During my most recent visit to Bangkok, I found myself with an extremely strange symptom one morning: burning eye pain. Thinking it was just some type of serum or cream that had somehow gotten in, I kept trying to wash it out and hoped for the best.
But “hoping for the best” didn’t exactly work… the pain kept increasing, no matter how many eye drops I used or makeshift eye washes I did. After a nearby optometrist recommended we visit Rutnin Eye Hospital downtown, we hopped in a Bolt and unexpectedly put my SafetyWing travel insurance to the test.
Private healthcare facilities in Thailand are NICE (public ones on the other hand are sadly, a pretty mixed bag), and this specialized eye hospital was no exception. Everything was meticulously organized from check-in to treatment rooms, and soon I found myself getting a full-on eye exam along with a few x-ray’s to make sure there wasn’t a deeper issue.
Luckily, the super-friendly ophthalmologist ruled out all but irritation and sent me straight to the cleaning station, where my right eye was properly bathed, and I was then sent on my way with prescription-strength drops.
And this, fellow adventurers, is why you always want to travel with travel insurance. I use Safety Wing, and while I had to pay just over $500 up front, I soon had every cent refunded directly to my bank account less than a month after making my claim. I first used SafetyWing back in 2019, and couldn’t recommend them more for any adventure you may have on the horizon.
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How To Claim
The day after fixing my bizarre ocular issue, I hopped online and began the claim process. The key here is to make sure you have all your documentation from your provider, and double-check that they’ve correctly noted all the details.
For me, this included the ins and outs of my symptoms, and the facts, dates, and times of treatment. I also submitted my payment receipt from the eye hospital, a copy of the notes that the Doctor provided me, along with the prescription they issued for the super-strength eye drops. For good measure, I also attached a screenshot showing that the payment was, in fact, deducted from my bank account.
It only took about three weeks to receive the refund, which is pretty impressive, and I was still backpacking in Thailand when the money landed. A few years ago, it took nearly 3 months for me to get a refund from an alternative Insurance Company. Though you may be asked for more info by the Safetywing team, I was not, which I credit to having uploaded as much documentation as possible when I first submitted the claim. You’ll also want to ensure that all medical records have your full name and date of birth printed on them to prove that you haven’t just swiped somebody else’s!!
Samantha’s Final Thoughts
In summary, please remember that when out on the road, you do need to be as prepared as possible to pay up front for non-emergent issues like my eye debacle. But rest assured that the refund turnaround with SafetyWing is fast! This means those unexpected and unnerving moments spent in foreign hospitals won’t be burning a hole in your bank account for too long when you choose SafetyWing 🙂
If you want to know more about SafetyWing, then check out our full and detailed, in-depth review here. Or you can simply hit the button below to go straight to their site and get an instant quote.
