Travelsafe

What Travelsafe does

TravelSafe is a digital travel insurance broker brand operated by SureStart Online Financial Services (Pty) Ltd, an Authorised Financial Services Provider (FSP. 47233) headquartered at 1st Floor, Block B, North Park, Black River Park, Observatory, Cape Town. The company distributes a five-tier travel insurance portfolio — Travel Superior (premium comprehensive with unlimited medical expenses), Travel Top-up (credit-card insurance booster), Travel Plus (families and students with R40 million medical cover), Travel Visa (Schengen visa-compliant with R1 million medical cover), and Travel Seniors (ages 70-79 with R750,000 medical cover) — exclusively to South African residents departing from South Africa, with cover exclusions on North Korea, both Sudans, Iran, Syria, Cuba, and OFAC-sanctioned countries.

The technical backbone is the Briisk Instant Transaction Platform, which powers a fully self-serve, five-step online purchase flow (Trip Information, Quote, Additional Information, Payment, Result) delivering instant policy issuance via email without agent or paper-based interaction. All products are underwritten by Chubb Insurance (FSP. 27176), a global insurer operating in 54 countries, with claims handled through Chubb Assistance (+27 (0)11 722 5757). The Briisk relationship is described as core technology integration, and the SureStart/Moonstone Compliance relationship provides FAIS Act regulatory oversight.

The business model is direct-to-consumer digital brokerage: TravelSafe intermediates travel insurance products between Chubb and end customers and earns commission and/or fees per policy. Pricing is per-trip and pay-as-you-go, with both single-trip and annual multi-trip (up to 90 consecutive days) options, plus optional Winter Sports and Hazardous Activities extensions. The go-to-motion is product-led growth via the travelsafe.co.za website supported by SEO and email, with no disclosed app, social, or paid acquisition channels. No revenue, headcount, funding, or ownership data is disclosed in the source material.

Name

Travelsafe

Legal name

SureStart Online Financial Services (Pty) Ltd

Website

https://travelsafe.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

TravelSafe is a South African digital travel insurance broker, operated by SureStart Online Financial Services (FSP. 47233), that distributes five tiers of Chubb-underwritten travel cover to South African residents via a self-serve online platform powered by Briisk.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Travel Insurance

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Travel Medical & Health Insurance Platforms (THALALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Trip Cancellation/Interruption & Refund Protection Platforms (THALALAB), Travel Medical Insurance (Individual) (FSAIAEAI)

Keywords

• Travel insurance
• Insurance brokerage
• Digital insurance
• Travel protection
• Insurance intermediary

Headquarters

HQ city

Cape Town

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Insurance Premium Revenue: TravelSafe earns commission and/or fees from Chubb Insurance for intermediating travel insurance products to South African travelers. The company acts as an independent digital broker sourcing comprehensive insurance products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Travelsafe is a digital travel insurance broker that sells five Chubb-underwritten travel insurance products online to South African residents: Travel Superior (premium comprehensive), Travel Top-up (supplementary to credit card insurance), Travel Plus (for families and students), Travel Visa (Schengen visa-compliant), and Travel Seniors (for travelers aged 70-79). Products are purchased via an instant click-to-buy online platform with immediate policy delivery by email, without any agent contact or physical paperwork.

Product overview

Travelsafe is a digital travel insurance broker offering five distinct insurance products underwritten by Chubb Limited. The product portfolio consists of Travel Superior (premium comprehensive), Travel Top-up (supplementary credit card boost), Travel Plus (families and students), Travel Visa (Schengen visa requirement), and Travel Seniors (70+ age group). All products are distributed through a digital platform powered by the Briisk Instant Transaction Platform, enabling instant click-to-buy purchase without face-to-face contact. The company operates as a brand of SureStart Online Financial Services (Pty) Ltd.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Travel Superior The most comprehensive travel insurance product underwritten by Chubb, covering unlimited medical expenses, pre-existing medical conditions, accidental death and total disability, cancellation and curtailment up to R40,000, travel delays and missed departures up to R10,000, personal effects and baggage up to R30,000, and personal liability with overseas legal expenses cover. Sold online to South African residents seeking premium comprehensive outbound travel cover.
• Travel Top-up A supplementary Chubb-underwritten travel insurance product that boosts free credit card travel insurance with unlimited medical expenses, pre-existing medical condition cover, accidental death and total disability, cancellation and curtailment up to R20,000, travel delays and missed departures up to R3,000, personal effects and baggage up to R10,000, and personal liability up to R10,000,000. Targeted at South African travelers whose credit card insurance has inadequate limits.
• Travel Plus A comprehensive Chubb-underwritten travel insurance product designed for families and students, offering R40 million medical expenses cover, cancellation and curtailment up to R20,000, travel delays and missed departures up to R5,000, personal effects and baggage up to R20,000, and personal liability. Targeted at families traveling together and students going abroad for education.
• Travel Visa An entry-level Chubb-underwritten travel insurance product meeting the minimum requirement for Schengen Visa applications, providing R1 million medical expenses cover and repatriation cover. Targeted at South African travelers applying for Schengen visas.
• Travel Seniors A comprehensive Chubb-underwritten travel insurance product specifically designed for travelers aged 70-79 years, offering R750,000 medical expenses cover, cancellation and curtailment up to R10,000, travel delays and missed departures up to R1,000, and accompanying traveller expenses up to R10,000. Targeted at senior South African travelers with limited insurance options elsewhere.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Chubb Insurance (FSP. 27176)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChubb Insurance is the underwriter for all TravelSafe travel insurance products. As a world leader in insurance operating in 54 countries, Chubb provides the necessary product for outbound South African travelers. Claims are handled through Chubb Assistance (+27 (0)11 722 5757). Chubb is an authorised Financial Services Provider (FSP. 27176).
• BriiskcoreTechnology or IntegrationBriisk Instant Transaction Platform digitally enables TravelSafe products, providing the technology infrastructure for quick and easy click-to-buy fulfillment without any face-to-face contact with an agent or physical forms.
• SureStart Online Financial Services (Pty) LtdcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerTravelSafe is a brand owned and administered by SureStart Online Financial Services (Pty) Ltd, an Authorised Financial Services Provider (FSP. 47233). SureStart specialises in sourcing comprehensive insurance products that are relevant, cost effective and transparent for customers. Hanno Van Aarde and Matthew Farquhar are Key Individuals of SureStart.
• Moonstone Compliance (Pty) LtdsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMoonstone Compliance is the business compliance officer for SureStart Online Financial Services (Pty) Ltd, providing regulatory compliance oversight in terms of FAIS Act requirements. Physical Address: 25 Quantum Street, Technopark, Stellenbosch, 7600, Tel: (021) 883 8000.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Regional players

• Old Mutual Travel Insurance: Established South African financial services group offering travel insurance alongside life and investment products, competing for the same outbound South African customers via bank and broker channels.
• Hollard Travel Insurance: Major South African insurance group with travel insurance offerings, distributed through broker and direct channels to the same South African consumer segment.
• Santam Travel Insurance: South Africa's largest short-term insurer offering travel insurance products via direct and broker channels, competing for the same South African outbound traveler base.

Direct peers

• World Nomads: Global digital-first travel insurance provider offering online quote-and-bind for international travelers, the same core product category as TravelSafe but serving a worldwide customer base.
• Cover-More Travel Insurance: Specialist travel insurance provider with a strong digital footprint in South Africa, offering similar single-trip and annual multi-trip products to outbound travelers.
• SafetyWing: Digital-native travel/medical insurance sold online to nomads and international travelers, with a similar self-serve, click-to-buy model to TravelSafe.

Emerging players

• HeyMondo: Digital-first travel insurance brand selling multi-tier travel policies online to international travelers, competing with TravelSafe on PLG and embedded distribution.
• InsureMyTrip: Online travel insurance comparison and aggregator marketplace that competes for the same digital-first travel insurance shopper, primarily outside Africa.

Broad incumbents

• Allianz Travel Insurance: Global insurance giant with a strong South African travel insurance presence, offering multi-tier travel cover online and through agents as part of a broader portfolio of insurance products.
• AIG Travel Insurance: Large global insurer providing travel insurance in South Africa through direct and broker channels, with overlapping product tiers and similar underwriting scale to Chubb.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/travelsafeza
• Facebookfacebook.com/travelsafeza
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/travelsafe

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Travelsafe