During and after your trip

Repatriation assistance helps you in the event of an accident (or something more serious), from the point of first aid (doctor or hospital) until you return home.
Search and rescue coverage covers you upstream, from the scene of the accident.
Trip interruption insurance will partially reimburse you for your interrupted trip. Your liability insurance will cover you if you unintentionally cause damage to others.

Practical Exemples:

You break your ankle on the Tour of the Matterhorn. A helicopter evacuates you to Zermatt hospital, where you undergo surgery and return home a few days later. When you fell, you broke the glasses and camera of one of the group.

From the scene of your accident to the hospital in Zermatt: "search and rescue" cover; as rescue is not free in Switzerland, this cover pays for helicopter costs, up to the policy limit.

From Zermatt onwards, repatriation assistance takes over: it contacts the hospital, decides with it whether the operation should take place there or whether you should be operated on in your home country, and organizes your return by ambulance or plane. Medical expenses are advanced/paid, and return travel costs are paid by the hospital.

Once you're back home: our "interruption of stay" insurance will partially reimburse you for your interrupted trip.

For any damage caused by your fall, you will be covered by your liability insurance.

Repatriation assistance and search and rescue costs

Where can I buy this type of insurance?

Upon registration with Grand Angle, which has negotiated with Assurinco policies adapted to the activities/destinations it offers; the contract offered also includes "search and rescue" coverage.
Bank cards include repatriation assistance; they don't necessarily include search and rescue expenses; they are often limited to major "mishaps"; be sure to check coverage and limits. Grand Angle offers you a complementary insurance policy that reimburses you for the excess and the portion of damage exceeding the amount indemnified by your credit card insurance.
Most car insurance contracts include repatriation assistance; here too, check the coverage.
The major sports federations offer cards that include repatriation assistance + search and rescue costs + liability. Please note, however, that cover may not be available in all circumstances (especially with sports licenses); check with specialized insurance companies.

What you need to know

It is compulsory to have a contract for repatriation assistance to travel with Grand Angle. If you don't have it through us, please give us the references before your departure. You agree to keep them with you throughout your trip.
Search and Rescue cover is not compulsory, but it can be very costly, for example, in France, for evacuation on cross-country ski runs.
There is a ceiling on the amount of cover provided, so check that it is appropriate to the risks of the country you are visiting: for example, if you are going to the USA, make sure that the ceiling on medical expenses covered is higher.
Be sure to check your coverage: it varies widely from one type of policy to another, and does not necessarily include search and rescue costs. Conversely, search and rescue costs are always linked to repatriation assistance.
These two types of coverage (repatriation & search and rescue) work perfectly well in the event of a major mishap (reassuring!); they are less suited to more minor accidents, particularly search and rescue expenses.
It is imperative to open a file with repatriation assistance before incurring any expenses. Any expense incurred without the agreement of assistance will not be reimbursed (not always easy, in practice!); it could be difficult to obtain a waiver in these situations.
Grand Angle does not have to (and does not) defer expenses not covered by repatriation assistance / search and rescue costs.

What do I do in the event of an accident?

1- As soon as the accident occurs, and as soon as possible, call or arrange for repatriation assistance, and ask for a medical file to be opened. Your repatriation assistance contract will give you the number to call, either from France or abroad. If you can't do it yourself, someone can do it for you.

2- The person you speak to will ask you for your identity and social security number, the circumstances of the accident, where you are and where you can be reached. They'll also ask for your policy number, so they can quickly find out what policy & coverage you have.

3- Make a note of your file number and, if possible, the name of the person you're speaking to, to help facilitate future contact.

4- Once the medical file has been opened, the assistance team takes charge of deciding what to do next. They will contact the hospital, the authorities, the airlines, and so on. But don't hesitate to contact the assistance service to make your wishes clear, to help them with their procedures, etc. In addition, during the high season, assistance companies can be overwhelmed, like everyone else: don't hesitate to call back if you need to.

Please Note! Even if you have the agreement of assistance for an expense, keep all receipts. If you have paid certain expenses yourself, in agreement with assistance, you will be reimbursed when you return, with the receipt.

Interruption of stay insurance

It's often part of the "repatriation assistance" package; sometimes, as with Grand Angle, it's part of the "cancellation insurance" package.

Please Note! In almost all cases, to benefit from it on a given trip, you must have "benefited" from medical repatriation (this is the case with Grand Angle). So you won't be compensated if you had to interrupt your trip but were able to return by your own means (e.g. broken thumb while skiing).

Liability insurance

It's important because, although it's rarely implemented, the financial amounts involved can be very substantial.

Please Note! It does not, of course, cover your criminal liability, which may also be engaged.

Where can I buy this type of insurance?

With Grand Angle: it's included in the repatriation assistance contract.
Almost all home insurance policies include one: check your contract.
Through sports licenses: check your contract carefully.