The Best Credit Cards With Travel Insurance Perks

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Travel is one of the most exciting activities—and also the most stressful. Unfortunately, even the best-laid-out travel plans can get interrupted, delayed, or, heaven forbid, canceled. When travel gets canceled or delayed, your credit card with travel insurance benefits can be a valuable tool. Even when things go smoothly, having one of these best credit cards with travel insurance benefits can be reassuring.

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5 Best Credit Cards With Travel Insurance

Of course, some of the best credit cards with travel insurance offer better coverage than others. Hopefully, you won’t need to file a travel protection claim. But it’s nice to have this option just in case.

Maybe you want to hedge your bets against sudden trip cancellations or recently experienced an expensive travel nightmare. These credit cards with travel insurance can give you extra peace of mind.

1. Chase Sapphire Reserve

You might relish that the Chase Sapphire Reserve® earns points on travel (once you earn the $300 travel credit) and dining. Plus it offers free Priority Pass membership, Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee credit, and valuable Chase travel transfer partners. But it’s also one of the best credit cards for travel insurance.

Some travel protection benefits include:

• Trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance. Reimbursed up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per person for prepaid, non-refundable travel expenses.
• Lost luggage reimbursement. Up to $3,000 per passenger if a common carrier loses or damages luggage.
• Trip delay reimbursement. Up to $500 per ticket for essential purchases if common carrier travel is delayed at least 6 hours or requires an overnight stay
• Primary auto rental collision damage waiver. Up to $75,000 in theft and collision damage protection in the U.S. and abroad.
• Emergency evacuation and transportation. Coverage of up to $100,000 for medical services or transportation if injured or become sick during a trip far from home.

One of the most unique benefits is the primary rental car coverage. Most credit cards only offer secondary coverage where your auto insurance provider must cover any damage claims before your credit card travel insurance benefits kick in. Primary coverage means your Sapphire coverage reimburses any claim first.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve has some of the best travel insurance benefits because of its $550 annual fee. These benefits tend to have higher coverage limits or activate sooner than lower-fee travel credit cards.

Additional Reserve Perks

Chase Sapphire Reserve® purchases earn up to 10x Chase Ultimate Rewards®. Cardholders can earn unlimited: 

• 10x total points on hotels and car rental purchases through Chase Travel℠ (after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually)
• 10x total points on Chase Dining purchases through Chase Travel℠
• 5x total points on flights when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ (after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually)
• 3x points on other travel worldwide (after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually)
• 3x points on all other dining at restaurants, including eligible delivery services, takeout, and dining out
• 1x points for all remaining purchases

 You will not receive rewards points on your first $300 in annual travel purchases as the annual travel statement credit reimburses these purchases.

New Chase Sapphire Reserve® cardholders can earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $900 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Travel℠.

2. Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

You don’t always need to pay a high annual fee to enjoy extensive credit card travel insurance benefits.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card costs $95 yearly and has similar benefits to the premium Sapphire Reserve. You will notice that some of the coverage amounts are lower. Or you may need to wait several more hours before Chase begins reimbursing your trip delay-related expenses.

• Trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance. Reimbursed up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per person for prepaid, non-refundable travel expenses.
• Baggage delay reimbursement. Up to $100 per day for 5 days for baggage delays over 6 hours with common carrier travel.
• Trip delay reimbursement. Up to $500 per ticket for essential purchases if common carrier travel is delayed at least 12 hours
• Primary auto rental collision damage waiver. Up to $75,000 in theft and collision damage protection in the U.S. and abroad.

These Chase Sapphire Preferred benefits and travel perks make this one of the best credit cards for international travel.

Another option is that you can transfer your points to airline and hotel partners on a 1:1 basis through through Chase Travel℠. Your points are worth 25% more when redeemed for award travel on Chase.

Additional Preferred Perks

The Chase Sapphire Preferred earns unlimited:

• 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠ (excluding hotel purchases that qualify for the $50 Anniversary Hotel Credit)
• 3x points on dining (including eligible delivery services, takeout, and dining out)
• 3x points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target®, Walmart®, and wholesale clubs)
• Also 3x points on select streaming services
• 2x points on all other travel purchases
• 1x point per $1 spent on all non-bonus purchases 

There is a $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit. It comes in the form of a statement credit that will automatically be applied to your account when your card is used for hotel accommodation purchases made through the Ultimate Rewards program, up to an annual maximum accumulation of $50.

Plus, on each account anniversary, you’ll earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year. So, if you spend $25,000 on purchases, you’ll get 2,500 bonus points.

New Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card cardholders can earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s worth $750 when redeemed through Chase Travel℠.

Along with the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred often gets listed from both experts and consumers to be one of the best travel credit cards available. Read our post comparing the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Capital One Venture Credit Cards to learn more.

3. The Platinum Card from American Express

The Platinum Card® from American Express offers these travel coverage benefits:

• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance. Up to $10,000 per covered trio and $20,000 per card in a 12-month period.
• Trip delay insurance. Up to $500 per trip and two claims per 12 consecutive months.
• Lost baggage insurance. Up to $3,000 per covered person when checked or carry-on baggage is lost or damaged. Amex reimburses up to $10,000 per trip when you have multiple travel companions.
• Secondary rental car collision damage waiver. Up to the actual cash value of the rental vehicle for theft or damage to rental vehicles.
• Premium roadside assistance. Complimentary tows, battery service, and flat tire assistance for most personal vehicles in the United States.

The American Express travel insurance benefits aren’t the most valuable in comparison to some of the other best premium credit cards.

But the many Platinum Card benefits can help you maximize each trip. If your flight gets delayed, for instance, you can try passing the time in an airport lounge using your Global Lounge Collection membership. However, it’s still a good idea to purchase a separate travel insurance policy if you want to protect an expensive trip.

Some Platinum Perks

Cardholders earn 5x Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel, up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year, and earn 5x Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.

This is one of the best miles credit cards.

Get the full details and learn more in our in-depth The Platinum Card from American Express review.

Welcome Bonus Offer

New The Platinum Card® from American Express cardmembers can earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $8,000 on purchases on their new Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. 

The annual fee is $695 (See Rates & Fees) but can be offset with the perks, which are valued at over $1,400.

4. United Explorer Card

The United℠ Explorer Card has some of the most impressive travel insurance benefits for a co-brand airline rewards card. This United credit card has the following travel protections:

• Trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance. Reimbursed up to $1,500 per person and $6,000 per person for prepaid, non-refundable travel expenses.
• Baggage delay reimbursement. Up to $100 per day for 3 days for baggage delays over 6 hours with common carrier travel.
• Trip delay reimbursement. Up to $500 per ticket for essential purchases if common carrier travel is delayed at least 12 hours
• Primary auto rental collision damage waiver. Up to the actual cash value of the rental vehicle in theft and collision damage protection in the U.S. and abroad.

Your United travel benefits include complimentary Premier Upgrades on award tickets (when available), two one-time United Club passes each year, priority boarding, and 25% back on United® inflight purchases.

Tip: If you are interested in airline-specific credit card perks, check out our post on the best airline miles credit cards. You’ll find free bags, priority boarding, mile-earning opportunities, and more.

New United℠ Explorer Card cardholders can earn 50,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.

Plus, there’s a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95.

5. Ink Business Preferred Credit Card

If you travel for business, you should also consider the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card. The annual fee is $95.

• Trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance. Reimbursed up to $5,000 per trip when a trip is canceled or shortened due to weather, personal illness, or other covered reasons.
• Primary auto rental collision damage waiver. Up to the actual cash value of the rental vehicle in theft and collision damage protection in the U.S. and abroad. The car must be rented for business purposes.

Your first $150,000 in combined travel and select business purchases can earn 3 Ultimate Rewards points per $1 spent. The points are worth 1.25 cents when booking award travel with Chase. Alternatively, you can transfer them to the various 1:1 airline and hotel transfer partners like United, British Airways, and Southwest Airlines.

New Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card cardholders can earn 120k bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $1,200 cash back or $1,500 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Travel℠.

This is one of the best small business credit cards.

Cardholders can redeem points for cash back, gift cards, travel, and more (points are worth 25% more when redeemed for travel through Chase Travel℠). Points don’t expire as long as the account is open. Additionally, cardholders get fraud protection and zero liability. Purchase protection covers new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft, up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account. 

Two Other Options

The two no-annual-fee Chase Ink business credit cards — Ink Business Cash® Credit Card and Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card — both provide primary rental car collision damage waiver coverage. This perk is a novelty for credit cards with an annual fee. If you rent cars for business trips regularly, getting an Ink business card can be one of the best “insurance policies” you can get for your business.

Credit Card Travel Insurance Terms and Conditions

With any credit card, make sure you read the travel insurance terms and conditions before booking or submitting a claim.

For starters, the entire travel purchase must usually be made with that card to qualify for reimbursement. You may also need to see if the travel provider offers compensation before you can submit a claim with your credit card provider.

You might still purchase standalone travel insurance as an extra safety net. These policies insure the trip regardless of which credit card(s) you use to book your travels.

Summary

In conclusion, the built-in travel protection benefits are an effortless way to get extra peace of mind when you travel. They can save you money as you will not need to buy add-on travel insurance for your less expensive trips. Additionally, the benefit payouts can be worth a lot more than the annual fee if you end up filing a claim.

Related Articles:

• Best Chase Credit Cards Guide
• The Best Credit Cards for Excellent Credit
• Guide to Different Types of Credit Cards

For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please click here.

Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.