PassportCard’s Nomad insurance is like no other digital nomad travel insurance options available right now.
It has been designed for digital nomads who want all the benefits of traditional travel insurance minus the paperwork. It offers excellent medical and emergency assistance coverage and so much more.
Is this the digital nomad insurance disruptor?
In this Passportard Nomads review, I will take you underneath the hood and show you exactly what you get with PassportCard Nomads.
Let’s dive in!
PassportCard Nomads Review: What Is PassportCard Nomads?
PassportCard is a comprehensive travel and medical insurance company.
They are an established insurance company that offers different travel insurance options for people all over the world.
PassportCard Nomads is PassportCard’s insurance designed specifically for digital nomads. It offers 3 different plans ranging from medical travel insurance to a high level of global health insurance.
But what makes PassportCard really stand out is its insurance claims…
PassportCard has designed an innovative app and pre-paid debit card, which means they pay your medical bills upfront. You don’t have to pay and claim like most other insurance companies make you do.
Cool, right?
PassportCard Nomads is one of the most unique and flexible travel insurance options for digital nomads and remote workers. They also have a range of different plans to suit any digital nomad budget, so you always have peace of mind while on the road.
What Makes PassportCard Nomads Different From Other Insurance Options?
The truth is there are a lot of insurance options for digital nomads to choose from.
Here’s what makes PassportCard Nomads different:
- Insurance For Digital Nomads – Designed for digital nomads who travel and change countries frequently and need coverage wherever they go without the hassle.
- Excellent Medical Coverage – PassportCard Nomads offers great medical coverage that is much more extensive than traditional travel insurance.
- No-Out Of Pocket Claims Or Payments – PassportCard provides a prepaid debit card that is loaded on the spot whenever you need to pay a bill. That means no out-of-pocket expenses or claims.
- No-deductibles – No-deductible insurance plan, so you have nothing to pay if you need to make a claim.
- Comprehensive Health Insurance Available – PassportCard Nomads offers comprehensive protection while traveling overseas.
- Choose Your Own Doctor – You can choose your own doctor or hospital instead of using the one listed on a policy sheet.
- Excellent App – Manage your insurance policy through the PassportCard app which is extremely user-friendly and helpful in any case – including emergencies.
- Completely Customized Benefits – Customize your benefits and coverage so they align with your lifestyle and needs.
- Buy It Aboard – You don’t need to be in your home country to get PassportCard nomads – buy it when you’re already overseas and traveling.
- No Return Ticket Needed – You don’t need to worry about buying a return ticket to your home country (like some travel insurance providers require).
- Monthly Subscription – Pay for your insurance on a monthly subscription that you can cancel anytime. It’s more affordable for digital nomads with no huge upfront cost.
- Excellent Customer Service – Their customer service team is available 24/7 and always willing to help with any issues. PassportCard is known for having some of the best customer support in the industry.
As you can see…
There are tons of great features and benefits to PassportCard nomads. Now let’s dive a little deeper and take a closer look at your policy inclusions.
UPDATE: PassportCard Nomads has chosen to remove their entry-level “Starter” plan to focus on premium travel and health insurance for digital nomads. They now offer two digital nomad insurance plans – Remote and Comfort.
How Much Does PassportCard Nomads Insurance Cost?
PassportCard Nomads comes with three different plans to choose from:
- Remote – $119 per month
- Comfort – $200 per month
Here’s a quick review of the PassportCard Nomads pricing:
| Remote | Comfort |
| $119 per month | $200 per month |
| Renewable for up to 12 months | Renewable forever (unlimited) |
| Plan Limit: $1,000,000 | Plan Limit: $3,500,000 |
| Comprehensive medical travel insurance. Also includes outpatient care and routine checkups. | Comprehensive remote health insurance including things like chronic illness treatment and cancer treatment. |
PassportCard has developed a comprehensive range of digital nomad health insurance plans. There isn’t any other insurance company that offers this range of choices while providing you with the ability to pay on a monthly subscription and cancel anytime.
That’s pretty impressive!
What Does Passport Card Nomad Cover?
Each plan offered by PassportCard is quite different.
So in this PassportCard Nomads review, I will break down each plan individually so you can see what you are really paying for. Looking for a quick comparison?
The table below provides a good overview of the differences between both plans:
| Plan Benefits | Remote | Comfort |
| Description | Global travel medical insurance with health benefits. Ideal for long-term nomads with no plan to return home soon. | Comprehensive medical health insurance. Ideal for those who want full health and medical coverage. |
| Price | From $119 / month | From $200 / month |
| Age | 18 – 45 | Up To 65 |
| Deductible | $0 | Might be eligible for $0 deductible |
| Maximum Coverage Per Policy Period | $1,000,000 | $3,500,000 |
| Emergency Medical Expenses | Included | Included, Sub-Limits May Apply |
| Emergency Surgery & Inpatient Care | Included | Included, Sub-Limits May Apply |
| Emergency Dental Coverage | Up To $1,000 | Up To $8,000 Per insurance Year |
| Maternity & Childbirth | Emergency coverage up to week 12 of pregnancy | Up To $10,000 Per Insurance Year (Subject To Waiting Period |
| Non-Urgent Elective Medical Treatment, Surgery & Derivative Hospitalization | Up To $5,000. Subject To Prior Written Approval | Included, Sub-Limits May Apply |
| Physiotherapy / Chiropractic Treatments | Up To $50 Per Treatment. Maximum 8 Treatments Due To Acute Incidents | Inpatient Physiotherapy Included Up To Maximum Limit |
| Outpatient Care – Specialist Consultations & Office Visits | Up To $250 Per Visit. Maximum 4 Visits | Included |
| Routine Checkups | Up To $500 For All Wellness Benefits Per Insurance Year | Up To $400 Per Insurance Year
(Can Be Higher) |
| Hospitalization & Inpatient Care For Continuous Medical Conditions | None | Included, Sub-Limits May Apply |
| Chronic & Routine Medical Care | None | Included, Sub-Limits May Apply |
| Cancer Treatment | None | Included |
| Inpatient Mental Healthcare | None | Up To $10,000 Per Insurance Year (Subject To Waiting Period) |
PassportCard offers 2 great insurance plans designed to suit most budgets. Although they are on the higher end of travel and health insurance – you have 0 deductibles and 0 claims. There isn’t any other insurance provider that offers this on a global scale that can be paid monthly.
That is what makes PassportCard Nomad so attractive.
There is also a big difference in price and coverage between the insurance plans so let’s review each of them.
Remote Plan
The Remote plan is a level-up on travel insurance in a big way.
It’s designed for digital nomads who are long-term travelers and don’t plan on returning to their homes anytime soon. It comes with a good range of emergency medical coverage plus a few other medical benefits to go with it.
Here are the quick facts about Remote:
- Price: from $119 per month
- Age: 18-45
- Deductible: $0
- Max Coverage: $1,000,000 per policy period
If you are a full-time digital nomad or on the road for long periods, pay attention to what’s included in the Remote Plan. With this plan, you can automatically renew up to 12 consecutive months in a row before needing to restart the policy.
Emergency Medical Expenses, Surgery & Inpatient Care
Under Remote, you are covered for emergency medical expenses. You are also covered for expenses related to emergency surgery and inpatient care.
Emergency surgery and inpatient care are important services for those who are in need of critical and potentially life-saving attention. Inpatient care involves further monitoring by nurses, doctors and specialists while you get better. You are covered for up to your plan limit of $1,000,000 for emergency surgery and inpatient care.
In the hospital, PassportCard will cover your room expenses up to the rating of semi-private. It also depends on what the hospital you choose has available.
Emergency Dental Coverage
You are covered for emergency dental under the Remote plan for up to $1,000. This can include sudden acute pain that comes unexpectedly or damage caused by your teeth in an accident.
This is a decent level of coverage for emergency dental.
Maternity & Childbirth
Suddenly got (unexpectedly) pregnant while traveling?
That’s where the maternity and childbirth coverage can come in. You are covered for up to 12 weeks for emergency medical expenses while in the hospital relating to pregnancy. The coverage is for an emergency occurring up to the 12th week of the pregnancy.
Non-Urgent Elective Medical Treatment, Surgery & Derivative Hospitalization
Non-urgent elective medical treatment refers to treatments or procedures that are not emergencies but can potentially improve your overall health and well-being. An example of this may include visiting the doctor when it isn’t an emergency, but you feel sick and want some treatment.
Under the Remote plan, you are covered for non-urgent elective medical treatment, surgery and derivative hospitalization up to a limit of $5,000. This is subject to prior written approval from PassportCard.
Physiotherapy / Chiropractic Treatments
If you are looking for physiotherapy or chiropractic treatments, the Remote plan comes with coverage of up to $50 per visit with a maximum of 8 visits per policy period.
It only covers issues for treatments due to acute incidents that need a professional to look at them. Acute generally means you have immediate pain that needs attention.
Outpatient Care – Specialist Consultations & Office Visits
Outpatient care refers to specialist consultations, some medical treatments and procedures done without you needing to be admitted to the hospital. For example, you have a problem but visit a general practitioner doctor for treatment.
Under Remote, you are covered for specialist consultations, office visits and other outpatient care for a maximum of 4 visits up to $250 per visit. That means a total limit of up to $1,000 per policy period.
Routine Checkups
Routine checkups are examinations or visits to the doctor that are done to track a patient’s health and detect any potential problems early on. Regular checkups can help ensure that any medical issues can be treated and managed as early as possible.
PassportCard Nomads Remote plan covers routine checkups up to $500 per insurance plan. It may cover things like:
- Routine blood test
- Annual gynecological examination
- Annual examination by a family doctor
- Contribution to the cost of a gym membership
- Financing of programs for quitting smoking
- Seasonal vaccinations
This is a great benefit for digital nomads who want to monitor their health and take better care of themselves.
Our Thoughts On The PassportCard Nomads Remote Plan
PassportCard Nomads Remote plan is designed for digital nomads who want comprehensive medical coverage for a wide range of medical situations.
With this plan, you will get access to emergency medical expenses and other treatments up to $1,000,000 in coverage limit per policy period. It includes coverage for non-urgent elective medical treatments, physiotherapy/chiropractic treatments, outpatient care and routine checkups. All of this with a $0 deductible!
All these benefits make the PassportCard Nomads Remote plan an excellent option for digital nomads who want more than the average travel medical insurance coverage.
Comfort Plan
Want comprehensive health insurance?
Look no further than the Comfort plan. This is perfect for digital nomads, remote workers and expats who want extensive medical and health coverage. The plan doesn’t just treat emergency medical issues but also includes coverage to help prevent them.
Here are the quick facts about Comfort:
- Price: from $200 per month
- Age: Up to 65
- Deductible: Might be eligible for $0 deductible
- Max Coverage: $3,500,000 per policy period
Comfort has great wellness care benefits to give you real peace of mind and top medical coverage. It is also infinitely renewable with no restart time.
Emergency Medical Expenses, Surgery & Inpatient Care
The Comfort plan provides 3.5x more coverage for emergency medical expenses, surgery and inpatient care than the Remote plan. You have an overall plan coverage limit is $3,500,000 per insurance year.
This is a very high level of coverage!
Note that sub-limits may apply depending on the exact situation. A sub-limit is generally a limitation on the amount of coverage available to cover a specific medical expense.
Emergency Dental Coverage
The Comfort plan kicks emergency dental coverage up by a significant amount.
You are covered up to $8,000 per insurance year, which is 8x more than what is offered in the Remote plan.
Maternity & Childbirth
The maternity and childbirth benefits in the Comfort plan aren’t just for emergencies.
You get up to $10,000 per year birth for things like:
- Maternity care & childbirth
- Services of a midwife
- Services of an obstetric nurse
- Inpatient and outpatient care
- Cesarean (only if medically necessary)
The policy could even cover congenital newborn conditions, diseases or abnormalities present at birth. You even get up to $200,000 of coverage for maternity and childbirth complications. Newborns can also be insured under your own policy as long as you tell PassportCard within 60 of the birth.
Just be aware – There is a 12-month waiting period before the maternity and childbirth benefits kick in!
Non-Urgent Elective Medical Treatment, Surgery & Derivative Hospitalization
Non-urgent elective medical treatment, surgery and derivative hospitalization are covered up to the policy maximum of $3,500,000. Sub-limits may apply to some treatments, so you will need to check with PassporCard before claiming this benefit.
Physiotherapy / Chiropractic Treatments
Inpatient physiotherapy and chiropractic treatments are covered for up to the overall policy maximum. Generally, inpatient care requires you to stay in a hospital and outpatient care does not. It comes down to whether you are hospitalized on not.
Outpatient Care – Specialist Consultations & Office Visits
Outpatient care is where you get a lot of extra benefits with the Comfort plan. You covered up to your plan limit for outpatient care. This can include things like:
- Medical treatment
- Office visits
- Critical illness following inpatient treatment
- Imaging for consultations and diagnosis
And more! Good outpatient care is harder to find with health insurance, and the PassportCard Nomads Comfort plan offers good value.
Routine Checkups
Want to stay on top of your health?
Routine checkups are important no matter your age. The Comfort plan covers up to $2,000 per insurance year for checkups. This includes things like-
- General health checkup
- Medical tests
- Blood tests
- Annual exams
If you are someone who likes to be on top of their health with regular medical checkups, this will be a big benefit for you to use.
Hospitalization & Inpatient Care For Continuous Medical Conditions
If you get hospitalized for continuous medical conditions, you are covered by your Complete plan up to the overall policy maximum. Sub-limits may apply depending on the medical condition and required treatment.
Chronic & Routine Medical Care
Chronic and routine medical care is covered under the Comfort plan up to the overall policy maximum. Sub-limits can apply to some chronic medical conditions and treatments.
Cancer treatment
Is cancer treatment covered within the Comfort plan?
Short answer – Yes!
You are covered up to the overall maximum policy of $3,500,000 per year in cancer treatment for both inpatient and outpatient care. This is a unique benefit that other insurance companies often charge a significant amount for.
Bone Marrow & Organ Transplants
Bone marrow and organ transplants are covered up to $250,000 per lifetime. If it becomes an issue, you are covered up to the lifetime maximum. This is a comprehensive benefit to have in healthcare insurance.
Mental Health Care
Mental health has become an increasingly big concern over the last 5 years. Research shows that about 1 in 5 people have a mental health condition!
That’s why PassportCard Nomads included it in their Comfort plan coverage. You are covered for inpatient treatment of mental or nervous disorders with $10,000 per insurance year.
Note: You will have a 12-month waiting period before using this benefit and it requires pre-approval.
What’s Not Covered By PassportCard Nomads?
As you can see, PassportCard Nomads offers a good range of coverage depending on the plan you get. It’s also super flexible and can be tailored to your own personal needs.
But they don’t cover everything.
Below is a list of some things PassportCard Nomads doesn’t cover.
Trip Interruption, Personal Items & Loss Of Baggage
All of the PassportCard Nomads insurance plans are focussed on medical coverage.
And the coverage they offer for medical expenses is really good. But the base plans are only comprehensive travel medical insurance.
That means you WON’T be covered for things like:
- Trip interruption (flights, hotels, other transport)
- Lost or damaged personal items (laptops, cameras etc)
- Baggage and luggage loss
- Third-party damages
Lots of travel insurance companies like SafetyWing include this in their plans. Make sure you check out our complete SafetyWing review to learn more.
With that said, PassportCard offers you the ability to add some of these things into your plan for an extra monthly premium. So if you want them – you can add them on.
I have covered the “customized add-ons” a bit further down.
Pre-existing Medical Conditions
Most pre-existing medical conditions are not covered.
This is pretty standard with travel insurance companies. Here’s how PassportCard defines a pre-existing medical condition:
“An illness for which the Insured was treated or monitored at the time of leaving the country or during the six months which preceded his/her leaving, except when receipt of the treatment was the purpose of the travel.”
If you opt for the Comfort plan, you will need to check with PassportCard to see if they will cover your pre-existing condition.
If you have a pre-existing condition, make sure that you check with PassportCard Nomads before buying any of their insurance plans. They have a live chat available on their website or you can contact them through the app.
Extreme Activities Not Covered
Most extreme sports are not covered by PassportCard Nomads.
Extreme sports are defined as high-risk activities undertaken as a hobby. Very few travel insurance companies will ensure extreme sports because of the risk associated with them.
PassportCard Nomads has an extra add-on covering 28+ extreme sports for an additional monthly fee. I have covered that just below in the “customized add-ons section.”
Got an activity that you’re not sure about?
Don’t just assume you are covered. Contact PassportCard Nomads to double-check. It’s worth making sure before taking out an insurance policy.
7-Day Waiting Period
PassportCard Nomads has at least a 7-day waiting period for each plan. Truthfully this is pretty annoying because if you want to buy it today, you will have to wait 7 days until the benefits kick in.
I get why they do it…
They don’t want someone to have an issue and quickly sign up for insurance and make an immediate claim. But my personal opinion is that 7 days is a bit too long. Some insurers have a 1 day waiting period and most don’t have one at all.
While this isn’t going to be a deal breaker for most people, you need to be aware of it.
Customized Add-Ons For PassportCard Nomads Plans
You will have noticed up to this point that PassportCard Nomads pretty much focuses only on emergency medical insurance.
What about travel insurance outside of medical emergencies?
That’s where customized add-ons come in.
You can customize your plan by adding extras to cover everything from extreme sports to personal items. Here’s a breakdown of what you can add to your policy.
Third-Party Insurance
Third-party insurance costs an extra $2 per month.
It covers legal liability toward a third party due to damage to their property or bodily injury caused. The cover is up to a maximum of $25,000 for the entire insurance period.
Search & Rescue
No one plans to get lost, but it can happen.
Search and rescue coverage costs an extra $6 per month. It covers costs for operations regarding locating, searching and/or rescuing you. The coverage is up to $250,000 for the entire insurance period.
Camera
You can get coverage specifically for your camera.
Here’s how much it costs:
- $500 camera value coverage = $7.5 per month
- $700 camera value coverage = $10 per month
The value of coverage is the maximum you will get back if your camera is broken. Even if your camera is worth more, you only get the value you are insured for.
Laptop
Laptop coverage works similarly to camera coverage.
Here’s how much it costs:
- $500 laptop value coverage = $8.5 per month
- $700 laptop value coverage = $12 per month
Same deal as the camera coverage – you only get back the maximum value of the coverage you were insured for. Even if your laptop is worth more.
Extreme Sports
Want to buy coverage for extreme sports like Paragliding or Rafting?
The good news is that PassportCard offers extreme sports coverage as an optional add-on.
The extreme sports protection will cost an extra $30 per month. This is quite a lot, but it does cover a significant amount of activities. I recommend checking with PassportCard before buying the extreme sports add-on to ensure that it covers your activity.
Here is the complete list of extreme sports that you are covered with the extra protection:
| Air Sports Activities | Water Sports Activities | Overland Sports Activities | Climbing Sports Activities |
| Sky diving | Windsurfing | Trekking | Rock Climbing |
| Hot air ballooning | Surfing | Roller blades | Mountaineering up to 6000 meters and/or cliffs |
| Paramotoring | Sailing | Skateboards | Wall Climbing |
| Bungee | Jet Skiing | Off-road bikes | Ropes Park |
| Zip line | Rafting | 4×4 off-road vehicles | |
| Kayaking | Sand Surfing | ||
| Parasailing | Go Karting | ||
| Wakeboading | |||
| Speedboating | |||
| Scuba diving | |||
| Boat tubing | |||
| Kitesurfing |
That’s quite a number of activities.
If you already have an insurance plan with PassportCard Nomads, it’s possible to add on the extreme sports later.
So you can buy an insurance plan now and if you decide you do need extreme sports coverage, you can easily add it on using the PassportCard Nomads app. Easy right?
Note: The extreme sports coverage is ONLY for hobby sports.
You will not be covered if you are a professional or competing professionally in these sports. Double-check with PassportCard to make sure.
Baggage & Personal Items
The last option add-on is baggage and personal items. It costs an extra $6 per month to cover your baggage. In case of lost baggage, the maximum coverage is up to $3,000 per event and $6,000 for the entire insurance period.
Making A Claim With PassportCard
This is where PassportCard Nomads really shines over every other digital nomad insurance option out there. The claims process is incredible (and not really a claim process at all)!
When you sign up with PassportCard Nomads, they send you a red debit card. Let’s say you are at the doctor’s office and need to pay a medical bill.
You simply contact PassportCard either through the app or the 24/7 hotline and PassportCard with load the red debit card. You then swipe at the doctor’s office and away you go!
It really is that easy!
Check out the video below to see how it works:
Claiming insurance is one of the worst parts of insurance. It usually takes weeks (even months) and is a rigorous process to deal with.
PassportCard Nomads eliminates this issue by paying for you on the spot. It seriously doesn’t get any better than that!
PassportCard Nomads Pros & Cons
In this PassportCard Nomads review, I want to be as honest as possible.
And while I personally think that PassportCard has some great offerings, not everything is perfect! Here are the pros and cons for PassportCard nomads:
PassportCard Nomads Pros:
- Easy claims process with no out-of-pocket expenses using the red debit card
- $0 deductibles (this is vary rare)
- Great coverage across 3 different plans so you can choose which one best suits you personally
- Excellent app for managing your plan
- Completely customizable add-ons so you only pay for what you want
- Award-winning customer service and 24/7 emergency hotline
- Buy insurance while you are abroad
- Cancel, extend or modify your plan anytime you need
- Plans are paid on a subscription model with no massive upfront costs
- Easy signup process and everything is managed digitally
PassportCard Nomads Cons:
- Have to pay extra for extreme sports
- Minimum 7-Day waiting period on all insurance plans
- Not possible to add on trip cancellation coverage at all
Is PassportCard Nomads Insurance Worth It?
There is no doubt that PassportCard Nomads makes a very unique offering in the digital nomad insurance world.
They combine flexibility with excellent benefits and the freedom of not having to pay any bills out of pocket. And of course – there are no claims!
What could be more digital nomad friendly than that?
The cherry on top is $0 deductibles which I have never seen in any other travel insurance company.
We think PassportCard Nomads is a great insurance option for digital nomads. They have excellent support to match their policy benefits and offer clarity about precisely what is covered.
The signup process is also really efficient and easy!
Just make sure that you do your own research to ensure that PassportCard Nomads is right for you.
I personally think that PassportCard is paving the way for the future of quality remote insurance!
How To Sign For PassportCard Nomads Insurance
The signup process for PassportCard Nomads only takes a few minutes. But there is a bit of an onboarding process so they can collect the necessary information.
Here’s how it works:
Start by selecting your home country.
Choose which countries you want the insurance for.
Adding countries like Hong Kong and the United States will add an extra cost because health care is more expensive in those locations.
Add your personal details, including your name, email and date of birth.
Next, PassportCard will collect some basic medical information. Make sure you read it properly and answer correctly.
Now they will use your information to offer you specific packages based on your age, your medical information and the countries you want to be covered.
Just select the plan you want, choose your optional add-ons and make the payment!
That’s it!
If you choose to go with the Comfort plan, you will have to speak to an agent. They will need to double-check the details and possibly ask for more information. With the other plans, you should be able to check out immediately.
Ready to get started with PassporCard Nomads?
Wrapping Up PassportCard Nomads Review
Overall, PassportCard Nomads is an excellent option for digital nomads who are looking for a flexible and comprehensive travel medical insurance package.
They offer great benefits, no out-of-pocket expenses when making claims and the ability to customize your plan with add-ons. Plus, their customer service is excellent!
The Remote plan is a good place to start if you are on a tighter budget and don’t need all the inclusions. If you want more coverage, it’s worth checking out the Comfort plan. Either one of these plans should suit the majority of digital nomads.
Just make sure to read through all the details carefully before signing up to ensure that PassportCard is right for you.
With just a few clicks and some basic information, PassportCard can provide peace of mind while traveling abroad!
