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Secret Superpowers of the Allianz Global Assistance Team

Superpowers of Assistance Team

Most travelers think there’s only one reason to call the Allianz Global Assistance hotline: a medical emergency. When you’re dealing with a sudden illness or serious injury overseas, the Assistance specialists can help you get high-quality care and even a medical evacuation, if needed.

But our elite team of travel and medical experts can do so much more! Here are just a few real-life examples of ways the Assistance team can save the day.

Are you an Allianz Global Assistance customer who needs help while traveling? Call collect from anywhere in the world: 1-804-281-5700.

If you lose something important, we can help you find it.

A road-trip traveler realized she had left her wallet at a highway rest stop — when she was already an hour down the road. She didn’t know what to do. Should she turn around and drive all the way back, knowing the wallet had probably disappeared?

Panicking, she called the Allianz Global Assistance hotline. The case manager determined her location, called multiple rest stops along her route, reached the attendant at the spot where the woman had stopped and made sure the wallet was safe. The relieved traveler was able to go back and get it.  

If you’re in a situation like this and you just don’t know what to do, call the hotline! Our Assistance experts may be able to help. If your wallet has been lost or stolen and can’t be found, we can help travelers get a new card overnighted from their bank or credit card company, or arrange for money to be wired from a traveler’s friends or family. We can’t replace a lost passport ourselves, but we can connect you with the local embassy and direct you through an expedited process to get a new one as quickly as possible.

If you’re traveling with children, we can help make arrangements for their care.

If you suffer a sudden, serious covered illness or injury while traveling with children, we’ll help make sure they’re taken care of. Here’s a little-known aspect of the emergency medical transportation benefit: if you’ll be hospitalized for more than seven days during your trip, and your children (under 23) are traveling with you, we can arrange and pay (less any refunds for unused tickets) to transport them to your home, or to a U.S. location of your choice. Or, we can arrange and pay for round-trip transportation for a friend or family member to travel to your location, if necessary.

If you’re traveling with your pets, we’ll make sure they’re OK too.

An older couple was traveling cross-country in their RV when one of them fell seriously ill. The Assistance team made sure the traveler received emergency medical care — but our work wasn’t done. The couple had been traveling with their dog, and so their case manager found a reputable local kennel to care for the dog while the traveler recuperated. We also arranged for the RV to be transported back to the couple’s home. 

Our Assistance services aren’t limited to the insured traveler’s immediate needs. We do our best to make sure your travel companions — pets included — are safe as well, and we also monitor your recovery. (Please note, however, that the insured traveler is responsible for paying the associated costs for special services like pet boarding. Read your plan documents so you know what your travel insurance covers.)

If you’re looking for a magical travel experience, we can make it happen.

A Paris-bound traveler had a dream: taking a midnight cruise on the Seine River, to see the Eiffel Tower and the rest of the city illuminated at night. The traveler called the Assistance hotline and reached an associate who loves to travel and had been to Paris herself. The associate researched available tour offerings, identified the best options, called the traveler back and booked the tour on their behalf.

Many people don’t realize that the Allianz Global Assistance hotline offers travel concierge services. One traveler wanted to dance to house music on New Year’s Eve, so we provided a list of local nightclubs that played it. Another wanted presale tickets to a special Elton John concert. We got them. Please note, however, that we aren’t able to do wedding or event planning — you’re better off calling a pro for that!

Our Assistance experts can even do specialty research for you when a simple Google search won’t suffice. Let’s say you’re traveling to New York City for your anniversary. You want to surprise your wife with a bottle of 1999 Lafite-Rothschild, a highly coveted Bordeaux you sipped at your wedding. Do any local wine merchants have it? Do any NYC restaurants have a bottle in their cellar? We’ll do our best to help you find the answer.

Sometimes, we even save lives.

One of our case managers was helping a traveler with a routine request: changing his flight to a different day. During the phone call, the traveler’s speech began to slur. The case manager knew something wasn’t right.

“Where are you?” she asked. The traveler was able to tell her the hotel name, but not the city. He began to lose consciousness, and our case manager leaped into action. She kept him on the phone, urging him to stay awake. With the help of the airline representative, she determined the man’s location, and then called multiple hotels in the chain until she found the one where he was staying. Then, she convinced the hotel manager to break down the door and call 911. Emergency responders found the traveler unconscious and rushed him to the hospital.

When you’re traveling, anything can happen. That’s why it’s so important to protect yourself, and your loved ones, with travel insurance from Allianz Global Assistance. Not only can you get crucial benefits, such as trip cancellation and emergency medical, but you know you’ll never travel alone. The Assistance team is just a phone call away.

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