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Travel insurance helps you get your money back when things go wrong with your trip. And it remains a debate: Do you really need it, and is it worth it?
Personally, I’ve often skipped travel insurance, preferring to put the extra money toward my trip. Yet as I pulled into the airport after a winter ski trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in my SUV rental, a snowplow kicked up a rock and a crack extended across the windshield. And just like that, I got in the dreaded rental car accident.
Thankfully, I had rented my car with my Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, which covered rental car windshield reimbursem*nt. Note that I had also specifically opted out of the car rental's insurance coverage offered at the counter, which is a requirement in order to allow my credit card coverage to kick in. Terms apply.
» Learn more: The best travel credit cards right now
A number of credit cards provide various types of travel insurance (including trip cancellation, trip interruption and car rental loss and damage insurance) when you use your card to pay for flights, rental cars and other travel expenses. So do you need additional travel insurance? Maybe not.
What does your travel insurance cover?
First, let’s look at the different types of coverage that your credit card may offer to help protect your trip, from your bags to your rental car to your health.
Baggage delay. If your luggage doesn’t arrive when you do, you may receive a reimbursem*nt to offset the costs of having to purchase new attire and other items you may need. The length of delay required and the coverage offered varies by card.
Lost/damaged baggage. If your bags are lost or damaged by a carrier, or items have been stolen from your baggage, your provider may provide monetary compensation.
Trip delay. If your trip on a common carrier is delayed, you may receive monetary compensation to help cover meals, hotels, transportation and necessary purchases up to a certain amount per ticket.
Trip cancellation. If you need to cancel a prepaid, nonrefundable trip, you may receive compensation to offset the lost funds. This benefit generally applies to cancellations for covered reasons, which vary by card.
Trip interruption. If you miss a portion of your trip due to a covered reason, this benefit will reimburse you for any unused, prepaid, nonrefundable reservations (i.e., excursions, hotel nights).
Medical treatment. If you are hurt while traveling and require medical treatment, medical expenses may be covered up to a certain dollar amount.
Medical evacuation. If your illness or injury requires you to return home immediately for care, the insurance coverage through your card may cover the costs.
Travel accident insurance. In the case of accidental death or dismemberment, your credit card may provide coverage to you or to your beneficiary
Rental car insurance. This coverage provides protection to your rental car against theft and damage. Coverage may be primary or secondary to your personal auto insurance, depending on the card.
» Learn more: Should you insure your cruise?
Popular credit cards with travel insurance
Some of the best travel rewards cards include various forms of travel insurance. These are a few of our favorite cards that offer certain types of coverage. If you have a different travel rewards card, it’s a good idea to check the benefits of your card before assuming that it either does or doesn’t have any of the coverage listed here.
1. Chase Sapphire Reserve®
NerdWallet rating
Trip cancellation: Up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip. Maximum benefit of $40,000 per 12-month period.
Trip interruption: Up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip. Maximum benefit of $40,000 per 12-month period.
Trip delay: Up to $500 per ticket for delays more than six hours.
Baggage delay: Up to $100 per day for five days.
Lost luggage: Up to $3,000 per passenger.
Travel accident: Up to $1,000,000.
Rental car insurance: Up to $75,000.
2. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
NerdWallet rating
Trip cancellation: Up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip. Maximum benefit of $40,000 per 12-month period.
Trip interruption: Up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip. Maximum benefit of $40,000 per 12-month period.
Trip delay: Up to $500 per ticket for delays more than 12 hours.
Baggage delay: Up to $100 per day for five days.
Lost luggage: Up to $3,000 per passenger.
Travel accident: Up to $500,000.
Rental car insurance: Up to the actual cash value of the car.
3. Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
NerdWallet rating
Lost luggage: Up to $2,000 for checked bag and up to $3,000 for checked and carry-on bag. New York state residents get $2,000 per bag, up to a maximum of $10,000 for all covered persons per trip.
Travel accident insurance. Up to $500,000.
Rental car insurance: Up to $75,000.
Trip delay insurance: Up to $500 per trip. Maximum benefit of $1,000 per 12-month period.
Trip cancellation: Up to $10,000 per trip. Maximum benefit of $20,000 per 12-month period.
Trip interruption: Up to $10,000 per trip. Maximum benefit of $20,000 per 12-month period.
4. Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
NerdWallet rating
Baggage delay: Up to $100 per day for five days for essential purchases like toiletries and clothing for delays of over six hours.
Lost luggage: Up to $3,000 per passenger for checked or carry on luggage.
Damaged luggage: Up to $3,000 per passenger for checked or carry on luggage.
Trip delay: Up to $500 per ticket for delays more than 12 hours.
5. Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
NerdWallet rating
Baggage delay: Up to $100 per day for three days.
Lost luggage: Up to $3,000 per passenger.
Travel accident insurance: Up to $250,000 to $500,000 (Visa Platinum and Visa Signature, respectively).
Rental car insurance: Up to actual cash value of vehicle.
Travel and emergency assistance services: Assistance and referral via the Benefit Administrator, cardholder is responsible for all costs.
6. United℠ Explorer Card
NerdWallet rating
Trip cancellation: Up to $1,500 per person and $6,000 per trip.
Trip interruption: Up to $1,500 per person and $6,000 per trip.
Trip delay: Up to $500 per ticket for delays more than 12 hours.
Baggage delay: Up to $100 per day for three days.
Lost luggage: Up to $3,000 per passenger.
Travel accident insurance. Up to $500,000.
Rental car insurance: Covers damage or theft with restrictions.
7. Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
NerdWallet rating
Lost carry on luggage: Up to $1,250 per person for carry on baggage while in direct transit to or from a common carrier terminal, while traveling on a common carrier or while at a common carrier terminal.
Lost checked luggage: Up to $500 per person while traveling on a common carrier.
Rental car insurance: Up to $50,000.
Terms apply.
8. The Platinum Card® from American Express
NerdWallet rating
Trip cancellation: Up to $10,000 per trip. Maximum benefit of $20,000 per 12-month period.
Trip interruption: Up to $10,000 per trip. Maximum benefit of $20,000 per 12-month period.
Trip delay: Up to $500 per trip for delays more than 6 hours.
Lost luggage: Up to $3,000 per passenger.
Travel accident insurance. Up to $500,000.
Rental car insurance: Up to $75,000.
Terms apply.
9. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
NerdWallet rating
Lost luggage: Up to $3,000 per passenger. For New York state residents, coverage is limited to $2,000 per bag.
Travel accident insurance: Up to $250,000.
Rental car insurance: Covers damage or theft with restrictions. Eligible rental periods are limited to 15 consecutive days in the cardholders home country or 32 consecutive days outside it.
10. Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
Trip cancellation: Up to $10,000 per trip. Maximum benefit of $20,000 per 12-month period.
Trip interruption: Up to $10,000 per trip. Maximum benefit of $20,000 per 12-month period.
Baggage delay: Up to $100 per carrier for three days.
Lost luggage: Up to $3,000 per passenger.
Travel accident insurance. Up to $500,000.
Rental car insurance: Up to $75,000.
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:
The quote we received covered 100% reimbursem*nt for cancellation, then offered different levels for other types of coverage.
Medical protection was available for $25,000 to $100,000.
Travel accident protection was available for $250,000 to $1,500,000.
Baggage protection was available for up to $500 to $2,500.
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.
So do you need travel insurance? A good rule of thumb is if the amount you could lose is more than you want to lose (or can afford to lose) if something goes wrong, get the insurance. For a list of travel insurance companies that provide online quotes, read more about how to find the best travel insurance.
» Learn more: Does trip insurance cover award flights?
Cards with travel insurance, recapped
If you are concerned about an upcoming trip and want to be fully protected, combine your travel credit card insurance with a build-your-own plan to cover what your credit card does not.
All information about the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by NerdWallet. The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is no longer available through NerdWallet.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024, including those best for:
Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card
Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express
Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
