Best Credit Cards with Travel Insurance

Travel insurance helps you plan for the unknown, like a surprise illness or injury that requires you to turn your itinerary upside down. The hard part is that it can cost several hundred dollars, driving up the total cost of your experience. That’s why credit cards with travel insurance are a great deal and something frequent travelers should consider. Review this list of the best options to help you get started.

Quick Look at the Best Credit Cards with Travel Insurance

• Best for Full Travel Coverage: Chase Sapphire Reserve
• Best for Added Hotel Perks: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card from American Express
• Best for Low Annual Fee: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
• Best for Travel Insurance Alongside Travel Perks: United Explorer
• Best for Flat-Rate Travel Rewards Card with Travel Insurance: Capital One Venture Rewards

Top 5 Credit Cards with Travel Insurance Benefits

Travel insurance comes in many forms, including trip interruption, trip cancelation and rental car damage. Explore the best credit cards with travel insurance to learn more about the perks you can get just by using the right card to book your travel.

1. Best for Full Travel Coverage: Chase Sapphire Reserve

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers some of the most inclusive travel benefits. You’ll get trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance of up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip with a maximum annual benefit of $40,000. The card also comes with trip delay coverage up to $500 per ticket when you’re delayed more than six hours. If your bag gets lost, you can get up to $100 per day for up to five days. And if the baggage is lost completely, you’ll recoup up to $3,000 per passenger.

Travel with peace of mind with travel accident insurance of up to $1 million and rental car insurance of up to $75,000. While the card has a $550 annual fee, for those who travel regularly, it’s worth the expense.

2. Best for Added Hotel Perks: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card from American Express

If you’re looking for full travel insurance coverage, this is a great card. You’ll get up to $2,000 in coverage for checked bags and $3,000 for carry-on baggage if it gets lost for a maximum of $10,000 per trip. If something happens to you during your travels, you’ll have up to $500,000 in travel accident insurance.

When renting a car, enjoy up to $75,000 in rental car insurance. And if your trip gets delayed, you’ll get up to $500 in trip delay insurance for a maximum of $1,000 per 12-month period. Book expensive trips with confidence knowing you have up to $10,000 per trip of trip cancelation insurance and trip interruption insurance. Each benefit maxes at $20,000 per 12-month period.

3. Best for Low Annual Fee: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card

As far as Southwest credit cards go, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card isn’t the most lucrative. But its travel perks are pretty outstanding for a card with just a $69 annual fee, making it a great option even for those who only travel once a year.

It comes with baggage delay insurance of up to $100 per day for three days, lost luggage of up to $3,000 per passenger and rental car insurance up to the cash value of the vehicle. You’ll also get travel and emergency assistance services and travel accident insurance up to $250,0000. 

4. Best for Travel Insurance Alongside Travel Perks: United Explorer

Not only will you get great travel insurance through your credit card with a low annual fee, but you’ll also enjoy excellent travel perks like free TSA PreCheck. The card offers up to $1,500 per person/$6,000 per trip in trip cancelation insurance and trip interruption insurance. If your trip is delayed more than 12 hours, you’ll get up to $500 per ticket.

Enjoy coverage of up to $100 per day for three days if your baggage is delayed or up to $3,000 for lost luggage. You’ll also get up to $500,000 in travel accident insurance. The rental car insurance has some restrictions but should provide adequate coverage for the average situation.

5. Best for Flat-Rate Travel Rewards Card with Travel Insurance: Capital One Venture Rewards

For those who enjoy traveling but don’t like trying to figure out what categories offer the greatest rewards on their credit card this month, the Capital One Venture Rewards card might be right for them. The flat-rate rewards keep it simple to know how many miles you’re earning on everyday purchases. 

You’ll get basic travel insurance coverage with travel accident insurance up to $250,000, lost luggage up to $3,000 and rental car insurance that covers damage and theft for up to 15 consecutive days for domestic travel and 32 consecutive days for international travel.

For the frequent traveler, the perks are a little light. But for those who travel less frequently, it’s a great option.

How Does Credit Card Travel Insurance Work?

Credit card companies contract with travel insurance providers to offer coverage for expenses you charge to your credit card. Taking advantage of these perks is simple in that you just have to be sure you use the right card when booking your travel if you have multiple credit cards. 

You don’t need to do anything to activate the coverage. It’s simply always there when you make travel purchases, such as flights, hotels and rental cars. 

When it comes time for a claim, you’ll contact your credit card’s customer service to get the coverage you were promised. You’ll need to provide some documentation showing what happened with your trip, such as its cancellation, delay or the injuries you sustained while traveling. Overall, the process should be smooth and simple. 

Types of Travel Insurance Coverage Offered by Credit Cards

Credit card travel insurance can cover a variety of situations. Here’s a look at some coverages you might want to see whether your card provides.

• Baggage delay: When your luggage doesn’t arrive on time, you can be reimbursed expenses to offset the cost of purchasing essentials and attire for every day that it is missing.
• Lost or damaged baggage: If your baggage never arrives or arrives damaged, you can claim the cost of its contents up to your insurance level.
• Medical evacuation: Some ailments require that you return home immediately for medical care. Your travel insurance might cover the expense of returning you home.
• Medical treatment: While you hope to stay healthy during your travels, unexpected accidents and illnesses can still happen. This covers you for medical treatment and expenses during your travels.
• Rental car insurance: Protects your rental car from theft and damage. 
• Travel accident insurance: In case of death or dismemberment, this pays a benefit to you or your beneficiaries.
• Trip cancellation: When things come up and you can no longer go on the trip that you’ve paid for with nonrefundable fees and expenses, the benefit kicks in if you are canceling for a covered reason.
• Trip delay: This situation can lead to added expenses, such as meals, transportation and overnight stays. Insurance helps cover those costs as well as booking new accommodations when delays become so severe they warrant adjustments.
• Trip interruption: offers coverage for when you miss part of your trip because of covered circumstances. The coverage can provide reimbursement for unused travel reservations or prepaid portions of your trip you can no longer use.

Pros and Cons of Credit Cards With Travel Insurance

Frequent travelers should weigh the pros and cons of purchasing an individual travel insurance policy or using a credit card that includes travel insurance. Here’s a look at the pros and cons of allowing your credit card to serve as your travel insurance.

Pros

• Does not require added fees to cover your trip
• Generally comes with concierge services to help book travel
• Often includes nice perks for travel in addition to insurance

Cons

• You must book your travel using the qualifying credit card
• Travel insurance coverage limits are generally lower through a credit card than when purchased separately
• Often only provides catastrophic injury protection

How to Qualify for Credit Cards With Travel Insurance

The qualification requirements for credit cards that include travel insurance will vary based on the card. Most have stringent requirements thanks to the outstanding perks. Be sure to review the requirements for each card to see how you can qualify. As a general rule, you’ll need:

• Excellent credit of 750 or more
• Consistent and reliable monthly income
• Ability to cover the annual fee, if the card has one

How to File a Travel Insurance Claim with a Credit Card

You always hope you won’t need to use your insurance, but if you do, take some time to learn how to file a claim.

1. Know your coverage: Make sure you have coverage for the incident you’re considering claiming. Review your credit card’s benefits guide to see what is covered and what the maximums are.
2. Gather documentation: You’ll need receipts and information to file a claim. This proves the amount of your losses so be sure to keep your receipts and communication with your travel partners. 
3. File the claim with your credit card’s benefits administrator: Generally, this is a simple online form to get things started but might include some back and forth as the provider gathers information and documentation.
4. Await the decision: The insurance provider will investigate to validate the claim and review the details in comparison to the trip insurance your credit card provides. So long as you have a covered situation, you’ll get the funds.

Protect Your Finances While Enjoying Seeing the World

Traveling can be relaxing and open you up to new experiences. But it’s also expensive. Protect your investment in your travels with travel insurance through your credit card while also enjoying other travel perks these cards can provide to make travel even more enjoyable.

Frequently Asked Questions