Once upon a time in Barcelona, my wallet and phone were stolen off a beach. And, I spent the rest of my trip traveling with paper maps like it was 1995. Of course, the travel medical insurance I had did not cover electronics, so I was out of luck. Since then, I have been shopping around to find the most flexible travel medical insurance policies for me and my lifestyle. That is when I discovered SafetyWing which I’ve used for years. The company recently launched Nomad Insurance 2.0 with even more benefits including electronics coverage! Since I’ve found SafetyWing to be the best travel insurance for me, I wanted to share some of the benefits of Nomad Insurance 2.0!
Why do you need travel medical insurance?
Travel medical insurance is for all the worst-case scenarios from injuries to the overnight flight delays that left you stranded in Istanbul in winter with no luggage and only the summer clothes on your body. (True story!) For just a few dollars a day, travel medical insurance can help manage the risks so you can focus on traveling and spend less time bogged down by the tedium of filling out paperwork or waiting on hold with airlines.
Who is SafetyWing?
Founded in 2018, SafetyWing is a fully remote Norwegian startup based in California. It is run by nomads and expats providing insurance for budget travelers and nomads. It’s available to everyone under the age of 69. (Don’t worry—you don’t have to be a nomad to buy their insurance!)
What are the benefits of SafetyWing’s Nomad Insurance 2.0?
SafetyWing’s $0 deductible travel medical insurance covers a wide range of worst-case travel scenarios from lost luggage to injuries. SafetyWing’s new Nomad Insurance 2.0 policies have even more benefits, including a lightning-fast claims process and add-ons for adventure activities and electronics theft.
What does SafetyWing’s Nomad Insurance 2.0 cover?
While it’s important to always read the full insurance policy, these are the main items covered by SafetyWing. Each policy has a $250,000 USD max limit and a $100,000 USD max limit for US residents over 65.
- Emergency Accident & Sickness Expenses.
- Emergency Evacuation & Repatriation. (This includes evacuation to a better-equipped hospital if needed with a $100,000 USD lifetime max.)
- Trip Cancelation, Delay or Interruption. (After a 12-hour travel delay, benefits kick in. $100/day for two days)
- Baggage Delay & Damage. ($500/item with a $3,000 policy maximum)
- Injuries from leisure sports and activities. (If you’re on an adventure-themed holiday, double check to see if your activities are covered or if the new adventure sports add-on is needed.)
- Motor Accidents. To be covered, you must be properly licensed, not intoxicated and be wearing safety equipment. ($250,000 US max limit)
- Continued coverage in your home country after 90 days abroad. (30 days for non-U.S. residents and 15 for U.S. residents.)
- For more details, read the full policy on their website.
SafetyWing Nomad Insurance 2.0 Additional Add-Ons
Adventure Sports
Planning on going cave diving, skydiving or parasailing on our next trip? Adventure junkies should take advantage of the new adventure sports policy addition which extends the list of sports already covered by the policy. This addition has a $100,000 USD benefit for over 34 activities. Check out the full list of adventure sports here. (Coverage excludes professional, organized or rewarded sports and expeditions.)
Electronics Theft
If you’re traveling with camera gear, a laptop or any expensive electronics, this add-on is a must. (Trust me, I learned this the hard way when my phone was stolen in Barcelona a few years ago.) For policies 28 days or longer, SafetyWing will pay up to $1,000 USD per stolen item with a yearly policy limit of $3,000 USD. There is also a $6,000 lifetime limit for this benefit. (To make a claim, proof of ownership, such as a receipt, is required for items under this add-on. You must also report any theft to the police within 24 hours.
U.S. Coverage
For non-U.S. citizens or residents, coverage for travel to the U.S. is covered under this condition. (U.S. residents do get 15 days of home country coverage for every 90 days of travel abroad as part of the policy without this add on.)
How do you file a claim with SafetyWing’s Nomad Insurance 2.0?
Filing a travel medical insurance claim may feel overwhelming but it doesn’t have to be thanks to SafetyWing’s new Nomad Insurance claims. Simply fill out the simple new form in as little as five minutes and get reimbursed within 2.8 days!
- Step 1: (Type of Claim) Choose medical or non-medical claims (stolen electronics, travel delays, natural disaster evacuation)
- Step 2: (Medical Information) For medical claims, enter the medical information starting with the date of service, location and total amount of claim. If the claim is related to a preexisting condition, you’ll have to enter that information followed by a description of what happened. Afterward, there is a section about other parties, which asks if you were covered by any other form of insurance such as work insurance.
- Step 3: (Personal Information) Enter your personal information including passport number and contact information.
- Step 4: (Reimbursement) Enter your bank account details and how you’d like to be paid for the claim.
- Step 5: (Upload Documents) This includes a medical report, which is a note from your doctor about your symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. Invoices and receipts to show the breakdown of the cost of the bill. If you have referral notes to another doctor, results of labs or scans, or prescriptions, be sure to include those as well. It’s really important to request these at your doctor’s office before leaving because it saves time and hassle trying to get the documents later. Consider using a free scanning app like Genius Scan to scan the papers into a PDF for easy exporting!
- Step 6: (Review and Submit) Browse over the information you have entered to ensure it is correct, especially your bank account information. This ensures the claim can be paid ASAP! You can always check your claim status anytime on the website.
If you have any questions about claims or buying a policy, SafetyWing’s 24/7 support can connect you with a REAL human instantly!
*Please note that some affiliate links are used in this post. If you make a purchase, I earn a small commission at no cost to you, which goes toward the cost of maintaining this blog. If you would like to support this blog and are ready to make a purchase, these links are one way to show your support. I only recommend products and companies I truly love and use. Please email me with any questions.
