Emergency evacuation & transportation with Chase Sapphire Reserve
Quick insights
- The Chase Sapphire Reserve® credit card provides an Emergency Evacuation and Transportation travel benefit to help you get to the nearest medical facility should you suffer a serious qualifying illness or injury while traveling.
- Use of this coverage will be coordinated through the card’s claims benefit administrator and may cover up to $100,000 of qualifying transportation and evacuation costs.
- The benefit also covers immediate family members who are traveling with you.
Suffering serious illness or injury while traveling is never a part of anyone’s itinerary, but it is a possibility. Should it happen, you may benefit from having Emergency Evacuation and Transportation benefit if you’re not able to get to a location where you can receive care. In this article, we’ll cover what this benefit is and how to use it if you have a Chase Sapphire Reserve card and have charged any portion of your trip to your account or rewards program.
Breaking down emergency evacuation and transportation with Sapphire Reserve
In the event you need medical care and can’t get to a nearby hospital on your own, Emergency Evacuation and Transportation can provide coverage. In most instances, it will provide transportation to the nearest hospital or medical facility or if after being treated at a local hospital your medical condition warrants transportation to your residence to obtain further medical treatment or to recover.
It is important to note the medical care you receive for your injuries or illness is covered by a different part of your travel benefits included with the Sapphire card. Emergency Medical and Dental covers the cost of medical care while traveling abroad, while Emergency Evacuation and Transportation covers costs associated with getting you to a location where you can receive care. Both benefits are included with the Sapphire Reserve card and cover up to a specified amount.
For medical evacuation to be covered, transportation must be:
- Recommended by the attending physician
- Arranged and approved in advance by the card’s benefit administrator
It’s recommended that you call the benefit administrator as soon as you can if you have an accident or other type of loss. Also keep in mind that for any part of this coverage to kick in, you must book at least a portion of your trip using the Sapphire Reserve card.
What’s covered
This benefit covers the emergency transportation or evacuation of you or an eligible immediate family member to the nearest location that can treat you. Transportation can be by way of commercial air travel, air or land ambulance or a private motor vehicle. Emergency Evacuation and Transportation will cover eligible necessary emergency expenses associated with your transportation up to $100,000.
There are other provisions to this benefit that you may not have considered. They include:
- If you are hospitalized for more than eight days, the benefit administrator can arrange to have a friend or relative travel to be by your bedside.
- If you are hospitalized and are traveling with a minor, the administrator can arrange to return the minor to their home.
Should the worst-case scenario happen, and you or an eligible immediate family member die while traveling, this benefit also covers the cost for repatriation of remains. It will cover up to $1,000 worth of expenses for returning your body or remains to your country of primary residence, as well as expenses for cremation or embalming and a casket for transportation.
What isn’t covered
As with all benefits, you may want to read the terms and conditions because there are situations not covered by Emergency Evacuation and Transportation. For example, the duration and location of your trip could matter. If your trip is less than five days, more than sixty days or takes place 100 miles or less from your residence, it falls under the benefit’s exclusions.
Other exclusions include:
- Emergency medical evacuation and/or transportation is not medically necessary as determined by the Emergency Evacuation and Transportation service provider
- Travel for the purpose of receiving medical treatment
- Illness or injury suffered due to attempted suicide, military duty, civil disorder or participation in or attempt at a felonious act or illegal activity
- Emergency evacuation and transportation, and repatriation of remains services may not be available in countries where the US Department of State has a current travel warning issued or in countries where the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has active economic or trade sanctions or that are subject to other applicable trade or economic sanctions, laws and regulations.
Consult with the benefit administrator to help determine what will and will not be covered if you are unsure.
Additional travel benefits with Sapphire Reserve
Those who travel frequently may be enticed by the benefits that come with the Sapphire Reserve card beyond medical evacuation and emergency transportation coverage.
There are a host of other cardmember benefits that may appeal to the frequent or even occasional traveler, including:
- A $300 annual travel credit
- Complimentary access to every Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club with up to two guests, plus 1,300+ Priority Pass™ lounges worldwide
- Reimbursement of the application fee for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS every four years
Please note that the Sapphire Reserve card has an annual fee.
How to get a Chase Sapphire Reserve card
The Sapphire Reserve credit card typically requires excellent credit history, so having a credit score of 750 or above may increase your approval odds. If you're considering applying, you can do so online, by phone or in person at a local Chase branch. As a reminder, if you apply, the card’s application process triggers a hard inquiry which may temporarily affect your credit score.
In summary
Accidents and illnesses happen. And because you can’t plan for these things, they can happen while you’re in the middle of the trip of a lifetime. Having a Sapphire Reserve credit card provides you with Emergency Evacuation and Transportation should you suffer an eligible qualifying serious illness or injury that requires medical attention while traveling. To qualify for this benefit, you must book all or part of your trip with the Sapphire card, but in doing so, you as well as your immediate family members can be covered.
