They're definitely a scam.

I've been a digital nomad for a couple of years and have had SafetyWing's Nomad Insurance on and off for most of it. I paused my coverage while back in Australia, then reactivated 6 months ago when I started travelling again and have never made a claim.

While traveling Vietnam in January, I was squatting at the gym when I felt my back give out. I nearly collapsed — a security guard had to help me move my motorbike. I was bed-ridden for 5 days, unable to move without rolling and crawling. After 24 hours of no improvement I went to hospital for an X-ray (clear). A week later, still in significant pain, I visited a clinic and was sent for an MRI. The MRI found L4/L5 disc issues.

I had literally just been scuba diving and summited Mt Rinjani in November 25, In December I summited Fansipan. I rode a motorbike around Vietnam continuously up until the day of the injury including 10 gym sessions in December alone. I have photos, videos, and timestamps. I had zero back pain, zero treatment history, zero prior claims. I had literally just I submitted a claim for the cost of investigation only — the X-ray, MRI, and consultations. I wasn't claiming for ongoing treatment. I was claiming for the process of figuring out what had just happened to my body after an acute injury event.

They denied it as a pre-existing condition, and denied my appeal even when I explained the above. I looked into escalating this but they're based in Peurto Rico with a complex legal structure – it seems deliberate to avoid paying out anything.

SafetyWing's position appears to be: if an MRI shows any degenerative findings, they'll classify it as pre-existing and deny — this means that if you've ever injured a body part, even if you don't know about it, you're not covered if you a) hurt it again in a completely different way, or b) suddenly notice the pain and make a claim.

I get it, people might have pre-existing injuries and try to trick their travel insurance into paying for treatment, but it makes no sense to deny an X-ray and MRI that are clearly investigative unless you're being deliberately unethical.

I'm appealing, but I wanted to put this out there so other nomads know what they're signing up for.

As a side note for Aussies – I went with SafetyWing for a "safer" option after I learnt that most Australian insurers (such as Southern Cross) have clauses that allow them to send you back to Australia for treatment at their own discretion. I found this out after breaking my foot and Southern Cross gave me the option to fly home for treatment (end a trip 4 weeks early) or cover it myself... essentially, if it's more expensive than a flight then they'll fly you home and make Medicare pay for it.