Does My Credit Card Have Travel Insurance? How to Check

Planning months in advance for a vacation can be a smart way to save money with airfare deals that may not be around in the weeks before your trip. One drawback, however, is you can lose most or all of that nonrefundable expense if you have to cancel the trip because you’re ill or have to deal with some sort of emergency.

If you used a credit card to pay for the flight or hotel accommodations — which is the main way to make reservations — then you may be covered if your credit card offers free travel insurance as a perk of being a customer. If you’re like me, at this point you’re probably thinking, ‘Wait, does my credit card have travel insurance?'” How to check on this valuable perk will be detailed in the article below, and we’ll also explore some of our top choices for credit cards with travel insurance.

Check Issuer Restrictions | Top Cards with Travel Insurance

Checking if your credit card provider offers trip cancellation insurance is pretty easy: Just call the customer service phone number on the back of your credit card and ask.

There are a range of travel insurance types offered by credit cards, with the actual benefits varying greatly by card. Most cards offer basic secondary rental car collision coverage and travel accident insurance, while others include more specific benefits like lost luggage reimbursment and cellphone replacement. Some of the best cards will even offer reimbursement for expenses if your baggage is severely delayed.

However, of all the travel insurance packages offered, one of the most valuable type when planning a trip is trip cancellation or interruption insurance. Like other benefits, the exact coverage of your trip cancellation/interruption insurance will vary by card, but most will reimburse up to $10,000 in nonrefundable travel expenses if you have to cancel or cut short your trip due to covered events.

Events that are considered to be covered under most plans include:

• death of an immediate family member
• serious illness or injury that prevents you from flying
• extreme weather

Not all events are covered, of course. Some cards won’t cover your if a pre-existing condition flares up or your destination becomes a war zone, for example, and the types of weather events that qualify may be limited. In some cases, you may need to provide documentation from a medical professional.

A few cards, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, and the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, offer trip cancellation and interruption insurance for severe weather.

According to the Chase website, “If your trip is cancelled or cut short by sickness, severe weather and other covered situations, you can be reimbursed up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip for your pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses, including passenger fares, tours, and hotels.”

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

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Chase Sapphire Reserve®

4.7/5.0

About this rating

Our experts rate credit card offers based on factors like rewards, APRs, signup bonuses, fees, and approval rates, with a focus on benefits that provide the best value. We also consider cardholder needs such as credit-building potential, issuer reputation, and customer service. Our ratings are unbiased, updated regularly, and not influenced by issuers.

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Ashley Fricker Senior Editor

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★★★★★ 4.7/5.0

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• Earn 125,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Get more than $2,700 in annual value with Sapphire Reserve.
• Earn 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠, including The Edit℠ and 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct. Plus, earn 3x points on dining worldwide & 1x points on all other purchases
• $300 annual travel credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
• Access over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide with a complimentary Priority Pass™ Select membership, plus every Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club with two guests. Plus, up to $120 towards Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck® every 4 years
• Get up to $150 in statement credits every six months for a maximum of $300 annually for dining at restaurants that are part of Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables.
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Coverage, Lost Luggage Insurance, no foreign transaction fees, and more.
• Get complimentary Apple TV+, the exclusive streaming home of Apple Originals. Plus Apple Music — all the music you love, across all your devices. Subscriptions run through 6/22/27 — a value of $250 annually
• Member FDIC

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Intro (Purchases) N/A

Intro (Transfers) N/A

Regular APR 20.24% - 28.74% Variable

Annual Fee $795

Credit Needed Good/Excellent

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

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Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

4.9/5.0

About this rating

Our experts rate credit card offers based on factors like rewards, APRs, signup bonuses, fees, and approval rates, with a focus on benefits that provide the best value. We also consider cardholder needs such as credit-building potential, issuer reputation, and customer service. Our ratings are unbiased, updated regularly, and not influenced by issuers.

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Ashley Fricker Senior Editor

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★★★★★ 4.9/5.0

Our Review »

• Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases
• Earn up to $50 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase Travel℠
• 10% anniversary points boost - each account anniversary you'll earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year.
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
• Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders.
• Member FDIC

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Intro (Purchases) N/A

Intro (Transfers) N/A

Regular APR 19.99% - 28.24% Variable

Annual Fee $95

Credit Needed Good/Excellent

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

CardRates Expert Rating

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

4.7/5.0

About this rating

Our experts rate credit card offers based on factors like rewards, APRs, signup bonuses, fees, and approval rates, with a focus on benefits that provide the best value. We also consider cardholder needs such as credit-building potential, issuer reputation, and customer service. Our ratings are unbiased, updated regularly, and not influenced by issuers.

See Our Review»

Ashley Fricker Senior Editor

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★★★★★ 4.7/5.0

Our Review »

• Earn 90k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 cash back or $1,125 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Travel℠
• Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases
• Round-the-clock monitoring for unusual credit card purchases
• With Zero Liability you won't be held responsible for unauthorized charges made with your card or account information.
• Redeem points for cash back, gift cards, travel and more - your points don't expire as long as your account is open
• Points are worth more when you redeem for travel through Chase Travel℠
• Purchase Protection covers your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account.
• Member FDIC

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Intro (Purchases) N/A

Intro (Transfers) N/A

Regular APR 20.24% - 26.24% Variable

Annual Fee $95

Credit Needed Good/Excellent

Another option from Chase with trip cancellation insurance benefits is the Ritz-Carlton Credit Card, which offers the same insurance protection as the cards above.

Most of the higher limits for trip reimbursement are offered on Chase credit cards. 

Only one Citi credit card — the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi — offers travel accident insurance as well as travel and emergency assistance.

Select American Express cards offer trip cancellation and interruption insurance on its credit cards. Terms vary by card. For example, The Platinum Card® offers trip cancellation insurance of up to $10,000 per covered trip and $20,000 per eligible card in a 12-consecutive-month period.

Whichever credit card you use to pay for a flight, remember its travel insurance shouldn’t be a replacement for more comprehensive coverage you can buy yourself from a travel agent or travel insurance company. Read the fine print of your credit card’s travel coverage and make sure any exclusions are covered by your own policy.