SafetyWing Nomad Insurance: Essential vs Complete

Ever since the first hippies shrugged on their backpacks and hit the open road, travellers and nomads have sought the freedom to be spontaneous and flexible. But this has often been difficult within the confines of traditional travel insurance. 

With the rise in remote working, more people than ever are living a modern nomadic lifestyle, creating a demand for affordable, flexible travel and medical insurance. And that’s where SafetyWing comes in.

Their Nomad Insurance is specifically designed for digital nomads, remote workers and long-term travellers. Their policies work like a subscription with rolling plans and very few country restrictions, making them a flexible and attractive option for free-spirited souls, especially those on open-ended travels.

So if you’re considering either of SafetyWing’s two plans, Nomad Essential or Nomad Complete, you might be wondering how these compare and which one suits you. Luckily for you, we’ve done the digging to find out just what each of these plans cover (and what they don’t). Let’s take a dive…

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SafetyWing Nomad Insurance: Essential vs Complete 🔍

Disclaimer: This article is not insurance advice. We’ve done our best to interpret SafetyWing’s policies accurately, but please check the full policy wording yourself before buying.

SafetyWing Nomad Essential and Complete: Quick Comparison ⚖️

	Nomad Essential	Nomad Complete
Monthly cost	$56.28 USD (for ages 18-39)*	$161.50 USD (for ages 18-39)*
Medical cover	Treatment for new and unexpected issues while travelling	Routine and emergency medical care anywhere in the world
Mental health support	Not covered	Covered
Coverage limit	$250,000 USD	$1,500,000 USD
Coverage in home country	Up to 30 days, emergency treatments only	Full medical coverage
Age limit	0 – 69 years	18 – 64 years
Lost luggage cover	Included	Included
Destinations not covered	Belarus, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Puerto Rico, Russia, Syria, Ukraine; USA cover available as an add-on	Belarus, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Puerto Rico, Russia, Syria, Ukraine; USA, Hong Kong and Singapore cover available as an add-on
Pre-existing medical conditions	Not covered	Not covered

*Note, pricing varies depending on age.

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SafetyWing Nomad Insurance Plans: What’s Covered? ✅

Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links. If you decide to buy an insurance policy through one of the links on this page, we will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

The key difference between SafetyWing’s Nomad Insurance plans is that Nomad Essential is designed to provide traditional travel insurance coverage (with the added benefit of flexibility), whereas, Nomad Complete is essentially a health insurance plan for global citizens with the added benefit of coverage for travel-related problems. Here’s how the two compare.

🏥 Medical Coverage

The level of medical coverage varies significantly between SafeWing’s two plans. Nomad Essential covers emergency treatment (i.e. ‘medically necessary treatment’), including injuries and unexpected illnesses when travelling.

On the other hand, Nomad Complete includes everyday medical care, such as routine check-ups, vaccinations and ongoing care for long-term health conditions (if the condition was diagnosed after the policy started). This is in addition to any emergency care you may need while on the road. Nomad Complete also covers pregnancy and maternity care, but this cover only kicks in 10 months after taking out a policy.

Both plans cover treatment for Covid-19, but neither covers Covid-19 vaccinations.

For full details about medical coverage see the policy wording: Nomad Essential; Nomad Complete

Also read: Guide to Staying Safe in Southeast Asia

✈️ Trip Interruption & Cancellation

Both Nomad Essential and Nomad Complete cover trip interruption in the event of family death (covering travel home up to $5,000USD). 

Both also cover travel delay, but Nomad Complete is more generous, offering up to $150USD per night for 3 days after an 8-hour delay. In comparison, Nomad Essential will provide $100USD per day for 2 days after a 12-hour delay.

🚑 Medical Evacuation & Repatriation

Both plans cover medical evacuation to a better-equipped hospital and repatriation to your home country if medically necessary.

💻 Baggage, Electronics, and Theft

Nomad Essential

• Covers theft of passport
• Covers lost checked luggage
• Option to add on cover for theft of electronics (up to $1,000USD per item)
• Theft or loss of any other belongings is not covered (except robbery under abduction)

Nomad Complete

• Covers theft of passport and wallet
• Covers lost checked luggage
• Option to add on cover for theft of electronics (up to $2,000USD per item)
• Theft or loss of any other belongings is not covered (except robbery under abduction)

🦷 Dental and Mental Health

Nomad Essential only covers emergency dental treatment to relieve pain. It does not provide any cover for mental health.

Nomad Complete offers an add-on to cover routine dental care. This plan also provides cover for mental health treatments as standard, including up to 10 visits to a psychologist or psychiatrist.

🌍 Home Country Coverage

The Nomad Essential plan provides medical coverage in your home country for up to 30 days, whereas Nomad Complete provides full medical coverage in your home country without time restrictions.

🔄 Deductible, Reimbursement Time, and Claims Process

Previously, SafetyWing’s Nomad Insurance had a deductible of $250USD on medical claims. This has now changed (since February 2024), and neither Nomad Essential nor Nomad Complete have any deductible or excess.

The claims process is straightforward and made online. According to SafetyWing, the process to submit a claim takes around 2 minutes, and reimbursements are paid out within 10 working days.

🥊 Popular activities in Southeast Asia

SafetyWing’s Nomad Insurance covers many of the popular activities travellers are likely to undertake in Southeast Asia. 

Among the activities covered as standard under Nomad Essential are:

• Hiking/trekking (under 4,500 metres)
• Hot air ballooning
• Rock climbing
• Snorkelling
• Surfing
• Tubing
• Yoga

The Adventure Sports Add-On for Essential also includes:

• Kite-surfing
• Muay Thai (under martial arts)
• Spelunking
• Scuba diving

Nomad Complete covers adventure sports as standard. 

(Note that these lists are not exhaustive.)

⚙️ Add-ons

Each plan has the option to include add-ons for additional cover.

Nomad Essential Add-Ons

• Adventure sports ($10USD per 4 weeks)
• Electronics theft ($10USD per 4 weeks)
• Coverage in the USA (non-US residents only; $48.16 per 4 weeks)

Nomad Complete Add-Ons

• Electronics theft ($20USD per month)
• Dental ($20USD per month)
• Coverage in the USA, Hong Kong and Singapore ($122 per month)
• (Adventure Sports are included as standard)

💊 Pre-existing Conditions 

Neither plan covers pre-existing conditions, that is conditions known about before taking out the insurance cover. However, if you are diagnosed with a serious condition after you have taken out Nomad Complete insurance, it will cover you for life as long as you stay on the plan.

Read more about travel insurance for pre-existing conditions.

🗓️ Length of Coverage

Both Nomad Essential and Nomad Complete are based on a rolling subscription basis and are paid for monthly. However, there is one crucial difference. 

A Nomad Essential policy renews monthly. A single policy can be valid for up to one year (maximum of 364 days), automatically rolling over every 4 weeks. It can be cancelled at any time. (Note that a year’s coverage would actually require 13 payments — 13 x 4 weeks = 364 days.) After a year, a new policy may be purchased, which again can roll over monthly for up to a year.

Whereas, even though it’s also paid for monthly, a Nomad Complete Plan requires a minimum 12-month commitment. A single policy can roll over continually each year and be renewed indefinitely. 

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What’s Not Covered ❌

Each of the Nomad Essential and Nomad Complete plans has cover exclusions. Some of the key ones are:

Nomad Essential

• Dental treatment (except emergency pain relief)
• Mental health conditions
• Professional sports
• Pre-existing illnesses or injuries
• Pregnancy and maternity care (apart from emergencies) 
• Sexually transmitted diseases
• Cancer
• Coverage in the following countries: Belarus, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Puerto Rico, Russia, Syria, Ukraine

Nomad Complete

• Professional sports
• Pre-existing illnesses or injuries
• Cosmetic treatments
• Coverage in the following countries: Belarus, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Puerto Rico, Russia, Syria, Ukraine

Note that both plans will only cover riding a motorbike if you are properly licensed and wearing a helmet. This cover also only extends to your own medical expenses; there is no liability cover. Read more about insurance for driving a motorbike in Southeast Asia here.

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Who Are the Plans Aimed at? 👩🏾‍🦱🧔🏻‍♀️👵🏼

SafetyWing’s two Nomad Insurance plans are designed with different types of travellers in mind. The table below gives a rough idea.

Type of Traveller	Nomad Essential	Nomad Complete
Budget traveller	✅	❌
Short-term traveller	✅	❌
Long-term traveller	✅	✅
Digital nomad	✅	✅
Want basic medical coverage	✅	❌
Want comprehensive medical coverage	❌	✅
Travel with tech (electronics add-on required)	✅	✅
Want flexibility and option to cancel	✅	❌

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Making a Claim 🧾

SafetyWing is now its own insurance carrier, meaning they don’t need to be underwritten by a third party.* Since this change was made, the claims process has been simplified. It’s designed to be quick and easy, taking around 2 minutes to submit a claim via their online portal (you can also email claims@safetywing.com). Successful claims are settled within 10 working days.

For queries, you can contact their customer care team via the online chat function, who typically respond in around 1 minute.

Also read: Tips for Making a Travel Insurance Claim

*Note, this is true for Nomad Essential and the travel element of the Nomad Complete plan. The medical element of Nomad Complete is underwritten by VUMI Group.

“I’ve had a mixed experience with SafetyWing. When making a claim for theft in Colombia using an electronic police report I was repeatedly told that I didn’t have the correct documentation, despite the Colombian police saying that I had. After much back and forth, I eventually had to make a complaint, at which point the issue was resolved speedily and the claim paid out, but not before I’d endured a lot of stress! However, when I needed medical treatment and was hospitalised in Indonesia, SafetyWing were great. They dealt with the hospital directly, settling the payment swiftly, and also quickly paid out for the other medical expenses I had to claim back. Despite my first bad experience, I continue to use them and have had no problems since.” Lisa Barham, Writer at South East Asia Backpacker

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Pros & Cons of SafetyWing Nomad Essential and Nomad Complete 👍🏼👎🏼

NOMAD ESSENTIAL

NOMAD COMPLETE

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FAQs ❔

• Is travel to the US covered?

On both Nomad Essential and Nomad complete there is an option to add on coverage for the US. It is not covered as standard. On Essential the US add-on is $48.16USD per 4 weeks, and on Complete it is $122USD per month.

• Are Nomad Essential and Nomad Complete available to US citizens?

Nomad Essential is available to US citizens, but they are not eligible for cover under the US add-on.

US citizens and residents are excluded from the Nomad Complete plan. Residents of the following countries are also excluded: Belarus, Canada, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ireland, Palau, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates.

• Are adventure sports covered?

To be covered for adventure sports, such as scuba diving or Muay Thai, on the Nomad Essential plan, you will need to purchase the Adventure Sports Add-on. All the sports covered in this add-on are included in the Nomad Complete plan as standard.

• Am I covered in my home country?

Nomad Essential provides coverage in your home country for up to 30 days (per 90 days of active insurance) or 15 days for US residents. Nomad Complete provides full coverage in your home country without time restrictions.

• Can I cancel at any time?

Nomad Essential renews every 4 weeks, and you can cancel the cover at any time. Simply log into your account, where you will be able to stop your renewal.

Nomad Complete requires a minimum 12-month contract. You can choose not to renew at the end of the year.

• Is SafetyWing’s subscription travel insurance unique?

Although SafetyWing pioneered the idea of subscription-based travel and global medical insurance, there are now other companies that use this model, such as Genki.

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SafetyWing Nomad Essential and Nomad Complete — Summary 🤔

SafetyWing’s Nomad Essential and Nomad Complete insurance plans are different products at heart. Nomad Essential is akin to a traditional travel insurance policy, but designed to be affordable and flexible for long-term travellers and digital nomads. 

It’s also suitable for short-term travellers who don’t have firm plans regarding timeline or countries. The need to confirm dates and destinations with traditional travel insurance has long proved a hassle for many spontaneous travellers!

Nomad Complete is first and foremost a global health insurance plan that includes additional travel-related protections. This option is well suited to travellers and nomads who are looking for long-term health cover that includes everyday and routine medical care anywhere in the world.

The pricing and flexibility of the plans makes them an appealing option for many nomadic people and travellers. For more details and to decide if either plan is right for you, check the full policy wording here: Nomad Essential; Nomad Complete.

Have you used SafetyWing? Let us know about your experience in the comments!