SafeMeal vs SelectWisely: an app or a plastic card?
SelectWisely has sold credit-card-sized plastic translation cards since 2004, ordered on its website in the language you pick. SafeMeal is an iOS and Android app that builds a restaurant card from your food profile. Both tell a kitchen abroad what you must avoid. If you want a physical card that needs no phone, or a drug-allergy, diabetes or airport-security card, SelectWisely is the right choice.
The short answer
SelectWisely gives you something SafeMeal does not sell: a PVC plastic card that needs no phone, battery or network, written by professional translators, from a company that has sold cards since 2004. It also makes medical cards that are outside SafeMeal’s scope.
SafeMeal is an app. You build the card yourself from 238 foods in any combination, change it whenever your profile changes, and show it in 143 languages. Nothing is shipped, so there is no delivery time.
A SelectWisely card is bought for one language. If your trip crosses several language areas, or you leave before the post can arrive, an app avoids both problems. SelectWisely does offer email delivery at checkout.
What SelectWisely is
SelectWisely has sold translation cards since 2004. Its FAQ says the founders started after their daughter, who has nut and peanut allergies, struggled to eat while travelling in Europe. The cards are credit-card-sized PVC plastic, printed in colour on both sides, with a short message in the language you pick: what you are allergic to, what happens if you eat it, and a direct question to the staff. The range has over 35 card types: food allergies, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan diets, and also drug allergies, diabetes, asthma, airport security and doctor letters for auto-injectors, in more than 60 languages. Custom cards can be ordered on request. The brand is written in one word, although many people search for “Select Wisely” in two.
What SafeMeal is
SafeMeal is an app for iPhone and Android. You build a food profile from 238 foods and 33 presets, say how serious it is, and the app shows restaurant staff a card in the local language with English under each line: 143 languages across 237 countries and territories. It lists the local dishes that often hide each food and works offline. It does not scan menus or barcodes and does not sell physical cards.
SafeMeal and SelectWisely at a glance
| Criteria | SafeMeal | SelectWisely |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | App that builds a visual restaurant card | Pre-printed plastic translation cards |
| Platforms | iOS, Android | Website order; app not listed |
| Card languages | 143 | More than 60 |
| Foods and allergens | 238 foods, any combination | Preset cards; custom order for the rest |
| Time to get a card | Built in the app | Shipped in 3 to 21+ days, or emailed |
| Change the card later | Edit the profile | Order a new card |
| Kitchen precautions | Yes, for severe allergies | Mentions food cooked with or touching the allergen |
| “Often hidden in” local dishes | Yes, 68 countries | Not listed |
| Works without a phone | No, it is an app | Yes |
| Several profiles | Yes | Each purchase: 2 cards, one language |
| Sharing | Link and QR code | Hand over the card |
| Drug-allergy and medical cards | No | Yes |
| Price model | Free trial, then yearly or lifetime; every language included | $16.99 per pack of 2 cards (seen on 4 October 2026) |
Plastic or phone: what works best at the table
A SelectWisely card is a physical object: credit-card-sized PVC, printed in colour on both sides. It needs no phone, no battery and no network, and you can hand it to the waiter. That matters on a long day out, or when a phone is lost or flat. SafeMeal does not sell a physical card. It can export the card as an image in the language you choose, but that is not the same thing as a manufactured plastic card.
A phone card has other advantages. SafeMeal works offline and keeps several profiles, for example one per family member. Each profile has one link and QR code that opens in any browser without the app. The same profile can be shown in any of the card’s 143 languages. With plastic, each card is in one language, and a change to your allergies means a new order.
Several allergies, several countries: how each one copes
SelectWisely’s catalog is made of preset cards: nuts, nuts and peanuts, fish and shellfish, or gluten-free and dairy, for example. Other combinations, several languages on one card, or a new language go through a custom order. The consultation is free, and the price is quoted before you pay. Each standard product is in one language, so a trip through three language areas means three purchases.
In SafeMeal you pick foods from a catalog of 238, in any combination, or start from one of 33 presets, and set a level for each: severe allergy, strict or preference. Editing the profile changes the card, with nothing to reorder. That suits long or unusual lists and trips across several languages. SelectWisely’s custom service adds something an app does not: a consultant who agrees the wording with you.
What the card says, and what it leaves out
SelectWisely’s nuts and peanuts card has three parts. It states a life-threatening allergy to nuts, peanuts and their oils. It warns that eating the food, or anything cooked with it or touching it, means immediate medical attention. Then it asks directly whether the dish contains them. The message is short and strongly worded, written by professional translators who know regional variations in language and cuisine. A list of local dishes that commonly contain the allergen is not listed as part of the card.
SafeMeal’s card lists each food with an icon and its level, adds kitchen precautions for severe allergies (clean pan, clean utensils, fresh oil), and shows “Often hidden in”: local dishes that commonly contain each food, for 68 countries.
Pricing models (verified on 4 October 2026)
SelectWisely is a one-off purchase with no subscription. Each standard product costs $16.99 (seen on 4 October 2026) and includes two cards in one language. Shipping and handling adds $1.50 per item, and email delivery can be selected at checkout. Custom cards are quoted separately after a free consultation. Cards are made to order, so SelectWisely does not accept returns. Postal delivery takes 3 to 5 days in the US, 5 to 10 days to Canada, the UK and Mexico, 10 or more days to continental Europe and 21 or more to Australia and Asia.
SafeMeal is sold differently: free trial, then a low yearly price or a one-time lifetime purchase; every language included. For one trip to one language area, a single SelectWisely purchase may be all you need. The app model makes more sense when you travel through several languages or expect your list of foods to change, since neither requires a new purchase.
Choose SelectWisely if…
- You want a physical card that works with a dead phone.
- You need a drug-allergy, diabetes, asthma or airport-security card.
- You travel to one language area and prefer a one-off purchase.
- You want a consultant to agree a custom message with you.
Choose SafeMeal if…
- You leave soon and cannot wait for the post.
- Your trip crosses several languages.
- Your list of foods is long, unusual, or changes.
- You want local hidden dishes next to the card.
Carrying both is reasonable: a plastic card that never runs out of battery, and a phone card you can edit and show in another language.
See your own card in a minute.
Pick your foods, pick a country, and look at what the kitchen would read. Try the live demo or get the app.
Questions about SelectWisely and SafeMeal
How much do SelectWisely cards cost?
The standard translated products were listed at $16.99 (seen on 4 October 2026), and each purchase includes two cards in one language. Shipping and handling is $1.50 per item. Custom cards are quoted separately, before you pay.
How long does SelectWisely take to deliver?
Its FAQ gives 3 to 5 days within the United States, 5 to 10 days for Canada, the UK and Mexico, 10 or more days for continental Europe and 21 or more days for Australia and Asia. You can select email delivery at checkout if you are short on time.
Does SelectWisely have an app?
An app is not listed: we found none on its website, the App Store or Google Play on 4 October 2026. Its cards are physical plastic cards ordered on its website.
Can I put several allergies on one SelectWisely card?
The catalog has preset combinations such as nuts and peanuts, fish and shellfish, or gluten-free and dairy. Other combinations go through a custom order, where a consultant agrees the wording with you and quotes a price before you pay.
Is a plastic card better than a phone in a restaurant?
A plastic card needs no battery or network, and you can hand it to the staff. A phone card can be changed at any time and shown in another language in the next country. Carrying both is reasonable. In either case, confirm with the restaurant staff that the message was understood.
More comparisons
- SafeMeal vsEqual EatsEqual Eats sells translated allergy cards as an app, a printable PDF or a plastic card; SafeMeal builds the card in an app and adds local hidden dishes.
- SafeMeal vsLegal NomadsLegal Nomads sells detailed celiac cards, one per country, as downloads; SafeMeal puts gluten and the other foods in your profile on one card.
- Buyer’s guideAllergy translation cards comparedApps, printable PDFs and plastic cards for food allergies abroad, in one dated and sourced table, free options included.
- HubAll comparisonsEvery page comparing SafeMeal with another app, card or translator.
Sources and method
Every fact about SelectWisely on this page comes from its own website or store listing, checked on 4 October 2026. “Not listed” means we did not find the feature there on that date, not that it does not exist. Prices are the ones shown on that date, in US dollars, and may have changed. SafeMeal publishes this page and is not affiliated with the other brands named. Spotted a mistake? Write to [email protected] and we will correct it.
- SelectWisely: home page
- SelectWisely: nuts and peanuts card
- SelectWisely: gluten-free card
- SelectWisely: FAQ
- SelectWisely: about us
- SelectWisely: custom orders
SafeMeal is not a medical device. No card or app can guarantee a safe meal: always confirm with the restaurant staff, and keep your emergency medication with you.