(MONEY Magazine) – Most card issuers provide some assistance in a medical emergency. If you carry any American Express, MasterCard or Diners Club card, a 24-hour hotline will refer you to an English-speaking doctor. (Call customer service for the number before you travel.) Premium-card holders have access to a wider array of services. For example:

--American Express If you carry an invitation-only, $300-a-year platinum card, AmEx will arrange and pay for evacuation to the U.S. if AmEx agrees that no adequate facilities are available locally.

--Diners Club Pay $80 a year for this high-end card, and the company will arrange (but not pay for) your evacuation, an escort and transportation for stranded minors.

--MasterCard Have a gold, platinum or World card? MasterCard will arrange for a U.S. nurse or doctor to consult by phone with the local medical staff.

--Visa Some Signature cardholders (depending on the issuer) can get up to $10,000 in credit for evacuation costs if the trip is put on the card. --R.K.