Security Wing Assessment (Up to date 2025)

Funds vacationers love saving cash — myself included. However one of many bills that we shouldn’t be low-cost with is journey insurance coverage.

After over 17 years of touring the world, I nonetheless by no means depart house with out it.

Why?

As a result of I’ve seen firsthand how helpful it may be — and the way a lot cash it may save.

I’ve misplaced baggage, had my digital camera damaged, and even wanted emergency medical assist through the years.

Journey insurance coverage has been there for me every time. Not solely has it saved me cash but it surely’s supplied me with peace of thoughts as I discover.

I’ve written extensively through the years about why you want insurance coverage, the right way to decide the suitable firm, and listed my most well-liked suppliers.

At this time, I wish to discuss my favourite journey insurance coverage firm: SafetyWing.

 

Who’s SafetyWing?

SafetyWing is an insurance coverage firm that focuses on inexpensive protection for price range vacationers and digital nomads (although you don’t should be both to get protection). It’s run by nomads and expats who know precisely what such vacationers want.

SafetyWing affords fundamental insurance policy (known as “Nomad Important”) for a fraction of what different firms cost, though they’re additionally much less complete. To me, they’re the most effective general journey insurance coverage firm on the market.

Their customary Nomad Insurance coverage protection prices simply $56.28 USD for 4 weeks (for vacationers aged 10-39). That’s one of many lowest costs on the market for dependable journey insurance coverage. They’re tremendous aggressive in the case of worth.

Their protection extends all the best way to age 69, nevertheless, vacationers aged 60-69 ought to anticipate to pay upwards of $196 USD monthly for protection. Nonetheless very affordable, to be trustworthy.

However is the protection truly good? What in regards to the customer support?

At this time I wish to evaluate Security Wing and discuss when it’s — and isn’t — price utilizing so you may higher put together to your subsequent journey and guarantee you’ve the protection you want.
 

What Does SafetyWing Cowl?

SafetyWing’s customary Nomad Insurance coverage plan is the Important plan. It’s simply $56.28 USD for 4 weeks of journey (exterior the US). That works out to only $1.87 USD per day!

For vacationers underneath age 64, that plan contains the next:

• $250,000 USD in emergency medical protection
• $1,000 USD for emergency dental care
• $100,000 USD for medical evacuation ($25,000 USD if the reason for medical evacuation is acute onset of pre-existing situation)
• $10,000 USD for an evacuation attributable to political upheaval
• $5,000 USD for a visit interruption
• As much as $100 a day after a 12-hour delay interval requiring an unplanned in a single day keep. Topic to a most of two days.
• $12,500–25,000 USD for demise or dismemberment
• $20,000 USD for repatriation of stays

Remember to test the outline of protection for any situations that apply.

Its $100,000 USD for medical evacuation is on the low finish, however until you’re heading out into the distant wilderness, that ought to be high quality. (If you need larger protection, get MedJet.)

Its travel-delay payout is fairly low, however airways and most journey bank cards present journey delay help too so that you won’t even want the protection supplied by SafetyWing. Moreover, it doesn’t actually cowl costly electronics, which sucks if in case you have a dear digital camera or video gear.

As with most traditional journey insurance policy, this one doesn’t embrace pre-existing situations or sure journey sports activities, so it’s not a superb coverage if you happen to’re going to do a variety of journey actions on the street.

They do supply a pair useful add-ons that I feel a variety of vacationers will respect, together with protection for journey actions and electronics theft. That signifies that if you happen to want the protection, you may pay additional for it. Nevertheless, if you happen to don’t want it you then don’t should pay for it, holding your prices low. I respect that, as somebody who all the time wants digital protection however who by no means wants journey exercise protection (I’m not an enormous adrenaline junkie).
 

What’s Not Coated?

The Important plan is primarily geared in direction of protecting medical emergencies and fundamental journey mishaps (like delays and misplaced baggage). Listed here are some issues that aren’t coated:

• Alcohol- or drug-related incidents.
• Excessive sports activities & journey actions (until you buy the journey sports activities add-on, which is accessible for non-US residents)
• Pre-existing situations or normal check-ups
• Journey cancellation
• Misplaced or stolen money

 

Nomad Full: Protection for Digital Nomads and Lengthy-Time period Vacationers

In 2023, SafetyWing launched Nomad Well being (now known as their “Full” plan). It’s insurance coverage for digital nomads, distant staff, and long-term vacationers. This new plan affords a mixture of the usual emergency protection that we’ve been discussing above together with “common” well being care protection, comparable to routine visits and preventive care.

The Full plan additionally affords protection in 175 international locations, contains wellness advantages, psychological well being care, and the power for people to decide on their very own physician whereas touring. They are going to be increasing protection too, together with an add-on for “electronics theft” (which, as somebody who has been robbed whereas touring, I feel is a superb thought).

It’s just like the type of medical health insurance you’d discover in your house nation, making certain that you simply’re taken care of it doesn’t matter what occurs whilst you’re overseas.

You’ll be able to be taught extra and evaluate the plans right here.

If you happen to’re simply heading out for a pair weeks or a pair months, SafetyWing’s Important plan is the choice for you. It’s excellent for emergencies, is tremendous inexpensive, and is designed for price range vacationers. It’s the plan I exploit once I journey today.

Nevertheless, if you happen to’re going to be working overseas or touring for months (or years), then their new Full plan is the higher possibility. It affords far more protection whereas nonetheless being inexpensive. In reality, it’s the plan I want I had once I began touring long-term!

You’ll be able to be taught extra in regards to the Full plan in my devoted evaluate.

 

Making a Declare

SafetyWing makes it simple to file a declare by way of their on-line portal. You simply add all of the required paperwork, screenshots, and images, and wait to listen to again. Whereas claims can take as much as 45 enterprise days, most are dealt with in lower than per week (as of writing, the typical wait time is 4 days).

If you happen to learn the critiques on-line, most individuals who had a damaging expertise both didn’t know in regards to the deductible (SafetyWing eliminated their deductible for non-US residents as of 2024) or hated the size of time it took to receives a commission. However that’s fairly regular for folks to complain about.

On the plus aspect, SafetyWing’s common time to deal with a declare is down to only 4 days. That’s means sooner than most firms!
 

A Observe About COVID

SafetyWing does embrace protection for COVID-19. So long as the virus was not contracted earlier than your plan begins, then it is going to be coated (so long as it’s medically mandatory).

SafetyWing additionally covers quarantine prices (exterior your private home nation) for as much as $50 USD/day for 10 days (supplied that you simply’ve had your plan for no less than 28 days).
 

Execs and Cons of SafetyWing

Right here’s a glance that the professionals and cons of SafetyWing at a look that can assist you determine if it’s the most effective insurance coverage supplier for you and your journey:

 

Who’s SafetyWing Good — and Not Good For?

SafetyWing is designed as primarily medical protection. Since SafetyWing is designed for the budget-conscious digital nomad, it doesn’t cowl some areas that is perhaps extra of a precedence for a shorter-term traveler. Right here’s a fast chart that can assist you determine if SafetyWing is best for you:

 

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Journey insurance coverage is one thing I by no means depart house with out. I do know it’s a boring subject to examine and analysis, however it may actually prevent lots of or hundreds of {dollars} in payments! I by no means, ever depart house with out it. You shouldn’t both.

So, the following time you’re on the street, contemplate SafetyWing. To me, they’re the most effective journey insurance coverage firm on the market for price range vacationers.

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