Credit Card Travel Protection

[kjg46]

I recently viewed a story on TV about travel protection benefits included on many credit cards. I checked one of my own, Chase United Plus Explorer Card and found the following on their web site.

Travel Protection Benefits, Baggage Delay Insurance , Lost Luggage reimbursement, Trip delay Reimbursement, Trip Cancellation/Trip Interruption Insurance, Travel Accident Insurance and auto rental Collision damage Waiver. We always purchase travel insurance for our cruises. Has anyone ever used their credit card travel insurance to file a claim for losses etc. incurred during their cruise. Also, I wonder if you could use your credit card travel benefits in conjunction or an addition to, your cruise insurance?

[floridalover5623]

It sound tempting but what about the most important item- emergency medical evacuation? It can be $50K.

The rest of the other things I'm willing to eat, including the cost of the cruise itself.

[Kamloops50]

I recently viewed a story on TV about travel protection benefits included on many credit cards. I checked one of my own, Chase United Plus Explorer Card and found the following on their web site.

Travel Protection Benefits, Baggage Delay Insurance , Lost Luggage reimbursement, Trip delay Reimbursement, Trip Cancellation/Trip Interruption Insurance, Travel Accident Insurance and auto rental Collision damage Waiver. We always purchase travel insurance for our cruises. Has anyone ever used their credit card travel insurance to file a claim for losses etc. incurred during their cruise. Also, I wonder if you could use your credit card travel benefits in conjunction or an addition to, your cruise insurance?

 

A lot of that coverage is if you pay the trip with that one card. If you pay with multiple cards you aren't covered. Some of these coverage like lost baggage only cover $200 USD per trip not per bag.

Edited January 14, 2017 by Kamloops50

[shoreham01]

It is always best to phone the insurance company and ask these questions including if they cover cruise travel. I seem to remember some don't. Our insurance is with our bank account. One thing you really must do is tell them of any medical issues you have or have had. I drive ours mad as I always tell them even if it is just to remove a cyst which they don't really need to know. That way they cannot come back to you and say 'you never told us of this procedure/illness so you are not covered'.

[pcur]

I find the travel insurance with our Chase Sapphire card to be pretty good.

 

Medical evacuation insurance can be purchased separately for 12 months of coverage. So, if you travel more than once a year, it's a good deal.

 

Check your regular health insurance for coverage out of the US. Most do, but standalone Medicare, or low benefit Medicare supplemental policies don't cover outside the US. However, Senior Advantage coverage that is integrated with Medicare does cover outside the US.

 

If your health insurance is pay/then get reimbursed, it's good to keep a high credit limit card with you. We have a Chase Southwest Visa with a high credit limit that we never use, pay the annual fee, and always take it with us when we travel. It's cheaper than buying individual travel insurance for each trip we take, since our health insurance reimburses anywhere in the world.

[checkitallout]

We use the credit card for the travel insurance with the addition of buying insurance for a trip with 0 cost. This gives medical and evacuation, and is super reasonably priced. From my questioning, some of the higher cost cards will cover evacuation- but I'm afraid to trust it- and we need medical anyway since medicare doesn't cover out of the country. You just have to decide if the medical needs to be primary or secondary- depending on your own insurance. I look at several parts of the policy as I price it- length of time for pre-existing conditions, medical coverage amount, and medivac coverage. There are websites that will give you quotes on multiple policies.

[Babr]

None of this really answers the OP's original question as no one has relayed any first-hand experience with using credit card insurance. I don't have any experience either, but -like others- I have thought about it. Here are some factors to consider.

 

Credit card insurance will cover cancellation and other travel related expenses but not medical. However it will not pay if you have a pre-existing condition. Be sure you understand what that means. Any doctor visit that diagnoses, treats, or changes medication for a condition that later causes you to cancel is considered pre-existing. Call your credit card company for an explanation.

 

Check to see how it reimburses for using points or frequent flyer miles if that applies to you. Otherwise the dollar limits can be as high as $10,000 for non-refundable expenses. Also check to see if the entire cost of the trip has to be charged to the card.

 

As for medical, check your regular medical insurance. Medicare supplements often have a $50,000 lifetime limit for out of country expenses. For any kind of standard insurance check to see if it reimburses at out-of-network rates. Instead of 80/20, it could be 60/40, which could leave you with a hefty out of pocket expense depending on the nature of the treatment required if you were to get ill or have an accident.

 

Price out a medical only policy against a comprehensive travel policy which covers cancellation, medical, and evacuation.

 

If you are not going to Europe or some exotic distant land, credit card insurance might be an option. I've never been willing to try it, but I also would like to hear for someone who has.

Edited January 14, 2017 by Babr

[easyboy]

Our travel insurance broker takes into consideration what our credit card covers and its limits before suggesting which plan of a third party insurance to take.

 

 

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[jdavid]

Your question is a good one but difficult to answer. No one answer applies to all. Policies and clauses are as numerous as clients. We had Cruise and Flight issues about 7 years ago and we were covered by a policy we purchased through our travel agent. Extra flights, hotels and food added up to over a $5000. None of this was medical related.

 

Now that we book our own cruises and make our own arrangements we supplement our Gold credit card policies with an additional medical policy.

 

On our upcoming back to back cruise, we covered our trip through Princess insurance for the first time.

 

As to specific examples on card related coverage, we did have a rental car accident once (damages $10,000) and our gold card took care of everything.

[lstone19]

I find the travel insurance with our Chase Sapphire card to be pretty good.

 

 

 

Which Chase Sapphire card? There are two now. The Chase Sapphire Reserve, introduced less than six months ago, includes $100K evacuation and $2.5K emergency medical. With that, I'm tempted to do our next cruise without other insurance although I'd like more, particularly on the emergency medical. It also covers cancellation, delay, etc. I'd like to find a policy that lets me add additional evacuation and medical without getting and paying for the other stuff which we won't need.

 

 

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[chamima]

For medical check out Blue Cross Global Geo Blue.

 

It's a yearly policy for travel and you have to have regular health insurance but if you travel several times a year it's a bargain.

[cactusrose]

A lot of that coverage is if you pay the trip with that one card. If you pay with multiple cards you aren't covered. Some of these coverage like lost baggage only cover $200 USD per trip not per bag.

 

Actually, you are covered up to the amount to charge on that card. I've called several times and gotten the same answer. If the cruise is $2,000 and you charged $1,000 to that card, then you are covered for $1,000. The United Explorer card coverage is a max of $10,000 per person and has the same 60 day look back period that you have with Princess insurance for pre-exisitng conditions. The new Costco card covers up to $3,000 per person and doesn't have a pre-existing condition clause. The only problem is you are not covered for medical or evac with either of these cards.

 

From the Chase Guide to Travel. "Covered Trip means any pre-paid tour, trip or vacation when some portion of the cost for such travel arrangements less any redeemable frequent flyer miles, points, coupons or certificates, or other types of redeemable Rewards has been charged to your Account"

[geoherb]

I got reimbursed from my credit card for the amount not refunded under HAL's insurance for a cruise canceled last August. My medical condition was previously undiagnosed, but I reread the info on my credit card's website and there doesn't appear to be an exception for preexisting conditions. I also got reimbursed for the nonrefundable hotel room on Hotwire. That was a few months after I canceled because Hotwire strung me along with hopes of getting a refund or credit with it. I would have been a lot happier with Hotwire if the reps hadn't made me jump through so many hoops and then getting turned down.

[chamima]

I got reimbursed from my credit card for the amount not refunded under HAL's insurance for a cruise canceled last August. My medical condition was previously undiagnosed, but I reread the info on my credit card's website and there doesn't appear to be an exception for preexisting conditions. I also got reimbursed for the nonrefundable hotel room on Hotwire. That was a few months after I canceled because Hotwire strung me along with hopes of getting a refund or credit with it. I would have been a lot happier with Hotwire if the reps hadn't made me jump through so many hoops and then getting turned down.

 

 

 

Can I ask what card this was?

 

 

 

On another note - on the advice of people on this board we got a Chase Sapphire Card (along with the Global Geo Blue ).

The wording on their info says that if I charge any part of a trip on that card that I am covered for losses up to a certain amount. The amount covered seems to be fixed NO MATTER how much of the trip is charged on that card.

CactusRose says we're only covered up to how much is actually on that card but I did extensive research and that wasn't what I found.

Anyone have any experience?

[lstone19]

On another note - on the advice of people on this board we got a Chase Sapphire Card (along with the Global Geo Blue ).

 

There are two different Chase Sapphire cards - Preferred and Reserve - so just saying "Chase Sapphire" doesn't fully identify the card. Both include the "normal" travel protections (cancellation, delay, etc.) but only Reserve includes evacuation and emergency medical, some other perks, and the "normal" protections have higher limits. Rewards are somewhat more generous for Reserve.

 

OTOH, the Preferred annual fee is $95 with no charge for additional users while Reserve is $450 with a charge for additional users. But for that extra $355, your first $300 of travel purchases in a calendar year are automatically rebated (so net $55 more) and the added protections and rewards more than make up for the remaining $55.