Many of the benefits available on your credit cards are well-known and well-used. However, benefits such as trip cancellation insurance, delayed baggage insurance, lost baggage insurance and travel delay protection can really save the day and justify paying the annual fee.
I’m going to explain a few little-known benefits that you hope you won’t have to use but, if needed, can protect you from serious financial hardship and ensure that your family and loved ones are covered if something happens to you.
You can easily find the coverage and terms of any coverage offered by your travel credit card by doing a quick web search for the card’s updated benefits index. These benefits are not available on travel credit cards, and most standard credit cards come with travel protection and insurance.
Travel accident insurance
Commonly referred to as common carrier insurance, this policy pays in the event of death, loss of sight or loss of limbs while on board a plane, train, ship or bus that is licensed to carry passengers and is available to the public.
A few cards also have travel accident insurance that provides protection for the entire duration of the trip (up to 31 days in length) but pays less than the carrier’s normal insurance policies. To be eligible, you must pay for the entire fare with your eligible credit card.
Different credit cards have different payment tables for how much the beneficiary will receive in case of death, loss of one limb, loss of two limbs, loss of sight in one eye or permanent blindness. Coverage is often extended to authorized users on the account, spouses, domestic partners and dependent children of the cardholder on trips paid for with the card.
By default, the beneficiaries in order of precedence are spouses, children and then the estate. You can submit a letter to the card issuer to find another beneficiary.
Emergency evacuation insurance
In the past, when I traveled to places as far away as the Maldives and Fiji, I bought third-party medical evacuation insurance, not realizing that the cards I already had would have covered me. There are several important aspects of emergency insurance provided by credit cards that you need to understand and follow so that you do not mix your medical condition with the stress of financial difficulties:
- Everything must be approved and coordinated by the benefits administrator. This is who you or your friends should call if things start to look like you’re going to need help. You will not be reimbursed for anything you decide to pay yourself.
- Escape does not mean return home. If you are overseas, you will not be deported back to the U.S. Most policies state that you will be taken to the nearest medical facility that can provide appropriate care.
- Pre-existing conditions may result in your request being denied at the credit card provider’s expense. Read the full terms and benefits of your credit card to see what excludes these terms and the credit card definition of pre-existing conditions.
- The only coverage is for the cost of moving out and medical care during transit. Once you’re back on the ground, you still need medical insurance to pay for doctors and staff who provide care.
- Some cards don’t cover countries, so don’t expect to go to Syria or Afghanistan and rely on your credit card benefits administrator to take you to the hospital.
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For all relevant information, download and read the entire section of the benefits guide regarding this coverage. Here are a few cards that offer travel accident and/or emergency evacuation insurance.
Platinum Card from American Express
Platinum Card® from American Express offers some of the most generous emergency exit insurance of any card.
There is no cost limit, and benefits are extended to immediate family and children under 23 (or under 26 if fully enrolled in school). Best of all, you don’t even need to use a card to pay for the trip.
You must be on a trip less than 90 days long and at least 100 miles from where you live. The Premium Global Assist (PGA) administrator must coordinate everything to avoid incurring costs.
The benefit will also pay for an economy flight for a child under the age of 16 to be returned home if they are left unattended, pay for an escort to accompany the child if they need to take him home and take a family member to a treatment center if he is hospitalized for more than 10 years. consecutive days are expected.*
Some American Express cards offer access to the Premium Global Assist Hotline. However, anything they include will be at your expense. Be sure to read your Amex card benefits guide carefully.
To learn more, see our full Amex Platinum review.
Related: Your complete guide to securing Amex travel
*Eligibility level and benefits vary by card. Terms, conditions and restrictions apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. If authorized and coordinated by the Premium Global Assist Hotline, emergency transportation assistance can be provided free of charge. In any other case, card members are responsible for fees charged by third party service providers.
Apply here: Amex Platinum
Chase Sapphire Reserve and Chase Sapphire Preferred Cards
Chase Sapphire Reserve® offers two travel accident insurance benefits: standard carrier travel accident insurance and 24-hour travel accident insurance. The former applies while boarding as a passenger, boarding or disembarking from any common carrier. The latter applies at any time during your trip – but cannot be paid on both standard carrier and 24-hour policies.
When you use your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to book your travel, you are covered under the benefits of the card.
People who are eligible for coverage include you, and “[a] spouse, and his parents; sons and daughters, including stepchildren and adopted children; parents, including step-parents; brothers and sisters; grandparents and grandchildren; aunts or uncles; nieces or nephews; and the Domestic Partner and its parents, including domestic partners and spouses of any person of this description.”
Chase pays up to $1,000,000 for a standard carrier loss and up to $100,000 for a 24-hour policy loss based on the following table:
Other activities not covered by Chase that may prevent payment include the insured participating in an automobile or speedway race, the insured participating in any professional sporting activity for which he received a salary or prize money, diving or if the insured is traveling. or flying in any rocket-powered or rocket-launched aircraft.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve also offers emergency exit insurance. If you or an immediate family member paid for at least half of your trip with the card, you’re eligible for up to $100,000 in emergency medical expenses.
Your protected trip must last between five and 60 days and be at least 100 miles from where you live. If you are hospitalized for more than eight days, the benefits administrator can arrange for a relative or friend to fly round trip economy class to your location.
If your original ticket cannot be used, you may also be reimbursed for the cost of the domestic economy ticket. In the worst case scenario, the beneficiary also pays up to $1,000 to restore your balance.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers travel accident insurance as well, but with lower premiums than a standard carrier policy. Benefits pay up to $500,000 for a standard carrier loss and up to $100,000 for a 24-hour policy loss based on the following table:
Be sure to carefully read your benefits guide so you know what your Chase Sapphire card does and doesn’t include.
To learn more, see our full Chase Sapphire Reserve and Chase Sapphire Preferred reviews.
Related: 4 Times Your Credit Card Travel Insurance Can Help With Travel Issues, And 7 Times It Won’t
Apply here: Chase Sapphire Reserve and Chase Sapphire Preferred
United Club Unlimited Card
The premium United Club℠ Infinite Card offers travel accident and emergency evacuation insurance. Travel accident insurance benefits pay up to $500,000 for common carrier losses.
The card also has an emergency exit cover, so you can rest assured knowing that you are covered in the event of any relevant medical events. Keep in mind that United Club Infinite benefits may have different terms than other Chase cards, so read your card’s benefits guide for more information.
To learn more, see our full United Club Infinite Card review.
Apply here: United Club Infinite
Bottom line
We hope none of us ever have to worry about any of these policies, but it’s good to have peace of mind if you or your family need emergency help. This guarantee is one more reason to make sure one of these cards is always in your wallet when you travel.
The benefit guidelines for all cards are updated regularly, so make sure you don’t trash them when updates appear in the email and read the online guides for the latest terms and conditions.
Related: The best credit cards with travel insurance
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