Article Highlights:

  • Traditional travel insurance doesn’t include field rescue or guaranteed medevac to your home hospital.
  • Many plans restrict coverage based on activity type, distance from home or region.
  • Global Rescue offers no-questions-asked rescue from the point of injury—no mileage limits, no activity exclusions.
  • Travel insurance from AMEX, Chase and Capital One requires claims, approvals and red tape.
  • Global Rescue memberships start at $139 and include field rescue, medical evacuation and medical advisory.

 

 

Most travelers rely on credit card perks or traditional travel insurance. Options like Amex Travel Insurance, Chase Sapphire coverage and Capital One travel insurance promise emergency medical help and trip protection. But those policies often come with limitations, exclusions and miles of fine print. What if you need a medical evacuation or worse, a medevac from the field? What if your injury occurs while doing something “too adventurous,” like high-altitude hiking, SCUBA diving or backcountry skiing?

A traditional insurance policy may reimburse you after you get help, but it rarely sends anyone to rescue you. That’s where Global Rescue comes in.

 

Medevac and the Reality Gap With Travel Insurance

Travel insurance for international travel isn’t the comprehensive safety net many people assume. Coverage often begins after you’ve reached a hospital, not when you’re lying injured on a trekking trail in Spain or suffering a debilitating heart condition during a safari expedition.

Global Rescue pioneered field rescue services. That means when you become seriously ill or injured — no matter how remote the location — Global Rescue’s team coordinates and executes your field rescue from the point of illness or injury and evacuation to the nearest hospital that can provide the care you need. Rescues are executed by helicopters, 4×4 vehicles, fixed-wing aircraft, horseback and on-foot rescue teams…whatever it takes.

In contrast, most traditional travel insurance companies (and even premium credit card programs) won’t lift a finger until you’re admitted to a medical facility. And even then, evacuation may only take you to the closest hospital, not back home.

 

Misconceptions About Travel Insurance Coverage

Many travelers assume their traditional travel insurance plan will take care of them, but they haven’t read the fine print. Here are critical details that often catch people off guard:

  • Activity Restrictions: Trekking in the Himalayas? SCUBA diving off the Maldives? Backcountry skiing in Chile? Most travel insurance providers — including benefits from AMEX, Chase and Capital One — exclude benefits due to injuries from skydiving, rock climbing, bungee jumping and similar so-called “high-risk” activities. Global Rescue has no activity restrictions.
  • Mileage Requirements: Most insurance requires you to be 100 to 300 miles from home for benefits to activate. That means no protection for regional or domestic travel emergencies. Global Rescue? No mileage requirement.
  • Claim Process Delays: With traditional travel insurance, everything from a sprained ankle to emergency medical evacuation requires pre-approvals, proof of loss, receipts and waiting weeks or months for reimbursement. Global Rescue offers direct service, not claims processing. You contact the Global Rescue operations center and they act immediately.

 

Credit Card Travel Insurance: Good Intentions, Limited Execution

Let’s take a closer look at what’s commonly offered:

  • AMEX Travel Insurance can reimburse you for emergency medical expenses, but only after submitting claim forms and getting approval from a benefits administrator.
  • Chase Sapphire Travel Insurance includes emergency care but requires pre-approval, full documentation and coordination with their benefits team.
  • Capital One Venture Travel Insurance provides some protection, but always after a review process, and never includes field rescue or private evacuation back to your hospital of choice.

All of these can be helpful for minor issues or for travelers who are already in urban areas with quality care. But for those venturing off the beaten path or dealing with high-stakes emergencies the limitations are serious.

 

Real Stories, Real Rescue

When Australian Global Rescue member Ben Darlington went climbing, he watched others who used competing companies struggle to get assistance. “Other climbers used other companies and had huge issues,” he said. “I wouldn’t travel without a Global Rescue membership ever again.”

David Helland of Iowa had a similar experience. “When I was calling Global Rescue for the first time, it really impressed me that I was talking to somebody who actually knew something,” he said. “At most companies, the person you talk to doesn’t know what they need to know.”

These aren’t exceptions. They’re expectations.

 

What Traditional Providers Won’t Tell You

If you get seriously hurt in a location without immediate access to a hospital, traditional travel insurance providers can’t rescue you. They can’t even send help. You must figure out how to get to a hospital on your own. And then start the paperwork.

If you’re hospitalized but want to continue treatment at home, most providers only pay for transport to the nearest acceptable facility, not your home hospital. Global Rescue includes medevac to your hospital of choice, and without a bill.

Some companies even deny coverage if your injury stems from “unauthorized” activities like ballooning, mountaineering or paragliding. Global Rescue has zero activity restrictions. You’re protected whether you’re hiking, diving or free climbing.

 

Membership vs. Insurance: Know the Difference

A Global Rescue membership is not insurance. It’s better when you need real-time help. There are no claims to file, no deductibles, no co-pays. You don’t wait. You call and Global Rescue acts.

Plus, members gain access to their exclusive partnership with Johns Hopkins Emergency Medicine, one of the most respected names in health care. Want to be treated there? Global Rescue can arrange it. Want to send critical test results fast? They can courier or transmit files across borders in real time.

 

Essential Questions To Ask Before You Travel

  • Will your provider rescue you from the field or only reimburse you after the fact?
  • Do they have mileage limits or activity exclusions that might invalidate your coverage?
  • Will they evacuate you to your preferred hospital, or just the closest one?
  • Do they support worldwide members or only US residents?
  • Do you need to file a claim or call for help?

If the answers to these questions don’t add up to complete, fast protection, you may be trusting your safety to the wrong plan.

 

The Global Rescue Connection

Traditional travel insurance—whether purchased separately or as a credit card perk—plays a valuable role in covering trip delays, cancellations and reimbursing out-of-pocket medical expenses. But it was never designed to rescue you from a mountaintop, evacuate you from a war zone or airlift you to the hospital of your choice.

That’s where Global Rescue fills the gap.

For travelers who value fast, no-questions-asked medical evacuation, emergency field rescue and real security extraction, a Global Rescue membership is not just nice to have, it’s essential. At just $139 for a 7-day individual plan (with options for more extended plans, family plans and student plans), it provides the kind of traveler protection services that traditional travel insurance providers can’t deliver.