travel insurance with discover card

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The Guide to Discover Card Travel Insurance

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Discover card travel insurance used to be a common benefit of many of the bank's cash-back cards. But in early 2018, Discover cut the travel insurance benefits on all of its cards (alongside benefits like extended warranty and price protection).

That means that today, Discover cards don’t offer any type of travel insurance. Instead, the bank now focuses on the simplicity of cash-back awards on its rewards credit cards .

Which other cards offer travel insurance?

Since Discover card trip insurance is a thing of the past, you might consider spending on other cards that offer travel insurance protections.

Chase cards with travel insurance

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve® offer some of the most robust travel insurance coverages available on a credit card, including trip delay protection, primary auto rental collision damage waiver insurance, baggage delay insurance, lost luggage protection and travel accident insurance.

on Chase's website

Trip cancellation.

Trip interruption.

Trip delay.

Baggage delay.

Lost luggage.

Auto rental collision damage waiver.

Travel accident.

Roadside assistance.

Travel and emergency assistance.

Emergency evacuations and transportation.

Emergency medical and dental.

Here is a full list of credit cards that offer Chase travel insurance:

Aer Lingus Visa Signature® Card .

Aeroplan® Credit Card .

Prime Visa .

British Airways Visa Signature® Card .

Chase Freedom Flex℠ .

Chase Freedom Unlimited® .

Chase Freedom® Student credit card .

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card .

Chase Sapphire Reserve® .

Chase Slate Edge℠ .

Iberia Visa Signature® Card .

IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card .

IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card .

IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card .

Ink Business Cash® Credit Card .

Ink Business Plus® Credit Card.

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card .

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card .

Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card .

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card .

Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card .

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card .

Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card .

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card .

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card .

Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Card .

World of Hyatt Credit Card .

World of Hyatt Business Credit Card .

United Club℠ Business Card .

United Club℠ Infinite Card .

United℠ Business Card .

United℠ Explorer Card .

United Gateway℠ Card .

United Quest℠ Card .

» Learn more: Does my Chase card have travel insurance?

Premium cards with travel insurance

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is another premium travel card that offers an extensive suite of travel benefits.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card includes primary auto rental collision damage waiver, trip cancellation/interruption insurance, trip delay reimbursement insurance, a $1 million worldwide common carrier travel insurance policy and lost luggage protection.

» Learn more: How rental car insurance works

No-annual-fee cards with travel insurance

While you’ll get the most travel insurance coverage from a premium travel card, some cards with no annual fee offer travel insurance as well.

For instance, the Wells Fargo Autograph ℠ Card offers basic auto rental collision damage waiver insurance, and the United Gateway℠ Card includes trip cancellation/interruption and rental car insurance.

» Learn more: The best travel credit cards right now

What types of travel insurance coverages do credit cards usually offer?

Here are some of the most common types of travel insurance offered on credit cards.

Auto rental collision damage waiver insurance covers damage to or theft of cars that you rent using your credit card. For auto rental collision damage waiver insurance to apply, you must make your reservation and pay for your car rental with a card that has this benefit. You must also decline the car rental company’s collision damage waiver. Most auto rental collision damage waiver insurance is secondary, meaning that you must make a claim through your personal auto insurance before the credit card insurance will pay. Primary auto rental collision damage waiver insurance is a benefit on some premium credit cards .

Baggage delay insurance can reimburse you for expenses you incur as a result of a temporary baggage delay . Incidentals like toiletries, clothing, chargers and medication are typically reimbursable through baggage delay insurance.

Lost luggage reimbursement covers the cost to repair or replace your checked and carry-on baggage and its contents. Lost luggage coverage is usually provided as secondary insurance and will cover the difference between what an airline or other carrier reimburses you and the amount of your loss, up to the limit of coverage.

Travel accident insurance can compensate you or your survivors for loss of life, limb or function when you book your common carrier ticket, such as an airline ticket, with your card. Travel accident insurance typically specifies a payout amount for each type of covered loss.

Trip cancellation and interruption insurance may reimburse you for certain prepaid travel expenses when a trip is interrupted or canceled for a covered reason. Trip cancellation and interruption insurance policies vary widely but usually cover at least airfare booked with your card. Some policies may cover a wide range of prepaid travel expenses. 

Trip delay reimbursement can cover meals and overnight accommodations when you are significantly delayed and you book your travel with your card. Trip delay benefits usually kick in after a certain number of hours of delays or when you are delayed overnight.

» Learn more: 10 credit cards with travel insurance

You can also buy travel insurance separately

If you aren't interested in adding a new credit card to your wallet but want travel protections, you have options.

Consider shopping for one-off plans from third-party travel insurance companies to find coverage that fits your risk tolerance and budget. A bonus of purchasing travel insurance out-of-pocket — rather than using a card's built-in benefits — is that you can customize the plan to meet your needs.

You can even add on Cancel For Any Reason coverage to more confidently protect your upfront and nonrefundable payments.

Expect to pay roughly 7% of your trip budget for travel insurance.

» Learn more: How much is travel insurance?

Should I use a Discover card for travel?

With no Discover travel protection, does it make sense to use a Discover card to book travel? The short answer is probably not.

Discover does not offer any credit cards featuring additional rewards on travel purchases. Discover does market the Discover it® Miles travel credit card, but the card earns 1.5 miles per dollar on every purchase and has no rewards or benefits specific to travel.

The information related to the Chase Freedom® Student credit card , Chase Slate Edge℠ , Ink Business Plus® Credit Card, Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Card and the United Club℠ Business Card credit cards has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuers of these cards.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024 , including those best for:

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

On a similar note...

What You Need to Know About Credit Card Travel Insurance

What does credit card travel insurance cover how does it work and what are some credit cards that offer trip protection start to unravel the complexities in this beginner’s guide..

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Whether your flight was delayed or your trip was derailed by COVID, you could recoup some of your costs with insurance provided by travel credit cards.

Photo by Shutterstock

AFAR partners with CreditCards.com and may receive a commission from card issuers. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Compensation may impact how an offer is presented. Our coverage is independent and objective, and has not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are entirely those of the AFAR editorial team.

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.

Travel can be fun and exciting, but many things can go wrong on a trip. There are flight cancellations and delays, lost luggage, and even the dreadful reality of contracting COVID away from home . Investing in travel insurance can alleviate the fear of such situations. But sometimes protections offered by travel insurance companies are ones that you already get for free from your credit card .

You read correctly. Just by charging travel to your credit card, you may be entitled to coverage that you never knew you had. As with third-party travel insurance—and basically any insurance for that matter—so many terms and conditions apply, there are rules after rules, and COVID reimbursements are a tricky topic.

The subject of credit card travel insurance is very complicated—way too complicated for a single article—yet the basics are worth knowing before booking your next trip.

What is travel protection on a credit card?

Most—but not all—credit cards provide several implicit travel insurances as benefits for being a cardholder. These insurances usually kick in when charging travel to the credit card or using points for travel through a credit card’s loyalty program. Said travel insurances are collectively referred to as travel protections in credit card literature. Typically, when searching for the travel coverages your credit card provides, you will find them lumped under a banner or heading labeled “Travel Protections.”

What does your credit card travel insurance cover?

Some of the best travel credit cards provide travel insurance as part of their regular benefits. Some do not. Depending on the credit card, you may be entitled to some compensation under the following insurances:

• Emergency Evacuation & Transportation: If you become ill on your trip and require medical evacuation and treatment
• Trip Interruption and Cancellation: If you need to cancel or cut short your trip due to specific unforeseen circumstances
• Emergency Medical and Dental Benefit: If you require emergency medical or dental services during a covered trip
• Trip Accident Insurance: If you are severely injured, maimed, or–eek–die on your trip
• Trip Delay: If your common carrier is delayed more than a specified number of hours
• Delayed Baggage: If your bags arrive late, beyond a specified number of hours
• Lost Baggage: If your bags are deemed lost for good
• Rental Car Insurance: If you rent a car more than a specified number of miles away from your domicile and experience theft or damage to the rental car that you did not cause

Again, it’s important to note that not all cards with travel insurance include all these coverages. Each is different. Moreover, if you buy third-party travel insurance , it may or may not include specific protections (and covered reasons) that you don’t already get with your credit card.

What credit cards come with travel insurance?

Remember those pamphlets that arrived in the mail when you received your credit card, the ones you threw in the recycling bin? Likely within that paperwork was a handy “Guide to Benefits” that detailed the travel insurances of your credit card. Thankfully, most of this information can still be retrieved online when logging into your credit card account or even doing a simple Google search.

In the most general sense, every credit card is unique in its benefits—and that includes travel insurances. Some cards like the Citi Premier® Card , which ranks best in class for extended warranty protection on shopping purchases and is great for earning points on travel, comes with zero travel protections. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Chase Sapphire Reserve® has the most comprehensive suite of travel protections, ranging from Medevac insurance to rental car insurance as primary coverage.

Below is a chart of six popular travel credit cards and the insurances they do and do not provide.

Within each box of this chart lies more layers of complexity. Often, you are entitled to itemized coverages only under specific circumstances known as “covered reasons.” Moreover, several cards may offer the same protection, say “Trip Delay Protection,” but each may define a delay differently (i.e., 6 hours vs. 12 hours) and then may cap reimbursements at different amounts. Similarly, while some rental car insurance policies like the Chase Sapphire Reserve offer primary coverage, others offer only secondary coverage (meaning, you’d need to go through your own regular car insurance first). On top of that, travel to specific countries may be excluded under some policies.

All this to say, read the fine print!

Where does COVID related coverage fit into credit card travel insurance?

To start, your credit card travel insurance is not an umbrella policy for COVID-related expenses. But you can find some COVID coverage within the Trip Cancellation & Interruption policies of select cards.

In the most general sense, if you decide to cancel your trip because of COVID (or civil unrest—another big topic nowadays), you will not be covered. Even the most generous of travel insurance-promoting credit cards, Chase Sapphire Reserve, states in its Guide to Benefits that “your disinclination to travel due to an epidemic or pandemic” is not covered by its Trip Cancellation & Interruption policies.

However, should you get sick while traveling, some coverage may kick in. Again, this will require reading through the fine print of your specific credit card’s Guide to Benefits. Within the Trip Cancellation & Interruption policies of Chase Sapphire Reserve, it states, “quarantine of you or your travel companion imposed by a physician or by a competent governmental authority having jurisdiction, due to health reasons,” is a covered event while the guide for The Platinum Card® from American Express (see rates and fees ) states, “quarantine imposed by a physician for health reasons” is also a covered event. What may be covered (if and when documented properly) is any prepaid trip expense charged to the credit card that you are unable to fulfill due to your illness. That means things like changing your flight home or a refund for the part of your trip/hotel stay missed after testing positive and having to quarantine. That said, neither card will pay for your expenses to stay in a hotel to recover from COVID.

Credit card travel insurance is complicated, and policies differ by card. However, it’s worth deciphering your card’s coverages to know exactly what you’re entitled to as a cardholder before booking your next trip–and to avoid redundant third-party travel insurance.

While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they are subject to change at any time, and may have changed or may no longer be available.

• Compare the Best Credit Cards With Travel Insurance
• Best for Trip Delay Insurance
• Best for Rental Car Insurance
• Best for Trip Cancellation and Interruption
• Best for Lost Luggage Reimbursement
• Best for Travel Accident Insurance
• Best for Emergency Evacuation Coverage
• Why You Should Trust Us

The Best Credit Cards With Travel Insurance in 2024

Affiliate links for the products on this page are from partners that compensate us and terms apply to offers listed (see our advertiser disclosure with our list of partners for more details). However, our opinions are our own. See how we rate credit cards to write unbiased product reviews .

The information for the following product(s) has been collected independently by Business Insider: U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card, Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card. The details for these products have not been reviewed or provided by the issuer.

A credit card's travel insurance feature may not sound as exciting as a 100,000-point sign-up bonus or a high earning rate on everyday spending — but when you find yourself in a bind, it can be significantly more valuable.

Here's everything you need to know about credit card travel insurance, along with the best credit cards offering the most comprehensive coverage.

Compare Credit Cards With Travel Insurance

Best credit cards for trip delay insurance.

Earn 5x points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1x point per $1 spent on all other purchases.

22.49% - 29.49% Variable

Earn 60,000 bonus points

Good to Excellent

• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Annual travel credit can effectively shave $300 off the annual fee if you use it
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Strong travel insurance
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Strong bonus rewards on travel and dining
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Very high annual fee

If you're new to rewards credit cards you may want to start elsewhere, but if you know you want to earn Chase points and you spend a lot on travel and dining, the Sapphire Reserve is one of the most rewarding options.

• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
• $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
• Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
• Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $900 toward travel.
• 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
• Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™ Select and up to $100 application fee credit every four years for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck®
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more
• Member FDIC

Earn unlimited 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. Earn 5 miles per dollar on flights booked through Capital One Travel. Earn unlimited 2 miles on all other purchases.

19.99% - 29.99% variable

Earn 75,000 bonus miles

• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Excellent welcome bonus and miles earning
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Premium perks including airport lounge access and credits for certain purchases
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Visa Infinite benefits including travel and shopping protections
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. High annual fee
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Annual travel credits only apply to Capital One Travel purchases

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is one of the best credit cards for frequent travelers, with top-notch benefits and a wide range of built-in protections. It comes with a generous welcome bonus and credits that can help offset the annual fee — which is much lower than similar premium cards.

• Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
• Receive a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
• Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
• Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
• Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
• Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network
• Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
• Elevate every hotel stay from the Premier or Lifestyle Collections with a suite of cardholder benefits, like an experience credit, room upgrades, and more
• Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®

Earn 1-5x points on purchases

21.24% - 28.24% Variable

• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Substantial welcome bonus and great earning opportunities, especially with mobile wallets
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. $325 annual travel and dining credit can offset most of the $400 annual fee
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Top-notch travel insurance and protections
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. You must have an existing relationship with US Bank to be approved
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Limited to a 12-month complimentary Priority Pass membership with only four free visits for cardholder (plus a guest) included
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. No airline or hotel transfer partners

The U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card is a premium credit card with benefits that have no trouble offsetting the annual fee. One of its most unique (and valuable) qualities is its ability to earn 3x points on all purchases made through a mobile wallet, so if you use payment methods like Apple Pay or Samsung Pay, you'll have no problem accruing points in a hurry.

• The information related to the U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card has been collected by Business Insider and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
• Earn 50,000 points worth $750 on travel after spending $4,500 in the first 90 days of account opening
• Earn 5X points on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Altitude Rewards
• Earn 3X points for every $1 on eligible travel purchases and mobile wallet
• Earn 1X point per $1 spent on all other eligible net purchases
• Use your mobile device to instantly redeem points for almost any purchase

Best Credit Cards for Rental Car Insurance

Limited time offer: Earn 10X Membership Rewards® Points at restaurants worldwide for three months, on up to $25,000 in purchases when eligible card member refers a friend and the friend applies by May 22, 2024 and gets the card (terms apply). Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 per calendar year) and on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. Earn 1X Points on other purchases.

See Pay Over Time APR

Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® points

• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Long list of travel benefits, including airport lounge access and complimentary elite status with Hilton and Marriott (enrollment required)
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Annual statement credits with Saks and Uber
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Bonus categories leave something to be desired
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. One of the highest annual fees among premium travel cards

If you want as many premium travel perks as possible, The Platinum Card® from American Express could be the right card for you. The annual fee is high, but you get a long list of benefits such as airport lounge access, travel statement credits, complimentary hotel elite status, and more.

• Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card®, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu.
• Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
• $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
• $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
• $155 Walmart+ Credit: Cover the cost of a $12.95 monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with a statement credit after you pay for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card®. Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. Plus Up Benefits are excluded.
• $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card®.
• $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only. Terms Apply.
• $300 Equinox Credit: Get up to $300 back in statement credits per calendar year on an Equinox membership, or an Equinox club membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you pay with your Platinum Card®. Enrollment required. Visit https://platinum.equinox.com/ to enroll.
• $189 CLEAR® Plus Credit: Breeze through security with CLEAR Plus at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues nationwide and get up to $189 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Platinum Card®. Learn more.
• $100 Global Entry Credit: Receive either a $100 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card®. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
• Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card®. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
• $300 SoulCycle At-Home Bike Credit: Get a $300 statement credit for the purchase of a SoulCycle at-home bike with your Platinum Card®. An Equinox+ subscription is required to purchase a SoulCycle at-home bike and access SoulCycle content. Must charge full price of bike in one transaction. Shipping available in the contiguous U.S. only. Enrollment Required.
• Unlock access to exclusive reservations and special dining experiences with Global Dining Access by Resy when you add your Platinum Card® to your Resy profile.
• $695 annual fee.
• Terms Apply.

Best Credit Cards for Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance

Earn 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠. Earn 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries. Earn 2x on all other travel purchases. Earn 1x on all other purchases.

21.49% - 28.49% Variable

• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. High intro bonus offer starts you off with lots of points
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Strong travel coverage
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Doesn't offer a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit

If you're new to travel rewards credit cards or just don't want to pay hundreds in annual fees, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a smart choice. It earns bonus points on a wide variety of travel and dining purchases and offers strong travel and purchase coverage, including primary car rental insurance.

• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
• 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, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
• Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel.
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
• Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024.

Best Credit Cards for Lost Luggage Reimbursement

Best credit cards for travel accident insurance.

Earn up to 14X total points per $1 spent at over 7,000 hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Earn 2X points for every $1 spent on other travel purchases (from airfare to taxis and trains). Earn 1X point for every $1 spent on all other purchases.

Earn 30,000 bonus points

• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. No annual fee
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Cardholders get 15 elite night credits toward status
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Only offers strong rewards for Marriott purchases

The Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card comes with an increased limited-time welcome bonus and good perks for a no-annual-fee card, but unless paying an annual fee is a dealbreaker for you, other Marriott cards — like the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card , Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, or Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card — are a better deal.

Best Credit Cards for Emergency Evacuation Coverage

Earn 4 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases including tickets, Economy Plus, inflight food, beverages and Wi-Fi, and other United charges. Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on all other travel. Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on dining including eligible delivery services. Earn 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases.

21.99% - 28.99% Variable

Earn 80,000 bonus miles

• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Great intro bonus offer
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. If you want United Club membership, this card gets you it for less than buying it outright
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Get two free checked bags on United
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Earns 4x miles on United® purchases
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Steep annual fee, especially for an airline credit card
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. The non-United bonus categories (travel and dining) only earn 2x miles

While a few of the best travel credit cards are great for United flyers, the United Club℠ Infinite Card is the most high-end of the bunch. Not only does it offer a full United Club airport lounge membership, but it can also help you rack up the miles for free trips quickly through everyday spending.

• Earn 80,000 bonus miles after qualifying purchases
• Earn 4 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases
• Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on all other travel and dining
• Earn 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
• Free first and second checked bags - a savings of up to $320 per roundtrip (terms apply) - and Premier Access® travel services
• 10% United Economy Saver Award discount within the continental U.S. and Canada
• Earn up to 10,000 Premier qualifying points (25 PQP for every $500 you spend on purchases)

Best Credit Cards With Trip Delay Insurance

Trip delay insurance covers you (and often family members traveling with you) for expenses like meals, transportation, lodging, medication, and toiletries. For example, if your flight is delayed by more than six hours, your card may reimburse you up to $500 in "reasonable expenses" such as:

• An Uber or taxi from the airport to a hotel
• A one-night hotel reservation
• Dinner at a nearby restaurant

I've used this benefit a handful of times, and it's saved me hundreds. Just note that you must use your qualifying card to pay for your fare — even if that means simply paying taxes and fees on an award flight.

Trip delay insurance applies to more than just flights. You're eligible for coverage whenever you book a "common carrier" — defined as "any land, water, or air conveyance that operates under a valid license to transport passengers for hire and requires purchasing a ticket before travel begins." As long as it's not a taxi, limo, commuter rail, bus, or rental car, you're likely covered.

Below are the top three credit cards for trip delay insurance. Even if you don't travel regularly, you should be using one of these cards to reserve your travel, because trip delay insurance will come in handy sooner or later.

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is the gold standard of trip delay insurance. After just six hours of delay — or any delay that requires an overnight stay — you're eligible for up to $500 in covered expenses per ticket. You and those traveling with you (a spouse and dependent children under 22) are covered.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve charges a $550 annual fee, but it also comes with valuable travel benefits such as:

• Up to $300 in annual travel credits (offsets the first $300 in travel you purchase each year with the card)
• Airport lounge access (Priority Pass Select, Chase Sapphire lounges , and the Chase Sapphire Terrace at Austin airport )
• Up to $100 NEXUS, Global Entry, or TSA PreCheck application fee credit
• Complimentary two-year Lyft Pink All Access membership

You'll also earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. That's worth $1,080 in travel, based on Personal Finance Insider's valuation of Chase Ultimate Rewards® points at 1.8 cents each.

Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card Review

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is Capital One's first premium travel credit card . It's a Visa Infinite card (similar to the Chase Sapphire Reserve®), and benefits from extremely generous trip delay insurance***. You'll get up to $500 per ticket in covered expenses after a delay of six hours or more. Those eligible for this insurance are your spouse and dependent children under age 22.

The card has a welcome bonus offer of 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. That's worth $1,275 in travel, based on our valuation of Capital One miles. In addition, it also comes with travel perks like:

• $300 per year in credits toward Capital One Travel bookings
• Priority Pass, Plaza Premium, and Capital One airport lounge access
• 10,000-mile bonus each account anniversary
• Access to the Capital One Premier Collection luxury hotel booking program
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card Review

U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card

The U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card is another one of the few Visa Infinite cards on the market. As you'd expect, it's got excellent trip delay insurance. You'll receive up to $500 per ticket in coverage for expenses like meals and lodging (that aren't reimbursed by the airline or other "common carrier") when your trip is delayed more than six hours or requires an overnight stay.

The U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card comes with 50,000 points after you spend $4,500 on purchases in the first 90 days of account opening. These points are worth 1.5 cents each when you use them toward travel. That means this bonus is worth $750. You'll also get benefits like:

• Up to $325 in annual travel credits
• Up to $100 in statement credits toward Global Entry and TSA PreCheck
• Up to 30% discount on Audi on Demand (formerly Silvercar) rentals

U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Review

You might already know that most travel credit cards offer some form of rental car insurance. It's a great benefit because it can save users significant money in the case of damage or theft to your rental. Even by renting a car for just a few days, you could save $50+ by waiving the rental agency's in-house insurance CDW and instead covering your rental by paying with this card.

Two kinds of rental car insurance come with many popular cards:

• Secondary insurance — Offers coverage benefits that are secondary to your personal auto insurance policy. In the event of damage due to theft or collision, car renters still have to file a claim through their personal auto insurance policy, and the secondary insurance is there to cover a portion of leftover costs. So, although this is a nice perk, it doesn't ease the sting of having to report to your personal insurance — often with resultant premium hikes.
• Primary insurance — Coverage for loss or damage will be taken care of by the credit card company without you having to make a claim with your personal policy. In the long run, this could save a car renter significantly on both CDW and LDW, and it could help avoid raising premiums on their personal auto policy.

Primary rental car insurance is what you want. You must pay for the entire transaction with the credit card you'd be filing the insurance under. Some cards even require that renters book the entire trip on the card, so read the fine print carefully.

Primary insurance also generally doesn't include liability, damage to other cars, damage to personal property, personal bodily injury, or injury to others. See Personal Finance Insider's guide to liability car insurance for more details on this type of coverage.

Below are the top three credit cards for car rental insurance.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® comes with up to $75,000 for theft and collision for rental cars in the U.S. and abroad.

You'll be extra motivated to make this card your dedicated car rental payment method because it earns 10 points per dollar for this expense when reserving through the Chase Travel Portal℠ . Personal Finance Insider estimates Chase points value to be 1.8 cents each when used for travel — so earning 10x points equates to an 18% return.

When booking outside the portal, you'll earn 3 points per dollar for travel including rental cars.

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is another rewards-earning monster when it comes to car rentals. Not only will you receive primary rental car insurance***, but you'll earn 10 miles per dollar on rental cars booked through the Capital One Travel Portal . You'll earn 2 miles per dollar for travel booked outside the portal.

The Platinum Card® from American Express

The Platinum Card® from American Express doesn't offer primary rental car insurance by default. However, you can receive primary premium car rental protection for a flat rate between $15.95 and $24.95 per rental period (not per day). It's not free like the other insurances on this list, but premium rental car benefits may fit your situation better:

• You'll be covered for up to 42 consecutive days, whereas most other cards won't allow your rental to exceed 31 consecutive days.
• You're insured for up to $100,000 of primary coverage against damage or theft — a higher number than several other cards.

You can enroll your Amex Platinum and automatically be covered whenever you rent a car. You'll be charged this flat rate whenever you pay for a rental with your card.

This card has a $695 annual fee — but it also offers 80,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new card in your first six months of card membership. That's worth $1,440 in travel per our valuation of Amex points. You'll also find travel perks such as:

• Up to $200 in airline fee credits each calendar year**
• Up to $100 in Saks Fifth Avenue credits each calendar year**
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit ($100 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or up to $78 statement credit every 4.5 years for TSA PreCheck®)
• $189 per year in credits for CLEAR® Plus membership**
• Up to $200 in annual credits toward prepaid hotel bookings through Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts or The Hotel Collection (minimum two-night stay)

American Express Platinum Card Review

Trip cancellation/interruption insurance protects you if you're no longer able to go on a covered trip or your covered trip is interrupted mid-travel for reasons such as:

• Your airline declared bankruptcy and cancels your flight
• One of your immediate family members dies
• There's a terrorist incident

This coverage will reimburse you for prepaid nonrefundable travel such as airfare, hotel stays, activities, etc. which you can't use (or finish). Additionally, you may be reimbursed for an unexpected flight back home.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® will reimburse you for up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip for pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses like plane tickets, hotel reservations, cruises, etc. Chase states that if your name is embossed on the card, you and your immediate family are all covered under this benefit. That means authorized users can utilize this benefit, as well as the primary cardholder.

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card can reimburse you, your spouse, and your children up to $2,000 each for prepaid, non-refundable travel expenses like plane tickets, hotel bookings, etc. This is a significantly smaller per-person payout than the Chase Sapphire Reserve® — but there doesn't appear to be a hard cap on how much you can earn.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers a trip cancellation/interruption reimbursement of up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip for pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses like plane tickets, hotel reservations, and hotels. That's part of what makes both Chase Sapphire cards excellent options for travel insurance.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is the single best beginner points credit card. Its annual fee is reasonable at $95 per year, and it manages to offer many similar travel protections as much more expensive credit cards.

In terms of return rates, this card earns:

• 5 points per dollar on Lyft rides through March 2025
• 5 points per dollar on all travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards
• 3 points per dollar on dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout, and dining out 
• 3 points per dollar on select streaming services
• 3 points per dollar on online grocery purchases  (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
• 2 points per dollar on other travel 
• 1 point per dollar on everything else

You'll also receive perks like up to $50 in annual statement credits toward hotel stays booked through Chase and a 10% anniversary point bonus (based on the dollar amount you spend).

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is currently offering a welcome bonus of  60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. That's worth an average of $1,080 in travel, based on Personal Finance Insider's points and miles valuations.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Review

If your carry-on or checked baggage goes missing — or if the airline, cruise ship, or other common carrier damages your belongings, this coverage could reimburse you up to a specified amount. Card issuers tend to price your belongings as the lesser of the following:

• The original purchase price of your items
• The actual cash value of your items when they were lost
• The cost to replace those items

You must pay for your trip with an eligible card to be covered. Below are the three best credit cards for lost luggage reimbursement.

This card will give you up to $3,000 per person if you or an immediate family member check or carry on luggage that is damaged or lost.

If you or an immediate family member's check or carry-on luggage is damaged or lost, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card will cover you for the difference between the "value of the amount claimed" and the common carrier's compensation, up to $3,000 per covered trip.

The U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card provides up to $3,000 per person if you or an immediate family member check or carry on luggage that is damaged or lost — again, calculated by the difference between the "value of the amount claimed" and the common carrier's payment.

Ideally, you'll never find occasion to use any  credit card travel insurance. But this is the one to really hope will never come in handy.

Travel accident insurance covers you for things like dismemberment and death during your trip (most commonly, while you're riding as a passenger in, or entering/exiting, a licensed common carrier like an airplane or a cruise ship). Some of the best cards will pay up to $1 million. The payout you'll receive depends on the severity of the accident.

Generally, you'll get 100% of the benefit amount for things like:

• Loss of life
• Loss of speech and hearing
• Loss of speech/hearing and loss of a hand, foot, or sight from one eye
• Loss of sight in both eyes
• Loss of a combination of any two of a loss of hand, foot, or sight of one eye

You'll get 50% of the benefit amount for things like:

• Loss of one hand
• Loss of one foot
• Loss of sight in one eye
• Loss of speech
• Loss of hearing

You may also get 25% of the benefit amount for the loss of a thumb and index finger of the same hand. Credit card benefits vary by product and issuer, so be sure to read all the fine print.

Below are the top three credit cards for travel accident insurance. Remember, you must pay the entire cash portion of your travel with these cards to be covered.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is one of the few cards that will give you up to $1 million of accidental death or dismemberment coverage under this benefit. That's double the coverage of most other cards. You'll get:

• $1 million for common carrier travel accident insurance
• $100,000 for 24-hour travel accident insurance

If your name is embossed on the card you've used to pay for your travel, you and your immediate family are covered.

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is another (rare) card that will cover you for up to $1 million of accidental death or dismemberment insurance.

It does not appear that immediate family traveling with you will receive this benefit — so while the potential payout is the best in the game, you may want to opt for a smaller benefit amount with more widespread coverage.

Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card

The Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card incurs no annual fee, yet offers travel accident insurance with some of the best cards on the market. You'll get up to $500,000 in coverage:

• $500,000 for common carrier travel accident insurance

With this card, you'll earn: 

• 3x points* at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels
• 2x points on other eligible travel purchases
• 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases

Other than that, the card doesn't offer an immense value proposition — its best benefit is the 15 Marriott elite night credits each calendar year, which can help you to achieve Marriott elite status much more quickly. But if you're looking for a no-annual-fee travel credit card with insurance, it's definitely worth a look.

Marriott Bonvoy Bold Credit Card Review

If you're injured or otherwise incapacitated and need to be evacuated, this coverage would reimburse expenses such as:

• Any land, water, or air transportation you require
• Medical services
• Medical supplies that are necessary related to your emergency evacuation

The benefit often requires that you be at least 100 miles from home. Additionally, if you're hospitalized for a certain period of time (usually more than eight days), the benefit can reimburse a round-trip coach ticket for a friend or relative to come to see you. As ever, benefits vary from card to card.

Below are the three best credit cards for emergency evacuation and transportation coverage.

The Platinum Card® from American Express covers you, your spouse/domestic partner, and legally dependent children for emergency evacuation and related emergency medical services, no matter how much it costs. Your trip must not exceed 90 days.

If a child under 16 is unaccompanied as a result of the emergency, this benefit will pay for a coach flight to get them home — and even pay for them to be escorted if necessary.

This card will cover up to $100,000 for you, your spouse/domestic partner, and/or legally dependent children for emergency evacuation and related emergency medical services. If your name is embossed on the front of the card, you can take full advantage of this perk.

Also, if you die during your trip, you are covered for $1,000 for your remains to be repatriated to your home country.

United Club℠ Infinite Card

The United Club℠ Infinite Card will cover up to $100,000 for you, your spouse/domestic partner, and/or legally dependent children for emergency evacuation and related emergency medical services.

The United Club℠ Infinite Card comes with an annual fee of $525, but that's easily offset by its ongoing benefits, such as:

• Full-fledged United Club membership (worth $650 per year)
• Free first and second checked bags on United flights (when you pay any cash portion of your ticket with this card)
• Priority boarding on United flights
• Premier Access travel services
• Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS application fee credit
• Complimentary Premier upgrades
• Expanded access to United award flights

This card also earns:

• 4 miles per dollar on eligible United purchases
• 2 miles per dollar on travel
• 2 miles per dollar on dining
• 1 mile per dollar on everything else

United Club Infinite Card Review

Different Types of Credit Card Travel Insurance Coverage

Before we jump into the best credit cards with travel insurance, let's examine some important definitions. Several types of protections fall under the umbrella of travel insurance:

• Trip delay insurance — If your covered trip is delayed by a specified number of hours due to a covered reason,  this will cover expenses like meals and lodging (up to a specified maximum).
• Baggage delay insurance —  This coverage provides reimbursement for essentials like clothes and toiletries if your luggage is delayed on a covered trip. 
• Trip cancellation/interruption insurance — This protects you if you're no longer able to go on a covered trip or your covered trip is interrupted mid-travel for reasons such as illness, injury, weather, or a terrorist incident. This is the type of coverage you'd invoke if you needed to adjust your travel plans due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
• Lost luggage insurance — If your carry-on or checked baggage goes missing, this coverage could reimburse you up to a specified amount.
• Rental car insurance — Many credit cards offer either primary or secondary car rental insurance, so you can waive the coverage offered for an additional fee when you rent a car. With primary car rental insurance, in the event of damage due to theft or collision, your credit card coverage will kick in before your personal insurance. With secondary insurance, the coverage kicks in after whatever other insurance is in place. Note that liability coverage isn't included in any credit card auto collision damage waiver.
• Travel accident insurance  — This is the kind of insurance you'll hopefully never have to use.
• Emergency evacuation insurance — If you're injured or otherwise incapacitated and need to be evacuated, this coverage would reimburse expenses such as a helicopter evacuation.

For these coverages to kick in, you'll have to pay for your travel with a card that offers trip insurance. In other words, if you book your flight and hotels with a debit card, you won't be eligible for coverage from your credit card.

On that same note, however, redeeming airline miles or bank points for your travel should not disqualify you from coverage — as long as you pay the taxes and fees with your eligible credit card.

Credit Card Travel Insurance Frequently Asked Questions

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® has the most comprehensive travel insurance, covering everything from trip cancellations and interruptions to delayed baggage.

Depending on the card, credit card travel insurance may cover non-refundable flights, delays, cancellations, missed connections, lost luggage, an illness that cuts your travel short, and various other misfortunes.

Most travel rewards credit cards offer some degree of travel insurance. For example, many American Express cards offer trip cancellation and interruption coverage. But the specifics can vary wildly from card to card. The big exception is Citi, which eliminated most elements of its travel coverage from cards several years ago. Don't reserve travel with a Citi card if you want any sort of insurance.

If you have one of the credit cards featured in this guide, you may not need an additional travel insurance policy. However, make sure you read the fine print of your credit card's benefits guides to make sure the travel coverage is sufficient for your needs — and so you don't have any unpleasant surprises like finding out you aren't eligible for coverage when it's too late. On the other hand, if you want some extra peace of mind, or if there's a good chance you may cancel your non-refundable trip, it's worth looking into supplementary travel insurance. 

As a general rule, credit card travel insurance applies to the cardholder and the cardholder's immediate family. Refer to your credit card's benefits guide for card-specific rules.

Each credit card travel insurance policy is different, so it's important to look at your specific card's benefits guide to make sure you know exactly what is and what is not covered. And when in doubt, don't be afraid to call the card issuer for clarification. Your credit card travel insurance won't cover a trip that you don't purchase with the card, though in some cases paying for a trip in full or in part with that card's rewards points will qualify you for coverage.

Why You Should Trust Us: How We Chose the Best Credit Cards for Travel Insurance

To come up with this list of the best credit cards for travel insurance, we first identified the different types of travel insurance benefits to focus on: trip delay insurance, rental car insurance, trip cancellation/interruption, lost luggage reimbursement, travel accident insurance, and emergency evacuation coverage. We selected the best credit card options for each type of travel insurance by looking through their specific benefits. 

Each credit card we review also has a numerical score out of 5. We arrive at each score by following our credit card rating methodology , which factors in rewards, the welcome bonus, annual fee, and more.

For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please click here.

Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews, or recommendations expressed in this article are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Read our editorial standards .

Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.

**Enrollment required.

Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Trip Delay Insurance, Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance, and Cell Phone Protection Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company. Global Assist Hotline Card Members are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers. If approved and coordinated by Premium Global Assist Hotline, emergency medical transportation assistance may be provided at no cost. In any other circumstance, Card Members may be responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers. Extended Warranty, Purchase Protection, and Baggage Insurance Plan Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss & Damage Insurance Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.

***Terms, conditions, and exclusions apply. Refer to your Guide to Benefits for more details. Travel Accident Insurance is not guaranteed, it depends on the level of benefits you get at application.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply

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• Credit Cards

Which Credit Card Issuer Has the Best Travel Insurance: American Express vs. Discover vs. Barclays?

Many credit card users are familiar with travel benefits offered by their credit cards including car rental coverage and lost luggage protection. Some credit cards go beyond this level of coverage, providing travel insurance that covers cardholders in the event of unforeseen events, accidents or illnesses. We’ll take a look at three big credit card issuers and the types of credit card travel insurance they offer. This coverage may factor into your decision when you’re choosing which credit card to use when booking a trip, which is an important decision to make in case you need to make a claim.

Two Types of Credit Card Travel Insurance

There are two types of travel insurance offered by credit cards:

• Trip Cancellation Insurance

Travel Accident Insurance

Trip cancellation insurance covers the cost of your travel, up to a certain amount, if you have to cancel or delay your trip because of an illness, accident or a death in your immediate family. To take advantage of this insurance, you must have booked the trip with the credit card that includes the coverage. The insurance will most often cover the cost of carrier transportation including airfare or a train ticket, but not the cost of lodging.

Travel accident insurance is similar to life insurance, providing coverage for you and your immediate family, up to a certain amount, in the event of an illness, accident or fatality that occurs while you’re traveling. Policies are often very specific on what is covered and when it is covered. It helps to pay close attention to the terms of the policy to know when you’re covered.

Let’s take a closer look at credit card travel protection offered by American Express, Barclays and Discover.

Best American Express Cards With Travel Insurance

All American Express credit cards include travel insurance when you purchase the flight with your Amex credit card or use Membership Rewards. The coverage amount depends on the credit card.

• Amex cards with up to $100,000 in coverage
• Amex cards with up to $250,000 in coverage
• Amex cards with up to $500,000 in coverage

What Does American Express Travel Insurance Cover?

American Express travel insurance provides coverage for loss of life and dismemberment that occurs while on a common carrier. To be covered, you must pay for the entire trip using your credit card . You won’t be covered if you use frequent flyer points from another program or another form of payment for any part of the trip. However, if you combine American Express Membership Rewards Points and a credit card to pay for your ticket, you will be covered.

While American Express does not automatically provide coverage for trip cancellation or trip delays, they do offer a separate travel insurance package that consumers can purchase regardless of the credit card used to book travel. Coverage includes trip cancellation and interruption, travel accident protection, global medical protection, global baggage protection, global trip delay, and 24-hour travel assistance starting at $59. You can also choose individual coverage for as low as $11.

What Does Discover Flight Accident Insurance Cover?

Your Discover credit card includes up to $500,000 in flight accident insurance. The benefit covers you, a domestic partner and any eligible dependent children in the event of an accidental death or bodily injury while you’re on a trip. The loss of life benefit is paid to the beneficiary who you’ve designated in writing and filed with the plan administrator. Or, if you haven’t designated a beneficiary, the benefit will be paid to your first surviving beneficiary in this order: your spouse, your children, your parents, your brothers, and sisters or your estate. Claims must be filed with the plan administrator within 90 days.

Best Barclays Cards With Travel Insurance

A few of Barclays’ credit cards include travel insurance, trip cancellation coverage, and trip delay coverage:

• Luxury Card™ Mastercard® Black Card™
• Luxury Card™ Mastercard® Titanium Card™

What Does Barclay Travel Insurance Cover?

Barclays travel insurance provides medical expense, loss of life coverage and reimbursement for trip cancellation, interruption or delay. Coverage applies when you use one of Barclaycards credit cards to pay for your trip.

Barclays provides $250,000 in travel accident insurance which covers you, your spouse, and unmarried dependent children. Your family is insured against accidental loss of life, limb, sight, speech or hearing while you’re a passenger on a carrier that you’ve paid for with your credit card.

Trip Interruption/Cancellation Insurance

Barclaycards credit cards include trip interruption/cancellation insurance which will reimburse you for up to $1,500 towards the cost of a trip that is canceled due to sickness, accident or death. Barclays travel insurance coverage kicks in if your trip is interrupted because of:

• severe weather
• a change in military orders
• a medical quarantine
• jury duty or subpoena
• terrorist attack or hijacking
• an uninhabitable dwelling

Bonus: Trip Delay Insurance

World Elite credit cards also include Trip Delay. You’ll be reimbursed up to $300 when your trip is delayed by six hours or more. So, for example, if you needed to book a hotel because a flight was delayed, your card benefits would reimburse you up to $300 for the hotel stay.

Which Credit Card Includes the Most Travel Insurance?

First place.

Barclays covers not only accident insurance and trip interruption/cancellation but also includes trip delay insurance. This extensive travel coverage makes Barclays the winner.

SECOND PLACE

American express.

American Express credit cards come with varying levels of coverage and only cover loss of life and dismemberment. The premium credit cards that come with higher coverage amounts also have high annual fees. If you want trip cancellation insurance, you’ll have to purchase a separate policy.

THIRD PLACE

While Discover cards all come with $500,000 of travel accident insurance, coverage only applies to loss of life, not medical expenses related to dismemberment.

Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.

UGC Disclosure: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

The best cards for trip cancellation and interruption insurance — and what it actually covers

Planning and taking a trip can be exciting, but unexpected events can disrupt even the most meticulously organized vacations. Sudden illness, severe weather and unforeseen circumstances can throw a spanner in the works, forcing you to change your plans and seek compensation.

In this guide, we will explore the best credit cards that offer trip cancellation and interruption insurance , shedding light on what these policies cover and providing you with peace of mind for your next adventure.

Best credit cards for trip cancellation and interruption insurance

• Chase Sapphire Reserve : Best for travelers who want the most travel protections
• Chase Sapphire Preferred Card : Best for travelers looking for a sub-$100 annual fee
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card : Best for Capital One loyalists
• United Club Infinite Card : Best for United loyalists
• IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card : Best for IHG loyalists
• World of Hyatt Credit Card : Best for Hyatt loyalists
• Ink Business Preferred Credit Card : Best for business travelers
• The Platinum Card® from American Express : Best when traveling with non-family companions

The cards listed above are our top picks for trip cancellation and interruption insurance. But many other cards — including some Bank of America and Barclays cards — also offer trip cancellation and interruption protection.

Related: Credit cards with trip cancellation insurance

What is trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance?

Trip cancellation and interruption insurance may reimburse nonrefundable, prepaid trip expenses when you cancel or alter your trip due to a covered situation. In some cases, you may even be covered for select additional costs. But maximum coverage amounts, the types of covered situations and eligible expenses vary from card to card.

Generally, trip cancellation insurance provides reimbursement when you must cancel a trip before its departure date. Meanwhile, trip interruption insurance may refund you if an ongoing trip is interrupted or canceled.

Although you can buy separate travel insurance that will provide a partial refund if you cancel your trip for any reason , trip cancellation and interruption insurance doesn't typically work the same way. Instead, trip cancellation and interruption insurance typically has specific covered losses and exclusions that define the situations in which you can claim reimbursement (and these vary from card to card).

Many different types of cards — including some credit cards with no annual fee — offer trip cancellation and interruption insurance when you purchase travel with your card. The remainder of this guide details some of our favorite cards that offer trip cancellation and interruption benefits. Of course, benefits frequently change. So it's best to look at your card's guide to benefits before booking to understand your card's protections.

Related: Why you might actually need road trip travel insurance

What is the difference between trip cancellation and trip interruption coverage?

The main difference between trip cancellation and trip interruption coverage is timing. Trip cancellation insurance protects your trip from when you make the initial payment to the time of your scheduled departure. In contrast, trip interruption insurance covers your trip from the day of your scheduled departure to your scheduled return date.

Does credit card insurance cover natural disasters?

Generally, trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance will cover nonrefundable expenses if you need to cancel your trip (or the remainder of your trip) due to a natural disaster. However, credit card insurance policies vary, so check your benefits guide for specific exclusions.

Note that you must book your trip before the natural disaster starts to be covered. If a storm or hurricane is named and you book your trip afterward, you likely won't be covered.

Related: 4 times your credit card's travel insurance can help with travel woes, and 7 times it won't

Premium Chase credit cards

Chase credit cards offer some of the best credit card travel protections. The Chase cards in the table below provide trip cancellation and interruption insurance with relatively high maximum coverage amounts.

To help you understand this benefit, let's consider the specific protection provided by the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card as described in its guide to benefits . The other Chase cards listed in the above table provide similar benefits, but check your card's guide to benefits to ensure your coverage is the same.

When you use an eligible Chase card (like the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card ) to pay for select travel expenses, you and your immediate family may be eligible for trip cancellation and interruption protection. You must charge all or a portion of the cost to your Chase credit card (including bookings made with points through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal associated with your account).

Eligible trip cancellation or interruption events

You'll only be eligible for reimbursement if certain events cause the cancellation or interruption of your travel arrangements. For example, Chase may provide trip cancellation and interruption coverage for the following circumstances:

• You or your traveling companion experience accidental bodily injury, death or sickness that prevents travel
• An immediate family member of you or your traveling companion dies or experiences accidental bodily injury or sickness that is life-threatening, requires hospitalization or requires care by you or your traveling companion
• Severe weather that would prevent a reasonable and prudent person from beginning or continuing on a trip (the weather must meet specific requirements regarding timing, location and effect on your trip)
• Named storm warning
• Change in military orders for you or your spouse
• A call to jury duty or a court subpoena that you can't postpone or waive
• Your or your traveling companion's permanent residence is uninhabitable, burglarized or damaged by fire or flood
• Your or your traveling companion's lodging at your destination becomes uninhabitable
• Your or your traveling companion's host at your trip's destination dies or is hospitalized
• A physician or a competent governmental authority having jurisdiction requires you or your traveling companion to quarantine due to health reasons
• You or your traveling companion miss at least 20% of your trip or the departure of a prepaid cruise or tour due to an organized strike affecting public transportation

Related: 6 lesser-known Chase Sapphire Reserve travel and shopping benefits

Additionally, Chase may provide trip cancellation coverage for the following events:

• Terrorist incident within 25 miles of your or your traveling companion's place of permanent residence within 30 days of your scheduled departure date
• U.S. government travel warning due to terrorism for the immediate vicinity of your or your traveling companion's place of permanent residence within 10 days of your scheduled departure
• Terrorist incident within 25 miles of an airport, booked lodging or destination host's location as listed on your itinerary within 30 days of your scheduled arrival
• U.S. government travel warning due to terrorism for a geographic area within 25 miles of an airport, booked lodging or destination host's location that's in effect within 30 days of your scheduled departure

Finally, Chase may provide trip interruption coverage for the following events:

• Terrorist incident within 25 miles of an airport, booked lodging or destination host's location as listed on your itinerary while on a trip
• A U.S. government travel warning due to terrorism for a geographic area within 25 miles of an airport, booked lodging or a destination host's location that is issued during your or your traveling companion's trip

Related: Your guide to Chase's trip insurance coverage

Excluded reasons for trip cancellation or interruption

However, you won't be eligible for reimbursement if any of the following directly or indirectly cause (or result from) the trip cancellation or interruption:

• A change in plans, financial circumstances and any business or contractual obligations
• A preexisting condition or any other event that occurs or commences before the trip's initial deposit date or booking date
• Any loss due to voluntarily surrendering unused vouchers, tickets, credits, coupons or travel privileges from the travel supplier before their expiration date
• Travel after the 26th week of pregnancy, travel when any multiple pregnancy occurs before the initial deposit date or booking date of the trip, or travel during any pregnancy associated with an assisted reproductive program
• Any loss for any trip booked while on a waiting list for specified medical treatment or booked to obtain medical treatment
• Disinclination to travel due to civil unrest
• Failure to obtain necessary visas, passports or other documents required for travel
• Commission or attempted commission of any illegal act
• Suicide, attempted suicide or intentionally self-inflicted injury
• Being under the influence of any narcotic, legal recreational marijuana or other controlled substance at the time of a loss (except if the narcotic or other controlled substance is taken as prescribed by a physician)
• Disinclination to travel, a country closing its borders or a travel supplier canceling or changing travel arrangements due to an epidemic or pandemic
• Default of the common carrier resulting from financial insolvency or financial insolvency of a travel agency, tour operator or travel supplier
• War, undeclared war, civil war, insurrection, rebellion, revolution, warlike acts by a military force or personnel, any action taken in hindering or defending against any of these, the destruction or seizure of property for a military purpose or any consequences of any of these acts (war does not include terrorism)

Additionally, Chase won't provide trip cancellation coverage for trips booked to any area associated with terrorist activity. Plus, trip interruption coverage won't be provided for loss caused by or resulting from:

• Travel arrangements that a travel supplier cancels or changes unless the cancellation results from severe weather or an organized strike affecting public transportation
• Any terrorist incident or travel warning within 25 miles of your or your traveling companion's place of permanent residence within 30 days before the initial deposit date or booking date of the trip
• A terrorist incident within 25 miles of an airport, booked lodging or destination host's location within 30 days of your initial deposit date or booking date of the trip

Related: Should you get travel insurance if you have credit card protection?

What expenses are covered?

In general, Chase will only reimburse you for eligible nonrefundable, prepaid travel expenses charged by a travel supplier or redeposit fees imposed by a rewards program administrator. However, for trip interruption, Chase may also reimburse you for the following:

• Change fees
• Costs to return a rental vehicle to the closest rental agency
• Costs to return your vehicle to your closest leased or owned residence
• Ground transportation expenses up to $250 to directly transport you for necessary medical treatment (excluding transportation in vehicles operated by a medical facility or specifically designed to transport sick or injured individuals)
• Prepaid, unused and nonrefundable land, air or sea arrangements (if you must postpone a trip due to a covered loss and set a new departure date)

But, if your trip cancellation or interruption results in a credit from a travel supplier, you will not receive any payment for that portion of the eligible travel expenses until the credit expires. And additional transportation expenses will not be reimbursed, including the difference in cost between the original fare or any new fare to return home or rejoin the trip.

Official application link: Chase Sapphire Reserve Official application link: Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Official application link: United Club Infinite Card Official application link: IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card Official application link: World of Hyatt Credit Card Official application link: Ink Business Preferred Credit Card

Other select Chase credit cards

Several other Chase cards, including the United Explorer Card , Chase Freedom Flex and Chase Freedom Unlimited , also provide trip cancellation and interruption insurance.

However, these cards have far fewer covered expenses than the Chase cards discussed in the previous section. In particular, these cards only cover nonrefundable prepaid passenger fares.

The Chase Freedom Flex guide to benefits , for instance, covers you in similar cases as the more premium Chase cards above:

• Nonrefundable prepaid travel expenses charged by a cruise line, airline, railroad or another common carrier
• Change fees to a travel supplier (if you interrupt your travel instead of canceling)
• Redeposit fees to a rewards program administrator
• Ground transportation expenses up to $250 for transport to necessary medical treatment (excluding transportation in vehicles operated by a medical facility or specifically designed to transport sick or injured individuals; only for trip interruption)
• Prepaid unused nonrefundable land, air or sea arrangements (if you must postpone a trip due to a covered loss and set a new departure date)

Chase may reimburse you up to $1,500 per person per trip. However, there is a reimbursement cap of $6,000 for all covered persons on the same trip.

Related: Here's why 1 TPG staffer buys an annual travel insurance policy, even though his credit cards offer travel protections

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

You can get up to $2,000 per insured person in trip cancellation and interruption protection when you use the Capital One Venture X to pay for nonrefundable common carrier tickets.

Your spouse or domestic partner and your dependent children are eligible for coverage when you pay for the entire cost of common carrier transportation (less redeemable certificates, vouchers or coupons) with your Venture X account.

The list of eligible trip cancellation or interruption events for coverage is short and simple with the Venture X. You may be covered if one of the following applies:

• You or an immediate family member dies or experiences accidental bodily injury, disease or physical illness that prevents you from traveling (as verified by a physician)
• Your common carrier defaults as a result of financial insolvency

Related: Does paying the taxes and fees on award flights trigger trip protections?

Even if one of the above losses applies, you won't be covered if any of the following caused or led to the loss:

• A preexisting condition
• Accidental bodily injuries from participation in interscholastic or professional sports events, racing or speed contests or uncertified scuba diving
• Cosmetic surgery (unless necessary due to a covered loss)
• Being under the influence of drugs (except as prescribed by a physician) or alcohol
• Traveling against the advice of a physician, while on a waiting list for specified medical treatment, to obtain medical treatment or in the third trimester (seventh month or after) of pregnancy
• Suicide, attempted suicide or intentionally self-inflicted injuries
• Declared or undeclared war (war does not include acts of terrorism)
• An insured person's emotional trauma, mental or physical illness, disease, pregnancy, childbirth or miscarriage, bacterial or viral infection or bodily malfunctions (except physical illness or disease which prevent travel and bacterial infection caused by accident or from accidental consumption of a substance contaminated by bacteria)

Related: 7 times your credit card's travel insurance might not cover you

The Venture X's trip cancellation and interruption protection won't cover as much as the premium Chase cards discussed above. According to the Venture X guide to benefits , Capital One will only reimburse up to $2,000 per insured person for the following:

• Your nonrefundable common carrier ticket (but only once any unused credit voucher you get from the common carrier expires)
• Change or cancellation fees on common carrier tickets

Learn More: Capital One Venture X

Select American Express cards

Some Amex cards offer trip cancellation and interruption insurance of up to $10,000 per trip (up to $20,000 per card per 12 consecutive months). Here's a list of some of these cards:

• The Platinum Card from American Express * (including most Amex Platinum varieties )
• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express *
• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card *
• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card *
• Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card *
• Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card *

The information for the Hilton Aspire Amex Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

*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.

You can find benefit guides for these cards on Amex's website .

You, your family members and your traveling companions may be covered when you charge the full cost of round-trip common carrier transportation to an eligible Amex card. You'll also get coverage when you use an eligible Amex card in combination with Membership Rewards points or redeemable certificates, vouchers, coupons or discounts awarded from a loyalty program.

For coverage purposes, round-trip travel may consist of one-way tickets or a combination of round-trip and one-way tickets.

Related: Which is the best American Express credit card for you?

Based on the benefits guide for the above-mentioned Amex cards, covered losses include trip cancellations or trip interruptions that result from the following:

• Accidental bodily injury, death or sickness (including of a covered traveler's family member)
• Inclement weather that would prevent a reasonable and prudent person from traveling or continuing on a trip
• Change in military orders (including of a covered traveler's spouse)
• Terrorist action or hijacking
• Call to jury duty or subpoena by the courts that can't be postponed or waived
• A dwelling that becomes uninhabitable
• Quarantine imposed by a physician for health reasons

Related: Should you purchase travel insurance for your vacation rental?

For Amex's trip cancellation and interruption insurance, coverage does not apply to any accident, accidental bodily injury or loss caused by or resulting directly or indirectly from the following:

• Preexisting conditions
• Suicide, attempted suicide or intentionally self-inflicted injury by the traveler
• A declared or undeclared war
• Mental or emotional disorders (unless hospitalized)
• Participation in a sporting activity (with a salary or prize money) by the traveler
• Intoxication by the traveler at the time of an accident (as defined by the laws of the location where the accident occurs)
• The traveler is under the influence of any narcotic or other controlled substance at the time of an accident (unless taken as prescribed by a physician)
• Commission or attempted commission of any illegal or criminal act by the traveler
• The traveler parachutes from an aircraft or engages or participates in a motorized vehicular race or speed contest
• Dental treatment, except as a result of accidental bodily injury to sound, natural teeth
• Any nonemergency treatment, surgery or routine physical examination
• Hearing aids, eyeglasses or contact lenses
• The traveler is incarcerated
• Loss due to intentional acts by the traveler
• Financial insolvency of a travel agency, tour operator or travel supplier

Related: Will your travel insurance cover you in case of vendor bankruptcy?

If a covered loss causes you to cancel your trip, Amex may reimburse you for the nonrefundable amount you paid to a travel supplier with your eligible card.

However, suppose a covered loss causes you to interrupt your trip. In that case, Amex may reimburse you for the nonrefundable amount paid to a travel supplier with your eligible card for the following:

• The forfeited, nonrefundable, prepaid land, air and sea transportation arrangements that eligible travelers missed
• Additional transportation expenses incurred by eligible travelers, less any available refunds (not to exceed the cost of an economy-class ticket by the most direct route to rejoin the trip or return to the trip's origin)

Now, suppose a covered loss causes you to temporarily postpone transportation by a common carrier for a covered trip and set a new departure date. In that case, Amex will reimburse you for the following:

• Additional expenses incurred to purchase tickets for the new departure (not to exceed the difference between the original fare and the economy fare for the rescheduled trip by the most direct route)
• Unused, nonrefundable land, air and sea arrangements paid to a travel supplier

Official application link: The Platinum Card from American Express Official application link: The Business Platinum Card from American Express Official application link: Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card Official application link: Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business American Express Card Official application link: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card

Visa Infinite cards

Although some Visa Infinite cards offer their own trip cancellation and interruption insurance, all Visa Infinite credit cards issued by U.S. banks provide a basic level of protection.

Visa Infinite cards offer trip cancellation and interruption protection covering the cardholder (you) and your immediate family when you purchase common carrier travel with your card. This benefit can reimburse up to $2,000 per trip for nonrefundable common carrier fares if you must cancel or interrupt your trip for a covered reason.

You can see a quick overview of the Visa Infinite protections on Visa's website . However, your card's guide to benefits will have the full details.

Related: How to choose the best Visa card for you

Who is covered?

Who is covered by credit card trip cancellation and interruption insurance varies greatly. For example, eligible premium Chase cards cover the cardholder and immediate family members when the cardholder pays for all or a portion of a trip with their card account or rewards associated with their account. For these cards, an immediate family member is someone with any of the following relationships to the cardholder:

Spouse, and parents thereof; sons and daughters, including adopted children and stepchildren; parents, including stepparents; brothers and sisters; grandparents and grandchildren; aunts or uncles; nieces or nephews; and Domestic Partner and parents thereof, including Domestic Partners or Spouses of any individual of this definition.

Immediate family members also include legal guardians or wards for premium Chase cards. And the guide to benefits for the Chase Sapphire Preferred notes that immediate family members do not need to travel with the cardholder for benefits to apply.

On the other hand, eligible American Express cards cover the cardholder, their family members and traveling companions. The guide to benefits for eligible Amex cards defines a traveling companion as "an individual who has made advanced arrangements with you or your Family Members to travel together for all or part of a Covered Trip" and family members as:

A spouse, Domestic Partner, or unmarried dependent child up to age 19 (or under age twenty-six (26) if a full time student at an accredited college or university).

So although Amex will cover traveling companions, you'll need to charge their common carrier fares to your eligible Amex card. On the other hand, Chase doesn't cover traveling companions but does provide a broad interpretation of family and doesn't require round-trip common carrier travel.

Related: Does credit card travel insurance cover authorized users?

How do I file a trip cancellation or trip interruption insurance claim?

• Contact your issuer: Call your credit card's benefits administrator or start a claim online. Even if you believe your insurance will cover you after reading your card's guide to benefits, it is usually a good idea to call the number on the back of your card. Doing so will let you ensure you're covered, learn about deadlines for making your claim and determine what documents you'll need to collect.
• Submit on time: Most claims must be made within 20-60 days of the cancellation to be eligible for reimbursement, depending on your specific card issuer's guidelines.
• Present evidence: After you present your claim, a benefits administrator will give you further instructions to file your claim. It'll help to submit physical documentation with your claim (such as receipts, doctor's notes and weather advisories), plus anything else that can help validate your claim.

A benefits administrator can usually walk you through specific steps to make your claim. Luckily, many card issuers also allow you to make claims online, so you may not even need to hop on the phone to send any physical documents.

Related: Comparing travel protections with the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Amex Platinum

Bottom line

The trip cancellation and interruption insurance provided by select cards can come in handy when something unexpected forces you to cancel or interrupt a trip.

However, there are many exclusions. So it pays to read the guide to benefits on your favorite cards. By doing so, you can determine the best card for booking flights and consider whether it's better to rely on the travel insurance provided by your card or purchase travel insurance .

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.

Additional reporting by Ryan Wilcox and Emily Thompson.

Do I need credit card travel insurance?

Key takeaways.

• S ome typical travel insurance benefits include trip cancellation and interruption insurance, trip delay reimbursement, emergency medical coverage, emergency medical evacuation, lost or damaged baggage insurance, delayed baggage insurance and car rental insurance
• Many top travel credit cards provide enough travel insurance benefits to protect you in an emergency or if your plans change, so purchasing extra travel coverage likely won’t be necessary
• However, if you plan to book an expensive trip or travel abroad for an extended period of time, you might want to purchase travel coverage. Check with your card issuer to confirm any coverage terms and conditions before purchasing any additional policies

Now that travel is back in full swing, it’s time to plan your next exciting getaway. With all the fun that comes with traveling to new locales, you always risk running into expensive problems far from home. Lost luggage, canceled flights, injuries, rental car mishaps — all sorts of inconveniences can occur when traveling. One way to soften the blow of travel disasters — at least financially — is to have travel insurance.

What is travel insurance?

Travel insurance helps provide financial compensation for mishaps like lost or stolen luggage or if you need to cancel a trip for reasons that are beyond your control. In the event of a qualifying incident, you can file a claim with the insurance company to get money back for certain expenses, up to a previously agreed-upon limit. You can purchase travel insurance policies from insurance providers — or you can take advantage of travel insurance benefits offered by your credit card provider.

Fortunately for travelers, many credit cards offer some form of travel insurance to cardholders, and some of the top travel credit cards offer an impressive lineup of travel protections. However, credit card travel insurance works a bit differently than a travel insurance policy you purchase .

As a rule, credit card travel insurance doesn’t typically offer the same level of comprehensive coverage you’d get from a purchased policy. You also can’t choose what type of coverage you receive. That said, many travel credit cards offer some level of coverage for issues like trip cancellation and interruption , trip delays, lost luggage, baggage delays , rental cars and travel accidents.

If you’re considering buying separate travel insurance, it’s worth learning what type of coverage your credit card offers before paying for protection you may already have. One easy way to find out what your credit card covers is to call your credit card provider and have them walk you through your card’s benefits guide.

What is credit card travel insurance?

Credit card travel insurance is a complimentary benefit that commonly comes with credit cards. While it isn’t the most robust coverage, this protection can help out with various travel-related emergencies and inconveniences. When cardholders use their credit cards to book travel arrangements such as flights, hotels or rental cars, they may automatically become eligible for these insurance benefits. The key element here is to book at least your flights or other transportation using the credit card, or you won’t qualify for the coverage.

Typically, credit card travel insurance includes coverage for trip cancellations, trip interruptions and delays, as well as lost or delayed baggage. Some cards may also provide coverage for emergency medical expenses, evacuation and rental car insurance. The extent of coverage varies among credit cards and may depend on factors such as the card type, the issuer and the terms and conditions outlined in the card agreement.

It’s important for cardholders to review the specific details of the travel insurance offered by their credit cards, including any limitations, exclusions and requirements for activation. While credit card travel insurance can be a valuable perk, you may want to consider purchasing additional coverage for more thorough coverage.

What does travel insurance cover?

To make it easier to understand what travel insurance covers, we’re breaking down the most common types of coverage.

Coverage for canceled, interrupted or delayed trips

If you need to cancel your trip, having trip cancellation and interruption coverage can provide reimbursement for the cost of your trip, including expenses like transportation, hotels and prepaid activities. Qualifying reasons might include events such as the death of a family member, terrorism, natural disasters and unforeseen illnesses or injuries. Check your policy to see what’s included as each policy differs. In some cases, events like jury duty or being laid off from your job qualify.

Generally, your trip needs to be delayed unexpectedly by six to 12 hours (but this varies by each policy) to qualify for trip delay reimbursement. This benefit typically offers $150 to $200 per day for a certain number of days — though sometimes, this benefit offers a certain amount per ticket — to cover necessary expenses like lodgings or food.

Getting stranded far from home and having to pay for extra nights in a hotel you didn’t budget for, having to change flights at the last minute or canceling some or all of a nonrefundable trip before you even hit the road can all cost a pretty penny. If you’re traveling somewhere prone to major weather incidents and have multiple flights (increasing the possibility of missed connections), this is an important type of insurance to have.

Coverage for emergency medical situations

Emergency medical benefits can come in handy if you’re injured or become ill while traveling and require hospitalization, medication or treatment. This type of coverage is more necessary if you’re traveling internationally or on a cruise where you may not have access to medical care covered by your health insurance plan. Unfortunately, in most cases, you’ll need to pay for your medical care out of pocket and file a claim later for reimbursement.

If you have a medical emergency while traveling that requires transportation to the nearest medical facility, medical evacuation coverage can help with those costs. This is often add-on coverage for travel medical insurance, but it can come in handy if your treating physician recommends you go home to receive medical treatment or if a death occurs and there are costs associated with transporting the traveler’s remains.

Are you traveling out of network? How about out of the country or to a remote locale where it’s difficult to access medical care? If you need medical attention when you’re traveling and your health insurance won’t cover your costs, having travel insurance that pays for medical emergencies and medical transportation can save you a lot of money.

Coverage for lost, damaged or delayed baggage

Generally, lost or damaged baggage protection only covers up to a certain value, but your belongings are covered throughout your entire trip. Some policies only reimburse for luggage that is lost or damaged when it is checked with a common carrier. If your bag is permanently lost, having the right type of insurance can save you a lot of money. If you’ll be carrying more expensive items, you may want to pursue a third-party plan that will reimburse more expensive items, such as a camera or computer. Additionally, note that you may need to file a police report within a certain timeframe to receive coverage.

Even if your belongings eventually arrive in one piece, baggage delay protection can reimburse you for any costs you incur while waiting to be reunited with your belongings. You may face a daily limit on how much you can purchase to replace your delayed goods, along with a limit on what you can purchase. Additionally, these benefits don’t typically kick in unless your luggage is delayed for a specified period of time (usually six to 24 hours).

If you’re checking a bag while flying, you may want coverage for lost, damaged or delayed baggage. This coverage can help you pay for clothing, toiletries and any other items you need to replace if your luggage goes missing or is harmed, especially if it gets lost by the time you arrive at your destination. If you’re driving, however, you probably won’t need this type of coverage.

Coverage for rental cars

Many credit cards offer rental car coverage for collisions, loss and damage. It’s usually secondary coverage, meaning it kicks in after your primary auto insurance, and it usually excludes liability for damage to other property or for injuries to others. However, some credit cards offer primary coverage, which typically provides reimbursement up to a certain amount for theft and collision damage. Note that you’ll typically need to decline the car rental company’s insurance in order to receive coverage through your credit card.

For domestic travel, your existing auto insurance policy may cover any issues with rental cars, and it’ll likely kick in before an additional collision policy anyway. Check out what your insurer covers first before getting an additional policy. It’s also worth noting that your credit card rental car insurance may apply overseas. However, it would be wise to look into additional car rental protections, whether with a third-party insurer or at the rental counter, since some countries are excluded from credit card rental car coverage.

How to use credit card travel insurance

If a trip is partially or fully booked on your credit card — be sure to confirm booking standards with your card provider first — you may be able to access travel insurance benefits that come with your credit card . Here’s how to use your credit card travel insurance:

• Confirm your coverage. Before you file a claim, it’s helpful to brush up on your coverage. Your card should come with a benefits guide that outlines what type of travel coverage you have, including the maximum amount they’ll cover, exceptions to your coverage and how long you have to submit a claim (typically less than 60 days).
• Show receipts and necessary documentation. You’ll likely need to provide receipts when you file your claim if you want to get your money back. You might also need to provide key documentation such as showing how a loss occurred, correspondence with travel providers proving they won’t reimburse you, doctors’ notes, police reports or any other applicable paperwork.
• File the claim. Report any losses or situations to the benefits administrator within your policy’s claim time frame. Generally, you’ll download a claim form from the credit card provider’s website and submit evidence of the losses or situations for which you’re seeking reimbursement.
• Wait for a decision. Your credit card provider will contact you with a decision regarding your claim and, if approved, explain how it plans to distribute your funds.

When is travel insurance worth it?

Traveling is expensive, so it’s understandable if you’re wondering — is trip insurance worth it? Where or not you should purchase travel insurance in addition to the benefits your credit card offers depends on how much coverage you already have and what your risk tolerance is. Some premium credit cards offer robust travel coverage — such as emergency evacuation coverage, lost baggage coverage or trip cancellation and interruption insurance — whereas no-annual-fee credit cards typically offer basic coverage like roadside assistance.

Note that travel insurance policies tend to get more expensive as you age. So the flat annual fees you’ll pay for premium travel credit cards such as The Platinum Card® from American Express ($695 annual fee) and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® ($550 annual fee) make their travel coverage more valuable the older you get.

Consider what type of travel insurance you may need and what events and belongings you need to have insured. If you want basic coverage for smaller issues, such as covering costs incurred if your flight is delayed, then your credit card policy may do the trick. But if you have ambitious travel plans that involve bigger risks — like booking a nonrefundable international trip — then you’ll likely want to purchase a travel insurance policy that will allow you to cancel a trip for any reason.

When is travel insurance not worth it?

Depending on where you’re traveling and the type of trip you’re taking, travel insurance might not be necessary. For example, if your trip is completely refundable, trip interruption and cancellation insurance is likely not necessary. You may also not need any type of travel insurance if you’re taking a cheap or short domestic trip.

Additionally, if you’re traveling within the U.S., you likely won’t need additional medical coverage beyond your existing health insurance plan (though it would be good to check your policy first). If you’re traveling outside of the U.S., however, additional medical coverage — whether purchased or provided through a credit card — can be helpful in an emergency situation.

Should you get a top credit card for travel insurance?

Many travel credit cards can provide you with enough travel insurance benefits to protect you in an emergency or if your plans change, so purchasing extra travel coverage likely won’t be necessary. Of course, this depends on the type of trip you’re taking, among other factors.

If you’re looking for a new credit card and want one that provides solid travel insurance coverage, here are some of the best cards for travel insurance to consider:

Although travel insurance can be a great cardholder perk, it probably won’t be the main factor you’re considering when picking out a new credit card . While it’s nice for frequent travelers, you’ll want to look for a credit card that offers benefits you’ll use, such as a great rewards program, a sign-up bonus or intro APR offers. A card that rewards you for your regular spending may be more valuable in the long run than one that comes with a limited amount of travel insurance to cover the occasional trip.

While you can’t predict the exact cost of every future trip you plan, you probably have an idea of what kind of trips you take and what type of coverage they require. For example, if you love taking road trips in your trusty SUV and rarely rent a car or book a flight for a vacation, then you’re less likely to need car rental or baggage delay coverage. But having roadside assistance as a perk may give you much-needed peace of mind when you hit the open road. Look for a credit card that offers coverage in line with the way you travel most often.

There is no worse feeling than thinking you have insurance coverage, only to find you’re going to need to pay more out of pocket than you realized when something does go wrong. Double-check the fine print for the travel insurance coverage before relying on a credit card’s insurance perks. You’ll likely come across some potential exclusions.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Travel insurance costs vary depending on the type of plan you select: Basic, middle tier or comprehensive. They also typically depend on factors like your trip’s total cost, how long you’re traveling for, where you’re traveling, how many people require coverage and travelers’ ages. In general, you can expect to pay anywhere from 4 percent to 11 percent of the total cost of your trip.

Consumers typically run into two primary problems with travel insurance: not having enough coverage or not actually qualifying for the coverage they do have. When dealing with travel insurance that you gain access to as a cardholder perk, you’ll want to read through your policy before booking your trip to ensure you know exactly what you have coverage for and whether you need any extra coverage. Take note of what your coverage limits are. For example, your credit card travel insurance may cover medical treatment, but there may be a limit as to how much they’re willing to cover. The type of vacation you take can also impact your insurance. Most basic travel insurance does not cover activities that can be viewed as dangerous, like skydiving or rock climbing, or it will contain exclusions for travel to specific areas, like those prone to extreme weather events or with current travel warnings. As for car rental insurance, your credit card coverage may not be applicable in certain countries, or it may not cover certain situations. Credit card car rental coverage is also usually secondary coverage, which means your credit card company only pays what your primary car insurance policy won’t cover. However, some premium travel credit cards do offer primary car insurance, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve.

You often need to pay for all travel expenses with an eligible credit card if you want to potentially use that card’s travel insurance offerings. In many cases, you’ll need to pay for the common carrier fare on the plane, train, bus or cruise ship you plan on traveling with in order to gain access to your travel insurance offerings. Note that some credit card providers may require you to book the entirety of your trip on their card, whereas others simply need you to book the main transportation to your destination in order to qualify. Because these requirements can vary so much, it’s important to confirm how to qualify for your insurance benefits before you book your trip.

The bottom line

Credit card travel insurance benefits can offer travelers solutions to frustrating and costly travel problems. Because you don’t need to pay for this cardholder perk, it’s a great bit of extra protection to have in your back pocket. However, if you’re spending a lot on an upcoming trip and you’re worried about travel issues that may require expensive solutions, then purchasing a separate travel insurance policy may be worth it.

Already planning your next vacation? Check out Bankrate’s travel toolkit for tips and tricks on how to maximize travel with a credit card.

Issuer-required disclosure statement For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.

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Travel Insurance

Cheapest travel insurance of April 2024

Mandy Sleight

Heidi Gollub

“Verified by an expert” means that this article has been thoroughly reviewed and evaluated for accuracy.

Updated 9:52 a.m. UTC April 11, 2024

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WorldTrips is the best cheap travel insurance company of 2024 based on our in-depth analysis of the cheapest travel insurance plans. Its Atlas Journey Preferred and Atlas Journey Premier plans offer affordable travel insurance with high limits for emergency medical and evacuation benefits bundled with good coverage for trip delays, travel inconvenience and missed connections.

Cheapest travel insurance of 2024

Why trust our travel insurance experts

Our team of travel insurance experts analyzes hundreds of insurance products and thousands of data points to help you find the best travel insurance for your next trip. We use a data-driven methodology to determine each rating. Advertisers do not influence our editorial content . You can read more about our methodology below.

• 1,855 coverage details evaluated.
• 567 rates reviewed.
• 5 levels of fact-checking.

Best cheap travel insurance

Top-scoring plans

Average cost, medical limit per person, medical evacuation limit per person, why it’s the best.

WorldTrips tops our rating of the cheapest travel insurance with two plans:

• Atlas Journey Preferred is the cheaper travel insurance plan of the two, with $100,000 per person in emergency medical benefits as secondary coverage and an optional upgrade to primary coverage. It’s also our pick for the best travel insurance for cruises .
• Atlas Journey Premier costs a little more but gives you $150,000 in travel medical insurance with primary coverage . This is a good option if health insurance for international travel is a priority.

Pros and cons

• Atlas Journey Preferred is the cheapest of our 5-star travel insurance plans.
• Atlas Journey Premier offers $150,000 in primary medical coverage.
• Both plans have top-notch $1 million per person in medical evacuation coverage.
• Each plan offers travel inconvenience coverage of $750 per person.
• 12 optional upgrades, including destination wedding and rental car damage and theft.
• No non-medical evacuation coverage.

Cheap travel insurance for cruises

Travel insured.

Top-scoring plan

Travel Insured offers cheap travel insurance for cruises and its Worldwide Trip Protector plan gets 4 stars in our rating of the best cruise travel insurance .

• Worldwide Trip Protector offers $1 million in emergency evacuation coverage per person and a rare $150,000 in non-medical evacuation per person. It also has primary coverage for travel medical insurance benefits, which means you won’t have to file medical claims with your health insurance first.
• Cheap trip insurance for cruises.
• Offers a rare $150,000 for non-medical evacuation.
• $500 per person baggage delay benefit only requires a 3-hour delay.
• Optional rental car damage benefit up to $50,000.
• Missed connection benefit of $500 per person only available for cruises and tours.

Best cheap travel insurance for families

Travelex has the best cheap travel insurance for families because kids age 17 are covered by your policy for free when they’re traveling with you.

• Free coverage for children 17 and under on the same policy.
• $2,000 travel delay coverage per person ($250 per day) after 5 hours.
• Hurricane and weather coverage after a common carrier delay of any amount of time.
• Only $50,000 per person emergency medical coverage.
• Baggage delay coverage is only $200 and requires a 12-hour delay.

Best cheap travel insurance for seniors

Evacuation limit per person

Nationwide has the best cheap travel insurance for seniors — its Prime plan gets 4 stars in our best senior travel insurance rating. However, Nationwide’s Cruise Choice plan ranks higher in our best cheap travel insurance rating.

• Cruise Choice has a $500 per person benefit if a cruise itinerary change causes you to miss a prepaid excursion. It also has a missed connections benefit of $1,500 per person after only a 3-hour delay, for cruises or tours. But note that this coverage is secondary coverage to any compensation provided by a common carrier.
• Coverage for cruise itinerary changes, ship-based mechanical breakdowns and covered shipboard service disruptions.
• Non-medical evacuation benefit of $25,000 per person.
• Baggage loss benefits of $2,500 per person.
• Travel medical coverage is secondary.
• Trip cancellation benefit for losing your job requires three years of continuous employment.
• No “cancel for any reason” (CFAR) upgrade available.
• Missed connection coverage of $1,500 per person is only for tours and cruises, after a 3-hour delay.

Best cheap travel insurance for add-on options

AIG offers the best cheap travel insurance for add-on options because the Travel Guard Preferred plan allows you to customize your policy with a host of optional upgrades.

• Travel Guard Preferred upgrades include “cancel for any reason” (CFAR) coverage , rental vehicle damage coverage and bundles that offer additional benefits for adventure sports, travel inconvenience, quarantine, pets, security and weddings. There’s also a medical bundle that increases the travel medical benefit to $100,000 and emergency evacuation to $1 million.
• Bundle upgrades allow you to customize your affordable travel insurance policy.
• Emergency medical and evacuation limits can be doubled with optional upgrade.
• Base travel insurance policy has relatively low medical limits.
• $300 baggage delay benefit requires a 12-hour delay.
• Optional CFAR upgrade only reimburses up to 50% of trip cost.

Best cheap travel insurance for missed connections

TravelSafe has the best cheap travel insurance for missed connections because coverage is not limited to cruises and tours, as it is with many policies.

• Best-in-class $2,500 per person in missed connection coverage.
• $1 million per person in medical evacuation and $25,000 in non-medical evacuation coverage.
• Generous $2,500 per person baggage and personal items loss benefit.
• Most expensive of the best cheap travel insurance plans.
• No “interruption for any reason” coverage available.
• Weak baggage delay coverage of $250 per person after 12 hours.

Cheapest travel insurance comparison

How much does the cheapest travel insurance cost?

The cheapest travel insurance in our rating is $334. This is for a WorldTrips Atlas Journey Preferred travel insurance plan, based on the average of seven quotes for travelers of various ages to international destinations with a range of trip values.  

Factors that determine travel insurance cost

There are several factors that determine the cost of travel insurance, including:

• Age and number of travelers being insured.
• Trip length.
• Total trip cost.
• The travel insurance plan you choose.
• The travel insurance company.
• Any add-ons, features or upgraded benefits you include in the travel insurance plan.

Expert tip: “In general, travelers can expect to pay anywhere from 4% to 10% of their total prepaid, non-refundable trip costs,” said Suzanne Morrow, CEO of InsureMyTrip.

Is buying the cheapest travel insurance a good idea?

Choosing cheaper travel insurance without paying attention to what a plan covers and excludes could leave you underinsured for your trip. Comparing travel insurance plans side-by-side can help ensure you get enough coverage to protect yourself financially in an emergency for the best price. 

For example, compare these two Travelex travel insurance plans:

• Travel Basic is cheaper but it only provides up to $15,000 for emergency medical expense coverage. You’ll also have to pay extra for coverage for children.
• Travel Select will cost you a bit more but it covers up to $50,000 in medical expenses and includes coverage for kids aged 17 and younger traveling with you. It also offers upgrades such additional medical coverage, “cancel for any reason” (CFAR) coverage and an adventure sports rider that may be a good fit for your trip.

Reasons to consider paying more for travel insurance 

Make sure you understand what you’re giving up if you buy the cheapest travel insurance. Here are a few reasons you may consider paying a little extra for better coverage. 

• Emergency medical. The best travel medical insurance offers primary coverage for emergency medical benefits. Travel insurance with primary coverage can cost more than secondary coverage but will save you from having to file a claim with your health insurance company before filing a travel insurance claim.
• Emergency evacuation. If you’re traveling to a remote location or planning a boat excursion on your trip, look at travel insurance with a high medical evacuation insurance limit. If you are injured while traveling, transportation to the nearest adequate medical facility could cost in the tens to hundreds of thousands. It may make sense to pay more for travel insurance with robust emergency evacuation coverage. 
• Flexibility. To maximize your trip flexibility, you might consider upgrading your travel insurance to “ cancel for any reason” (CFAR) coverage . This will increase the cost of your travel insurance but allow you to cancel your trip for any reason — not just those listed in your policy. The catch is that you’ll need to cancel at least 48 hours before your trip and will only be reimbursed 50% or 75% of your trip expenses, depending on the plan. 
• Upgrades. Many travel insurance plans have optional extras like car rental collision and adventure sports (which may otherwise be excluded from coverage). These will cost you extra but may give you the coverage you need. 

How to find the cheapest travel insurance

The best way to find the cheapest travel insurance is to determine what you’re looking for in a travel insurance policy and compare plans that meet your needs.

 “Travel insurance isn’t one-size-fits-all. Every trip is different, and every traveler has different needs, wants and concerns. This is why comparison is key,” said Morrow.

Consider the following factors when comparing cheap travel insurance plans.

• How often you’re traveling. A single-trip policy may be the most cost-effective if you’re only going on a single trip this year. But a multi-trip travel insurance plan may be cheaper if you’re going on multiple international trips throughout the year. Annual travel insurance policies cover you for a whole year as long as each trip doesn’t exceed a certain number of days, usually 30 to 90 days. 
• Credit card has travel insurance benefits. The best credit cards offer perks and benefits, and many offer travel insurance-specific benefits. The coverage types and benefit limits can vary, and you must put the entire trip cost on the credit card to use the coverage. If your trip costs more than the coverage limit on your card, you can supplement the rest with a cheaper travel insurance plan.
• The coverage you need. When looking for the best travel insurance option at the most affordable price, only buy extras and upgrades you really need. A basic plan may only provide up to $500 in baggage insurance, but if you only plan to take $300 worth of clothes and accessories, you don’t need to pay more for higher coverage limits.

Is cheap travel insurance worth it?

Cheap travel insurance can be worth it, as long as you understand the plan limitations and exclusions. Taking the time to read your policy, especially the fine print, well before your trip can ensure there won’t be any surprises about what’s covered once your journey begins.

“If a traveler is looking for coverage for travel delays, cancellations, interruptions, medical and baggage — a comprehensive travel insurance policy will provide the most bang for their buck,” said Morrow. But if you’re on a tight budget and are only worried about emergency medical care and evacuation coverage while traveling abroad, stand-alone options are cheaper.

Before buying travel insurance, you should also consider what your health insurance will cover. 

“Most domestic health insurance plans, including Medicare, will not cover medical bills abroad,” said Morrow. Even if you’re staying stateside, you may find value in an affordable travel insurance plan with medical coverage if you have a high-deductible health plan (HDHP). 

A cheap travel insurance plan is better than none at all if you end up in a situation that would have covered some or all of your prepaid, nonrefundable trip expenses.

Methodology

Our insurance experts reviewed 1,855 coverage details and 567 rates to determine the best travel insurance . From those top-scoring travel insurance plans, we chose the most affordable for our rating of the cheapest travel insurance.

Insurers could score up to 100 points based on the following factors:

• Cost: 40 points. We scored the average cost of each travel insurance policy for a variety of trips and traveler profiles.
• Medical expenses: 10 points. We scored travel medical insurance by the coverage amount available. Travel insurance policies with emergency medical expense benefits of $250,000 or more per person were given the highest score of 10 points.
• Medical evacuation: 10 points. We scored each plan’s emergency medical evacuation coverage by coverage amount. Travel insurance policies with medical evacuation expense benefits of $500,000 or more per person were given the highest score of 10 points.
• Pre-existing medical condition exclusion waiver: 10 points. We gave full points to travel insurance policies that cover pre-existing medical conditions if certain conditions are met.
• Missed connection: 10 points. Travel insurance plans with missed connection benefits of $1,000 per person or more received full points.
• “Cancel for any reason” upgrade: 5 points. We gave points to travel insurance plans with optional “cancel for any reason” coverage that reimburses up to 75%.
• Travel delay required waiting time: 5 points. We gave 5 points to travel insurance policies with travel delay benefits that kick in after a delay of 6 hours or less.
• Cancel for work reasons: 5 points. If a travel insurance plan allows you to cancel your trip for work reasons, such as your boss requiring you to stay and work, we gave it 5 points.
• Hurricane and severe weather: 5 points. Travel insurance plans that have a required waiting period for hurricane and weather coverage of 12 hours or less received 5 points.

Some travel insurance companies may offer plans with additional benefits or lower prices than the plans that scored the highest, so make sure to compare travel insurance quotes to see your full range of options.

Cheapest travel insurance FAQs

When buying travel insurance, cheapest is not always the best. The most affordable travel insurance plans typically offer fewer coverages with lower policy limits and few or no optional upgrades. Add up your total nonrefundable trip costs and compare travel insurance plans and available features that cover your travel expenses. This strategy can help you find the cheapest travel insurance policy that best protects you from financial loss if an unforeseen circumstance arises.

Get the coverage you need: Best travel insurance of 2024

According to our analysis, WorldTrips , Travel Insured International and Travelex offer the best cheap travel insurance. Policy coverage types and limits can vary by each travel insurance provider, so the best way to get the cheapest travel insurance plan is to compare several policies and companies to find the right fit for your budget.

A good rate for travel insurance depends on your budget and coverage needs. The most comprehensive travel insurance plan is usually not the cheapest. But cheap trip insurance may not have enough coverage or the types of coverage you want. Comparing different levels of coverage and how much they cost can help you find the best cheap insurance for travel. 

The average cost of travel insurance is between 5% to 6% of your total travel expenses for one trip, according to our analysis of rates. However, you may find cheaper travel insurance if you opt for a plan with fewer benefits or lower coverage limits. How much you pay for travel insurance will also depend on the number of travelers covered, their ages, the length of the trip and any upgrades you add to your plan.

Travel insurance covers nonrefundable, prepaid trip costs — up to the policy coverage limits — when your trip is interrupted or canceled for a covered reason outlined in your plan documents. Even the cheapest travel insurance policies usually provide coverage for:

• Medical emergencies.
• Trip delays.
• Trip interruption.
• Trip cancellation.
• Lost, stolen or damaged luggage.

However, if you’re looking to save on travel insurance, you can shop for a policy that only has travel medical insurance and does not include benefits for trip cancellation .

Even when you buy cheap travel insurance, you can often use upgrade options to customize your policy to meet your specific needs. 

Some common travel insurance add-ons you may want to consider include:

• Rental car damage coverage. 
• Medical bundle.
• Security bundle.
• Accidental death and dismemberment coverage.
• Adventure sports bundle.
• Pet bundle.
• Wedding bundle.
• “Cancel for work reasons” coverage.
• “Interruption for any reason” (IFAR) coverage.
• “Cancel for any reason” (CFAR) coverage .

Blueprint is an independent publisher and comparison service, not an investment advisor. The information provided is for educational purposes only and we encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding specific financial decisions. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Blueprint has an advertiser disclosure policy . The opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Blueprint editorial staff alone. Blueprint adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. The information is accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information.

Mandy is an insurance writer who has been creating online content since 2018. Before becoming a full-time freelance writer, Mandy spent 15 years working as an insurance agent. Her work has been published in Bankrate, MoneyGeek, The Insurance Bulletin, U.S. News and more.

Heidi Gollub is the USA TODAY Blueprint managing editor of insurance. She was previously lead editor of insurance at Forbes Advisor and led the insurance team at U.S. News & World Report as assistant managing editor of 360 Reviews. Heidi has an MBA from Emporia State University and is a licensed property and casualty insurance expert.

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