What is covered by credit card travel accident and emergency evacuation insurance?
Many of the perks available from your credit card are well known and well used. However, benefits such as Trip cancellation insurance, Baggage delay insurance, Lost baggage insurance And Trip delay protection can literally save time and justify paying the annual fee.
I’ll explain some of the lesser-known benefits that you hopefully won’t have to use, but if needed, can protect you from extreme financial hardship and ensure your family and loved ones you are provided if anything happens to you.
You can easily find the coverage and terms of any protections your travel credit card offers with a quick web search for a guide to its up-to-date benefits. card. These benefits are not exclusive to travel credit cardand many standard credit cards come with insurance and travel insurance.
Travel accident insurance
Often called General transportation insuranceThis policy covers death, loss of vision or loss of limbs while on board an aircraft, train, ship or bus licensed to carry passengers and available to the public.
Some cards also include travel accident insurance that provides protection for the entire duration of the trip (up to 31 days long) but pays out less than common carrier policies. To qualify, you generally must pay the full ticket price with your qualifying credit card.
Different credit cards have different payout tables for how much your beneficiary will receive in the event of death, loss of a limb, loss of two limbs, loss of sight in one eye or legal blindness . Coverage also typically extends to authorized users on the account, the cardholder’s spouse, partner and dependent children on trips paid for by the card.
By default, the beneficiaries in order of priority are spouses, children, then assets. You can send a letter to the card issuer to establish another beneficiary.
Emergency evacuation insurance
Previously, when traveling to far away places like Maldives And FijiI purchased third-party emergency medical evacuation insurance without realizing that the cards I already had would cover me. There are some important aspects of emergency evacuation insurance offered by a credit card that you need to understand and follow so you don’t complicate your medical situation with the stress of financial hardship:
- Everything must be approved and coordinated through the benefits manager. This is the person you or your companions should call when things start looking like you might need assistance. You will not be reimbursed for anything you decide to pay for yourself.
- Evacuation does not mean repatriation. If you are far away abroad, you will not be evacuated back to the United States. Most policies state that you will be transported to the nearest medical facility capable of providing appropriate care.
- Pre-existing conditions may result in your request to evacuate at your credit card provider’s expense being denied. Read your credit card’s full terms and benefits guide to see what exclusions include these conditions and your credit card’s definition of pre-existing conditions.
- Coverage is only for evacuation costs and medical care during transport. When you return to the ground, you still need health insurance to pay for doctors and care staff.
- Some cards have exclusions by country, so don’t expect to go to Syria or Afghanistan and ask your credit card benefits manager to take you to the hospital.
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To get all the relevant information, download and read the full benefits guide to these covers. Below are some cards that offer travel accident and/or emergency evacuation insurance.
American Express Platinum Card
American Express Platinum® Card offers one of the most generous emergency evacuation coverages of any card.
Have There is no cost limitand benefits will be extended to immediate family and children under 23 (or under 26 if enrolled full-time in school). The best part is that you don’t even have to use a card to pay for your trip.
You must be on a trip of less than 90 days and at least 100 miles away from your residence. The Premium Global Assist (PGA) administrator must coordinate everything without incurring any costs.
The benefit will also pay for an economy class airfare for a minor under 16 years of age to be taken home if left unattended, and pay for an escort to accompany the minor if required to take the child home. home and take family members to the treatment facility if more than 10 people are hospitalized. Consecutive days are expected.*
Other American Express cards provide access Premium global support hotline. However, anything they coordinate will be at your expense. Make sure you read the Amex card benefits guide carefully.
To learn more, check out our Full review of Amex Platinum.
Related: Your complete guide to Amex’s travel protections
*Eligibility and benefit levels vary by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit Americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. If approved and coordinated by the Premier Global Assistance Hotline, emergency medical transportation assistance may be provided at no charge. In all other cases, the cardholder is responsible for paying charges charged by the third-party service provider.
Register here: Amex platinum
Chase Sapphire Reserve and Chase Sapphire Preferred cards
the Chase Sapphire Sanctuary® offers two travel accident insurance benefits: common carrier travel accident insurance and 24-hour travel accident insurance. The first condition applies when traveling as a passenger to, from or on any common carrier. The following applies at any time during your trip – but you cannot be paid under both the regular carrier policy and the 24-hour policy.
If you use Chase the ultimate bonus score to book your trip, you will enjoy the benefits of the card.
Those eligible for coverage include yourself, plus “[a] their spouses and parents; sons and daughters, including adopted children and stepchildren; parents, including stepparents; brothers and sisters; grandparents and grandchildren; aunt or uncle; niece or nephew; and Domestic partners and their parents, including domestic partners and spouses of any individual within this definition.”
Chase pays up to $1,000,000 for carrier normal losses and up to $100,000 for 24-hour contract losses based on the following table:
Some interesting exclusions with Chase that may prevent payout include insureds participating in motor vehicle racing or speed competitions, insureds participating in any professional sporting activities where they receive salary or bonus, skydive or if the insured person travels. or flying in any aircraft engaged in rocket-propelled or rocket-propelled aircraft flight.
Chase Sapphire Reserve also offers emergency evacuation coverage. If you or an immediate family member paid for at least part of your trip with a card, you will be eligible for up to $100,000 in emergency medical evacuation.
Your covered trip must last between 5 and 60 days and be at least 100 miles from your residence. If you are in hospital for more than eight days, your benefits manager can arrange for a relative or friend to fly round-trip in economy class to your location.
If your original ticket cannot be used, you can also get a refund for the cost of your economy ticket home. In the worst case scenario, benefits also pay up to $1,000 to repatriate your remains.
the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card also offers travel accident insurance but at a lower rate than a regular transportation policy. Benefits will pay up to $500,000 for carrier normal losses and up to $100,000 for 24-hour contract losses based on the following table:
Be sure to read the benefits guide carefully so you know what your Chase Sapphire card does and doesn’t include.
To learn more, check out our full reviews Chase Sapphire Sanctuary And Chase Sapphire preferred.
Related: Your credit card travel insurance can help with 4 times the travel problems and 7 times it can’t.
Register here: Chase Sapphire Sanctuary And Chase Sapphire preferred
United Club Unlimited Pass
Top floor United Club℠ Unlimited Pass provides travel accident and emergency evacuation insurance. Travel accident insurance benefits can pay up to $500,000 for general transportation losses.
The card also includes emergency evacuation coverage, so you can rest easy knowing you’re covered in the event of qualifying medical events. Keep in mind that United Club Infinite benefits may have different terms than others. Chase cardso read through your card’s benefits guide for more information.
To learn more, check out our Full review of the United Club Infinite Pass.
Register here: Infinite unity club
Bottom line
We hope none of us have to worry about either of these policies, but it’s nice to have peace of mind if you or your family need emergency assistance. This peace of mind is another reason to make sure one of these cards is always in your wallet when traveling.
Benefits guides for all cards are updated regularly, so make sure you don’t throw them in the trash when an update shows up in the mail, and read the online guide for terms and conditions latest.
