bad happens.

SafetyWing Travel Insurance Review: Final Thoughts

So, to wrap things up, after using SafetyWing for over three years, I’ve had a pretty good experience with it. This is an affordable travel insurance that covers quite some things, is easy to use, and does what it promises to do.

If you’re the type of traveler who finds affordability and flexibility important, SafetyWing might just be the best travel insurance for you. It’s always better to compare, browse around, and weigh your options, though, so make sure to read our other insurance comparison guides and reviews next:

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