SafetyWing Review 2026: My Honest Take After 3 Years (and Two Real Claims)

One of the number one non-negotiables I’ve decided for myself while traveling is to always travel with travel insurance.

I’ve been traveling full-time for about 7 years now, from Australia and all over Asia to North and South America, and over the years I’ve tried quite a few different travel insurance providers. I’ve also had all sorts of random incidents happen while traveling, including having to actually make claims.

But ultimately, I’ve stuck with SafetyWing, and honestly, I’ve been really happy with them.

In this review, I want to tell you all about SafetyWing, my personal experience with them, what I like, what I don’t like, how much I pay for it, and, most importantly, I’ll walk you through two real claims I’ve actually made with them.

Because I know it’s one thing for me to sit here and tell you that I like an insurance company, but I think it’s much more useful when I can actually show you what happened when I needed to use it.

So if you’re a fellow full-time traveler, digital nomad, or just someone looking for travel medical insurance for an upcoming trip, hopefully my experience can help you figure out whether SafetyWing might be the right option for you.

Is SafetyWing Legit? My Quick Safetywing Review + Experience

I figured I’d start this article with a little bit of my own experience with SafetyWing before we get into all the numbers and details.

I’ve been using SafetyWing for about 3 years straight now, and I think I’ve had about as good of an experience as you can have with a travel insurance company.

At the beginning, I was a little hesitant because I was so used to getting travel insurance the old-school way, through an insurance agent in some boring office, filling out loads of paperwork and basically making the whole thing way more complicated than it needs to be.

SafetyWing is pretty much the complete opposite. The whole website and app feel super modern, everything is online, and for me as a long-term traveler, that just makes way more sense.

I’ve had some terrible experiences with insurance companies in the past where getting hold of someone or actually getting a claim processed took forever because they just weren’t up to what I needed from them.

With SafetyWing, though, I’ve had a completely different experience. I’d definitely consider them more than legit, and I think one of the reasons is that they’re basically built around travelers and digital nomads, and it shows.

I’ve had quite a few incidents now where I actually needed to use my insurance, and from their customer service to the claims process, everything has always been pretty smooth for me.

So yes, based purely on my own experience, I have no problem recommending SafetyWing. Obviously, every insurance company has terms, exclusions and situations where something may or may not be covered, but as far as my personal experience goes, I’ve been very happy with them.

►Click Here to Check out the Safetywing Essentail Plan (Use my Code ‘GOAZ’ to get the electronics theft add-on free)

►Click Here to Check out the Safetywing Complete Plan

What I Love About SafetyWing After 5 Years

For me, travel insurance is one of those things where I’m not asking for much. I’m basically like, “Can you just make this headache-free and easy?”

It’s a necessity, and it’s something I have because I want to feel secure while traveling, so I really don’t want my travel insurance itself to become another thing that causes me stress and problems, if that makes sense.

And after using SafetyWing for years now, there are a few things that make me feel really good about being with them because, at the end of the day, they just make my life easier and more stress-free:

Their Website & App

Out of all the insurance companies I’ve dealt with, regular insurance, travel insurance, health insurance, whatever it is, the online portal and app from SafetyWing are by far the best I’ve ever used.

It’s just so customer-friendly and almost idiot-proof, which is exactly what I want. I can quickly pull up my policy, see when it expires, check what’s included and find basically everything I need right there in my profile.

I’ve never had to sit down and read through 24 pages of some insanely complicated insurance policy just to figure out what the hell I’m actually covered for.

Customer Service

I’ve pretty much only had good experiences with SafetyWing’s customer service.

And since I’m a full-time traveler, I think I actually contact them way too much, but hey, I want to be sure about things!

If I’m going snowboarding, hiking up a volcano, going white-water rafting or doing whatever other slightly questionable activity I’ve decided to do, I’ll ask them beforehand if I’m covered.

They’ll then tell me whether I’m covered, and if I’m not, what I can do to change that, what coverage or add-ons I might need and so on.

And they’ve always been super friendly about it too. I’d much rather ask beforehand and know exactly what I’m covered for than find out afterward that I wasn’t covered at all.

Filing a Claim

Obviously, ideally nothing ever happens and you never need to use your travel insurance. But sometimes you just can’t help it, and even I get sick sometimes.

I used to get stressed every time I needed to see a doctor because I would immediately think, “Ugh, I wonder if insurance is actually going to pay for this.”

But with SafetyWing, I’ve had a really good experience with my claims. I’ve had everything from terrible food poisoning in Spain, getting a parasite in Vietnam, to some pretty bad back pain, and I’ve had to make claims for different situations like these.

Thankfully, the claims process has always been pretty smooth for me, which is kinda what I want from my travel insurance. When I’m already sick or dealing with some kind of problem, the last thing I want is to then spend days fighting with my insurance company.

Cancelling & Switching Plans

This is another thing I really appreciate about SafetyWing.

I’ve had travel insurance policies before where I had to sign a 6–12 month contract, which now looking back seems absolutely terrible for someone who travels as much as I do. I couldn’t just cancel whenever I wanted, even if my travel plans completely changed.

SafetyWing gives me a lot more flexibility with that.

I actually had to cancel my SafetyWing insurance last year because I went back to my home country for an extended period of time. I was able to cancel it rather than continuing to pay for insurance I wasn’t going to use.

And what I thought was really cool was that they even refunded me for the remaining days in that month.

►Click Here to Check out the Safetywing Essentail Plan (Use my Code ‘GOAZ’ to get the electronics theft add-on free)

►Click Here to Check out the Safetywing Complete Plan

What I Think SafetyWing Could Do Better

Of course, there are also a few things I don’t love quite as much about SafetyWing, but I think that’s pretty normal when it comes to insurance companies. There’s never going to be one that is 100% perfect, and overall, the things I don’t like about SafetyWing are pretty minor compared to everything I do like.

Electronics Are Not Covered

One thing to keep in mind is that damaged electronics are not covered under the standard travel medical insurance.

I guess that’s also somewhat fair since this is primarily travel medical insurance, and not some kind of full-blown gadget insurance, but it’s still something worth knowing if you’re traveling with an expensive laptop, camera or other electronics.

They do have an electronics theft coverage add-on, though, which covers stolen electronics for up to $1,000 per stolen item.

And actually, with my new sign-up code ‘GOAZ’, you can get the electronics theft add-on free for the first 8 weeks, which is pretty cool if you’re traveling with a bunch of expensive gear like I am. Check out Plans right here!

Short Home Country Visits

This is probably the one thing I wish SafetyWing would change, especially for my fellow American travelers.

I travel for most of the year, but when I come back home to see family, I can sometimes stay for a month or two. The problem is that SafetyWing only covers you for 30 days in your home country, or 15 days if you’re a US citizen.

Personally, I wish the US citizen limit was also at least 30 days. I feel like that would make things a lot more convenient for people who travel full-time but still spend extended periods back home.

That being said, there is a way around this if you choose the annual plan instead of the monthly plan. With the annual plan, your home-country coverage actually increases to 90 days, or 45 days for US citizens.

So it’s not necessarily a dealbreaker, but it’s definitely something I’d keep in mind depending on how you travel.

►Click Here to Check out the Safetywing Essentail Plan (Use my Code ‘GOAZ’ to get the electronics theft add-on free)

►Click Here to Check out the Safetywing Complete Plan

Real Claims with SafetyWing – My Experience

As I’ve mentioned previously, I’ve actually had a couple of claims with SafetyWing, so I do have first-hand experience with what the whole process is like, how it worked, what happened afterward and, most importantly, whether I actually got my money back.

I’ve had two bigger claims that I think are worth sharing because they were pretty different situations and give you a good idea of what it’s actually like when you need to use your insurance.

Parasite in Vietnam

One of my claims was actually fairly recent, and what happened was that I somehow managed to get a parasite while I was in Vietnam.

I’m guessing it was either from accidentally drinking tap water or eating something I shouldn’t have, but whatever it was, it really messed up my stomach.

I ended up having to see a doctor in Vietnam and then later had to see another doctor again once I was in Europe because they couldn’t seem to get rid of it for a while. Eventually, I got medication that actually worked and thankfully everything was fine again.

The whole claim was done through the SafetyWing website, and honestly, it was super straightforward.

It’s a pretty automated process where I uploaded my receipts from the doctor visits and medication, submitted everything and then basically just waited.

I got the money back within about two weeks, and that was pretty much it.

No massive back-and-forth, no endless emails, no having to fight with anyone about whether my parasite was somehow my fault.  For this particular claim, the whole thing was completely hassle-free.

Back Injury from Pilates

This was probably about two years ago now, but I somehow managed to get a pretty annoying back injury from doing reformer Pilates.

I know Pilates is supposed to be good for your body and joints, so I’m still not entirely sure how I managed to pull that one off.

I went to a doctor who then prescribed me a number of chiropractor sessions. At the time I was in Australia, and I ended up going to a really nice clinic where they took such good care of me.

And honestly, it helped a lot and made me feel so much better. This claim was a little different from the parasite situation because it was an ongoing treatment rather than just one doctor visit and a couple of receipts.

There was a bit more back-and-forth with SafetyWing, with their team reaching out and asking for my receipts and documentation. Since I had multiple chiropractor sessions spread out over several months, I had to keep submitting the receipts as I went.

But again, SafetyWing ended up paying for everything I submitted.

So even though this claim required a little more work because it was an ongoing treatment, I still had a really positive experience overall.

What SafetyWing Plan I Currently Use

There are two main plans I would recommend looking at if you’re a traveler like me: Essential and Complete.

I currently use the Essential plan, which is the more affordable option and is primarily a travel medical insurance plan. For what I personally need while traveling, it has worked really well for me so far.

Then there is the Complete plan, which is much more comprehensive and is essentially a full health insurance plan. It covers a lot more, including things like cancer support and mental health care.

I’m actually considering upgrading to the Complete plan myself at some point, especially as I’m getting older and my travel insurance needs are changing a little bit.

Here’s a quick comparison of the two plans so you can see what the main differences are:

Plan	Essential	Essential Annual	Complete
Best for	Short & long-term travelers	Frequent travelers	Long-term expats & nomads
Insurance type	Travel medical	Travel medical	Full health insurance
Medical limit	$250,000	$250,000	$1,500,000
Home Country Coverage	30 Days (15 Days USA)	90 Days (45 Days USA)	Unlimited
Debit Limit	❌	$150	$500
Stolen Belongings (non electronic)	❌	❌	$5000
Medical Evacuation	$100,000	$100,000	$100,000
Mental Health Treatment	❌	❌	✅
Price (ages 18–39)	$62.72 / 4 weeks	$56.45 / 4 weeks	$177.50 / month

►Click Here to Check out the Safetywing Essentail Plan (Use my Code ‘GOAZ’ to get the electronics theft add-on free)

►Click Here to Check out the Safetywing Complete Plan

FAQs About My SafetyWing Review in 2026

Is SafetyWing worth it?

Yes, absolutely. Since I’m a full-time traveler and digital nomad, I’ve been using SafetyWing for years now and I’ve only had great experiences with them, from customer support to actually filing claims.

How Can I Get My Electronics Covered Against Theft While Traveling?

Yes, SafetyWing does offer a coverage add-on for electronics theft, which covers individual electronic items for up to $1,000 per stolen item.

And with my new sign-up code, you can actually get the electronics theft add-on free for the first 8 weeks, which is pretty awesome if you’re traveling with expensive electronics like a laptop or camera.

Is SafetyWing Expensive?

I honestly don’t think so. The plan I currently have, which has covered pretty much all of my needs and the issues I’ve had while traveling, costs me around $63 per month.

For me, that’s really not a lot of money considering it covers most of the medical issues I might run into while traveling and, more importantly, gives me some peace of mind.

How Fast Does SafetyWing Pay Claims?

This can obviously depend on what type of claim you have and how quickly you’re able to provide all the necessary documents.

From my own experience, though, my claims have usually taken somewhere around 2–4 weeks from submitting the claim until I was paid.

Does SafetyWing Include Non-Emergency Benefits?

Not with the standard Essential plan. Non-emergency benefits are included with the Complete plan, which is SafetyWing’s more comprehensive health insurance option. So if you’re specifically looking for regular healthcare and non-emergency coverage, that’s something you’ll want to look into rather than assuming it’s included with the basic travel medical plan.

Does SafetyWing Pay Claims Upfront?

There are some options for this depending on which plan you have.

The Essential plan purchased for one year upfront comes with a $150 preloaded debit card that can be used for smaller claims, while the Complete plan includes a $500 preloaded virtual card.

I think that’s a pretty cool feature because sometimes you just need to pay for something relatively small without wanting to wait around for the entire claims process to be completed.

Final Thoughts: Is SafetyWing Legit?

Let me wrap this up fairly quickly because I think I’ve already talked your ear off about SafetyWing.

But yes, I genuinely think SafetyWing is one of the best travel insurance options out there, specifically for digital nomads, backpackers and basically anyone like me who travels for longer periods of time.

I’ve tried other providers like World Nomads and Allianz before, and while I had decent experiences with both, in the end I just preferred SafetyWing.

For me, it comes down to the fantastic website, good customer service, flexibility and how easy it has been in the past for me to actually file claims and get the coverage I needed.

And honestly, that’s what I want from my travel insurance. I don’t want to spend my time thinking about insurance. I just want to know that it’s there if something goes wrong and that I can actually get help when I need it.

I hope this SafetyWing review and my personal experience with them gave you a good idea of what to expect and helped you figure out whether it might be the right travel insurance for you.