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Some credit cards offer travel protections that can save you significant money if something goes wrong. For example, the travel protection benefits provided with select cards can reimburse you for expenses when your baggage is lost or delayed, when you’re stranded overnight due to a flight delay or cancellation or when you have to return home to handle a family medical emergency.
It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of booking a trip and forget to use the credit card that provides the best trade-off between earning points and getting the protections you might need. So, this guide compares the earning and protections provided by six of the top cards for travel purchases. Three of these cards even have annual fees of less than $100.
Since most, but not all, travel protections are related to common carrier travel — such as planes, trains and buses — this guide focuses on the protections related to these purchases. Unless otherwise noted, you’ll need to put some of the common carrier fare on your card in order to be eligible for the card’s protections.
In This Post
What Travel Protections Are Offered?
Travel rewards credit cards often offer the following types of travel protections. See the links below for more information on these types of protection as well as the best cards for each type of protection.
- Baggage delay protection
- Lost/damaged baggage protection
- Trip delay reimbursement
- Trip cancellation and interruption protection
- Medical evacuation benefit and travel accident insurance
- Emergency medical and dental benefit (only offered with the Chase Sapphire Reserve)
The types and levels of protection vary across credit cards. So, in the remainder of this guide I consider the merits — and missing protections — of the following travel credit cards that earn transferable currencies.
| Card | Bonus for Airfare Purchases/Return Based on TPG Valuations | Protection Notes | Annual Fee |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve | 3x points/6% | Good protection in all areas, biggest flaw is low limit for high-risk items under the lost/damaged baggage protection | $450 |
| Citi Prestige | 5x points/8.5% | Good protection in all areas, biggest flaw is failure to provide trip delay coverage when a delay of less than 6 hours causes a misconnection of more than 6 hours | $495 |
| Chase Sapphire Preferred Card | 2x points/4% | Weaker across the board than the Chase Sapphire Reserve, but good enough for most situations | $95 |
| Ink Business Preferred Credit Card | 3x points/6% | Weaker across the board than the Chase Sapphire Reserve, but good enough for most situations | $95 |
| Citi Premier Card | 3x points/5.1% | Weak in the areas you’re likely to use: trip delay and baggage delay | $95 (waived the first year) |
| The Platinum Card® from American Express | 5x points/10% | Doesn’t offer trip delay, baggage delay or trip cancellation/interruption protections | $550 (See Rates & Fees) |
Chase Sapphire Reserve
After the Citi Prestige devalued its travel protections, the Chase Sapphire Reserve became my go-to card for travel expenses. This card offers 3 Chase Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on all travel and dining purchases. Based on TPG’s latest valuations this means an effective 6% return on travel and dining purchases. Due to this return and the card’s excellent travel protections, I purchase most of my flights using my Sapphire Reserve.
| Protection | Details |
| Baggage delay | Up to $100 reimbursed per day for up to 5 days if your baggage is delayed more than 6 hours |
| Lost/damaged baggage | $3,000 per passenger, but only $500 per passenger for jewelry, watches, cameras, video recorders and other electronic equipment |
| Trip delay reimbursement | Up to $500 per ticket if you’re delayed more than 6 hours or require an overnight stay |
| Trip cancellation and interruption protection | Up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip for prepaid, non-refundable travel expenses |
| Medical evacuation benefit | Up to $100,000 for medical services and transportation in the case of emergency evacuation when on a trip of five to 60 days and traveling more than 100 miles from home |
| Travel accident insurance | Accidental death or dismemberment coverage of up to $1,000,000 |
| Emergency medical and dental benefit | Up to $2,500 for medical expenses when on a trip more than 100 miles from home |
For more information on the Chase Sapphire Reserve, check out the following articles:
- Break-Even Point on the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card
- 4 Things To Do Once You Get Chase Sapphire Reserve
- Everything You Need to Know About Chase Sapphire Reserve Perks
- Which Purchases Count as Travel With Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Sapphire Reserve?
- One Year of Earning and Burning with Chase Sapphire Reserve
Citi Prestige Card
The Citi Prestige Card was my go-to card for flights and common carrier travel until the card devalued its trip delay protection. Although the card’s travel protection benefits are still good, the card’s trip delay protection contains some concerning exclusions. For example, the card’s trip delay protection doesn’t cover cases where a delay of less than 6 hours causes you to misconnect.
The Citi Prestige Card relaunched in January 2019 with better travel earning and some changes to benefits. Here are the card’s current travel protections.
| Protection | Details |
| Baggage delay | Up to $500 reimbursed per traveler per trip if your baggage is delayed more than 6 hours |
| Lost/damaged baggage | Up to $3,000 per passenger per trip ($2,000 per bag for NY residents), up to $10,000 total for all travelers |
| Trip delay reimbursement | Up to $500 per traveler for expenses while you wait if you’re delayed more than 6 hours, if a delay of less than 6 hours causes you to miss a connection you won’t be covered |
| Trip cancellation and interruption protection | Up to $5,000 per trip for prepaid travel expenses, capped at the amount charged to the card including ThankYou points |
| Medical evacuation benefit | Up to $100,000 for medical services and transportation in the case of emergency evacuation while on a trip |
| Travel accident insurance | Up to $1,000,000 per person, must use Citi Card and/or ThankYou points for entire common carrier fare |
| Emergency medical and dental benefit | Not offered |
For more information on the new Citi Prestige Card, check out the following articles:
- Credit Card Review: Is the Citi Prestige Worth It?
- The Citi Prestige Is (Finally) Open for Applications Again, With a 50k Bonus
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is one of the best credit cards for infrequent travelers because it provides solid earning at home and on vacation. You’ll earn 2 Chase Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on travel and dining purchases. This 4% return on travel purchases is the worst of the cards discussed in this guide, but it’s not bad considering the card’s modest $95 annual fee and decent travel protections.
| Protection | Details |
| Baggage delay | Up to $100 reimbursed per day for up to 5 days if your baggage is delayed more than 6 hours |
| Lost/damaged baggage | $3,000 per passenger, but only $500 per passenger for jewelry, watches, cameras, video recorders and other electronic equipment |
| Trip delay reimbursement | Up to $500 per ticket if you’re delayed more than 12 hours or require an overnight stay |
| Trip cancellation and interruption protection | Up to $10,000 per trip for your prepaid, non-refundable travel expenses |
| Medical evacuation benefit | Not offered |
| Travel accident insurance | Accidental death or dismemberment coverage of up to $500,000 |
| Emergency medical and dental benefit | Not offered |
For more information on the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, check out the following articles:
- Credit Card Review: Chase Sapphire Preferred
- 5 Reasons Chase Sapphire Preferred Should Be Your First Card
- 5 Things To Do When You Get Chase Sapphire Preferred
- 5 Chase Sapphire Preferred Benefits You Might Not Know About
- One Year of Earning and Burning with the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
- 24 Fun Facts About the Chase Sapphire Preferred
Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
The Ink Business Preferred Credit Card is a business credit card, but none of the travel protections require the purpose of the trip to be business. This card provides similar travel protections to the Chase Sapphire Preferred, but it offers better travel earning in the form of 3 Chase Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on airfare and everything else that Chase includes in its travel classification.
| Protection | Details |
| Baggage delay | Up to $100 reimbursed per day for up to 5 days if your baggage is delayed more than 6 hours |
| Lost/damaged baggage | Up to $3,000 per passenger, but only up to $500 per passenger for jewelry, watches, cameras, video recorders and other electronic equipment |
| Trip delay reimbursement | Up to $500 per ticket if you’re delayed more than 12 hours or require an overnight stay |
| Trip cancellation and interruption protection | Up to $5,000 per trip for your prepaid, non-refundable travel expenses |
| Medical evacuation benefit | Not offered |
| Travel accident insurance | Accidental death or dismemberment coverage of up to $500,000 |
| Emergency medical and dental benefit | Not offered |
For more information on the Ink Business Preferred Credit Card, check out the following articles:
- Credit Card Review: Ink Business Preferred Card
- 5 Reasons to Get the Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
- One Year of Earning and Burning with the Ink Business Preferred Card
- Frequently Asked Questions About the Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
Citi Premier Card
Like the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, the Citi Premier Card is great for infrequent travelers since it provides great earning at home and on the road. It earns 3x points on a wide variety of travel purchases (including most gas stations) and 2x points on dining and entertainment purchases with only a $95 annual fee (which is waived for the first year). But, it features worse baggage delay and trip delay protections than the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card.
| Protection | Details |
| Baggage delay | Up to $100 reimbursed per traveler per trip if your baggage is delayed more than 6 hours |
| Lost/damaged baggage | Up to $3,000 per passenger per trip ($2,000 per bag for NY residents), up to $10,000 total for all travelers |
| Trip delay reimbursement | Up to $500 per traveler for expenses while you wait if you’re delayed more than 12 hours, if a delay of less than 12 hours causes you to miss a connection you won’t be covered |
| Trip cancellation and interruption protection | Up to $5,000 per trip for prepaid travel expenses, capped at the amount charged to the card including ThankYou points |
| Medical evacuation benefit | Not offered |
| Travel accident insurance | Up to $500,000 per person, must use Citi Card and/or ThankYou points for entire common carrier fare |
| Emergency medical and dental benefit | Not offered |
For more information on the Citi Premier Card, check out the following articles:
- Credit Card Review: Citi Premier Card
- Citi Premier: Should This Be Your Next Card?
- 5 Reasons to Get the Citi Premier Card
- One Year of Earning and Burning with the Citi Premier
- 5 Reasons Families Need a Citi Premier Card
- Lesser-Known Benefits of the Citi Premier Card
The Platinum Card® from American Express
The Amex Platinum provides an impressive 5x points for airfare booked directly through the airline or through Amex Travel and 5x points on hotels booked through Amex Travel. Using TPG’s latest valuations, this means you’ll get a 10% return on these purchases. But, there’s a reason I use The Platinum Card as a membership card and not a card for booking flights: the travel protections provided with the card are very limited.
| Protection | Details |
| Baggage delay | Not offered |
| Lost/damaged baggage | Up to $3,000 per traveler, but only $1,000 per traveler for high-risk items, must pay entire fare with your card and/or Membership Rewards points |
| Trip delay reimbursement | Not offered |
| Trip cancellation and interruption protection | Not offered |
| Medical evacuation benefit | Offered with no cap on trips of less than 90 days but excludes pre-existing conditions, no requirement to put any trip expenses on your card |
| Travel accident insurance | Up to $500,000 per person, must pay entire fare with your card and/or Membership Rewards points |
| Emergency medical and dental benefit | Not offered |
For more information on the Amex Platinum, check out the following articles:
- Credit Card Review: The Platinum Card From American Express
- 10 Things to Do When You Get Amex Platinum
- 5 Reasons to Get the Platinum Card from American Express
- One Year of Earning and Burning With Amex Platinum
- Maximizing Benefits With the Amex Platinum Card
- Who Should (and Who Shouldn’t) Get the Amex Platinum?
Bottom Line
Many travelers love The Platinum Card’s impressive 5x points for airfare booked directly through airlines — until their bags get delayed or weather cancels their flights. Sure, points and miles serve as a great insurance policy, but I’d rather save these rewards and instead utilize the excellent travel protections that come simply by using my Chase Sapphire Reserve when booking flights and other common carrier travel. Or, if you can’t quite justify the Chase Sapphire Reserve’s $450 annual fee, the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card also provides good travel protections for just a $95 annual fee.
For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum, please click here.
Featured photo by mikkelwilliam/Getty Images
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Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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