Heymondo Insurance Review (After 4 Years & Making A Claim)

Heymondo is the travel insurer I’ve been using continuously since 2020. Because I’ve had positive first-hand experiences with them, I’ve been recommending them at Indie Traveller. Wondering if it might also be right for you? Then read on.

In this Heymondo review, I will first go through the different Heymondo plans. Based on your trip length or needs, you can save money or get more flexibility by choosing one package over another.

I will also discuss Heymondo’s claims procedure. This is really the litmus test of any travel insurer, but it’s not usually something reviews discuss at all (for understandable reasons). Since I’ve had to actually make a large claim with Heymondo, I can tell you more about this process.

I’m happy to report that Heymondo was very responsive to my queries and honored their obligations fully. However, there are some important things to be aware of about travel insurance in general, which I’ll explain below. 

Instead of blindly signing up for just any travel insurance, it’s essential to know what you are actually getting (and what is expected of you in the case of incidents) so you can avoid any possible disappointments.

Here’s a screenshot from my Heymondo app just to show that I’ve actually been a customer for many years:

Heymondo’s different plans

I won’t just repeat every detail of the coverage here since you can find them easily on the Heymondo website. I think it’s more useful to talk about the different plans they offer, since this could be a little confusing at first.  

Heymondo offers three different types of insurance:

• Single Trip Insurance
  They just call this “Travel Insurance” on their site, but this policy is for just one trip with a specific beginning and end date. The cost is based on the total number of travel days. You can choose from three coverage levels: Normal, Premium, and Medical.
• Long-Stay Insurance
  This includes 3 months of coverage (renewable). Ideal for digital nomads or for long ongoing trips.
• Annual Multi-Trip Insurance
  This lets you insure all of your trips for a whole year, with a maximum individual trip length of 60 days.

These plans differ somewhat in terms of coverage for medical, theft, cancellation, and so on. You can check by requesting quotes on the Heymondo site. Your results will depend on a few things, such as your home country and where you intend to travel. 

Keep in mind that if your destinations include the USA, your premium will go up a lot. This is normal with any travel insurance due to the high cost of medical treatment there. Always select ‘World except USA’ if you have no plans of travelling in the US.

Single Trip

If you just have one specific trip in mind, then Single Trip Insurance is what you need. I recommend this for shorter trips but also for backpacking trips lasting over 60 days, which wouldn’t be covered under the Annual Multi-Trip plan.

There are three levels of coverage: Normal, Medical, and Premium. Heymondo Premium costs only 15-20% more than the Top and Medical policies but the coverage is much more comprehensive, so it’s worth comparing these plans to see which one offers the best value for you.

Multi Trip

As a frequent traveller, I’m a big fan of the Annual Multi-Trip Insurance. It’s the plan that I’ve been using for 4 years. I usually do two big trips per year (of about 4-6 weeks each) plus lots of shorter ones, so this plan ends up being a very cost-effective option for me.

Last year, I paid about €200 for a whole year’s coverage including an add-on for covering my electronics against theft. Considering how much I travel, this offers incredible value.

Long Stay

If you’re a digital nomad travelling without an end date, then Long Stay Insurance is more tailored to your needs. Note that this is a much beefier insurance than the typical ‘nomad insurance’ from providers such as SafetyWing. For instance, you get up to $2,500,000 USD of emergency medical coverage with Heymondo vs. about $100,000 with SafetyWing. 

It is also actual travel insurance and not only medical insurance, so you’re covered for things like baggage loss, cancellation, or many adventure activities like hiking, balloon riding, kayaking, and so on.

In my opinion, Heymondo Long Stay Insurance is ideal if you’re a nomad and a fairly active traveller, whereas Genki or Safetywing may be more suited to a more stationary nomad just needing basic medical coverage. 

The initial policy period is for 3 months, but after that you can renew in increments of 30, 120, 180 or 275 days.

What I look for in insurance

As a backpacker and adventure traveller, coverage for outdoor activities is always very important to me. Heymondo’s default coverage includes numerous activities such as kayaking, sailing, SUP, offroading, snorkelling, camping, and so on. 

You may need to get an add-on for more adventurous or extreme activities. Things like canyoning, rafting, caving, or trekking at altitudes over 3,000 meters are only covered if you get this. I’ve had a few situations where I needed the add-on, such as when I went trekking high up in the Himalayas. I like that it’s an option so that you’re not paying for it if you don’t need it.

A trip where I needed the extra coverage

My main reason to get insurance is not theft coverage, even though this is usually the first thing people think about. I think getting some gear stolen is still a recoverable setback — it’s unfortunate but also not the end of the world. However, needing a medical evacuation or hospital treatment could be extremely costly and potentially even lead to personal bankruptcy.

For me, medical and liability coverage are the reasons to get travel insurance. All the rest of it is icing on the cake. For more thought on this, read my post Why should you get travel insurance?

That said, theft coverage is always very nice to have. By default, Heymondo will cover all your belongings, though only 50% of the value of the electronic equipment (laptop, tablet, camera, etc.). An optional add-on lets you raise this to 100%. 

Finally, I look for an insurer I can trust. I initially ended up with Heymondo because my previous insurer kept raising prices before making some really unfair decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, Heymondo was one of the few companies that kept insuring its customers despite the global health crisis. This made me think more highly of them and I’ve stuck with them ever since.

Besides their comprehensive policies, I also like that they have an app and a 24/7 medical chat function, which can be of enormous help when you’re in a country where people don’t speak your language or when you need a quick second opinion. 

My claims process

Anyway, the part you’re probably most curious about is whether Heymondo actually does what they promise! So let me share what happened to me when I had to make a claim.

In my 12 years of travel blogging, I’ve only ever had to claim for small things here and there. That is… until I left my rental car parked by a beach during a road trip in Portugal. When I got back a few hours later, I found my car had been broken into and all of my gear (that was hidden in the trunk) had been stolen via the back seat access.

This included my precious Macbook Air, two tripods, a DJI wireless microphone system, and more — all in all, over 1200 Euros worth of stuff!

I was shocked. I thought it’d be reasonably safe to hide stuff in the trunk or boot, especially when I hadn’t opened it at any point. What I didn’t yet know is that thieves can use WiFi signal detectors to see if there’s anything worth stealing inside. Lesson learned…

Step 1: Get a police report

In cases of theft, it’s essential to get an official police report. Without this, an insurer will never pay anything out. Of course, reporting a crime is also just a good idea. For insurance purposes, you need to file a police report no later than 48 hours after the incident.

I had to visit the local police station and then fill out a few forms. There, I met a campervanning couple who’d parked in the same area and who were now without their laptop and expensive drone. It seems like those thieves had a good day.

(The couple had lost almost 4000 Euros of gear but were uninsured… and this happened on their second day in Portugal.)

Step 2: Get receipts

For theft claims, you also need the original receipts of the stolen items. Luckily, most of the items I’d bought online, so I just needed to go into my order history for the receipts. If you buy any of your travel gear in a brick-and-mortar store, be sure to keep the paper receipts in case you ever need them for a claim.

(In the case of a medical issue, your first step will be to use Heymondo’s 24/7 assistance platform so they can help you make an appointment at the nearest medical center or hospital. If you do this, then you won’t need to worry about receipts, because the hospital and insurer will sort it out between them. However, you should still keep any receipts if you get medical help without such a referral.)

Step 3: File the claim

Next, I had to contact Heymondo. It’s important to note that while they handle customer support, the actual claims processing is done by a third party. This is pretty standard for travel insurers, as the policies are typically underwritten by a larger company.

Heymondo responded quickly to my inquiry and helped me understand what is or isn’t covered under my policy. In my case, I could claim for the items lost and part of the damage to the car, but not for any stolen money. I’d read my policy when I bought it, so this was in line with my expectations.

They also confirmed what information would be needed for the claim. In my case, I had to submit it to IRIS Global, but this depends on your home country and which Heymondo plan you have, as they work with more than one underwriter. (Currently they work with AXA, IRIS Global, and Starr depending on where the user is from.)

They asked me to allow 20-30 days to process the claim. It took them 18 days to reply to me with confirmation and a request for my bank details. 

Overall, I was very happy with the claims process. Heymondo Customer Support was very helpful and responsive, and my correspondence with the claims processors was entirely straightforward. I received the money in my bank account about four weeks after the incident occurred.

Understanding your insurance

Whether it’s with Heymondo or any other travel insurance, I do recommend reviewing your policy details so you broadly understand what is and isn’t covered. Insurance is not a free money tree, and specific conditions are often involved.

Insurance is a well-regulated industry and insurers have to comply with their contractual obligations. However, I’ve noticed some reviewers misunderstand what they’re actually covered for and then blame the insurance when they deny a claim. (Mind you, I’m all for holding companies accountable! But ‘user error’ is quite common.) 

Some examples of things to know:

• Trip cancellation never covers cancelling a trip just because you changed your mind! It only applies in severe situations, like a death in your family forcing you to abandon your trip.
• Medical coverage typically does not apply to preexisting conditions, chronic diseases, routine checkups, etc. It’s for medical emergencies abroad only, not for basic healthcare needs.
• Insurance plans often have an ‘excess’ or ‘deductible’, meaning you need to pay a part first before the insurance covers the rest. (Heymondo’s single-trip insurance has zero deductible, but their other plans do have a $250 deductible.)
• In theft cases, depreciation will be calculated based on the year you bought the item(s). In other words, you won’t be paid the new price if your stolen item is already some years old. This is a normal accounting practice, but it could still come as a surprise. 

These conditions might be a bit annoying, but remember that travel insurance is all about covering the worst-case scenarios, like major medical expenses or forced trip cancellation.

In conclusion, Heymondo is 100% legit and they pay out what is due. Just know that insurance always comes with specific conditions to be aware of. 

If you are on your trip and are ever unsure if a situation is covered, you can use the app to contact customer support, as they can easily re-confirm this for you. In the two times I’ve done this, Heymondo responded within a few hours.

Overall, I’m super happy with my Heymondo travel insurance since it gives me peace of mind when I’m on the road, knowing that I won’t have to worry about the worst-case situations. I’ve always travelled with full travel insurance and wouldn’t ever travel internationally without it.

Based on my experiences with Heymondo, I can happily recommend them. Their plans cover all the things I need and I found their claims process to be fair and smooth. Just be sure to have a look at their Annual, Single Trip, and Long Stay plans as one may be better for you than the other based on the type of trip(s) you’re planning.

Get a tailored quote at Heymondo here >>

P.S. The links in this post are affiliate links (not sponsored), meaning I can earn a small commission. When you click a link you’ll also get a 5% discount, which is a referral offer I wanted to pass on to you. I hope that by sharing my own experiences, you’ll have a better picture of what you’ll get with Heymondo travel insurance.

Some links may be affiliate links, meaning I may earn commission from products or services I recommend. For more, see site policies.

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