Frequently asked questions
Here are some common questions we get asked about travel insurance.
Show FAQ's specific to travellers from:
Price
- How much does a policy cost?
- Prices vary depending on both duration and where you are travelling to. To find out how much a policy costs click visit the prices & benefits page and select your country of residence.
- How can I buy a policy?
- You have to buy the policy online using one of these credit cards:
* Australian/NZ residents: Visa, Mastercard, Bankcard
* US/Canadian residents : Visa, Mastercard, Amex
* UK/Irish residents: Visa, Mastercard
* Rest of the world residents: Visa, Mastercard
To start, select your country of residence and select continue
- As you can only purchase with a credit card, how do I know it is secure?
- World Nomads uses a secure payment gateway that makes the credit card transaction directly and securely with the bank. We do not see, record or store these card details in any form, simply get approval or decline from the banking institution. Once authorised, it’s instant travel insurance cover – your policy certificate is displayed on screen for you to print.
This connection through to the bank uses a 40bit encrypted SSL Web Server Certificate so that any information is encrypted or scrambled, making it impossible to intercept or steal.
More information on this can be found at www.thawte.com but you can be assured that your transaction is at least as safe as any other normal offline credit card transaction.
Cover
- What is my country of residence?
- Your country of permanent residence can be defined as the country you would wish to be repatriated to in the event of a medical emergency and where you would be able to then receive long term medical care, if required.
You must also be legally defined as a permanent resident (not temporary) of that country and have a residential address that you can refer to within that country.
Please be aware, however, that your policy does not cover expenses incurred within your country of permanent residence.
- What countries are covered by the policy?
- World Nomads cover every country in the world but
you are not covered for medical expenses once you have returned to your country of residence.
You also need to be aware that like all travel insurers, we do not cover claims resulting from war. Regarding terrorism, our policy covers medical costs, additional expenses and damage to your personal belongings, provided that the terrorism act was unexpected, however our policy does not cover the costs and deposits lost if you cancel your travel due to an act of terrorism.
- If I return home early, do I get a refund?
- NO. If you buy a 6 month policy and return home after 2 months, the policy ends and you don't get a refund and you will need to purchase a brand new policy for your next trip. This is why World Nomads allows you to extend your policy, because this enables you to purchase a 2 month policy and then extend it, for example by two months and then again by another month. You can do this indefinitely as a convienient pay-as-you-go service.
- Am I covered for Asthma or other medical conditions?
- World Nomads does NOT cover pre-existing medical conditions.
These are defined as:
(a) Any physical defect, condition, illness or disease for which treatment, medication, preventative medication, advice, preventative advice or investigation has been received or prescribed by a medical or dental adviser in the 90 days prior to the issue of the Policy; or
(b) Any chronic or ongoing (whether chronic or otherwise) medical or dental condition, illness or disease medically documented prior to the issue of the Policy.
You can still take out a World Nomads policy with a pre-existing condition, but we won't cover any claim made as a result of this condition. - Am I covered for skiing or other adventure activities?
- World Nomads covers many adventure activites. Please read our A - Z of adventure to understand what we cover and what we don't.
- Am I covered if I am travelling on a working holiday visa?
- You are covered, but if your claim is recoverable from an employers’ workers compensation insurance or similar insurance required by the laws of the country you are working in, then this is not covered by World Nomads. Please refer to your policy wording for further information.
- Does your policy cover loss of cash?
- NO, cash is excluded. A World Nomads travel insurance policy covers your personal belongings if they are stolen or damaged or misdirected by a carrier. See your policy wording for the full terms and conditions.
- What is the age limit for World Nomads policies?
- The age limit varies depending on the country of residence you have chosen. For more information, please see the Prices and Benefits page relevant to your country of residence.
Policy
- Can I buy a policy?
- World Nomads is a global service so anyone from the countries listed travelling anywhere in the world can buy a World Nomads policy. Select your country of residence, which is the country we will repatriate you to in the event of a medical repatriation, and select continue.
- Do I get a policy document in the mail or by email?
- World Nomads is all online so we do not send any policy documents out by mail. When you buy a policy, we send you a receipt email confirming your purchase of cover and your World Nomads members’ log-in details. All of your policy documentation is permanently available online, 24hrs a day in your members page, for you to access any time you need it - just log-in!
- Do I have to start and finish my trip in my country of residence?
- No. You can start and finish your trip pretty much anywhere. This is one of the reasons World Nomads is different from most other travel insurance policies. We have designed if specifically to the needs to such travellers.
- Can I purchase a policy if I have already left home?
- Yes, you can purchase a World Nomads policy even if you have already left on your travels. Unlike other insurance companies, you don't have to be in your country of residence to purchase a policy. Please refer to your policy wording for specific detail.
- How do I extend my policy?
- To extend your policy, simply sign in to your members page using the username and password you set up when you bought the policy (the sign in is at the top right hand corner of each page), click on Extend, select the duration you want to extend for, and enter your payment details. Please note though that you can only extend your policy before it expires Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST). Easy!
- Is there a limit to the number of times I can extend my policy?
- No, you can extend your World Nomads travel insurance policy as many times as you like, but you can’t extend your cover if your policy has expired. Once your period of cover has expired and you wish to buy another period of cover, you will have to buy a new policy and be issued with a new policy number.
All policy expiry dates and times are currently calculated on Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST), although we are working hard to offer a more appropriate timezone solution.
- Who can buy a World Nomads policy?
- Residents of over 140 countries can buy a policy with us.
- Are World Nomads policies single trip policies or multi-trip policies?
- World Nomads policies are single trip policies only. This means each time you return to your nominated country of permanent residence your policy ends and is non-refundable.
You need to purchase a brand new policy each time you depart your nominated country of permanent residence.
For UK travellers we do offer a multi-trip product but you MUST be in the UK to purchase this. Please see the below website for details:
http://www.worldnomads.co.uk/
Claims
- I don't have receipts for my personal items. Can I still make a claim?
- Yes. Please be aware though that when we receive a personal belongings claim, you will still be asked to provide proof of ownership for the lost or stolen items. We understand that you might not be able to produce such receipts for each and every item, but you still have to 'tip the balance' and should be able to provide evidence of ownership where you could be reasonably expected to have such evidence. Typically, the insurers may accept photographic evidence in conjunction with warranty cards, manuals, receipts, bank or credit card statements as proof of ownership. In the end, common sense prevails and you should ask yourself, "Do these documents conclusively prove that I owned this item?"
- Can I buy out the policy excess / deductible?
- No, you're unable to buy out the excess / deductible on a World Nomads policy.
Please see the relevant policy wording found under the "Insurance" link at the top of this page for details about your policy excess / deductible
- How do I contact the claims department?
- You will need to sign in to your World Nomads members page to obtain the contact details for the claims department that will handle your claim.
- Can I make a claim while I am away?
- Yes, of course! Because you are a World Nomad and you will probably be away for extended periods, we designed and built our online claims system, the first in the world for travel insurance, allows to submit and review claims while you are still traveling.
- What can I claim for?
- World Nomads offers cover for overseas medical expenses (expenses incurred overseas from your country of residence), medical evacuation and additional expenses, cancellation costs (please refer to your policy wording), funeral expenses, emergency dental treatment and luggage and personal effects. You should refer to the policy wording on this Internet site for the full description of benefits and exclusions.
Emergency Assistance
- How do I get Emergency Assistance overseas?
- PLEASE SIGN IN TO YOUR WORLD NOMADS MEMBERS PAGE (SEE THE TOP RIGHT CORNER OF THIS PAGE), CLICK ON "VIEW DETAILS" AND THEN "EMERGENCIES". PLEASE USE THE BELOW AS AN ALTERNATIVE ONLY!
The 24hr Global Emergency Assistance contact numbers vary according to your country of residence. These details are also printed on your Certificate of Insurance.
For residents of the USA
24 hour emergency numbers:
1.800.654.1908 from the U.S
+1.804.281.5700 (Collect)
800.4000.4444(Worldwide Toll-Free
in most countries. Use collect
number if necessary)
For residents of Canada
24 hour emergency travel assistance:
1-866-759-2892 toll free from the U.S, Canada, Pueto Rico and U.S Virgin Island or
519-342-4947 collect from anywhere else in the world
For residents of the UK
If phoning from abroad please call the UK on +44 (0) 845 643 2628 and say that you are insured by World Nomads. You can call anytime day or night. Please be ready to quote your insurance details. You will be answered by one of our experienced assistance co-ordinators who you should give all relevant information to.
For residents of Australia & New Zealand
24 hour free call if you are in one of the following countries:
Australia - 1300 729 467
Canada - 1800 214 5514
China - 10800 611 0094
Germany - 0800 182 7636
Hong Kong - 800 900 389
Italy - 800 787 451
Netherlands - 0800 023 2683
New Zealand - 0800 778 103
Singapore - 800 6162 187
Switzerland - 0800 561 361
Thailand - 001 8006 121 082
United Kingdom - 08000 289 270
United States - 1866 844 4085
If you are in an area not listed or are having problems with the above numbers call Australia (reverse charge, 24/7)
+61 7 3305 7499
For residents of everywhere else
For 24hr Emergency Service call Denmark on
+45 33 15 33 00
Quote Master Policy #7935948-2090
About World Nomads
- Who are World Nomads?
- World Nomads is an Australian company, established to provide more suitable and flexible travel cover for global travellers than standard insurers provide.
- Who underwrites World Nomads?
- World Nomads partners with some of the best insurers in the world to provide unique but financially secure travel insurance to our customers. These include Allianz Australia, Allianz New Zealand, International Health Insurance (IHI), Mondial Assistance and Millstream Underwriting Limited.
