diff --git a/electrum/simple_config.py b/electrum/simple_config.py
index 25efbb8db..4bfd56f57 100644
--- a/electrum/simple_config.py
+++ b/electrum/simple_config.py
@@ -241,7 +241,7 @@ class SimpleConfig(PrintError):
 
         # command line -w option
         if self.get('wallet_path'):
-            return os.path.join(self.get('cwd'), self.get('wallet_path'))
+            return os.path.join(self.get('cwd', ''), self.get('wallet_path'))
 
         # path in config file
         path = self.get('default_wallet_path')