Originally Posted by gator96
As a Platinum member I will freely admit that when traveling abroad, if I'm ever involved in a medical or legal emergency, the first number I call or person I think of won't be American Express. I can picture it now, a man begins to suffer the first symptoms of a heart attack and says, "quick! Someone please call American Express!"
I don't agree. If you get sick on some remote island in South East Asia, you may call anyone you want, but there is little they will be able to do for you. Paying for an airlift yourself will mean atleast $10,000 plus you have to figure out where the appropriate facility is. If they do that, its a meaningfull benefit for those of us who travel a lot to somewhat exotic destinations...Thats just my 2 cents. According to the WSJ article I mentioned in the op, people pay several hundred dollars per year for a similar benefit on a stand alone basis.