Global Rescue is a crisis response, medical evacuation and security extraction company with additional services such as field rescue, medical advisory and telehealth. The company performs field rescues, sending critical care paramedics and military special forces veterans to the site of an emergency. Founded in partnership with Johns Hopkins Medicine, Global Rescue identifies, monitors and responds when members experience a medical or security emergency away from home. Global Rescue is a membership organization offering individual and corporate memberships on a short-term or annual basis. Global Rescue supports clients from its global operations centers and offices in Manila, Philippines; Islamabad, Pakistan; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Lebanon, New Hampshire.
Global Rescue (globalrescue.com) has 92 customer reviews on Five Star Index, with an average rating of 4.4 out of 5.
Also known as
globalrescue.com
Website
globalrescue.com
Category
Hospital & Emergency
Listed on Five Star Index
2026
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The company replied to 80% of reviews.
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Most recent review: October 2026.
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On October 2, 2026, I purchased and paid medical/political travel evacuation services + medical insurance for an upcoming trip to Saudi Arabia since the politics are a bit warm there due to the US/Iran "conflict". I got confirmation, and a nice travel package of documents.
The next day, I got an email explaining that Global Rescue was canceling my evacuation purchase due to the current political climate. "Sorry for the inconvenience". You can expect a refund within 7 - 10 business days.
Their own site priced it an let me buy the service and insurance. Now they sit on my $700+ for a couple of weeks, and I am leaving for Saudi in 3 days. What a scam.
They are selling insurance that is risky itself! I recommend avoiding.
Response from Global RescueOct 21, 2026
Allen, we are sincerely sorry. We made a mistake regarding the services available for your trip to Saudi Arabia. You turned to us for peace of mind, and our error instead caused you distress just days before your departure. We recognize that the cancellation and wait for a refund made an already upsetting situation more difficult.
If you are willing, we would be grateful for the opportunity to speak with you directly, explain what happened and work with you to make amends. You deserved clear, accurate information from the outset, and we are sorry we let you down.
DA
Dav
Ne prend rien en charge si on n'est pas…
Ne prend rien en charge si on n'est pas en danger de mort immédiat.
Une jambe cassée depuis 5 jours d'un ami, au fond d'un glacier pakistanais, rien.
Une évacuation d'un camp de base népalais d'autres amis à cause de 2m de neige tombés et plus de nourriture, rien.
Une arnaque.
KJ
Kenneth J.
Contacted Global Rescue to get travel…
Contacted Global Rescue to get travel and evacuation insurance. Everything went fine — I just needed a final call with them to become one of their customers.
Being in a remote part of the world, I don’t have cellular service, so I asked if we could do the call via WhatsApp.
I was told that in order for them to use WhatsApp, I first needed to become a customer, so the call had to be via cellular.
Just to make sure I understood it correctly, I asked:
“Do I understand it correctly that you won’t call me via WhatsApp to finalize our agreement and make me a customer, because I’m not yet a customer?”
Which they confirmed… hilarious indeed 😂
Response from Global RescueJun 1, 2026
That is correct Kenneth, our member services team does not have access to WhatsApp but our operations team does.
Our team did continue to reach out to your to complete your membership via email and phone call but were unsuccessful.
CT
Collins, T.
Bad Service
Do not get your package within promised timeframe. When you call about it all your told is just take the phone number.
LS
Lisa S.
They refused to evacuate my husband
We purchased evacuation insurance for our trip to Kenya. My husband fell ill and Global Rescue Refused to evacuate my husband from the camp in Nairobi to the hospital in Nairobi. They said he had to be deemed stable by a medical professional before they would move him. We were trying to move him to a medical facility!
What’s the point of evacuation insurance if you have to have a doctor with you before they will come get you?
I emailed them on two different occasions, requesting a refund of the premium that we paid and they have completely ignored my emails
Response from Global RescueJan 26, 2026
We are very sorry to hear about the stress this situation caused and understand how frightening it can be when a loved one becomes ill while traveling.
While we cannot discuss individual medical details in a public forum, our medical and operations teams were actively engaged and responded in accordance with the Membership Services Agreement. Global Rescue provides two distinct services: field rescue from a remote location to the nearest appropriate medical facility, and medical evacuation between hospitals once a patient has been medically evaluated and deemed stable. This process follows international medical and aviation safety practices. and is required to protect the patient and flight crews.
In this case, our team strongly recommended transfer to a nearby accredited hospital to allow physicians to assess medical stability and determine appropriate next steps. When coverage limitations applied, we nevertheless offered to coordinate transportation on a fee-for-service basis as an option.
Global Rescue has completed more than 25,000 rescue and evacuation operations worldwide, and our decisions are always guided by medical best practices, safety considerations, and the terms agreed to at enrollment. We remain committed to professionalism, transparency, and supporting our members during difficult situations.
EN
Edward N.
Would you trust Global Rescue with your life?
My earlier post titled “Don’t believe Global Rescue will save your life in an emergency” is referred to.
Unlike the way Global Rescue kept on asking questions and offered no help when I was in danger, Global Rescue seems to be able to respond swiftly to banish my post, blaming me for inaccuracies. Since I was on the spot, they were not, and I have all the supporting onsite and medical records, it is easy to offer a factual rebuttal.
Global Rescue’s assertion that the rescue from Camp 3 is risky is inaccurate. After Global Rescue refused to offer help, my mountain guide, seeing my suffering, called a helicopter team in Lukla to airlift me down. The helicopter came swiftly and did the job professionally in under an hour. Later, the pilot told us that they had earlier in conversation with Global Rescue before my guide called, they told Global Rescue that they were used to doing it; they were ready and were in stand-by. However, for whatever reason, Global Rescue refused to give them the go-ahead order. When my guide called later, they came and airlifted me down very quickly, and that saved my life.
After being airlifted down from Camp 3 to Base Camp, I was immediately air transported to Kathmandu to a hospital. The doctor diagnosed that I suffered from acute mountain sickness (AMS) and frostbite to my fingers. In his report, he noted that I was lucky to be alive due to the swift helicopter airlift ordered by my guide.
Global Rescue may show you how many people they might have helped in the past. God knows how many they have missed. I, for one, am one of those missed souls. I was lucky, but will you? Would you trust your life to this Global Rescue? You make up your mind when you give them your money.
Response from Global RescueNov 18, 2025
Thank you for taking the time to offer your viewpoint. We understand that high-altitude medical situations can be distressing. However, personal dissatisfaction does not alter the medical facts or aviation constraints that guide rescue operations. Although we cannot discuss details of any individual case, including Mr. Ng’s, we can speak to the principles and protocols that govern safe and effective rescues.
First and most importantly, Global Rescue is obligated to make decisions that prioritize the safety of all individuals involved in a rescue — including the individual in need, the helicopter crew, ground personnel, and other climbers in the vicinity. High-altitude long-line helicopter rescues are among the most dangerous aviation operations in the world. When conditions, terrain, wind patterns, altitude or aircraft performance fall outside safe parameters, aviation partners will not — and should not — deploy aircraft, regardless of urgency.
In this situation, the altitude and prevailing conditions at the time posed an unacceptable risk for a long-line helicopter extraction. In such circumstances, the safest and most effective approach is to bring the individual to a lower, safer altitude before air evacuation. This is consistent with international mountaineering rescue standards and with the operational procedures shared by helicopter providers in Nepal. Our team’s guidance reflected those safety realities, not hesitation or lack of concern.
We also want to clarify that Global Rescue does not “refuse” to rescue individuals; rather, we must rely on real-time aviation assessments and evidence-based medical protocols. We understand that in moments of crisis, it may feel as though more immediate action should be taken, but safety constraints cannot be bypassed — even with the best intentions.
Our response and recommendations were made promptly, appropriately and in accordance with medical guidelines and the individual’s Terms of Service, which prohibit initiating rescues that would put pilots and other rescuers at extreme risk. These guidelines exist so that we never ask air crews to attempt an operation that, based on decades of rescue experience, could lead to catastrophic outcomes.
Finally, we want to address the claim that Global Rescue “does nothing except ask questions.” To properly assess any medical or rescue situation, our medical and operations teams must gather specific information from guides or companions on scene. These questions are not delays — they are an essential part of safe medical decision-making and aviation coordination.
Global Rescue has successfully managed more than 25,000 operations worldwide and maintains strong relationships with elite rescue partners precisely because we adhere to the highest safety and medical standards. While we recognize that your experience was distressing, we stand by our team’s actions and their commitment to safety, professionalism, and individual care.
SW
Sebrand W.
Their process is totally impractical
Their process is totally impractical. In an emergency, there is often no good way to encourage your rescuers to contact them in the event that you cannot. And they will not cover any expenses that they did not directly coordinate. I'm left with the 7000$ emergency helicopter bill.
KB
Kathleen B.
Even with the cardiologist's recommendations in writing, Global Rescue failed to get my partner home for critical treatment
We had a policy with Global Rescue for two years before we needed to use it. My partner was hospitalized in Ireland. The hospital doctor wrote a detailed letter acknowledging we were from the United States, and my partner was having an extreme afib attack that needed immediate and long-term attention. In the letter, the doctor recommended we return home immediately for my partner to engage with a cardiolodist and continue care in the US. I naively thought, "No problem, we have Global Rescue. They'll get us home in a timely fashion."
Initially, things seemed promising. The Global Rescue representative was friendly and professional. I explained the situation, forwarded them the detailed letter from the doctor, and waited for them to call to tell me what flight they were putting us on. Despite a letter that said EVERYTHING necessary to justify getting my partner home, the Global Rescue representative insisted that before they could set up arrangements to get us home, they would need to speak to the doctor personally to make sure it was OK for my partner to fly.
Of course, a busy hospital doctor is not going to take nor return calls to reiterate what he already clearly stated in a letter. The fact that the doctor didn't return their phone call is the reason Global Rescue used to deny getting my partner, who was developing heart failure because his heart was racing at 160 beats per minute, to a US hospital. I repeat: the letter stated his current condition, and the Irish doctor said BECAUSE of that condition, he needed to get back to the US and be seen by a cardiologist who could implement a long-term strategy. Global Rescue said BECAUSE of that condition, they needed to talk to the doctor directly to make sure it wasn't too risky to take the flight. Nobody at Global Rescue seemed at all concerned with the risk of delaying my partner's medical treatment while we waited three days for them to try to reach the doctor.
We ended up paying for our own flight. My sister met us at the US airport and took us directly to the US hospital emergency room, where my partner was admitted immediately. As the Irish doctor predicted, it took several weeks and two cardiac procedures to fully resolve the problem, but it was resolved, and fortunately, my partner is now in good health. No thanks to Global Rescue. Like all insurance companies, they seem to have two jobs: collect premiums and find reasons to deny claims.
