Most people searching for a bodyguard for hire have never done this before and are not sure whether it is a phone call, a contract, or something that takes weeks. It is closer to the first than the last.
How fast you can get someone
Same-day bookings are possible in most major markets and carry a thirty percent surcharge, because pulling an available licensed protector on short notice costs more.
Booking two weeks ahead is better for two reasons. It removes the surcharge and adds a five percent advance discount, a thirty-five point swing. It also gives your protector time to do advance work properly, which is where most of the actual protective value sits.
For anything involving a venue, a crowd, or an unfamiliar city, plan on at least a few days. Our guide on how much notice to give covers the tradeoffs by engagement type.
What you need to provide
Less than people expect. To get a protector assigned you need:
Where and when. A pickup location, a date, a start time, and a duration. Four hours is the minimum on any booking.
What the day looks like. A rough itinerary matters more than precision. Knowing you have three stops including an airport run changes staffing more than knowing the exact minute of each.
Whether a vehicle is involved. This is the single biggest factor in which plan fits. A protector without a vehicle is $129 an hour; with a luxury SUV and a driver it is $199.
Anything specific you are worried about. A named individual, a pattern of contact, a dispute that escalated. You do not have to explain the background, but the existence of a specific concern changes the plan.
You do not need a threat assessment, a police report, or a reason that sounds serious enough. Plenty of bookings are ordinary caution.
What it costs
Additional protectors are $99 an hour, additional vehicles $79 an hour with a driver.
Adjustments that move the total: New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco add twenty percent; Miami, Chicago, Washington DC, Boston, and Las Vegas add ten. Weekends add twenty percent, holidays twenty-five, same-day thirty.
Discounts that move it the other way: ten percent for booking online, five more for booking fourteen days ahead, and ten to fifteen percent on engagements of eight hours or longer. A weekday eight-hour Lite booking made three weeks out comes to roughly $790.
The sequence
Choose coverage. Decide whether you need a vehicle and whether one protector is enough. One covers most ordinary situations. Two matter when a vehicle cannot be left unattended or venues have multiple uncontrolled entrances.
Book and confirm. Online booking applies the discounts automatically and returns a confirmation reference immediately.
Briefing contact. Your protector reaches you before the engagement to confirm the itinerary and explain how they will work.
Advance work. Routes checked, venues reviewed, exits identified. This happens without you.
The engagement. Your protector meets you at the pickup location. In practice most of the day looks unremarkable, which is the intended outcome.
Check these before you pay anyone
This matters whoever you book with.
Verify the state security license number with the issuing agency rather than accepting a screenshot, and confirm it covers the state where the engagement happens. Request a certificate of insurance naming the firm. Ask, in writing, who carries liability if something happens.
Then look at the price. Licensing, insurance, repeat background screening, vehicles with commercial coverage, and unbilled advance work cost real money. A rate far below roughly $129 an hour for a single protector means some of that is not being paid for, and what you are buying is an uninsured individual. Our nine checks before you pay covers the full sequence.
If you are not sure you need one
That is a common place to be, and the answer is not automatically yes. The useful question is whether anything has actually changed: a threat you can name, a public profile you did not have last year, a dispute that turned personal, or travel into an environment you do not know.
Our threat threshold guide walks through it honestly, including cases where the answer is that you do not need coverage. You can also talk to our team, and if a smaller package covers your situation we will say so.
To book, see pricing or start a booking.
FAQ
How quickly can I hire a bodyguard? Same-day bookings are available in most major markets with a thirty percent surcharge. Booking fourteen or more days ahead removes that surcharge and adds a five percent discount, and gives your protector time to complete advance work.
How much does it cost to hire a bodyguard? $129 an hour for one protector without a vehicle, rising to $599 for a two to four person detail with vehicles. A four-hour minimum applies, so the smallest booking is $516 before discounts. Booking online at least two weeks ahead takes fifteen percent off.
Can I hire a bodyguard for just a few hours? Yes, with a four-hour minimum. That floor exists because advance work and briefing cannot be compressed below it without degrading the service.
What information do I need to book a bodyguard? A pickup location, date, start time, and duration, a rough itinerary of the day, whether a vehicle is needed, and any specific concern you have. You do not need a police report or a formal threat assessment.
Where can I hire a licensed bodyguard? Through a licensed security firm that can produce a current state license number verifiable with the issuing agency and a certificate of insurance naming the company. Verify both before paying, regardless of how the provider was found.