Heymondo Insurance Review After 4 Years Making A Claim

Heymondo is the journey insurer I’ve been utilizing repeatedly since 2020. Because I’ve had optimistic first-hand experiences with them, I’ve been recommending them at Indie Traveller. Wondering if it may additionally be best for you? Then learn on.

In this Heymondo overview, I’ll first undergo the completely different Heymondo plans. Based in your journey size or wants, it can save you fairly a bit of cash or have extra flexibility by selecting one bundle over one other.

I may even talk about Heymondo’s claims process. This is actually the litmus take a look at of any journey insurer, however it’s not often one thing evaluations talk about in any respect (for comprehensible causes). Since I’ve needed to truly make a big declare with Heymondo, I can inform you extra about this course of.

I’m completely happy to report that Heymondo was very attentive to my queries and honored their obligations absolutely. However, there are some vital issues to concentrate on about journey insurance coverage typically, which I’ll clarify beneath.

Instead of blindly signing up for simply any journey insurance coverage, it’s important to know what you might be truly getting (and what’s anticipated of you within the case of incidents) so you possibly can keep away from any attainable disappointments.

Here’s a screenshot from my Heymondo app simply to indicate that I’ve truly been a buyer for a few years:

Heymondo’s completely different plans

I received’t simply repeat each element of the protection right here since you could find them simply on the Heymondo web site. I feel it’s extra helpful to speak concerning the completely different plans they provide, since this could possibly be just a little complicated at first.

Heymondo gives three several types of insurance coverage:

• Single Trip Insurance
  They simply name this “Travel Insurance” on their website, however this coverage is for only one journey with a selected starting and finish date. The price relies on the full variety of journey days. You can select from three protection ranges: Normal, Premium, and Medical.
• Long-Stay Insurance
  This contains 3 months of protection (renewable). Ideal for digital nomads or for lengthy ongoing journeys.
• Annual Multi-Trip Insurance
  This enables you to insure all your journeys for a complete yr, with a most particular person journey size of 60 days.

These plans differ considerably when it comes to protection for medical, theft, cancellation, and so forth. You can examine by requesting quotes on the Heymondo website. Your outcomes will depend upon just a few issues, akin to your property nation and the place you plan to journey.

Keep in thoughts that in case your locations embody the USA, your premium will go up quite a bit. This is regular with any journey insurance coverage as a result of excessive price of medical therapy there. Always choose ‘World besides USA’ you probably have no plans of going there.

Single Trip

If you don’t journey typically and simply have a selected journey in thoughts, then Single Trip Insurance is what you want. I like to recommend this for shorter journeys but additionally for backpacking journeys lasting over 60 days, which wouldn’t be coated underneath the Annual Multi-Trip plan.

There are three ranges of protection: Normal, Medical, and Premium. Heymondo Premium prices solely 15-20% greater than the Top and Medical insurance policies however the protection is rather more complete, so it’s price evaluating these plans to see which one gives the very best worth for you.

Multi Trip

As a frequent traveller, I’m an enormous fan of the Annual Multi-Trip Insurance (it’s the plan that I’ve been utilizing for 4 years). I often do about two large journeys per yr (about 4-6 weeks every) plus a lot of shorter ones, so this plan finally ends up being a really cost-effective possibility for me.

Last yr, I paid about €200 for a complete yr’s protection together with an add-on for masking my electronics in opposition to theft. Considering how a lot I journey, that is an absolute steal (unintentional pun undoubtedly supposed).

Long Stay

If you’re a digital nomad travelling with out an finish date, then Long Stay Insurance is extra tailor-made to your wants. Note this can be a a lot beefier insurance coverage than the everyday ‘nomad insurance coverage’ from suppliers akin to Safetywing. For occasion, you rise up to $2,500,000 USD of emergency medical protection with Heymondo vs. about $100,000 with Safetywing.

It can be precise journey insurance coverage and never solely medical insurance coverage, so that you’re coated for issues like baggage loss, cancellation, or many journey actions like mountain climbing, balloon driving, kayaking, and so forth. In my opinion, Heymondo Long Stay Insurance is good when you’re a nomad and a reasonably lively traveller, whereas Genki or Safetywing could also be extra suited to a extra stationary nomad simply needing primary medical protection.

The preliminary coverage interval is for 3 months, however after you could renew in increments of 30, 120, 180 or 275 days.

What I search for in insurance coverage

As a backpacker and journey traveller, protection for out of doors actions is all the time essential to me. With Heymondo you’ll be in good arms, with default protection that features quite a few actions akin to kayaking, crusing, SUP, offroading, snorkelling, tenting, and so forth.

For extra adventurous or excessive actions, you could have to get an add-on. Activities like canyoning, rafting, caving, or trekking at altitudes over 3,000 meters are solely coated when you get this. I’ve had just a few conditions the place I wanted the add-on, akin to once I went trekking excessive up within the Himalayas. I like that it’s an possibility so that you just’re not paying for it when you don’t want it.

My fundamental motive to get insurance coverage is not theft protection, though that is often the very first thing folks take into consideration. I feel getting some gear stolen remains to be a recoverable setback — it’s unlucky but additionally not the tip of the world. However, needing a medical evacuation or hospital therapy may probably bankrupt you.

For me, medical and legal responsibility protection are the causes to get journey insurance coverage — all the remainder of it’s icing on the cake. For extra thought on this, learn my publish Why must you get journey insurance coverage?

That stated, theft protection is all the time good to have. By default, Heymondo will cowl all of your belongings, although solely 50% of the worth of the digital tools (laptop computer, pill, digicam, and so forth.). An optionally available add-on enables you to elevate this to 100%.

Finally, I search for an insurer I can belief. I initially ended up with Heymondo as a result of my earlier insurer stored elevating costs earlier than making some actually unfair selections throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, Heymondo was one of many few firms that stored insuring its clients regardless of the worldwide well being disaster. This made me assume extremely of them and I’ve caught with them ever since.

Besides their complete insurance policies, I additionally like that they’ve an app and a 24/7 medical chat perform, which may be of huge assist while you’re in a rustic the place folks don’t converse your language or while you want a fast second opinion.

My claims course of

Anyway, the half you’re most likely most interested in is whether or not Heymondo truly does what they promise! So let me share what occurred to me once I needed to make a declare.

In my 12 years of journey running a blog, I’ve solely ever needed to declare for small issues right here and there. That is… till I left my rental automotive parked by a seashore throughout a street journey in Portugal. When I bought again just a few hours later, I discovered my automotive had been damaged into and all of my gear (that was hidden within the trunk) had been stolen by way of the again seat entry.

This included my treasured Macbook Air, two tripods, a DJI wi-fi microphone system, and extra — all in all, over 1200 Euros price of stuff!

I used to be shocked, after all. I had thought that it will be moderately protected to cover stuff within the trunk or boot, particularly once I hadn’t opened it at any level. What I didn’t know is that thieves can use WiFi sign detectors to see if there’s something price stealing inside. Lesson discovered…

Step 1: Get a police report

In circumstances of theft, it’s important to get an official police report. Without this, an insurer won’t ever pay something out. Of course, it’s additionally simply a good suggestion to report against the law. You have to file a police report no later than 48 hours after the incident.

I needed to go to the native police station after which fill out a bunch of varieties. There, I met a campervanning couple who’d parked in the identical space and who had been now with out their laptop computer and costly drone. It looks like these thieves had a great day.

(The couple had misplaced virtually 4000 Euros of drugs however had been uninsured… and this occurred on their second day in Portugal!)

Step 2: Get receipts

For theft claims, you additionally want the unique receipts of the stolen gadgets. Luckily, many of the gadgets I’d purchased on-line, so I simply wanted to enter my order historical past for the receipts. If you purchase any of your journey gear in a brick-and-mortar retailer, make sure to preserve the paper receipts in case you ever want them for a declare.

(In the case of a medical situation, your first step shall be to make use of Heymondo’s 24/7 help platform to allow them to show you how to make an appointment on the nearest medical middle or hospital. If you do that, you then received’t want to fret about receipts, as a result of the hospital and insurer will kind it out between them. However, you must nonetheless preserve any receipts when you get medical assist with out such a referral.)

Step 3: File the declare

Next, I needed to contact Heymondo. It’s vital to notice that whereas they deal with buyer help, the precise claims processing is completed by a 3rd occasion. This is fairly normal for journey insurers, because the insurance policies are usually underwritten by a bigger firm.

Heymondo responded shortly to my inquiry and helped me perceive what’s or isn’t coated underneath my coverage. In my case, I may declare for the gadgets misplaced and a part of the injury to the automotive, however not for any stolen cash. I’d learn my coverage once I purchased it, so this was consistent with my expectations.

They additionally confirmed what info could be wanted for the declare. In my case, I needed to submit it to IRIS Global, however this will depend on your property nation and which Heymondo plan you may have, as they work with multiple underwriter. (Currently they work with AXA, IRIS Global, and Starr relying on the place the person is from.)

They requested me to permit 20-30 days to course of the declare. It took them 18 days to answer to me with affirmation and a request for my financial institution particulars.

Overall, I used to be very pleased with the claims course of. Heymondo Customer Support was very useful and responsive, and my correspondence with the claims processors was fully easy. I acquired the cash in my checking account about 4 weeks after the incident occurred.

Understanding your insurance coverage

Whether it’s with Heymondo or some other journey insurance coverage, I do suggest studying the coverage particulars to grasp what’s and isn’t coated.

I do know, ain’t no person bought time to learn a bunch of legalese. However, it’s extremely price taking a second to learn the advantageous print. Insurance just isn’t a free cash printer and there are sometimes particular situations concerned.

I consider damaging insurance coverage evaluations typically come from individuals who simply didn’t know the restrictions of their coverage protection.

Insurance is a well-regulated trade and insurers need to adjust to their contractual obligations. However, not realizing about sure exceptions can generally result in unlucky surprises.

Here are some examples of needing to have the proper expectations:

• Your plan could cowl theft however not embody full protection for electronics or valuables except you purchase this as an add-on.
• Trip cancellation by no means covers simply cancelling a visit since you modified your thoughts! It solely applies in critical conditions, like a demise in your loved ones forcing you to desert your journey. (This goes for Heymondo or some other journey insurance coverage.)
• Medical protection usually doesn’t apply to preexisting situations, persistent illnesses, routine checkups, and so forth. It’s for medical emergencies overseas solely.
• Insurance plans typically have an ‘extra’ or ‘deductible’, which means it’s good to pay an element first earlier than the insurance coverage covers the remaining. (Heymondo’s single-trip insurance coverage has no deductible, however their different plans have a $250 deductable.)

Overall, consider journey insurance coverage as one thing that can cowl you financially for the worst-case situations. But there may be conditions the place you continue to need to pay for some issues your self.

Once you get into the particular guidelines, your complete compensation could find yourself a bit decrease than you hoped for. In my case of theft, the claims processor deducted 20% from the merchandise worth for yearly — this meant the stolen tripod I purchased six years in the past was now formally price only some Euros. The 20% deduction is made even when the merchandise was purchased in the identical yr, so my brand-new DJI microphones had been coated for under 80% of their retail worth. This is definitely normal follow however it’s one thing I had truthfully hadn’t thought of. I’m nonetheless completely happy the bulk was coated in order that my monetary loss ended up being pretty minimal.

In conclusion, Heymondo is 100% legit and so they pay out what’s due. Just know that insurance coverage all the time comes with particular situations to concentrate on. 

If you might be in your journey and are ever uncertain if a scenario is roofed, you should utilize the app to contact the client help, as they’ll simply re-confirm this for you. In the 2 occasions I’ve executed this (in addition to my declare) they responded in a short time.

Overall I’m very pleased with my Heymondo journey insurance coverage because it offers me peace of thoughts once I’m on the street, realizing that I received’t have to fret concerning the worst-case conditions. I’ve travelled with full annual insurance coverage since I grew to become a journey blogger in 2012 and have relied on it a number of occasions now (initially I used to be with Columbus, then World Nomads, now with Heymondo.) I wouldn’t ever journey internationally with out it.

Based on my experiences with Heymondo I can simply suggest them. Their plans cowl all of the issues I would like and I discovered their claims course of to be honest and clean. Just ensure to take a look at their Annual, Single Trip, and Long Stay plans as one could also be higher for you than the opposite based mostly on the kind of journey(s) you’re planning.

Get a tailor-made quote at Heymondo right here >>

P.S. The hyperlinks on this publish are affiliate hyperlinks (not sponsored!), which means I can earn a small fee when you purchase. When you click on a hyperlink you’ll additionally see a 5% low cost; that is one thing that Heymondo provides as a referral supply, which after all I wished to go on to you. I hope that by sharing my very own experiences you’ll have a greater image of what you’ll get with Heymondo journey insurance coverage.

Some hyperlinks could also be affiliate hyperlinks, which means I’ll earn fee from services or products I like to recommend. For extra, see website insurance policies.