Have you ever needed help rebooking a missed flight, getting medical care while traveling, or finding your lost luggage?
Travel assistance services are included in travel protection plans and with some credit cards, and they can make stressful situations more manageable.
They provide 24/7 emergency and logistical support when you’re traveling.
Erika Recommends
- VisitorsCoverage
Compare policies with 24/7 travel assistance. - SafetyWing
Offers global travel assistance for long-term travelers. - Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Includes legal and medical referrals, as well as emergency assistance.

. . .
What Are Travel Assistance Services?
Travel assistance services offer logistical, medical, and emergency support as a non-financial benefit of trip insurance.
While travel insurance reimburses you after something happens, travel assistance services are available right when you need them.
For example, a comprehensive travel protection plan covers the cost of doctor or hospital visits. But travel assistance services can refer you to a local hospital and help you navigate any bills you receive.
They can also help if you don’t speak the local language. For example, SafetyWing is an insurance provider that caters to digital nomads. They maintain a medical directory to help travelers find English-speaking hospitals around the globe.
Some travel credit cards provide complimentary travel assistance services. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, for example, offers legal and medical referrals, as well as emergency assistance.
RELATED: Your Guide to Digital Nomad Visas
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Rewards Rate
- 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries
- 2x on all other travel purchases
- 1x on all other purchases
Welcome Offer
Earn 60,000 bonus points after $4,000 in purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee
$95
. . .
Key Benefits of Travel Assistance Services
While you might not think you’ll need travel assistance, it can offer peace of mind the next time you travel.
Medical and emergency support
If you are experiencing a medical emergency, you can contact your insurance provider’s customer support team for guidance on what to do. They can recommend which medical facilities to visit or coordinate an evacuation if your emergency is serious.
Let’s say you’re a few days into a trip and you start experiencing abdominal pain. You reach out to the medical support team to get advice on what to do. They refer you to a local hospital where you’re diagnosed with appendicitis.
Your travel assistance team continues to work with you after you’ve been treated. They can help you adjust your travel plans, coordinate an emergency evacuation, and help navigate the billing process so you can focus on recovering.
Travel logistics support
Travel assistance services can also step in and help you rebook a canceled flight. If your trip is delayed, they can help you book accommodations until you can get a return flight home.
Let’s say you booked a flight with a layover. You thought you’d have enough time to make your connecting flight but your first flight was delayed. By the time you make it, you’re too late and your connecting flight has already left.
If your insurance includes travel assistance services, they can help rebook your flight and arrange accommodations. This simplifies things on your end so you don’t have to separately work with an airline or hotel.
RELATED: Flight Delay Compensation: What You’re Entitled to and How To Get It
Help with lost or stolen belongings
Lastly, travel assistance provides logistical support for more mundane but important tasks like recovering lost luggage or replacing a lost passport. They’ll help you fill out the paperwork and guide you on getting your passport replaced quickly.
For example, SafetyWing provides a dedicated team that helps replace essential documents. They’ll help you file a report with the local authorities and guide you in getting a new passport.
If you book a trip with your Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase will reimburse you up to $3,000 for lost luggage.
RELATED: Baggage Delay Insurance: How It Works
How To Access Travel Assistance Services
Travel assistance can be accessed via phone or in-app support.
Before you go on your trip, download information for offline access. Record your provider’s emergency hotline number somewhere, in case you don’t have cell service.
Add information about where you’re staying and important emergency services like a local hospital to a map. You can download Google Maps for offline use even if you don’t have cell service where you’re traveling.
It’s also a good idea to keep physical and digital copies of everything. Keep a scan of your passport so if you lose it, you can provide the scan to travel assistance services when they’re helping you replace it.
Tips for Using Travel Assistance Services
Travel assistance is an added benefit that doesn’t add additional costs to your insurance premium. Here’s how to get the most out of your plan.
Check your insurance policy
While most comprehensive travel insurance plans include travel assistance services, it’s good to double-check that it’s included in your policy.
Confirm that they provide 24/7 support, medical and emergency support, assistance during travel disruptions, and document support.
Make sure there are no exceptions. For example, if you get a standard policy that doesn’t cover scuba diving and you have an accident, you want to make sure travel assistance services will still provide support.
You can browse and compare policies through an online platform like VisitorsCoverage, to see which plans offer the best coverage and assistance for the best price.
Understand service limitations
Travel assistance services will coordinate a logistical response to an emergency, but they don’t cover out-of-pocket expenses. They can tell you which hospital to go to but they won’t pay for it unless it’s part of a comprehensive plan.
Make sure your insurance plan provides sufficient financial coverage for your needs, in addition to free travel assistance.
Use assistance early in an emergency
Contact travel assistance services immediately during an emergency for support. Most offer a 24/7 hotline.
You have the service, so use it rather than stressing about navigating an emergency on your own.
Leverage non-emergency services
Travel assistance services aren’t just for emergencies They can also act as a concierge, helping you make reservations at restaurants or book excursions.
They can also brief you on anything you need to know about what’s happening inside a foreign country and help you make an advanced safety plan.
. . .
FAQs About Travel Assistance Services
What’s the difference between travel insurance and travel assistance services?
Travel insurance covers financial losses from cancellations, medical expenses, or lost personal belongings.
Travel assistance provides logistical support to rebook a flight, coordinate medical care, or help you process paperwork to replace lost luggage or an important document.
Are travel assistance services included with all insurance plans?
Comprehensive travel protection plans often include travel assistance services but it isn’t offered in all policies.
Can travel assistance help me replace a stolen passport?
Travel assistance can help you replace a stolen passport by guiding you on filling out the right paperwork and finding the nearest embassy or consulate.
TL;DR: Getting Real-Time Help for Travel Emergencies
Sometimes things don’t go to plan, but travel assistance services can offer essential logistical support during emergencies — so you have one less thing to worry about.
Check your policy to see what’s covered. Ideally, your plan should include 24/7 support for travel disruptions (like a flight delay), medical emergencies, and lost luggage or documents.
Just remember that travel assistance doesn’t cover any costs from the emergency — those will need to be submitted to your insurance company as a claim for reimbursement.

Learn With Erika
- Free Travel Secrets Workshop
- Learn how to use the fine print to book your next vacation practically for free with Erika's step-by-step system
- Free 5 Day Investing Challenge
- Learn how to get started as a beginner investor and make your first $10,000
- Free 5 Day Savings Challenge
- Discover how you can save $1,000 without penny pinching or making major life sacrifices
- Join Erika Kullberg Insiders
- Ask investing questions, share successes and participate in monthly challenges and expert workshops
. . .

Amanda Claypool is a writer, entrepreneur, and strategy consultant. She's lived in the Middle East, Washington, DC, and a 2014 Subaru Outback but now resides in Austin, TX. Amanda writes for popular sites including, Forbes Advisor, Erika.com, and The College Investor. She also writes about the future of work and the state of the economy on Medium.
Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.