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Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
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7 times your credit card’s travel insurance might not cover you
Michelle Lambright Black, Founder of CreditWriter.com and HerCreditMatters.com, is a leading credit expert with over a decade and a half of experience in the credit industry. She’s an expert on credit reporting and scoring, credit cards, identity theft, budgeting and debt eradication. Michelle is also an experienced personal finance and travel writer. You can connect with Michelle on Twitter (@MichelleLBlack) and Instagram (@CreditWriter).
January 24, 2025 • 8 min read
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Quick summary
Travel insurance is often included as a benefit with many travel rewards credit cards, offering coverage for issues like lost luggage, trip delays or emergencies.
Coverage is not universal; certain scenarios such as preexisting medical conditions, trips for medical treatment or travel to war zones are typically excluded.
Policies may require you to pay for travel expenses with the specific card to activate coverage, and trip length or recent claims can affect eligibility.
COVID-19 related disruptions and differences in coverage types between cards highlight the importance of reviewing each policy's terms.
What to consider
Coverage may be limited by how travel is paid for, trip duration or previous claims within a set period.
Preexisting conditions, travel for medical reasons and travel to unstable regions are often excluded from coverage.
Supplemental or independent travel insurance may be necessary for broader protection, especially for unique or high-risk scenarios.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed breakdown of common exclusions and practical tips for maximizing your travel insurance protections.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
Travel insurance is a great perk that comes with a number of travel rewards credit cards. If you’re traveling and something goes wrong — like lost luggage, a trip delay or an unplanned medical emergency — there’s a chance your credit card’s travel protection could save you a lot of money.
Although some level of travel insurance can be a valuable credit card benefit, it’s also important to realize that it won’t cover every scenario. Like any insurance coverage, there are times when the travel insurance that comes with your credit card might not protect you.
Every policy is different, and you’ll need to check with your card issuer to confirm specific policy details and limitations. Typically, you can find a full guide to your card’s benefits and exclusions online.
Here are eight scenarios where your credit card’s travel insurance probably won’t be helpful.
Paying with the wrong credit card
Some card issuers require you to pay for travel-related expenses (or at least a portion of them) with their specific card to be covered if something goes wrong. But if you use multiple cards to pay for your travel purchases, perhaps in a quest to score the most rewards possible, you might find yourself only partially protected.
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For example, if you pay for your flights and hotel room with your Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (see ) but use something else to pay for the excursions on your trip. In this scenario, the excursions might not be covered if your travel plans are unexpectedly cut short because a hurricane rolls into town.
However, if the second card you used also offers travel insurance, you might simply need to make multiple claims.
If you need to cancel your trip due to a preexisting medical condition, you may have a hard time getting a reimbursement with your card’s trip cancellation coverage. The same rule of thumb may apply if you need an emergency medical evacuation during your trip.
Depending on the card issuer’s travel insurance policy, there is a potential workaround here. In a situation where you didn’t know about the medical condition in advance, you might be able to make a convincing case when you file a claim.
Traveling for medical treatment
Are you planning a trip to a destination with the intention of visiting a doctor or medical facility? If so, that action hits pretty close to the definition of traveling with a preexisting condition.
When the purpose of your trip is to seek medical treatment, there’s a good chance your credit card’s insurance policy won’t cover you if a problem comes up. Instead, you might need to consider a stand-alone travel insurance policy with a waiver for preexisting conditions if you want coverage for this type of scenario.
The travel insurance policy offered through your credit card may only apply to trips of a certain length. You could run into coverage issues here if your trip is either too long or too short.
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For example, with the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see ), you won't be covered if you’re traveling for more than 60 days. With The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, travel that exceeds 365 days away from your city of residence is ineligible for trip cancellation and interruption* claims.
*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.
Traveling in a war zone
Taking a trip to an area that’s deemed to be a war zone (either declared or undeclared) can be troubling for several reasons, but one concern is canceled flights or other travel-related issues due to military or war-like situations. In that case, related expenses are often ineligible for travel insurance coverage through a credit card provider.
Whether war breaks out before or after you arrive at your destination, your card’s travel insurance benefits likely won’t cover you. If you’re traveling to an unstable location or one that has a history of unrest, you may want to consider purchasing supplemental travel insurance for added peace of mind.
Recently filed claim
Some credit card travel insurance policies have an upper limit of how much money you can claim for reimbursement per 12-month period. So, if you’ve already filed a large claim in the last 12 months, you might not be eligible to get paid for another.
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It’s worth noting that The Platinum Card® from American Express offers many of its benefits per trip, so you may not have to worry as much about this particular limit if you’re a cardholder.*
*Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
COVID-19 is often a non-eligible sickness to qualify for coverage with certain credit card travel insurance policies. Whether you have to cancel a trip, change your travel dates or quarantine due to a positive COVID-19 test result, you might be stuck paying those expenses on your own.
Both cards offer insurance coverage for trip cancellation and trip interruption. The Amex Platinum, on the other hand, only provides this benefit on round-trip travel purchased entirely with an eligible card.*
There’s no such thing as an affordable medical evacuation. CHALABALA/GETTY IMAGES
*Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
No one likes to think about what could go wrong when you travel away from home. Unfortunately, sometimes problems and even disasters happen while people are traveling. If you have the right travel rewards credit cards (and you understand how their travel insurance benefits work), you can enjoy some peace of mind.
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You could also consider adding third-party travel insurance if you want to beef up your coverage. Sometimes, independent travel insurance may cover you when your credit card’s travel insurance policy does not.
Additional travel insurance comes at a cost. The investment makes sense in some situations; other times, it does not. If you’re considering a separate travel insurance policy, it’s a good idea to compare costs, benefits and coverage limitations in advance.
Whether you choose to pay for additional third-party travel insurance or not, it’s helpful to learn about the travel protections the credit cards sitting in your wallet may offer you. Just remember to learn about the rules and limitations of your card’s travel insurance benefits. Otherwise, you might be in for a surprise if you ever need to use them.
