Can I get travel insurance through my credit card?
Travel protection is one of the more common perks that credit card companies offer (another one being rental car insurance). While the details and rules of each policy vary based on the card itself, broadly speaking there are three main types of trip protection available: interruption, delay, and cancellation. To be eligible for any card’s benefits, however, you must have purchased your trip with that credit card.
Interruption coverage protects you if your travel is delayed or canceled while you’re already traveling. Say you’re trying to get to Dubrovnik from New York City, and your connecting flight out of Dusseldorf is canceled. Your credit card might reimburse you for related expenses like train tickets to get you to your destination (though we hope for your sake you don’t have to train from Germany to Croatia!).Â
Delay coverage may sound a lot like interruption protection, but it actually provides a different sort of assistance: trip delay will reimburse you for reasonable purchases made while you’re delayed. If your flight out of O’Hare is delayed by a giant snow storm, your credit card might cover things like extra baby diapers, a night in a hotel, or a gourmet airport meal. Just remember to keep all your receipts!
Finally, cancellation insurance: this protects you if your entire trip is canceled before you even leave. A cancellation only qualifies if it's something out of your control — a force majeure, if you will — like severe weather, jury duty or an illness.Â
Of course, you can always buy more conventional travel insurance from a third-party. There’s a whole ecosystem of travel insurance products out there, with a lot of great options. More on that below!