Emergency Evacuation Travel Coverage FAQ

The Air Rescue Card is a unique prepaid membership that provides comprehensive travel services and benefits, including emergency medical evacuation if serious injury or illness occur while traveling.* If a member requires immediate treatment that a local licensed physician cannot provide, we will transport that member to the nearest hospital or appropriate medical facility. Once stabilized, if the member cannot travel without medical assistance, the Air Rescue Card will facilitate and cover the costs for the member’s return to his/her hometown hospital.

Health insurance policies do not typically cover medical evacuation or repatriation, and few policies provide coverage beyond an individual’s home country. Companies who offer these services usually transfer patients only to the “nearest appropriate facility.” The Air Rescue Card is not medical insurance but instead guarantees medically reliable transport to your own hometown hospital.

Membership is open to citizens of all countries; we are proud to serve a multi-national membership.

Although you may enroll at anytime from anywhere in the world, we recommend Air Rescue Card membership before travel occurs.

Yes! Many of our Air Rescue Card members are American citizens who live in other countries. We offer several expatriate/long-term plans to fit your travel and budget requirements.

If you have an existing chronic health condition, you may still become an Air Rescue Card member if you have not been treated for that condition within six months prior to your enrollment. Medical evacuation would be fully covered only for an unexpected illness or injury that is unrelated to your existing condition.

Our membership plans offer several options that are designed to meet the varied budget and travel plans of individuals, families, groups, and corporations.

We have Air Rescue Card membership plans for travelers of all ages. Dependent children may travel under the protection of an individual or family plan. Individuals who are age 75 or older may enroll for benefits provided by a senior plan.

Members receive immediate e-mail confirmation and a temporary Air Rescue Card once they complete enrollment. Benefits are effective on the “start date” specified during enrollment.

Medical history, records, or physical examination are not required for enrollment.

Your Air Rescue Card covers you anytime you travel 99 or more miles from your home – to the next county, an adjacent state, or a foreign country.

Members incur no costs beyond their initial membership fee. The Air Rescue Card covers the complete cost of bed-to-bed medical evacuation, including ground transport between hospital and airfield, special medical equipment or personnel required, and air transport. (The Air Rescue Card does not cover charges related to services provided by medical facilities. If your domestic or supplemental insurance coverage does not apply, third-party add-on insurance can help to defray these costs.)

Our staff can help to break the language barrier with telephone translation in most any language. We will communicate with medical center personnel on your behalf to ensure your specific needs are met.

Your call to the Air Rescue Card Emergency Call Center facilitates immediate action. Although many factors, including your location and the local medical facility’s discharge process influence a safe and timely evacuation, help may be on the way within two hours after receipt of your request.

Simply call the 24-hour Emergency Call Center number listed on the back of your Air Rescue Card (866-900-8337 or 512-330-0637) for immediate assistance from one of our medical experts. Be prepared to provide the following information:

• Your name and contact telephone number
• The Air Rescue Card member’s name (if you are calling on behalf of the member)
• The city, country, name and telephone number of the facility where the member is hospitalized
• A brief description of the member’s medical condition
• The name and contact number for the member’s attending medical professional

Our medical evacuation service is underwritten and backed by one of the largest risk management firms in the world. Combined with our global presence, this ensures that emergency transport is made available to every Air Rescue Card member in time of need. (We have never left a member stranded!)

We cover the full cost of your medical evacuation, including the fare for a spouse, domestic partner, or one travel companion who may accompany you. If that person cannot be accommodated on the medical aircraft, we will cover the cost to return them and your dependent children home by commercial carrier.

All members are eligible for the full spectrum of Air Rescue Card benefits: if you are hospitalized due to serious illness or injury caused by a natural disaster while traveling*, you are still eligible for medical evacuation as described previously.

As an Air Rescue Card member, you receive full membership benefits and services. * If you are hospitalized due to an act of terrorism, you are eligible for medical evacuation as described previously.