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Many of us rely on credit card travel insurance, but with airline strikes, wild weather, and a war in Ukraine and the Middle East, it’s important to understand what you’re covered for and how to claim it.
While some travellers can get by with credit card insurance, a standalone policy often delivers clearer coverage, fewer surprises and far more peace of mind, albeit at a higher price.
How to qualify for credit card travel insurance
If your credit card includes travel medical insurance, you’re covered automatically. You don’t even need to pay for your trip with that card. However, benefits such as trip cancellation, interruption or delayed baggage usually require you to charge 75 per cent to 100 per cent of your trip costs to the card that includes insurance.
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If you’re booking with points, the rules get stricter. Any cash you still owe must be charged to the same card that earns those points to meet the insurance requirement. For example, if your card says 75 per cent of the trip must be paid on it to trigger coverage and you’ve already covered 50 per cent with points, you’ll need to put at least another 25 per cent of the cost on that card to qualify.
Use the wrong card, and you could lose your protection. With standalone insurance from providers such as Manulife, TuGo and SafetyWing, your payment method doesn’t matter.
What credit card insurance covers
Credit card travel insurance is generally easy to understand because the fine print clearly spells out what’s covered and where the limits are. Typical benefits include emergency medical care – ranging from a quick doctor’s visit for a prescription to more serious needs such as x‑rays or emergency surgery – along with trip cancellation for events including job loss or a medical issue, trip interruption if you need to return home early due to a family emergency, flight delays, and lost or delayed luggage.
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If you have more specific needs, speaking to a licensed insurance broker about a standalone policy is worth it. “You can get all your questions answered, choose your travel dates and customize the coverage you need,” says Martin Firestone, president of Travel Secure, a travel insurance brokerage.
This is especially important as credit card travel insurance policies typically exclude or limit coverage for seniors, pre-existing medical conditions such as heart disease or recent surgeries, and high-risk activities.
With a standalone policy, there are no age limits, you can add a stability rider – where your doctor has confirmed you’ve had no new health issues related to a past condition – for as little as seven days, and you can get coverage for adventure sports, including mountain biking or bungee jumping, said Mr. Firestone.
Making a claim
Making a claim is similar whether you’re using credit card insurance or a standalone policy. Let your insurance provider know as soon as you can if you’ve had an incident. Some insurers may even reduce payouts if a hospitalization isn’t reported within 48 hours.
Hannah Logan, a travel content creator and small group trip leader at eatsleepbreathetravel.com, said she contacted her travel insurance provider when she had a persistent bad cough. “Not only did they confirm I’d be fully covered, but they were also able to refer me to a nearby clinic that accepted direct billing, so I didn’t have to pay anything.”
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For claims, such as flight delays or lost luggage, you typically upload receipts and supporting documents, including boarding passes and delay notices, through an online portal.
Claims are more complicated. For instance, credit card policies typically exclude acts of war completely, but standalone policies can still provide coverage. However, once they become known events, future bookings are no longer eligible.
Once it’s known, you wouldn’t be covered for injuries caused by falling debris or shrapnel from a war in a country you’re visiting, but many standalone policies would still cover an unrelated medical condition, said Mr. Firestone.
So those travelling to the Middle East or even Mexico, where there’s a travel advisory, can still get some protection.
Choosing the right policy
For younger, healthy travellers, credit card insurance is often enough, but the policy details matter. A trip cancellation limit of $10,000 sounds generous, but not if your trip costs $20,000.
Even with a good policy, you can’t cancel a trip simply because you’re feeling uneasy. You need a qualifying reason, such as a Canadian government travel advisory or a medical emergency. You can add a Cancel For Any Reason policy, but it’s typically pricey and often still won’t reimburse the full value of the non‑refundable parts of your trip.
Ms. Logan prefers to buy a separate policy, despite having free insurance through her credit card. “The extra cost is worth it because I feel more protected since I know exactly what I’m covered for.”
Barry Choi is a personal finance and travel expert at moneywehave.com.