Everyone seems to know that credit cards include some forms of travel and shopping insurance coverage, but the details are pretty vague to anyone who hasn’t studied the fine print. But when you do take the time to delve into the details, you’ll find that coverage varies widely depending on the card you have.
Here are some of the top travel rewards cards, and what their insurance actually covers.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
This travel rewards card comes with numerous insurance policies such as:
- Trip cancellation and interruption insurance - This offers you a benefit when your trip is canceled or interrupted for a covered reason.
- Auto rental collision damage waiver. This covers theft or damage to your rental car.
- Baggage delay insurance. This can offer you a benefit to cover expenses when your baggage is delayed.
- Trip Delay reimbursement. This policy can cover some expenses when your trip is delayed for a covered reason.
- Purchase protection. This covers your purchases for 120 days against theft or damage
- Extended warranty coverage. This adds a year of coverage to eligible purchases with a manufacturer's warranty of three years or less.
Related: The 6 Best Credit Cards for Roadside Assistance
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
This premium travel reward card comes with all the above coverages found on the Sapphire Preferred, plus return protection for your purchases and even emergency evacuation and transportation insurance.
American Express® Gold Card
This rewards card is known for offering 4x points at restaurants and on up to $25,000 spent each year at U.S. supermarkets. But it also includes many valuable insurance policies such as:
- Car rental collision damage waiver
- Baggage insurance plan
- Purchase protection
- Extended warranty coverage
American Express® Green Card
The American Express® Green Card also includes trip delay insurance that covers delays of more than 12 hours for expenses up to $300 per trip.
Mastercard® Coverage
The Mastercard® Black Card™, the Mastercard® Titanium Card™ and the Mastercard® Gold Card™ all offer extensive travel and shopping insurance benefits. This includes:
- Cellular Telephone Protection. Provides supplemental coverage for eligible damage or theft of your eligible cellular wireless telephone.
- Baggage Delay Insurance. This covers items for up to $100 a day (maximum 3 qualifying days) for qualifying baggage delays of more than 4 hours from the time you arrive at your travel destination (arrival at your primary residence is excluded).
- Travel Accident Insurance. Receive up to $250,000 coverage for eligible common carrier accidental death & dismemberment, at no additional cost, when you charge your entire travel fare to your eligible card for a covered trip.
- Auto Rental Collision Waiver
- Trip Cancellation and Interruption. This benefit offers you secondary coverage for a covered, roundtrip purchase when you use your eligible card. You can be reimbursed for the cost of the non-refundable, roundtrip expenses up to $5,000 per insured person if certain accidental covered events cause you to cancel or interrupt your trip for a covered reason.
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