If there is one thing you should never leave your home country without – it’s travel insurance (and your passport, of course).
But here’s the problem:
Most travel insurance is expensive and requires an extensive amount of details just to get a quote. They also lack the real customer service needed to feel comfortable buying a policy from them.
Are you ready for some good news?
SafetyWing Nomads Insurance is an excellent solution for digital nomads, remote workers and full-time travelers. It offers good travel medical coverage that allows you to travel worry-free almost anywhere in the world.
In this SafetyWing review, we will lift the bonnet on SafetyWing and what it offers. I’ll show why it stands out from other travel insurance companies in the market so that you can ignore the hype and decide whether it’s actually right for you.
Ready to get started?
Let’s dive into the SafetyWing review!
What Is SafetyWing?
SafetyWing is a travel insurance company specifically tailored to the needs of digital nomads, travelers and expats living abroad.
Founded in 2018, SafetyWing has quickly become one of the leading providers of digital nomad travel insurance with more than 100,000+ customers worldwide traveling in over 150+ countries. To put it simply – there are a lot of people that use SafetWing today!
There are 3 reasons that SafetyWing has become so popular:
- Great value for money
- Excellent marketing
- Good global insurance coverage
SafetyWing offers an innovative, online-only approach to travel insurance that makes their competition look like they come from the dinosaur age. In 2022, SafetyWing raised $35 million in a series B round to continue growing and supporting digital nomads, travelers and expats worldwide.
The company was initially founded in Norway and is now headquartered in Palo Alto, California. SafetyWing is partnered with World Trips and is Underwritten by Lloyd’s.
How Does SafetyWing Work?
SafetyWing offers travel insurance that is primarily designed for digital nomads, travelers and expats from all over the world while they are outside their home country.
It also includes COVID-19 coverage for eligible cases.
SafetyWing operates like a 28-day subscription that you can start, stop or extend anytime online. You can buy it abroad and you can choose your start date up to a year in advance!
Have children that need coverage?
You can also add your spouse or children to your policy.
SafetyWing covers you for a minimum of 5 days and a maximum of 364 days per trip. You can renew your policy as many times as you want, as long as you are under 69 years old. You can also visit your home country for up to 30 days every 90 days (or 15 days for US citizens) and still be covered by SafetyWing. But some limitations do apply for home country visits.
SafetyWing Review: What Makes SafetyWing Different?
Now you have all the background information about SafetyWing. But what makes them different from other travel insurance providers?
Here’s a quick overview of what makes SafetyWing stand out:
- Insurance Designed For Digital Nomads – SafetyWing was one of the first companies to create a specific travel insurance policy designed for digital nomads and long-term travelers.
- Good Medical Coverage – SafetyWing offers a wide range of medical coverage, covering everything from medical emergencies to intensive care.
- Good Travel Coverage – SafetyWing doesn’t just offer medical coverage. You also get good travel coverage for things like travel delays and lost checked luggage.
- Buy It Aboard – Not at home? With SafetyWing you can buy your travel insurance while already abroad.
- Young Children Covered – Up to 2 children under the age of 10 can be included in your SafetyWing insurance policy for free.
- No Return Ticket Needed – You are not required to have a return home ticket to be insured like some travel insurance providers require.
- Monthly Subscription – SafetyWing works on a subscription, where you get billed the same amount every 4 weeks (28-day period).
- Clear Pricing Structure – No hidden costs, just choose your subscription and you pay the same amount each month.
- Excellent Value For Money – The amount you pay for insurance vs what’s included in your coverage means you get excellent value for money compared to SafetWing’s top competitors.
- Some Home Country Coverage – After 90 days abroad as a SafetyWing subscriber, you’re covered for brief visits back to your home country for up to 30 days (15 days for U.S. residents).
- Cancel Anytime – Want to cancel your insurance subscription? Just log into the SafetWing portal and cancel it anytime you want.
- Excellent Customer Service – SafetyWing has excellent live chat support on their website and a 24/7 emergency contact number.
As you can see…
There are a ton of benefits that SafetWing offers its subscribers. Now let’s take a deeper look at what’s covered in your policy.
Who Can Be Covered By SafetyWing?
SafetyWing has worked hard to offer coverage to as many people as possible.
So who can be covered by SafetWing?
The short answer is most people, from almost anywhere in the world. SafetWing offers insurance coverage to people aged between 15 days and 69 years old.
If your age is 70 or older, they won’t be able to offer insurance. The same goes for babies less than 14 days old.
How Much Does SafetyWing Cost? (Price Table)
SafetWing offers some of the most competitive pricing in the industry, starting at just $45.08 per month (for people aged 10 to 39).
This is one of the lowest prices you’ll find for reliable travel insurance that offers excellent flexibility. The amount you pay each month ultimately comes down to your age and whether you want to have travel insurance coverage in the US.
Here’s the pricing table that shows how much a SafetyWing insurance subscription costs every 4 weeks (28-day period):
| Age Range | Worldwide – EXCLUDES U.S | Worldwide – INCLUDES U.S |
| 10 to 39 | $45.08 USD | $83.44 USD |
| 40 to 49 | $73.92 USD | $127.48 USD |
| 50 to 59 | $115.92 USD | $226.24 USD |
| 60 to 64 | $157.36 USD | $308.84 USD |
| 65 to 69 | $157.36 USD | $308.84 USD |
As you can see…
When you include coverage in the United States – the cost of SafetyWing Insurance almost doubles for all age groups. You need to take that into account if you plan to travel to the U.S.
Most of SafetWings plans have the same deductible and maximum limit for claims. These are-
- Deductible: $250 per certificate period
- Maximum Claim Limit: $250,000
The only difference is for those aged 65-69. You get an overall maximum limit of $100,000.
It’s also important to point out that Worldwide coverage excludes just a few countries that SafetWing doesn’t cover at all. These countries are:
- North Korea
- Cuba
- Iran
While North Korea, Cuba and Iran aren’t on most people’s top travel or digital nomad destinations, SafetWing won’t offer insurance while in those countries.
What Does SafetyWing Cover?
In this SafetWing review, I want to be as transparent as possible.
To make it easy, below I have broken down the SafetyWing insurance benefits into Medical and Travel.
This will help you better understand what you actually get.
Medical Insurance Benefits
SafetWing offers a good range of medical insurance benefits.
Here’s a list of what’s included on the medical side of SafetyWing Nomad insurance:
| Medical Benefits | Coverage |
| Maximum Coverage Limit | $250,000 (Age 65-69: $100,000) |
| Deductible | $250 per certificate period |
| Hospital & Ambulance | Up to the overall maximum limit |
| Emergency Dental | Up to $1,000. Not subject to deductible |
| Outpatient Physical Therapy & Chiropractic Care | Up to $50 per day |
| Emergency Eye Exam | Up to $150 |
| Acute Onset Of Pre-Existing Conditions (Excludes chronic and congenital conditions) | Up to the overall maximum limit. Up to $25,000 lifetime maximum for Emergency Medical |
| Terrorism | Up to $50,000 lifetime maximum |
| Bedside Visit | Up to $1,500 |
| Emergency Medical Evacuation | Up to $100,000 lifetime maximum |
| All Other Eligible Medical Expenses | Up to the overall maximum limit |
SafetyWing offers a wide range of emergency medical insurance. While the maximum limit isn’t the highest, the level of coverage is good.
For us, this medical coverage works well. Especially when you consider the price you are actually paying each month.
For some people, it might not be enough. You should look into PassportCard Nomads or Genki Insurance.
Hospital & Ambulance
Hospital coverage for SafetyWing includes an average semi-private room, including nursing services. You are covered up to the maximum limit of your plan for intensive care services.
For an ambulance, you are covered for reasonable charges when you need an ambulance due to illness or injury requiring hospitalization.
Emergency Dental
You’re covered for emergency dental treatment (including pain relief) up to $1,000. This is not subject to SafetyWings deductible.
Emergency dental is generally sudden, acute pain or damage resulting from an accident that requires immediate treatment. You must get treatment within 24 hours from when you have acute pain.
Routine dental care or checkups aren’t included.
Outpatient Physical Therapy & Chiropractic Care
You’re covered for outpatient physical and chiropractic therapy up to $50 per day. It must be ordered in advance by a physician to be covered. Treatment must also be necessary to continue recovery from a policy-covered injury or illness.
Emergency Eye Exam
You’re covered up to $150 for an emergency eye exam. Emergency eye exams are covered if your prescription corrective lenses are lost or damaged due to a covered loss and an exam is required for you to get a new one.
It doesn’t cover the replacement cost of prescription corrective lenses or contact lenses.
Acute Onset Of Pre-Existing Conditions
Travel insurance companies generally do not cover pre-existing medical conditions, which is the same for SafetyWing.
But you are covered for up to a maximum lifetime limit of $25,000 for acute onset of pre-existing conditions. The coverage is for sudden and unexpected outbreaks or recurrence of pre-existing conditions which must meet the following:
- Occurs spontaneously and without advance warning, either in the form of physician recommendations or symptoms
- Is of short duration
- Is rapidly progressive
- Requires urgent care
All of those conditions must be met to be covered. You also must get treatment in 24 hours.
Make sure you check out the full SafetyWing policy. You can also chat with their team to get more information. This is something you don’t want to mess around with.
Bedside Visit
This is a pretty cool benefit. If you are hospitalized, Safetywing may cover the cost of a one-way ticket for an immediate family member to visit you.
For the benefit to kick in, you must be confined to a hospital intensive care unit following a life-threatening bodily injury or life-threatening illness.
Emergency Medical Evacuation
Emergency medical evacuation is when you must be transported somewhere else to receive emergency medical treatment. For example, a hospital may not be able to treat your injuries, so you need to go to a different hospital.
The cost for this is generally expensive. SafetyWing offers limited coverage up to $100,000, which can include air transportation if necessary.
Travel Insurance Benefits
Travel insurance benefits are where I think SafetyWing offers the best value for money.
If you look around different digital nomad insurance companies, you’ll find that most of them only include emergency medical care.
The table shows what you’re covered for by SafetWing on the travel side of your policy:
| Travel Benefits | Coverage |
| Trip Interruption | Up to $5,000 |
| Travel Delay | Up to $100 a day after a 12-hour delay requiring an unplanned overnight stay |
| Lost Checked Luggage | Up to $3,000 per certificate period; $500 per item. Up to $6,000 lifetime limit |
| Natural Disaster – New place to stay | Up to $100 a day for 5 days |
| Political Evacuation | Up to $10,000 lifetime maximum |
| Personal Liability | Covered with different lifetime maximums depending on the situation. See below |
| Accidental Death & Dismemberment | Covered with different lifetime maximums depending on the situation. |
| Lost Or Stolen Passport & Travel Visa | Up to $100 |
| Emergency Quarantine Indemnity – COVID-19 | $50 a day for up to 10 days. Strict conditions apply |
The other great thing is that many of these travel benefits don’t require you to pay the deductible. SafetyWing’s deductible at $250 is pretty high, so this is a great value add.
Let’s do a deeper of the travel insurance that SafetyWing offers.
Trip Interruption & Travel Delays
Trip interruption is an interesting one. The trip interruption coverage is for:
- Destruction of your house after you left your home country because of a fire or bad weather (more than 40% damage)
- The death of a parent, spouse, sibling, child, or grandchild
- A doctor says its medically necessary for you to return home after a medical emergency
It generally refers to covering the cost of a one-way economy class ticket or ground transport to your home.
Travel delays are also covered if you experience at least a 12-hour-delay period requiring an unplanned overnight stay. You’ll get up to $100 daily for up to 2 days total. Trip delays and travel interruptions aren’t subject to the deductible.
Lost Checked Luggage
If your checked luggage is lost, you are covered up to $3,000 per certificate period and up to a $6,000 lifetime limit.
You can get reimbursed a maximum payout of $500 for each lost item up to the limits. This is ok without being great. Many airlines will have a coverage policy if they lose your luggage anyway, so you might not need it.
Lost checked luggage is not subject to the deductible.
Lost Or Stolen Passport & Travel Visa
If you lose your Passport or Tavel Visa, SafetyWing can cover you up to $100 total. To access this benefit, you need to report it to the police and get a police report.
This isn’t subject to the deductible.
Personal Liability
SafetyWing covers you for personal liability for up to-
- $25,000 lifetime maximum
- $25,000 third person injury
- $25,000 third person property
- $2,500 related third person property
Personal liability can include legal costs and expenses if you become legally liable to pay policy-covered damages. These benefits are not subject to the deductible or the overall maximum limit.
The SafetyWing Nomad insurance policy excludes personal liability when operating any vehicle, so keep that in mind.
Natural Disasters & Political Evacuation
You can be covered by SafetyWing if a natural disaster makes your place uninhabitable. In this case, you’ll be reimbursed up to $100 per day for up to 5 days.
With political evacuation, you have a lifetime maximum of $10,000 in coverage. Both of these aren’t subject to a deductible.
Accidental Death & Dismemberment
You are covered for accidental death and dismemberment with the following maximums:
- Loss of 1 Limb – $12,500
- Loss of 2 limbs – $25,000
- Lifetime maximum – $25,000
- Death – $25,000
When you sign up for SafetyWing, you will nominate a beneficiary. This person will receive compensation if you die. No one wants to think about this stuff but make sure you put the right person!
Is COVID-19 Covered by SafetyWing?
Yes, SafetyWing does cover COVID-19. They were actually one of the first travel insurance companies to do it.
You are covered for treatment and tests that are medically necessary. The antibody test is not covered because it is not medically necessary.
Coverage works the same as any other illness as long as you did not get sick before your coverage start date, and your sickness does not fall under any other policy exclusion or limitation.
You are also covered for emergency quarantine. It must be mandated by a doctor or the government. You are covered for $50 a day for up to 10 days and your insurance policy must have a minimum of 28 days of coverage.
What’s Not Covered?
SafetyWing Nomads insurance is primarily geared toward covering emergency and basic travel issues.
That’s why I thought a comprehensive SafetyWing review wouldn’t be complete without highlighting some of the key things you AREN’t covered for.
While it’s impossible to list everything – here’s a quick overview of some of the things that stood out to us.
Alcohol Or Drug-Related Incidents
This almost goes without saying. If you are injured while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, you won’t be covered. It is as simple as that.
High-Risk Sporting Activities
You aren’t covered if you partake in high-risk sports such as skydiving, bungee jumping, hang-gliding, boxing, rugby ATVs and more.
To be honest with you – SafetyWing doesn’t cover a lot of sporting activities. They have a complete list of what sports are considered extreme sports in their full policy.
Chat with their team if you have any specific questions.
Pre-Existing Conditions Or General Checkups
As I mentioned before, SafetyWing Nomads is for travel insurance – health insurance. That means you aren’t covered for pre-existing conditions except for what is outlined in their policy.
You are also not covered for general checkups or routine tests at the doctor. And because people ask this all the time…
No, SafetyWing Nomads doesn’t cover you for cancer treatments.
Want global health insurance? Make sure you check out our digital nomad health insurance guide to see the best international health insurance providers.
Trip Cancelations
SafetyWing doesn’t offer Trip Cancelation coverage. If you have to cancel your trip, they won’t reimburse you for expenses. SafetyWing does offer trip interruption coverage, though.
Lost Or Stolen Cash
Again this is pretty standard. If you have physical cash that is lost or stolen while traveling, you are not covered under the SafetyWing.
How To Make A Claim With SafetyWing
SafetyWing claims work similarly to other travel insurance providers.
They have a dedicated claims portal to handle everything.
Here’s how it works:
You’ll first have to choose whether it’s a medical claim or a travel claim. After that, you will be asked to attach the necessary documents.
Make sure you attach all the required documents upfront so your claim can be handled quickly. SafetyWing aims to provide a confirmation email that your claim has been received and is in processing within 3 business days.
How long does it take for SafetyWing to process a claim?
Your claim should take less than 45 days to be processed. You will be reimbursed into your bank account by direct wire transfer if approved.
Claims take a different amount of time based on the incident and what you are claiming for.
How To Sign Up With SafetyWing Insurance
Ready to signup for SafetyWing?
The process is easy to follow and only takes a few minutes.
Click here to head over to SafetyWing and click signup.
Type in your Email and Password.
Fill in the details, including your name, home country information and address. Make sure you double-check these details before continuing.
Now, select the start date for your insurance policy and see the quote on the right. You can also add an end date or let it renew every 28 days like a subscription model.
You’ll now need to add some more details, including your beneficiary.
On the next screen, SafetyWing will ask you where you are going.
Not sure of every country you’re visiting? They only need to know the first country you visit for your policy to be valid. Select the country or countries.
If you are traveling with your family, you can add them to the same policy so that it’s all under one account.
Lastly, you’ll have the summary of your policy and then payment. That’s it!
What happens next?
You will receive an email with your policy information and your digital insurance card. Keep this information handy when you are traveling!
You can use this form below to get a quote and sign up now:
Wrapping It Up
This brings us to the end of our SafetyWing review!
The truth is that SafetyWing is a great travel insurance option for travelers and digital nomads who want good protection on a budget.
Their affordable monthly subscription means you get good travel and medical coverage without breaking the bank. And you’ll also get access to their 24/7 customer support team, which can help with any questions or problems that may arise!
Just make sure you check out their policy for yourself, so you can decide whether SafetyWing is right for you.
Ready to get started? Signup for SafetyWing here.
Don’t forget to check out our complete review of the best travel insurance for digital nomads to see how SafetyWing really stacks up against the rest.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is SafetyWing insurance good?
Yes, SafetyWing is a great travel insurance option for long-term travelers, remote workers digital nomads who want good protection on a budget. Their affordable prices and flexible monthly subscription means you get good travel and medical coverage as you travel around.
Is SafetyWing refundable?
Yes, SafetyWing is refundable. If you cancel before your policy starts, you get a full refund. If you cancel after your policy has started, they refund anything apart from the first 5 days. This is because SafetyWing has a minimum 5-day policy purchase.
For subscription policy extensions, SafetyWing will charge you 3 days before your policy is automatically extended. You can contact them within those 3 days and receive a full refund.
How long do SafetyWing insurance claims take?
You will receive a confirmation email within 3 business days to say that your claim is being processed. SafetyWing typically processes claims in less than 45. If your claim is approved, you will be reimbursed by wire transfer directly into your bank account.
Where is SafetyWing based?
SafetyWing was founded in Norway. The head office is now based in Palo Alto, California in the United States.
Does SafetyWing cover scooter/moped accidents?
SafetyWing covers scooter and moped accidents for your own eligible medical expenses. To be covered on a scooter or moped, you must have the correct license and be wearing the proper safety gear.
