Warning: Book carefully if you have multiple Amex cards that offer travel protections
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
When American Express announced that it would be adding trip delay and trip cancellation and interruption insurance to select cards effective Jan 1, 2020, many cardholders were thrilled. Finally, select Amex cards would offer travel protections that might sway cardholders to use an Amex card instead of other cards with extensive travel protections, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Related reading: Chase Sapphire Reserve vs. Amex Platinum: Which is better for airfare purchases?
As a reminder, the following Amex cards now offer trip cancellation and interruption insurance as well as trip delay insurance when you're delayed by a covered reason for six hours or more:
- The Platinum Card® from American Express (and some of its varieties)
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card
- Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
- American Express Corporate Platinum Card
- Amex Centurion Card, Amex Business Centurion Card and Amex Corporate Centurion Card
The information for the Hilton Aspire Amex card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
And the following cards offer trip delay insurance when you're delayed by a covered reason for more than 12 hours:
- American Express® Gold Card
- American Express® Business Gold Card
- American Express® Green Card
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card
The information for the Amex Green Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Related reading: What you should know about the trip cancellation and interruption protection offered by select credit cards
As with any credit card benefit, it's important to read the guide to benefits for your card so you know the details of the benefits offered. Luckily, American Express conveniently provides links to the guide to benefits for all eligible cards online. In these guides, Amex defines a covered trip as:
A period of round-trip travel to one or more destinations other than an Eligible Traveler's city of residence at the time of departure where: (1) The Eligible Traveler departs by Common Carrier to begin the period of round-trip travel; (2) the period of round-trip travel ends when the Eligible Traveler returns by Common Carrier to the city of departure; (3) the period of round-trip travel does not exceed three hundred sixty-five (365) days away from the Eligible Traveler's city of residence at the time of departure; and (4) the Eligible Traveler charges the full amount of the cost of transportation by Common Carrier(s) to your Eligible Card. The period of round-trip travel may consist of roundtrip, one-way, or combinations of roundtrip and one-way tickets with Common Carrier(s)
However, in studying the guide to benefits, some cardholders noticed potential limitations. For example, the guide to benefits requires that "the full amount of the Eligible Traveler's cost of transportation by Common Carrier(s) is charged to your Eligible Card." Luckily, the guide to benefits further specifies:
You must charge the full amount of a Covered Trip to your Eligible Card or in combination with your Eligible Card and accumulated points on your Eligible Card or redeemable certificates, vouchers, coupons, or discounts awarded from a frequent flyer program or similar program.
A few cardholders — myself included — also wondered how Amex's new travel protections would work when paying for travel with multiple eligible Amex cards. For example, you may want to use The Platinum Card from American Express to earn five Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on airfare booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel, and then use the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express to earn 14 Hilton points per dollar spent on an eligible Hilton stay.
Related reading: Why you might want to get a premium credit card instead of purchasing travel insurance
My initial reading of the guide to benefits — which is the same for both cards — was that trip cancellation and interruption insurance would cover the Hilton stay in the case of an eligible event that canceled or interrupted your trip. After all, coverage is provided when you "charge the full amount of a Covered Trip to your Eligible Card or in combination with your Eligible Card and accumulated points on your Eligible Card or redeemable certificates, vouchers, coupons, or discounts awarded from a frequent flyer program or similar program" and an eligible card is defined as "a U.S. issued American Express Card that is eligible for coverage under the Group Policy."
However, to be sure my reading of the guide to benefits was correct while writing this piece, I reached out to Amex. I was disappointed when a spokeswoman informed me that only expenses on the card used for common carrier travel would be eligible:
Although both cards may be eligible for the benefit, coverage is only activated on the card that was used to purchase the Covered Trip. Any subsequent purchases to a different card would not be covered.
So, if you want to be protected by Amex's trip delay protection, make sure to charge all of your common carrier fares to a single eligible card. And, if you're looking to be protected by Amex's trip interruption and cancellation insurance, make sure you use one eligible card for your common carrier fares and any non-refundable travel expenses with tour operators, innkeepers and resorts.
Of course, you can use a card with higher earnings to book refundable travel expenses or those that you are okay forfeiting — but you'll likely want to put most non-refundable expenses on the eligible Amex card that you used for your round-trip common carrier fares.
Related reading:
- Is the Amex Platinum once again the king of travel rewards cards?
- Best credit cards that offer trip delay reimbursement
- What you should know about the trip cancellation and interruption protection offered by select credit cards
- What card should I use during a trip delay, cancellation or interruption?
- When to buy travel insurance versus when to rely on credit card protections
- Battle of the premium travel rewards cards: Which is the best?
- Choosing the best American Express credit card for you
- Apply for the best credit card offers using the CardMatch Tool
- The best travel credit cards
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.