Best Credit Cards For Travel Insurance in December 2024

Travel insurance can provide coverage against certain risks that take place before, during and sometimes even after travel. Many major credit cards offer travel protections, ranging from trip delay reimbursement to rental car insurance. But it’s important to note that the cards with the highest annual fees typically offer the most extensive coverage.

To ensure you’re covered in case of an emergency, you should familiarize yourself with what protections are offered by your card before traveling. You’ll also need to pay for your flight, rental car and other travel with the eligible card to qualify for coverage.

There are several different types of credit card travel insurance. While the types of protections and amount of coverage can vary from issuer to issuer and even card to card, there are some elements that remain constant throughout.

Here are some of the most common protections:

Travel accident insurance

This typically covers you in the event of accidental death or dismemberment while traveling on common carriers, such as planes, trains and cruise ships. Here’s what you should know:

• Who’s covered: Usually the cardholder and their family members.
• Coverage amount: The maximum benefit amount can vary widely depending on the type of injury and the credit card. For example, American Express’s coverage maxes out at $250,000, while the Chase Sapphire Reserve card may pay up to $1,000,000.
• Possible exclusions: Loss resulting from emotional trauma, mental or physical illness, disease, pregnancy, childbirth, miscarriage, bodily malfunctions, self-inflicted injuries and more.

Baggage loss insurance

Baggage loss insurance or lost luggage reimbursement covers your carry-on or checked luggage in the event it’s damaged or lost by the carrier.

• Who’s covered: Typically you and your immediate family members.
• Coverage amount: Often up to $3,000 per covered passenger per trip. Note, in certain cases, separate limits are placed on high value items, such as jewelry.
• Possible exclusions: Credit cards, travel documents, travelers checks, gift cards, cash, living plants, animals, food, eyeglasses, hearing aids, prosthetic devices, medication and similar items may not be covered.

Baggage delay insurance

Baggage delay insurance reimburses you for essential purchases, like toiletries and clothing, when your baggage is delayed over six hours by a passenger carrier.

• Who’s covered: Usually the cardholder and all covered people when all or a portion of the common carrier fare is charged to the covered credit card.
• Coverage amount: Eligible cards may offer up to $100 per day for five days.
• Possible exclusions: Some items that may not be covered include hearing aids, artificial teeth, prosthetic devices, tickets, business samples, jewelry, cameras, recreational equipment and more.

Trip cancellation/interruption insurance

Trip cancellation and interruption insurance covers you if your trip is canceled or cut short due to sickness, severe weather or other covered situations. Note, trip cancellation coverage begins the day of your scheduled departure and ends the day of your scheduled return home. Trip cancellation coverage, on the other hand, begins when you book a trip using your eligible credit card or the day that you purchase a travel insurance policy.

• Who’s covered: Eligible cards often offer coverage for you, your spouse or domestic partner and your dependent children.
• Coverage amount: Like most travel insurances, the amount of coverage you’ll receive depends on the issuer and credit card. However, some cards offer up to $10,000 per covered trip and $20,000 per eligible card each 12-consecutive-month period for cancellation insurance, and up to $10,000 per covered trip and $20,000 per eligible card each 12-consecutive-month period for interruption insurance.
• Possible exclusions: Exclusions may include trip interruptions caused by a change in plans by you or your traveling companion, failure to obtain passports or visas, pre existing medical conditions, trips lasting more than 60 days, and more.

Trip delay insurance

This travel insurance covers expenses resulting from trip delays that could be caused by inclement weather, terrorist action or hijacking, a common carrier’s equipment failure, or lost or stolen passports or travel documents. Eligible expenses may include meals, lodging, toiletries, medication and other personal use items.

• Who’s covered: Coverage will usually apply to you, your spouse, your dependent children and anyone who you purchased a ticket for using your eligible card.
• Coverage amount: Depending on the card, you may receive $500 per covered trip for up to two claims per eligible card per 12-consecutive-month period.
• Possible exclusions: Coverage may not be provided for losses that are made public or known before the departure of a covered trip, an eligible traveler’s expenses paid prior to the covered trip and loss caused by the intentional acts of the traveler.

Emergency evacuation and transportation

If you or your family members become sick or injured during your trip and require an emergency evacuation, you can be covered for those services through emergency evacuation and transportation insurance.

• Who’s covered: You and your immediate family will typically be covered.
• Coverage amount: Some cards may offer up to $50,000 in coverage for emergency evacuation and transportation, and up to $1,000 in coverage for repatriation of remains. Note, these amounts may vary depending on the card.
• Possible exclusions: Travel for the purpose of obtaining medical treatment, non-emergency services, supplies or charges, care that’s not medically necessary, experimental care and care not provided by hospitals or physicians are often not covered by this type of insurance.

Emergency medical and dental benefit

With an emergency medical and dental benefit, you can be reimbursed for medical expenses, including services administered by a doctor, ambulance services and medication, if you or your immediate family members become sick or injured while traveling.

• Who’s covered: You, your spouse or domestic partner and your dependent children under the age of 19 (and under the age of 26 if enrolled as a full-time student at an accredited university) may be covered.
• Coverage amount: Potentially up to $2,500. For example, the Chase Sapphire Reserve will reimburse $2,500 for medical expenses if you become sick or injured while traveling 100 miles or more from home. Note, you will be subject to a $50 deductible.
• Possible exclusions: Non-emergencies and care that’s not medically necessary, care not administered by a qualified medical professional, experimental care and care received in countries that are deemed unsafe for travel by the U.S. government may not be covered.

Rental car insurance

This credit card travel insurance covers theft and collision damage for eligible rental cars when you charge the entire rental cost to your eligible card.

One important distinction you’ll want to make is whether your credit card offers primary or secondary car rental insurance. Primary car rental insurance will apply straightaway, while secondary car rental insurance only comes into play once other insurance like your personal car insurance policy is charged. If your credit card offers primary car rental insurance, you must decline the insurance offered by the rental company in order to activate the benefit.

• Who’s covered: Generally, rental car insurance may apply to the card member who is also listed as the primary renter, as well as authorized drivers.
• Coverage amount: This amount can vary widely depending on the credit card and the type of coverage. For example, the Chase Sapphire Reserve offers primary coverage of up to $75,000 for theft or collision damage, while the American Express® Gold Card offers coverage of up to $50,000.
• Possible exclusions: Coverage may exclude the loss or theft of personal belongings, injury to anyone or damage to anything inside or outside of the rental card, rental periods exceeding 31 days and vehicles not rented from a rental agency. Additionally, some types of vehicles may not be covered, including exotic vehicles, antique cars, cargo vans, trucks (other than pick-ups), motorcycles, mopeds and limousines.

Roadside assistance

Some credit cards provide access to roadside assistance services — including towing, tire changing, jump starting, lockout service, fuel delivery and winching — 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

• Who’s covered: This coverage typically applies to the cardholder.
• Coverage amount: Coverage is capped at $50 per incident, four times per year.
• Possible exclusions: Roadside assistance may not be available in areas that aren’t regularly traveled, off-road areas that aren’t accessible by regular towing vehicles or for trailers, campers or vehicles-in-tow with over one-ton capacity.

If the credit card you use to book your trip doesn’t include travel insurance that’s comprehensive enough to make you feel comfortable, you may consider adding additional insurance.

No- and low-annual-fee credit cards may not offer as much or as exhaustive travel insurance as credit cards that charge higher annual fees. For example, Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express, which charges a $0 annual fee, only includes secondary auto rental insurance, and doesn’t come with any luggage protection or trip interruption insurance.

Some issuers — like American Express — allow you to add supplemental insurance to eligible cards. You can also consider general travel insurance options from travel insurance companies for more peace of mind. Here are some pros and cons of using credit card travel insurance vs. general travel insurance:

If you do run into a travel emergency or a scenario you think will be covered by your credit card travel insurance, there are two main steps to follow:

1. Gather your documents.

You’ll typically be required to provide a copy of your monthly billing statement, a copy of your travel itinerary and receipts for any expenses you incurred as a result of the incident. Other documents will vary depending on the type of claim, but could include the following:

2. File your claim.

Once your trip is over and you’re safely back at home, you can begin the claim filing process. To get started, you can also call the number of your credit card issuer’s benefits and claims departments (listed below), or file the claim online via the issuer’s or insurance company’s website (also listed below).

Beware that credit card companies have hard deadlines for filing insurance claims — so it’s important to initiate the claim as soon as possible. For example, American Express requires you to file a baggage insurance claim within 30 days of the loss.

Note, you can also log in to your credit card account online or call the number on the back of your card.

In this guide, we provide an overview of what is provided by different card issuers and the different types of coverages. We picked a variety of cards that cater to all different consumer spending profiles, whether you’re a frequent traveler or just take a vacation once per year. Not only did we handpick some of the best travel rewards cards, but we selected several everyday cards with no annual fee that also offer travel insurance benefits. However, note that these are not the only credit cards on the market that are offering travel insurance.