There is no best plan, only a fit between four things: your age, your home country, whether you have a pre-existing condition, and what your visa asks for. On the insurers’ own pages, SafetyWing Essential is the cheapest entry at US$62.72 per 4 weeks (ages 18 to 39) but stops at US$250,000 overall and excludes pre-existing conditions. Genki Traveler states a EUR 1,000,000 limit, but covers the US and Canada for emergencies only in the first 7 days of each stay. World Nomads is trip-based, up to 180 days. All checked 29 Sept 2026.
The matrix
Every cell is from the insurer’s own page or policy document. “Not stated” means the page we read did not say, not that no rule exists. Prices change with age and destination, so only stated examples appear.
| Attribute | SafetyWing Nomad Essential | Genki Traveler | World Nomads Standard / Explorer (US site) | IMG iTravelInsured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product type | Monthly subscription travel-medical | Monthly subscription, up to 12 months | Trip-based; single trip 1 to 180 days | Trip-based travel medical |
| Price example stated | US$62.72 per 4 weeks, ages 18 to 39 | Not stated on the pages read | Not stated (quote only) | Not stated (quote only) |
| Medical limit | US$250,000 overall (product page); US$100,000 for ages 65 to 69 (2023 PDF only) | EUR 1,000,000 for the whole contract period | US$125,000 / US$150,000 | US$100,000 (Choice), US$250,000 (SE), US$500,000 (Travel LX) |
| Evacuation | US$100,000 lifetime | Repatriation cover exists; family-visit costs capped at EUR 5,000 per case | US$400,000 / US$500,000 | US$500,000 (Choice, SE), US$1,000,000 (Travel LX) |
| Deductible | None stated on the current policy page; the 2023 PDF says US$250 per certificate period | EUR 50 per case; none for inpatient stays | Not stated | Not stated |
| Age limit | Up to 69 (under 70); from 14 days old (current policy page) | Up to 69 at the start of cover | Not stated; separate TripAssure plan for 70 and over | Not stated |
| Pre-existing conditions | Excluded. Current policy page: anything you had before or at the start of a plan counts as pre-existing, and each new plan resets that date; an emergency-treatment benefit for pre-existing conditions exists | Not covered if symptoms, diagnosis, treatment or consultation in the year before start | Excluded; a waiver exists only if bought in the time-sensitive window (Explorer or Epic) | Not stated on the page read |
| US cover | Non-residents only; US residents not covered in the US except limited home-country rules | Emergencies only, first 7 days of each stay by default; paid upgrade | Page describes US-resident cover only | Not stated |
| Home-country cover | Up to 30 days of medical cover for a non-US home country per 3-month period bought | Emergencies only, first 6 weeks of each stay after 4 weeks abroad | Not covered at home | Not stated |
| Sports | Amateur sports covered; professional and organised athletics not | “Almost all”, incl. diving, skiing, motor vehicle operation | 250+ (Standard) / 300+ (Explorer) activities | Not stated |
| Country exclusions | Not stated on the page; war and terrorism excluded in the policy | Not stated | Quote refuses unsupported countries, for example Iraq, North Korea, Sudan | Not stated |
Sources: SafetyWing page, SafetyWing policy PDF, Genki Traveler and help article, World Nomads plan comparison, medical and trip length, IMG. SafetyWing’s linked PDF has file metadata dated early 2023 and is older than the current policy page, so where they differ the table follows the policy page and marks the PDF-only figures (the US$250 deductible and the US$100,000 cap for ages 65 to 69); confirm both at purchase. Genki’s help article says there is also a 14-day waiting period for non-emergency cover at the start.
Two plans that are not in the same category
Genki also sells Native, an annual international health plan. From its own page: Basic covers up to EUR 1,000,000 per person per year and Premium up to EUR 3,500,000; the deductible is EUR 0, 500 or 1,000; a price example is EUR 189 a month for someone aged 20 to 24 with no deductible; you can join up to age 55; pre-existing conditions are considered case by case; US cover is limited (Genki Native). SafetyWing Complete is the comparable SafetyWing product: US$177.50 a month at ages 18 to 39, no home-country restrictions per its page, and an annual policy per its July 2025 wording (Complete policy PDF). Subscription travel plans and annual health plans answer different questions: the first is for gaps while moving, the second for living somewhere for a year.
Visa fit: what the visa asks for versus what a plan is
This is the part the plan pages do not tell you. The tracker records each scheme’s stated insurance rule from the official page. Reading those rules against the plan types above gives four patterns. This is our reading of the wording, not a statement from any insurer or immigration office, so confirm with the consulate before buying.
| Visa says | Where | What to check in the plan |
|---|---|---|
| A stated minimum in the same currency | Italy EUR 30,000; Latvia EUR 42,600 valid in Latvia and Schengen; Costa Rica, Belize and Thailand LTR US$50,000 | Every limit in the matrix is above these figures. The check is the wording: the policy must cover the whole stay, the right territory, and (for Latvia) Schengen |
| A stated minimum in another currency | Japan 10 million yen; South Korea KRW 100 million (about US$76,000 per the tracker) | Convert at the current rate. A limit of US$100,000 or more clears Korea’s figure; both countries also name repatriation |
| Insurance from a specific kind of insurer or structure | Spain: an insurer authorised in Spain, all risks; Malta: EU and UK cover, pre-paid for one year | A rolling monthly travel plan does not match a pre-paid year or an authorised-in-Spain requirement. Ask the consulate whether it accepts an international policy |
| Travel insurance named as not accepted | Thailand LTR: health insurance, “travel insurance not accepted” | SafetyWing Essential and World Nomads are travel plans; look at Genki Native, SafetyWing Complete or a local policy |
Portugal lists travel insurance covering medical expenses, urgent assistance and repatriation in its general document list, so the trip-based plans fit its wording. Greece lists travel insurance only on a private site (workfromgreece.gr). About a third of the schemes in the visa tracker state no insurance rule on the pages we read.
Pick by situation
- Under about 40, healthy, moving every few weeks, budget first: SafetyWing Essential has the lowest stated price. Read the US and pre-existing limits first.
- You have a pre-existing condition: none of the trip-based plans covers it on the pages read. Genki’s lookback is one year; SafetyWing counts anything you had before each plan’s start date, and resets it with every new plan; World Nomads has a waiver only if bought in a time-sensitive window. Genki Native considers cases individually.
- Diving, skiing, motorbikes: Genki names motor vehicle operation and most sports as covered. World Nomads lists 250+ or 300+ activities by plan. SafetyWing covers amateur activities and excludes professional and organised athletics. Read each activity list against your sport.
- Splitting time in the US or Canada: Genki’s default is 7 days per stay, SafetyWing excludes US residents in the US. Neither replaces US health insurance.
- Your visa wants a year of pre-paid or local cover: buy the structure the visa names first, then look for gaps.
Can travel insurance replace long-term health insurance?
For a stay of a few weeks, usually. For a year in one place, the plans differ in what they will treat: routine and chronic care and pre-existing conditions are the usual gaps on subscription travel plans, and some visas name a structure a rolling plan does not match.
Should I buy before I leave home?
Both SafetyWing and Genki state that cover begins when you leave your home country, and Genki says you can also sign up while already abroad. Buy before anything you need cover for, because the pre-existing rules are measured from the start date.
Head to head on the three most-searched plans: SafetyWing vs Genki vs World Nomads.
Method
Researched from each insurer’s product page and policy document; checked 29 Sept 2026 and to be re-read every 30 days. World Nomads terms vary by country of purchase; the US site is used here because it publishes plan limits. IMG’s page does not state deductibles, age or exclusions, so those cells are left open rather than filled from memory. We compare published wording; we do not rate insurers or state claims experience. See the insurance centre for provider links.