Eligible Cards And Reimbursement Amount
The reimbursable amount depends on which card you hold, and you are allowed two claims per 12-month period. As expected, the more premium travel credit cards offer higher compensation for shorter delays. Trip delay insurance is offered on the following American Express credit cards:
Card |
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Terms apply.
Do All Credit Cards Offer Travel Insurance
First, its important to establish what is meant by travel insurance.
If you mean getting a refund if the trip is cancelled or goes wrong, then yes. Credit card providers are bound by strict consumer laws set out in Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, which covers purchases of £100 to £30,000.
But credit card providers do not offer full travel insurance, as they do not pay out for medical issues that may arise during a trip overseas.
They will also not pay out in the event of lost luggage and do not include other features that are common in travel insurance policies, such as personal liability.
Some providers offer travel accident insurance sometimes for free but this is not as comprehensive as full medical cover offered through standalone travel insurance policies.
Accident insurance covers accidental death or an accident resulting in permanent injury such as loss of limb or sight. But hospital treatment for less serious conditions is not covered.
There is one card that offers comprehensive travel insurance, including medical cover. This the Platinum card from American Express, which comes with a fee of £575 a year.
But this is a charge card, not a credit card. The difference is that, unlike with a credit card, the customer has to pay the entire balance each month.
Paying For Holidays On A Credit Card
Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act gives Britons a good chance of getting their money back if the trip does not go ahead as planned.
If you have booked a holiday or flights costing between £100 and £30,000, and paid either a deposit or the full price on your credit card, you should be able to make a claim if:
- The airline goes bust
- The holiday company goes bust
- Or the holiday isnt as described.
The good news is that you dont have to pay for the cost of the entire holiday on a credit card to be covered by Section 75.
Even if you just put a small deposit on a credit card and want to pay the rest in cash or using a debit card, you are still entitled to a full refund if something goes wrong.
The key is to fund part of the holiday using a credit card. This could be just a £50 holding deposit.
There is no minimum amount that needs to be paid on a card, as long as the cash price of the product is between £100 and £30,000.
But not all situations are covered by Section 75, as discussed below.
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The Blue Cash Preferred Card From American Express
While the Blue Cash Preferred card does have a $95 annual fee, it has the same travel benefits as the Blue Cash Everyday card.
- Car rental loss and damage insurance: When you use the Blue Cash Preferred card to pay for your rental and turn down the rental companys coverage, youll get free secondary car rental loss and damage insurance. Youll get up to $50,000 worth of coverage to repair or replace the vehicle.The plan does not provide personal liability coverage, personal injury protection, or uninsured/underinsured coverage. Coverage is worldwide except for vehicles in Australia, Italy, New Zealand, and any country on the Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned country list.
- Global Assist Hotline: If you are traveling more than 100 miles from your home, you can get help with medical referrals, legal referrals, or emergency passport replacement. There is no charge to use the hotline, but you do have to pay a fee for any services provided by third parties.
#1 Cash Back at Supermarkets
Card Details
- Earn a $300 statement credit after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 6 months
- 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets and on U.S. streaming services, 3% at U.S. gas stations and on eligible transit, and 1% on other purchases
- Intro purchase 0% offer: 0% for 12 months then 13.99% to 23.99%
- Terms apply
Do I Need Additional Travel Insurance

Even with the coverage listed above, some credit cards offering travel insurance benefits may not provide enough insurance for your needs. For example, if you have paid $10,000 for a vacation using your card and trip cancellation is not offered, you may want to purchase additional coverage. Likewise, if you book a very expensive trip but your card only covers $10,000 in trip cancellation coverage, you may want to consider additional coverage.
American Express offers full travel insurance options through AmEx Assurance. This specific benefit is available to all travelers and does not require an American Express card. You can pick and choose the coverage you want, and a quote will be processed based on your age, trip expense and days traveling.
For example, here’s what we found when requesting insurance for a two-day trip that costs $1,000. You can decide what coverage you’d like and see the full cost of your options:
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The quote we received covered 100% reimbursement for cancellation, then offered different levels for other types of coverage.
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Medical protection was available for $25,000 to $100,000.
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Travel accident protection was available for $250,000 to $1,500,000.
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Baggage protection was available for up to $500 to $2,500.
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Trip delay coverage was offered for $150 to $1,000 per day, depending on selecting basic, silver, gold or premium options.
When renting a car, be sure to check the specific requirements of your credit card, which may vary by location and type of vehicle.
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Emergency Medical And Dental Benefit
With emergency medical and dental benefit, you can be reimbursed for up to a specified amount of medical expenses if you or your immediate family members become sick or injured while traveling. Here’s what you should know:
- Coverage includes ambulance services, drugs, medicine and therapeutic services.
- You must use the respective card for your travel expenses, such as airfare, hotel, rental car and any other applicable costs.
How To Make Sure Your Next Trip Is Covered
With so many credit card travel insurance protections and the many nuances to each benefit, youll want to first consult with your credit card company to find out the exact coverage terms on your card. You might find that youll only be covered if your trip is over a certain number of miles from your home or a minimum number of days away and in some cases, even a maximum number of days.
Some credit cards also require that you pay for the trip entirely with your credit card, while other cards allow you to just put a portion of the trip on the respective card. In some cases, the rules can even differ across protections on the same card. But if you only need to put a portion of the trip cost on your card to be covered, you could use points or miles to pay for your trip and just put the taxes on the card.
With the coronavirus pandemic dragging into 2021, its likely that travel may be touch and go for at least a portion of the upcoming year, and youll want to be protected if you have unanticipated issues before or during your trip. So before you book your 2021 travel, make sure you know what travel insurance protections are important to you, and use a credit card that will cover you in case the worst happens.
Looking for a new credit card? Check out CNN Underscoreds list of the best credit cards of 2021.
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How Much Does Travel Insurance Cost With The Amex
The cost of travel insurance with American Express will depend on a number of factors, such as the type of cover you require, the duration of your trip, any pre-existing medical conditions, and so on. However, to give you an indication of costs, we got a few example quotes:
ANNUAL MULTI-TRIP, WORLDWIDE A COUPLE IN THEIR 50S
Annual Select: Policy cost = £168.29 Medical cover = £10,000,000 Cancellation = £5,000 Excess = £50
Annual Prestige : Policy cost = £563.67 Medical cover = £15,000,000 Cancellation = £12,500 Excess = £50
Annual Prestige : Policy cost = £704.59 Medical cover = £15,000,000 Cancellation = £12,500 Excess = £50
SINGLE TRIP TO SPAIN, 2 WEEKS ONE 34YR OLD WOMAN TRAVELLING SOLO Policy cost = £27.75 Medical cover = £10,000,000 Cancellation = £3,000 Excess = £50
All customers buying their policies online will enjoy a 20% discount.
Get a quote tailored to your needs here.
Is Credit Card Travel Insurance Any Good
Yes. For most travelers with no irregular conditions, credit card travel insurance will serve you well in case of any interruptions or delays. However, those who have pre-existing conditions should be wary as credit card travel insurance will not offer you coverage. Or, if you’re looking for coverage specifically related to the coronavirus, you’ll need to purchase additional travel insurance ideally one with cancel-for-any-reason coverage.
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American Express Everyday Preferred
With a relatively low $95 annual fee, you can use the Everyday Preferred card to earn 3X points at U.S. supermarkets , 2X at U.S. gas stations and AmexTravel.com, and 1X on all other eligible purchases.
Youll also get perks like:
- Baggage insurance: Use your card to pay for your entire fare on a common carrier to receive up to $1,250 in coverage for your lost, stolen, or damaged checked or carry-on bags. High-risk items, such as sporting equipment or electronics, will receive a maximum benefit of $250.
- Car rental loss and damage insurance: Decline the car rental companys coverage and pay for the entire rental with your American Express card to get secondary car rental loss and damage insurance. The policy will pay a benefit of up to $50,000 to repair or replace a rental vehicle. Not all vehicles qualify for coverage cargo vans, limousines, and antique cars are not eligible.
- Global Assist Hotline: If you are more than 100 miles from home, you can contact the Global Assist Hotline for help with issues like locating translation services or getting a medical referral. The hotline is free, but youll have to pay for any third-party services provided.
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Chase Sapphire Reserve: Best Overall For Travel Protections
If travel insurance is one of your top priorities when it comes to a credit card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve is the best choice out there. In fact, its the only card that offers all seven types of coverage mentioned in the chart above. And across those categories, it offers top-of-the-line insurance and generous reimbursement caps.
Where this card really stands out is in its trip delay coverage. If your mode of transportation is delayed for six hours or more, the coverage kicks in immediately. On many credit cards that offer this protection, the coverage doesnt apply until your transportation is delayed for 12 hours or more or only when it requires an overnight stay.
So if you were supposed to fly out in the morning, but your flight gets delayed seven hours to late in the afternoon, the Chase Sapphire Reserve will cover food for you in the interim, along with your traveling spouse or domestic partner and all traveling dependents under the age of 22. That could save you quite a bit of money on expenses you werent planning for.
Related: Is the Chase Sapphire Reserve worth the increased annual fee?
And while its a benefit you hope you never have to use, the Sapphire Reserve will insure you for up to $1,000,000 in the case of accidental death or dismemberment. Every other card on our list that offers this coverage only insures you to up to half the amount.
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How Good Is The Travel Insurance Provided By Amex Cards
American Express offers a solid range of travel insurance protection across its credit cards, with the premium cards providing the most coverage. However, if you need insurance benefits with higher limits, we recommend purchasing a . If you only need emergency medical coverage, there are policies that provide that as well.
Business And Corporate Cards

For American Express Business and Corporate Card Members, activation and eligibility policies may be slightly different:
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Trip Delay Insurance On Amex Cards
In January of 2020, American Express also rolled out an upgraded trip delay insurance benefit for many of its top rewards credit cards. While this perk may seem like an unusual one, there are so many scenarios where trip delay coverage could help you save money and avoid surprise expenses when travel is delayed beyond your control.
With trip delay coverage from Amex, you can be reimbursed for up to $500 per trip for hotel stays, meals, and other miscellaneous required expenses when your flight or other trip plans are delayed by more than six hours. If you’re sitting at the airport and your flight is suddenly delayed until the next morning, for example, you could use this coverage to get reimbursed for a nearby airport hotel and your dinner, then for an Uber or Lyft ride back to the airport.
To qualify for American Express trip delay coverage, you need to pay for your round-trip travel expenses with a common carrier with your credit card.
Amex cards that come with trip delay coverage include:
Again, the various versions of the Amex Platinum and Amex Centurion cards also offer trip delay insurance.
Overview Of Travel Insurance Cover Provided By The American Express
American Express is a well-known and well-established credit card provider. However, many people dont realise they also offer other financial products, such as pet insurance and travel insurance. You dont have to have an Amex card to take out their travel insurance, though some of their credit cards do offer some benefits relating to travel insurance .
American Express offer three types of cover Single Trip, Annual Multi-Cover and Gap Year/Backpacker.
Single trip cover is offered to those up to the age of 79 for trips within Europe, and up to 69 for worldwide travel. The length of the trip is limited to 93 days. You can choose to reduce your excess, or increase it for discounted premiums, and the cancellation cover is up to £3,000 per person.
Gap year/Backpacker insurance is offered up to the age of 49 for trips ranging from 3 to 24 months for European travel and 3 to 12 months for worldwide travel, except North America, Canada and the Caribbean, which are limited to 3 to 9 months. This cover includes up to £10m medical emergency and Repatriation cover, up to £2,500 for baggage cover and up to £5,000 for cancellation, as well as other optional extras.
American Express Annual travel insurance has 3 levels of cover:
Essential including up to £10m medical expenses, £3,000 for cancellation, £1,500 for baggage, £2m personal liability, cover for up to 31 days per trip and 93 days all together in the year.
Right for you? Get a quote online.
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Buying A Separate American Express Travel Insurance Policy
American Express offers useful travel insurance policies with many of its . But if you arent an American Express cardmember, you can still qualify for coverage by purchasing American Express travel insurance with your own credit card.
Coverage is available worldwide, except where coverage would violate United States economic or trade sanctions. However, you must be a permanent resident of the United States to qualify for insurance.
Insurance must be purchased before your trip, and you must buy coverage for each trip you take. You can buy an insurance package, or choose which policies you want to add from the following list:
- Trip cancellation/interruption: If your trip is canceled or delayed, you can get coverage for 100% of your trips total cost.
- Global medical protection: You can get $25,000 to $100,000 in coverage for emergency medical or dental expenses, as well as emergency evacuation benefits.
- Global baggage protection: If your bags are lost, stolen, or damaged, you can get $500 to $2,500 worth of coverage.
- Global trip delay: If your trip is delayed and you need to pay for essentials like lodging, toiletries, or clothing, you can get $150 to $300 in maximum coverage per day.
Even if you have a travel rewards card that offers insurance, it may be worthwhile to buy additional coverage if your card offers low benefits or if the card only offers certain types of insurance.
You can buy a separate travel policy on the American Express website.
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Amex Offers®
Make every day more rewarding with Amex Offers.® With offers for shopping, dining, travel, and more, theres something for everyone. Adding offers to your card is quick, easy, and best of all, incredibly rewarding.14
Amex Front Of the Line®
Cardmembers can purchase Front Of The Line® presale tickets to some of the most in-demand concerts, theatre productions, restaurants, and special events before the general public.
Cardmembers can also purchase Front Of The Line® Reserved tickets from a block of seats reserved exclusively for American Express during the public on-sale period for many major events.9
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Enjoy a variety of special offers and events created just for you. From advance screenings of blockbuster movies, to weekend getaway packages and special online and in-store shopping deals, its never been easier to have an experience youll never forget.9
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Whether you need help booking your restaurant reservations or scoring tickets for a show, our concierge service is happy to assist you 24/7.5
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Be confident that youll have a place to relax or catch up on business. Enjoy a preferred discount on the Priority Pass membership and access over 1200VIP lounges around the world as a Scotiabank Gold American Express® Cardholder.6
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