Have you used your travel credit card for a travel insurance claim?
My husband and I have been hesitant to get these higher level travel credit cards such as Chase Sapphire or AmEx, preferring to stick with the cash-back alternatives. But now that we are traveling and insuring a lot (one frail parent just passed, 3 more still with us, besides the fact that we are old!), it is probably time to reconsider one of these cards. Has anyone actually used one to file a claim? How did it go? Did you get back everything you expected?
I know this is not a Tauck topic, but there are lots of smart people out there and I would appreciate your opinions and experiences.
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The best avenue for this is to take out the Tauck insurance for your trip. I’ve had to use it twice. You can’t double dip on insurance claims even if you have an outstanding credit card.
OurTravels34, to clarify I was wondering if anyone had used their card INSTEAD of the Tauck Travel Protection. And while you can't double dip, often if the coverage on one thing is limited, the second insurance will cover an additional amount.
We got stuck with Covid (too ill to travel) in Europe last fall, and Tauck's insurance at the time only covered a limited amount for hotel. We had purchased secondary insurance for a follow up non-Tauck trip and they covered the rest of the hotel cost.
But my main question is, has anyone relied solely on their travel card and used it to file a claim, and what was that experience like?
We've used Chase Sapphire for many years. Fortunately, we have not had to make a claim for trip interruption/cancellation but have successfully made claims for auto coverage. We paid for our rental car with our Chase card. The rental company charged us for something related to the tire during the return process. We took the receipt and made a claim with Chase and were reimbursed within a few weeks.
Aside from insurance, I really enjoy having a travel card. It is fee-based, but there are usually ways to earn most of the fee back by spending certain thresholds in a certain period (very easy to do if you get the card before paying for a trip or flight). Frequent travelers may also enjoy some perks like lounge access (Chase has priority pass for the cardholder and two guests per visit) and reimbursement for Global Entry application fee.
I used the insurance provided by my Amex Platinum card to recoup the cost of a new suitcase and several articles of clothing that were destroyed by Air France on my way to the Week in Portugal trip. When I first looked into the Tauck insurance claim process (because I took Tauck's insurance), it appeared that I had waited too long to file the claim -- which may or may not have been correct -- so I turned to Amex. It was an easy process, because I had photos of all of the damage and receipts for which I calculated the euro to dollars exchange. The check I received was for a few dollars less than the claim I had submitted, but I figured that maybe they were using a different conversion date. The difference was so small, it didn't matter
I think you would have to analyze across the board what the the coverage is among different policies from each credit card. It can vary. While my husband and I were on a trip this past April, my father passed away. I have an American Express Platinum card as well and when reading the very fine print from the policy, and after a phone call, I learned that my parent is not considered part of my immediate family. I was surprised. The Tauck insurance covered everything. I have also considered taking out extra flight insurance when booking my flights directly from the airline and in the scheme of things, the insurance airlines offer is affordable. You would have to charge the trip or the flight to be eligible for the credit card insurance. You can also request the insurance policy from the credit cards you are considering to use and compare.
OurTravels34, I'm so sorry you lost your dad this year. My dad also passed away in April. Sending hugs.
The fact that the insurance on the card did not consider your father as immediate family (brutal) suggests to me that I should avoid relying on a credit card as primary insurance. I might reconsider the cards for the other advantages but my husband will disagree with me.
Thanks to all for your input.
We used our Chase Sapphire card a few years ago when Air France has one of their strikes. The strike began the day we were to fly home. We were in Bordeaux where there is a small Air France office and were able to go there to change our flight at no charge. Chase paid for an extra hotel night, transportation to the airport and meals. No difficulty getting reimbursed. The card covers up to $10,000 per person for covered charges which are the same as most other travel insurance. It is not "cancel for any reason" insurance.
Thanks Cindy and everyone. All helpful info.