Genki is a German start-up that sells health insurance to people who do not stay put. Its pitch is simple: monthly cover you can start from anywhere, backed by a European insurer, with most claims paid within two working days. Picture a translator from Bristol working out of a flat in Mexico City for the winter, or an illustrator hopping between Tbilisi and Istanbul. That is Genki’s customer. This review covers both products, Genki Traveler and Genki Native, and how they compare with the rest of our travel insurance picks.
Genki Promo Code box
- Offer: Genki Traveler from €52.50 (£44.24 / US$58.95) a month at age 24, cancellable any time after the first month
- Promo Code: No Promo Code needed
- Who qualifies: any nationality, any country of residence; ages 0 to 69 for Traveler, 0 to 55 at sign-up for Native
- Key terms: €50 deductible per insurance case on Traveler; 14-day waiting period for non-emergencies; pre-existing conditions excluded on Traveler
| Offer detail | What you get |
|---|---|
| Promo Code | No Promo Code needed |
| Welcome offer | Genki Traveler from €52.50 (£44.24 / US$58.95) a month at age 24; unused days refunded when you cancel |
| Who qualifies | Any nationality and residency; Traveler ages 0 to 69, Native ages 0 to 55 at sign-up |
| Key terms | €50 deductible per case on Traveler; first 14 days emergencies only; minimum one month; up to 12 months per Traveler contract |
| How to claim | Pick Traveler or Native on Genki’s site, enter your age and start date, pay the first month by card |
Genki: key facts
- Official website: Genki
- Owner: Genki UG (haftungsbeschränkt), insurance agent and group policyholder
- Headquarters: Cologne, Germany (Siegburger Str. 231, 50679 Köln)
- Founded: 2018 (company story begins in 2018, per genki.world/about)
- Regulation: Insurer of record: Squarelife Insurance AG, Ruggell, Liechtenstein (EEA insurer; Belgian FSMA listing no. 2929). Agent: Genki UG, DIHK register D-TUKU-OFIBM-34, §34d GewO
- Support: Live chat: yes, chat and WhatsApp; 24/7 emergency line run by MCI Assist; Email: help@genki.world
- Ratings: Trustpilot 4.2 (990 reviews)
- Headline offer: Genki Traveler from €52.50 a month at age 24, cancel any time after the first month
- Promo Code: No Promo Code needed
- Price from: €52.50 (£44.24 / US$58.95) a month for Genki Traveler at age 24
- Free plan or trial: No free plan or trial; monthly subscription, unused days refunded on cancellation after the first month
- Payment methods: Credit or debit card
- Best features: European insurer (Squarelife) with €1,000,000 medical limit; 80% of reimbursements paid within two business days, per Genki; Broad sports cover including diving to 30 metres and skydiving
Key facts
- Price from: €52.50 (£44.24 / US$58.95) a month for Genki Traveler at age 24
- Genki Native: from €189 (£159.25 / US$212.22) a month, Basic, at age 24
- Insurer of record: Squarelife Insurance AG, Ruggell, Liechtenstein
- Agent: Genki UG (haftungsbeschränkt), Cologne, Germany
- Medical limit: €1,000,000 (Traveler and Native Basic); €3,500,000 (Native Premium)
- Deductible: €50 per insurance case on Traveler
- Trustpilot: 4.2/5 from 990 reviews
What Genki is and who owns it
Genki UG (haftungsbeschränkt) is registered in Cologne and holds a German insurance agent’s registration with the DIHK (number D-TUKU-OFIBM-34). Its story began in 2018, when co-founder Marc started travelling as a digital nomad, and it says it now covers more than 75,000 people in over 195 countries.
Genki is not the insurer. It is the agent and the policyholder of a group insurance contract; the risk is carried by Squarelife Insurance AG, a Liechtenstein insurer based in Ruggell that sells across the European Economic Area. Squarelife pays the medical bills and handles reimbursements. Emergency and hospital coordination is run by MCI Assist on a 24/7 line.
For UK buyers, the point to note is that this is EEA-regulated cover, not an FCA-authorised UK policy.
Genki Traveler vs Genki Native: the two products
Genki Traveler is travel health insurance on a rolling monthly subscription for up to 12 months. It covers unexpected illness and accidents abroad: doctor visits, hospital stays, surgery that cannot wait, ambulance and air ambulance, repatriation, prescribed medicine, up to six physiotherapy sessions per case, accident-related dental up to €1,000 per case, and travel for one family member up to €5,000 if you are admitted with a life-threatening emergency. The limit is €1,000,000 (£842,578 / US$1.12m). If you want this one, use our Genki Traveler link.
Genki Native is long-term international health insurance for people who live abroad more or less permanently. You can join up to age 55 and keep it for life. Basic has a €1,000,000 limit; Premium raises that to €3,500,000 and adds dental up to €3,000 a year, vision, €500 of preventive care, mental health care, alternative care, and pregnancy and childbirth after a 12-month wait. Our Genki Native link takes you to the quote.
| Genki Traveler | Genki Native Basic | Genki Native Premium | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price at age 24 | €52.50 (£44.24 / US$58.95) a month | €189 (£159.25 / US$212.22) a month | €285 (£240.13 / US$320.01) a month |
| Deductible | €50 per case | None in Genki’s example | None in Genki’s example |
| Medical limit | €1,000,000 | €1,000,000 | €3,500,000 |
| Ages | 0 to 69 | 0 to 55 at sign-up, no upper limit after | 0 to 55 at sign-up, no upper limit after |
| Pre-existing conditions | Excluded | Assessed by health questionnaire | Assessed by health questionnaire |
| Home country | Emergencies, first six weeks of each stay | Full cover for 182 days after each arrival | Full cover without restriction |
| USA | Seven days’ emergency cover per stay; full cover at a higher rate | Emergencies only, up to €250,000 a year | Emergencies only, up to €500,000 a year |
Prices depend on age, region and, for Native, the outcome of your health questionnaire. Genki publishes its example prices for a 24-year-old; older members pay more.
Free trial and real savings
There is no free trial and no Promo Code. The saving comes from flexibility. Traveler has a one-month minimum, after which you can cancel at any time and Genki refunds the remaining days automatically. You are not locked into a fixed-length policy that overshoots your trip.
Worked example: a 34-year-old UK remote worker, four weeks in Thailand
Our 34-year-old copywriter from Manchester, working for four weeks in Chiang Mai, would buy one month of Genki Traveler. Genki’s published figure for a 24-year-old is €52.50 (£44.24 / US$58.95) a month; her quote at 34 will be higher because prices rise with age.
Say she gets an ear infection and pays €180 (£151.66 / US$202.11) at a private clinic. She claims online and gets €130 (£109.54 / US$145.97) back, because the first €50 of each case is hers. If the same infection needs three follow-up visits, they are grouped into one case and the €50 is taken only once. Had she been admitted to hospital through the assistance line, the deductible would not apply at all.
Family example
A family of four spending a month in Lisbon would take out four Traveler subscriptions, each priced by age. Children are eligible from birth on both products. For parents planning a longer life abroad, Native Premium is the only Genki plan that covers pregnancy and childbirth, after a 12-month wait.
Who can buy Genki, and does it work for UK residents?
Yes. Genki says all of its products are open to any nationality and any resident, and you can sign up while already travelling, without a postal address. Traveler covers ages 0 to 69. Native accepts new members up to 55.
Genki stresses that Traveler is meant to sit alongside public healthcare at home, such as the NHS, rather than replace it. Native, by contrast, is designed for people who have left home for good, though Genki notes it does not replace statutory health insurance that some countries require.
Coverage: countries, home country and the US
Traveler is valid worldwide. The limits are at home and in North America. In your home country, Traveler covers emergencies only, for the first six weeks of each stay, and only if you had been abroad for at least four weeks beforehand. In the USA and Canada each stay includes seven days of emergency-only cover; you can add full cover at a higher rate from the next day and remove it after a month.
Native Basic gives full home-country cover for 182 days after each arrival, once you have spent at least 91 consecutive days abroad. Native Premium covers you in your country of nationality without restriction. On Native, US care is limited to emergencies, with nothing in the first three months.
Gadgets, adventure sports and COVID-19
Gadgets. Genki is health insurance only. There is no luggage, electronics, cancellation or travel delay section, so a stolen MacBook in Canggu is not Genki’s problem. Pair it with separate gadget or travel cover if those risks matter to you.
Adventure sports. This is where Genki is generous. Traveler covers almost all recreational sports, including climbing, cycling, diving to 30 metres, hiking, skiing on marked runs, surfing, air sports and skydiving. Exclusions include professional sport, off-piste and heli-skiing, BASE jumping, wingsuit flying, bull riding and running of the bulls. Small scooters are covered even without a local licence; for scooters and motorbikes generally, wear a helmet and hold a valid licence. Native covers all sports except professional ones, including bungee jumping and racing.
COVID-19. Genki’s benefit pages do not single out COVID-19 for special treatment. The general rule on Traveler applies: cover is for new, unexpected illness, with emergencies only in the first 14 days.
Claims, exclusions and pre-existing conditions
For a hospital admission, you or the hospital call the 24/7 emergency line, and Genki arranges payment directly with the hospital. For outpatient care you pay, then claim on the website. Genki says 80% of reimbursements are paid within two business days. Payouts can arrive through a Revolut link or as Genki credit towards future invoices. Costs of €1,000 or more, house calls and second opinions need prior approval.
On Traveler, a pre-existing condition is anything treated or diagnosed in the year before your policy starts, and it is excluded. When you start a new Traveler contract after a year, conditions from the previous year become prior conditions and are excluded too. Traveler also excludes elective procedures that can wait until you get home, routine check-ups and vaccinations, pregnancy and childbirth (serious complications aside), and mental health care including psychotherapy.
On Native, Squarelife assesses a medical questionnaire. The outcome can be full cover, cover with specific conditions excluded, cover at a higher premium, or rejection. Answer honestly: inaccurate answers can void claims or the contract.
Customer service
Support is by WhatsApp, chat and email at help@genki.world, with the MCI Assist emergency line open 24/7. Genki does not have a dedicated app on the App Store or Google Play; you manage your subscription and claims online.
What users say
Genki scores 4.2 out of 5 on Trustpilot from 990 reviews, with 77% five-star and 14% one-star. Positive reviews describe claims approved and paid within hours or days, hospitals billed directly with little out of pocket, a simple sign-up and helpful support during emergencies abroad. Negative reviews describe claims declined under technical clauses that felt unclear, heavy paperwork, the €50 deductible wiping out small claims, transfer fees reducing payouts, and confusion when cancelling.
How to sign up, step by step
- Go to Genki’s site and pick Genki Traveler or Genki Native.
- Enter your date of birth, start date and region, and add US and Canada cover if you need it.
- For Native, complete the medical questionnaire and wait for Squarelife’s decision.
- Pay the first month by card; later months are charged automatically.
- Save the emergency number and your policy details to your phone.
Pros and cons
Pros
- European insurer, Squarelife, behind every claim
- €1,000,000 medical limit on Traveler
- Most reimbursements paid within two business days, by Genki’s figures
- Broad sports cover, including diving to 30 metres and skydiving
- Monthly subscription with refunds for unused days
Cons
- Health only: no gadgets, luggage or trip cancellation
- €50 deductible per case on Traveler
- Emergencies only in the first 14 days
- Limited home-country and US cover on Traveler
- Published prices only for a 24-year-old
Genki vs SafetyWing vs Heymondo
| Genki Traveler | SafetyWing Essential | Heymondo (single trip) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Example price | €52.50 (£44.24 / US$58.95) a month at age 24 | US$62.72 (£47.07 / €55.86) per 4 weeks, ages 18 to 39 | From US$2.49 (£1.87 / €2.22) a day for Thailand |
| Insurer of record | Squarelife Insurance AG (Liechtenstein) | SafetyWing Insurance I.I. (Puerto Rico) | Placed by broker Heymondo; insurer named in your policy |
| Medical limit | €1,000,000 | US$250,000 | Up to US$10m |
| Deductible | €50 per case | None | None by default on single trip |
| Gadgets and luggage | Not covered | Luggage included; electronics as add-on | Luggage included; electronics optional |
| Home country | Emergencies, first six weeks | Emergencies after 90 days | Not covered |
SafetyWing adds luggage and travel delay cover and has no deductible, but its medical limit is a quarter of Genki’s. Heymondo is the better fit for a defined trip where cancellation and baggage matter. For long-term expat health cover from a big international name, compare Native with our Cigna Global review.
Genki FAQs
Is there a Genki promo code?
No. Genki does not publish one and no Promo Code is needed. The saving is the monthly subscription, which refunds unused days when you cancel.
How much does Genki Traveler cost?
Genki’s example is €52.50 (£44.24 / US$58.95) a month for a 24-year-old with the €50 deductible. Older travellers pay more.
Who is Genki’s insurer?
Squarelife Insurance AG, based in Ruggell, Liechtenstein. Genki acts as the agent and group policyholder.
Can UK residents buy Genki?
Yes. Genki is open to any nationality and any country of residence, and you can buy it while abroad.
What is the Genki Traveler deductible?
€50 per insurance case. It does not apply to hospital admissions arranged through the emergency line.
Does Genki cover pre-existing conditions?
Traveler excludes anything treated or diagnosed in the year before cover starts. Native may cover them after a medical questionnaire.
Does Genki cover me at home?
Traveler covers emergencies for the first six weeks of a home stay, after four weeks abroad. Native Basic gives full cover for 182 days after each arrival, and Native Premium without restriction.
Does Genki cover stolen laptops?
No. Genki is health insurance only, with no luggage or electronics cover.
How fast does Genki pay claims?
Genki says 80% of reimbursements are paid within two business days.
Verdict
Genki Traveler is the most convincing health-only option for nomads: a real European insurer, a €1,000,000 limit and refreshingly broad sports cover, all on a monthly subscription you can drop when you go home. The €50 deductible and the lack of gadget and luggage cover are the price of that focus. Genki Native is a serious long-term alternative to expat health plans for anyone under 55 who has left home for good. Sort your travel eSIM at the same time and you are ready to go.
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