Genki - Insurance for Nomads Reviews 

I've used Genki on and off for several years, and have always paid extra for U.S. coverage. I've never made a claim until I had a medical emergency in the U.S. (a dislocated/fractured elbow) for which the medical advice was to return home for potential surgery.

Because Genki's 24/7 emergency hotline (MCI Assist) is only for in-patient hospitalization, they referred me to their underwriter, Squarelife, for reimbursement: a slow, bureaucratic agency that primarily communicates by email, with a corporate phone number that only operates during European business hours and caters to German speakers. It was impossible to get the pre-approval I needed for imaging, specialist care, and repatriation via email with multi-day gaps between responses. Some of my appointments were literally booked within a matter of hours, because of limited specialist availability.

Before Genki replies to say that this is all explained in their policies, I want to offer a counterpoint: I also had complimentary insurance through my credit card that demonstrated exactly what Genki should have done.

First: Have a unified 24/7 hotline and case management. When I called MCI after leaving the ER, they should have flagged that this was an ongoing emergency that may require further treatment, not an ordinary reimbursement that Squarelife could handle after the fact.

My credit card insurance did just that: they had a 24/7 hotline staffed by nurses who understood my situation, and case managers who initiated my claim over the phone for a prompt investigation. They checked in by phone and email, and always asked how I was doing before requesting paperwork.

Second: Squarelife expects you to pay for care out-of-pocket and get reimbursed. You must also send them an "itemized cost estimate at least 5 days before starting the treatment" for "costs of at least €1,000." This isn't practical in the U.S. medical system, where bills often exceed that and prices are rarely given in advance.

My credit card insurance was prepared for that, with a dedicated team that handles U.S. billing. If you're going to offer U.S coverage, it can't just be an "add-on": you need an underwriter who understands the U.S. medical system and is available for during U.S. business hours, not one based in Leichtenstein.

Third: Be proactive. Even if you haven't verified a claim yet, you need to be thinking one step ahead. If there's even a chance I would need surgery or a repatriation flight, then you should be anticipating it.

My credit card insurance told me from the start that, if surgery was required, they would recommend a flight back home. They even looked up flights and offered to book an empty seat next to me for comfort. This was even *before* confirming my eligibility for coverage. I can't imagine how Squarelife would have handled a repatriation flight: they never offered one.

I haven't named the other insurer because this isn't an endorsement of them, just an illustration of how Genki completely dropped the ball. They even told me that they considered themselves my "secondary" insurer, even though they were the one I actually paid for coverage! I would not trust them in any capacity, but especially not for U.S. coverage.

Very useful insurance

Submitted my claim. it took longer than the 48 hour window to review the submitted claim (one week), but upon talking to their customer service via chat after the week, they were able to prioritize and respond back to me in 24 hours with the claim status. My claim was reimbursed to the full amount. Overall good service, but you need to be proactive and reach out if their service level is outside the promised response times.

Travel insurance (and insurance in general I guess) is something that I’d rather pay and not use it. That was the case with Genki. I had no issues while traveling so I didn’t use the medical coverage but their customer support team was super fast and helpful!

This insurance is the best I had since I live abroad. Super reactive, easy to use, I am glad I had my subscription when I had an accident.

They are very responsive and the reimbursement is fast.

Very easy and significantly better than any other provider I found to sign up and much better balue

Excellent! What a peace of mind! Best for nomads outthere!

i really like this company. i had a good experience.
great customer service. Straight forward handling of my claim.I am very satisfied.

Super easy to only use one month!

Genki health insurance was so easy to sign up to. Even at the last minute for a multi-country trip.
I’ll definitely be using them again.

International travel insurance for everything from basic, to extreme sports and AMATEUR COMBAT SPORTS (including Muay Thai)!
The best!!!

Very good experience over all.
Had a big claim while on vacation in Mauritius, although the representatives could have been easier to work with, ultimately they covered in full as expected.
Just make sure you read the small print and confirm inw rittign ay hospitalization plan and what si covered

Genki organized all costs and payments direct with the hospital. Very convenient.

Insurance is pointless if they don't pay out when you're in need.

Had to have a quinsey abcess removed while backpacking in vietnam. Had the forms sent in and was refunded my payment to the hospital within a week or so. Cheapest worldwide insurance too if all you're looking for is medical.

i broke my foot and had treatment in thailand (xrays, emergency room care, splint, boot, medicine, etc). my out of pocket costs was $333 USD. i took a screenshot of my medical plan, diagnosis, and bills clearly broken down. i had my refund within my bank account within the week. sooo much easier and straight-forward than i was anticipating during a stressful time, thank you Genki!

Very good coverage for a reasonable price

Avoid at all costs.

They are literally trying to find every possible excuse not to reimburse you. Even if you’ve been a loyal policyholder for years and have made very few claims, the moment you actually need them, they’ll look for reasons to deny your claim or even cancel your policy.

They refused to reimburse my CT scan and even my blood tests, despite these being clearly included in their preventive care package. It’s written in black and white in their own policy, yet they still try to avoid paying.

Their entire approach feels designed to find loopholes and avoid honoring legitimate claims. The goal seems simple: don’t reimburse customers whenever possible.

I’ll be looking for another insurer and warning others in my digital nomad community. I would never want to deal with this company again.

The monthly premium simply isn’t worth it. Save yourself the frustration and choose a company that actually stands behind its promises.