Ben is a credit cards and luxury travel writer, an immigrant with three citizenships and a husband. He speaks English, Spanish and Italian, has a background in linguistics and languages, and travels the world for the love of it. You'll find him flyin.
Ben Nickel-D'Andrea Credit Cards WriterBen is a credit cards and luxury travel writer, an immigrant with three citizenships and a husband. He speaks English, Spanish and Italian, has a background in linguistics and languages, and travels the world for the love of it. You'll find him flyin.
Written By Ben Nickel-D'Andrea Credit Cards WriterBen is a credit cards and luxury travel writer, an immigrant with three citizenships and a husband. He speaks English, Spanish and Italian, has a background in linguistics and languages, and travels the world for the love of it. You'll find him flyin.
Ben Nickel-D'Andrea Credit Cards WriterBen is a credit cards and luxury travel writer, an immigrant with three citizenships and a husband. He speaks English, Spanish and Italian, has a background in linguistics and languages, and travels the world for the love of it. You'll find him flyin.
Credit Cards Writer Dylan Pearl Credit Cards EditorOver a decade of editorial experience across a number of publications and more than 60 countries visited have given Dylan Pearl a wealth of travel knowledge, and the tools to effectively communicate that knowledge to others. Dylan has made it his mis.
Dylan Pearl Credit Cards EditorOver a decade of editorial experience across a number of publications and more than 60 countries visited have given Dylan Pearl a wealth of travel knowledge, and the tools to effectively communicate that knowledge to others. Dylan has made it his mis.
Dylan Pearl Credit Cards EditorOver a decade of editorial experience across a number of publications and more than 60 countries visited have given Dylan Pearl a wealth of travel knowledge, and the tools to effectively communicate that knowledge to others. Dylan has made it his mis.
Dylan Pearl Credit Cards EditorOver a decade of editorial experience across a number of publications and more than 60 countries visited have given Dylan Pearl a wealth of travel knowledge, and the tools to effectively communicate that knowledge to others. Dylan has made it his mis.
| Credit Cards Editor
Updated: Jun 3, 2024, 4:10pm
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Finding the right travel insurance for your trips can be daunting. But luckily, many of the credit cards you already have may include some travel insurance benefits, so it’s always worth checking what benefits you already have before you start exploring whether or not to secure extra protections with an additional travel insurance policy.
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From minor inconveniences like having your luggage delayed to major events such as bad weather leaving you stranded, American Express credit cards pack a powerful punch of benefits ranging in coverage that you can utilize when the need arises.
Trip delay insurance will provide compensation for reasonable expenses you need to incur if your trip is interrupted for a minimum predefined amount of hours, for covered reasons like inclement weather, terrorism or hijacking events, equipment failure by the airline or even loss or theft of travel documents.
Some “reasonable expenses” include, but are not limited to: Meals, lodging, toiletries and medications, as well as personal items like clothing.
Your trip is generally covered if you purchased the tickets using your credit card extending these benefits either fully or by using a combination of points, vouchers, or any kind of frequent flyer points used to redeem for this flight.
You will receive a different benefit amount depending on the card you have, but you can only file two claims within a period of 12 consecutive months.
The following cards will offer $500 reimbursement for a delay of more than 6 hours:
The coverage is as follows: Up to $500 per Covered Trip that is delayed for more than 6 hours; and 2 claims per Eligible Card per 12 consecutive month period. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
The following cards will offer a $300 reimbursement amount for any delays in excess of 12 hours:
The coverage is as follows: Up to $300 per Covered Trip that is delayed for more than 12 hours; and 2 claims per Eligible Card per 12 consecutive month period. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
Trip cancellation and interruption insurance will cover your non-refundable and prepaid costs for your trip if your itinerary is disrupted, provided these charges are fully purchased using your card or partially covered by using miles. Insurance will reimburse you in the following cases:
The maximum covered amount for cancellation and interruption insurance is $10,000 per covered trip, and $20,000 per card for every 12 consecutive month period.
The coverage provided by your credit card is considered secondary, requiring you to file a claim with the carrier first before you’re able to receive any benefits from this policy.
The following American Express cards include trip cancellation and interruption coverage:
The maximum benefit amount for Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance is $10,000 per Covered Trip and $20,000 per Eligible Card per 12 consecutive month period. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
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Most American Express cards include baggage insurance to protect you if your bag is lost, damaged or stolen, provided that you have paid for the totality of your airfare with the credit card that extends this benefit. This protection will cover the cardmember’s bags, their spouse’s or domestic partner’s and any dependent children under 23 years of age included in the same reservation, and will extend to both checked luggage as well as carry-on bags.
Note that the coverage provided by your card is considered secondary, so it requires you to file a claim with your carrier first before they provide additional coverage for your loss.
Items like jewelry, camera equipment, sports equipment and precious metals like gold and silver are considered high-risk items and their protection is capped lower than other items. It’s recommended not to pack high-risk items in your checked luggage to reduce the risk of damage or loss. Coverage varies by card, but some premium American Express cards offer the following:
Baggage Insurance Plan coverage can be in effect for Covered Persons for eligible lost, damaged, or stolen Baggage during their travel on a Common Carrier Vehicle (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus) when the Entire Fare for a ticket for the trip (one-way or round-trip) is charged to an Eligible Card. Coverage can be provided for up to $2,000 for checked Baggage and up to a combined maximum of $3,000 for checked and carry-on Baggage, in excess of coverage provided by the Common Carrier. The coverage is also subject to a $3,000 aggregate limit per Covered Trip. For New York State residents, there is a $2,000 per bag/suitcase limit for each Covered Person with a $10,000 aggregate maximum for all Covered Persons per Covered Trip.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.
When you use your card to reserve and pay for the entire rental amount and decline the CDW (Collision Damage Waiver) at the counter you can be covered for theft or damage to the rental vehicle. Car rental reservations made with your American Express Membership Rewards are also eligible for this protection, however, if you leveraged any other kind of loyalty rewards to defray the cost of the rental, this protection is not extended.
The insurance is limited to a maximum of 30 days per rental agreement, with a coverage limit of $50,000 to $75,000 depending on your card. Coverage is considered secondary, so benefits will be paid in excess of what your primary coverage extends to you.
Most American Express cards come with car rental loss and damage insurance, and their benefits change from card to card. For a full list of the 60+ cards offering this insurance, please visit this American Express website. Common coverage for premium American Express cards is:
Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance can provide coverage up to $75,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible Card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the Commercial Car Rental Company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. Geographic restrictions apply. 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. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.
No matter where you are in the world, help is always one phone call away. Global Assist is available 24/7, 365 days a year, and can help with issues ranging from customs information and vaccine requirements, all the way to assistance with lost passports and even bail bond referrals.
While access to the hotline is complimentary, the services it connects you to may be chargeable.
Some of the premium cards offer a Premium Global Assist service instead, and while most of the services remain the same there are a few extra ones extended to cardholders at no extra cost.
For a full list of cards offering Global Assist and Premium Global Assist, check out the Amex website.
You can rely on Global Assist Hotline 24 hours a day / 7 days a week for medical, legal, financial or other select emergency coordination and assistance services while traveling more than 100 miles away from your home. Plus, we may provide emergency medical transportation assistance and related services. Third-party service costs may be your responsibility. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. If approved and coordinated by Premium Global Assist Hotline, emergency medical transportation assistance may be provided at no cost. In any other circumstance, Card Members may be responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.
All information about Centurion® Card from American Express, The Platinum Card® from American Express for Charles Schwab, The Platinum Card® from American Express for Goldman Sachs, The Platinum Card® from American Express exclusively for Morgan Stanley, Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express, American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Forbes Advisor
Each of these insurance policies are provided by different companies, so filing a claim may look different depending on who is issuing your policy. To start a claim, you can either go to the American Express Retail and Travel Benefits website to find the exact steps to follow for your card specifically or simply call the number on the back of your cards and the representative will be able to further assist you.
