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Trip delay insurance, also known as trip delay reimbursement, or trip delay protection, is a credit card benefit that can cover the cost of a hotel, meals, and other expenses if your flight, train, or other common carrier transportation is delayed.
Here’s what you need to know about credit card trip delay insurance.
Best cards for trip delay insurance coverage
Here are the best cards for trip delay insurance coverage. These cards aren’t the only cards offering coverage, but they are the best, either because they offer the most comprehensive coverage or because they offer excellent coverage and have a low annual fee. See more on Amex, Bank of America, and Chase cards that offer this coverage below.
| Card | Our take | Coverage details |
|---|---|---|
 Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card Annual fee: $550 | Best coverage for the most people: $500 of coverage for you, your spouse, and children under 26 when you are delayed more than 6 hours or overnight. The Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card offers the most generous trip delay insurance coverage among Chase cards because it kicks in after only 6 hours. More on the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card. | Covered delay: 6 hours or overnight. Coverage limits: $500 per ticket. Covered people: Cardholder, spouse, children under 26. |
 Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card Annual fee: $395 | Excellent coverage for your family: $500 of coverage for you, your spouse and children under 18 when you are delayed more than 6 hours or overnight. The Venture X offers a generous trip delay insurance policy that almost matches the Chase Sapphire Reserve, on a card with a more attractive annual fee. More on the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. | Covered delay: 6 hours or overnight. Coverage limits: $500 per ticket. Covered people: Cardholder, spouse, children under 18 and children under 25 if enrolled as a full-time student. |
 U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Annual fee: $400 | Excellent coverage for your family: $500 of coverage for you, your spouse and children under 18 when you are delayed more than 6 hours or overnight. The Altitude Reserve also offers 6 hour/overnight trip delay insurance at a more attractive price point than the Sapphire Reserve. More on the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve. | Covered delay: 6 hours or overnight. Coverage limits: $500 per ticket. Covered people: Cardholder, spouse, children under 18 and children under 25 if enrolled as a full-time student. |
 Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card Annual fee: $0 | Coverage for overnight delays with no annual fee: No annual fee card offering $500/person trip delay reimbursement that covers overnight stays. The Marriott Bonvoy Bold® credit card’s trip delay reimbursement benefit kicks in only after a 12 hour delay (or overnight stay) but it is notable because it is one of the few cards offing this benefit with no annual fee. More on the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card. | Covered delay: 12 hours or overnight. Coverage limits: $500 per ticket. Covered people: Cardholder, spouse, children under 26. |
Additional cards that offer trip delay reimbursement
These cards offer some form of trip delay insurance. If you carry one of the cards from our best list, you should book your travel with one of those cards for the best coverage. But if you don’t hold one of the best cards for trip delay insurance, charging your airline, train, or bus travel to one of these cards is a smart move.
American Express trip delay insurance: Lots of limitations and hoops
American Express offers trip delay insurance on select premium cards, but that trip delay protection comes with a long list of limitations. First, the insurance only covers round trip travel—you must start and end your trip at the same place—and you must charge your entire travel cost to your card. The benefit limits are cumulative across all travelers on a trip, not per person, and you’re limited to 2 claims per rolling 12 months. Finally, with Amex trip delay insurance, you do not get automatic coverage for overnight delays—your delay must be longer than 6 or 12 hours to get coverage.
Here are the cards that offer American Express trip delay insurance. Learn more about Amex trip delay insurance from our article covering that benefit.
| Card | Covered delay | Coverage limits |
|---|---|---|
 The Platinum Card® from American Express | More than 6 hours. | $500 per covered trip. 2 claims per card per rolling 12 months. |
 American Express® Gold Card | More than 12 hours. | $300 per covered trip. 2 claims per card per rolling 12 months. |
 Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card | More than 6 hours. | $500 per covered trip. 2 claims per card per rolling 12 months. |
 Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card | More than 12 hours. | $300 per covered trip. 2 claims per card per rolling 12 months. |
 Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card | More than 6 hours. | $500 per covered trip. 2 claims per card per rolling 12 months. |
 Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card | More than 6 hours. | $500 per covered trip. 2 claims per card per rolling 12 months. |
 The Business Platinum Card® from American Express | More than 6 hours. | $500 per covered trip. 2 claims per card per rolling 12 months. |
 American Express® Business Gold Card | More than 12 hours. | $300 per covered trip. 2 claims per card per rolling 12 months. |
 Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card | More than 6 hours. | $500 per covered trip. 2 claims per card per rolling 12 months. |
 Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card | More than 12 hours. | $300 per covered trip. 2 claims per card per rolling 12 months. |
Chase trip delay reimbursement: Coverage for overnight delays and generous per-person limits
Chase Trip Delay Reimbursement can pay you back when you incur necessary expenses if you are delayed 12 hours (on most cards) or overnight. Coverage limits are generally $500 and are limited per ticket, not per trip. Each eligible traveler can receive up to $500 of expense reimbursements.
You’ll get coverage for you, your spouse/domestic partner, and your legally dependent children under 26 when you charge all or a portion of a common carrier fare to your credit card or use the rewards associated with your account to pay for a trip.
Here are the cards that have Chase Trip Delay Reimbursement coverage. See our article on Chase Trip Delay Reimbursement for more details.
| Card | Covered delay | Coverage limits |
|---|---|---|
 Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card Annual fee: $95 | More than 12 hours or overnight stay. | $500 per ticket. One claim per person, per covered trip. |
Chase Sapphire Reserve® Annual fee: $550 | More than 6 hours or overnight stay. | $500 per ticket. One claim per person, per covered trip. |
 Aeroplan® Credit Card Annual fee: $95 | More than 12 hours or overnight stay. | $500 per ticket. One claim per person, per covered trip. |
   Marriott Bonvoy Bold® credit card Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® credit card Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ credit card Annual fees vary. | More than 12 hours or overnight stay. | $500 per ticket. One claim per person, per covered trip. |
     United℠ Explorer Card United Quest℠ Card United Club℠ Infinite Card United℠ Business Card United Club℠ Business Card Annual fees vary. | More than 12 hours or overnight stay. | $500 per ticket. One claim per person, per covered trip. |
What is trip delay reimbursement?
Trip delay reimbursement, also known as trip delay protection or trip delay insurance is meant to reimburse you for additional expenses you incur when your airline, or other common carrier travel is delayed for certain covered reasons. Covered reasons generally include equipment failure, weather, strikes, and hijacking. If an airline delay causes you to stay in another city overnight, trip delay protection can pay for your hotel room, meals, toiletries, and other necessary expenses.
You must charge your airfare or other common carrier fare to your eligible card to be covered. While trip delay reimbursement can cover additional incidentals like hotel stays, meals and transportation, it won’t cover items like prepaid hotel bookings, cruise bookings, or tour bookings that you miss out on because of your travel delay.
How to get trip delay reimbursement coverage
If your card offers trip delay reimbursement coverage, you become eligible for the coverage when you charge your common carrier fare, such as airfare or train tickets, to your eligible credit card account. Some carriers require to charge your entire fare to your eligible card.
American Express requires that you charge the full amount of your ticket to the card and that your trip be round-trip, starting and ending at a single city of departure. In addition, you can use points from your credit card account, plus vouchers, coupons and discounts from frequent flyer programs to pay for your ticket.
Most other coverages, including the trip delay reimbursement offered by Chase, Capital One, and U.S. Bank only require you to charge a portion of your ticket to your eligible card or use the rewards associated with your card account to pay for the ticket.
Understanding trip delay reimbursement coverage
Trip delay reimbursement policy terms differ by credit card. That means it’s important to understand the basics of your coverage when you are shopping for a credit card and before you book your trip. For full details, you should read your guide to benefits, but here are the essential terms to compare when shopping for trip delay protection.
When does trip delay insurance apply?
If you’ve booked a trip with your card that has a trip delay insurance benefit and your travel is delayed, your incidental expenses may be covered if both of the following are true:
- The delay is long enough, usually 6-12 hours depending on the policy. Most cards cover you if you have to stay overnight, regardless of the delay length. Amex requires that you delay be a specified number of hours, even if you are delayed overnight.
- The delay is for one of the covered reasons, which usually include weather, mechanical failure, a strike, or a hijacking. Note that most cards don’t have crew delays as a covered reason—if your flight is canceled or delayed because or an airline scheduling mishap, you should seek to have the airline cover your expenses.
- You are eligible to receive reimbursement under the policy. Usually credit card trip delay insurance covers you, your spouse/domestic partner, and your children. Some policies cover adult children who are full-time students or traveling companions.
Each card issuer has its own policy about when trip delay reimbursement kicks in, so be sure to check you card’s guide to benefits if you are unsure of when trip delay reimbursement applies.
How much does trip delay reimbursement cover?
Trip delay reimbursement insurance comes with limits on coverage. No, you’re not be able to parlay your trip delay into a stay at the Fairmont and a dinner at a three Michelin star restaurant. But the coverage amounts should be sufficient to cover accommodation at a reasonable airport hotel, plus a few meals. Most policies have a $300-$500 coverage limit per ticket purchased.
Per-trip or per-ticket coverage limits
Sometimes coverage limits apply per ticket, meaning that each eligible person in your party can incur that amount of expenses. But sometimes coverage limits apply per trip, meaning that the total of everyone’s expenses is limited to that amount.
This may not make much difference if you are a solo traveler. But if you’re traveling with your family, those limits can become pretty meaningful quickly. If you are traveling with a family of four, having a per-ticket coverage limit means you can be reimbursed for expenses, up to $500 per person. This might be the difference between staying in the lowest-end airport hotel and a comfortable hotel or getting the kids their own room for the night.
Annual limits on coverage
The trip delay reimbursement benefit that comes with most Visa card does not have an annual limit on coverage, but rather limits you to $500 per eligible ticket purchased with the card. Most credit card issuers offering trip delay reimbursement coverage offer coverage through Visa Infinite.
American Express trip delay insurance limits the number of claims you can make to 2 claims per eligible card, per 12 consecutive month period. If you travel frequently, be aware of this limitation if you’re planning on purchasing your ticket with your American Express card.
Who is covered?
When you book a trip with an eligible card with trip protection, you can be protected against expenses you incur if your flight is delayed or canceled, but what about those traveling with you? What about your family?
In most cases, trip delay protection coverage extends to your family members, even if they are not traveling with you. And with American Express, non-family traveling companions traveling with you can get coverage for their expenses as well.
Be aware that how a trip delay protection policy defines “family” varies. Some policies include your spouse or domestic partner in family, plus dependent children living with you. Sometimes policies cover your children up to a specific age. Sometimes this age is higher if your child is a full-time student. Check your card’s guide to benefits to make sure you know who is covered under your card’s policy.
How to file a claim
Claims against trip delay reimbursement insurance will be handled by a benefit administrator. Details about how to contact the benefit administrator can be found in your card’s Guide to Benefits or by calling your credit card customer service. In most cases, you can initiate your claim online.
| Type of card you hold | How to file your claim |
|---|---|
| American Express | Start your claim by phone by calling 1-844-933-0648. |
| Visa Infinite (Serviced by Card Benefit Services) | File your claim online at http://www.eclaimsline.com. Start your claim by calling 1-800-546-9806. Call 1-800-348-8472 if you need assistance in Spanish or other languages |
During the claim process, you’ll be required to provide documentation of both the travel delay and the expenses you incurred. At a minimum, you should expect to provide:
- A statement from your carrier that your trip was delayed
- Your receipt for your travel purchase and a copy of your credit card account statement
- Receipts for expenses you are claiming
The benefits administrator may ask you for additional documentation during the claims process.
In most case, you must submit your claim within 30 days of the covered trip delay.
Credit cards offering trip delay reimbursement protection
Here’s a bit more on the best cards that offer trip delay reimbursement protection.
Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card: The best trip delay insurance protection on a credit card
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card offers the best trip delay protection of any card we know about. You get $500 of protection per ticket you book with the card or your card’s rewards. Your travel can be one-way or round-trip and you only need to charge a portion of your common carrier ticket to your card to be eligible.
The trip delay reimbursement benefit kicks in after you’ve been delayed for six hours or overnight. You, your spouse or domestic partner and legally dependent children under age 26 are covered if any of you books a ticket using your eligible card.
Learn how to apply.
Annual fee: annual_fees
Chase Sapphire Reserve® sign-up bonus
bonus_miles_full
Business as usual welcome bonus.
More about this card
Benefit highlights:
$300 annual travel credit.
Complimentary airport lounge access.
Best-in-class travel insurance protections.
No foreign transaction fees.
Purchase protection.
Return protection.
Extended warranty.
Rewards:
10x on hotel stays purchased through Chase Travel℠
5x on flights purchased through Chase Travel℠
3x at restaurants, including eligible takeout and delivery services.
3x on other travel, worldwide.
1x on other purchases
Rewards are earned as Ultimate Rewards® points.
Learn more:
Learn more about Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
See the best Ultimate Rewards welcome bonuses.
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Excellent trip delay reimbursement on an affordable card
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card offers trip delay protection that is almost as good as the Sapphire Reserve. With the Venture X, you’ll get $500 of coverage per purchased ticket and the benefit covers delays of 6 hours or overnight. You, your spouse or domestic partner and children are covered, but the definition of “child” is less generous.
The card’s definition of “child” is also a bit ambiguous. The benefit guide published on 7/15/21 says that dependent children under 22 years of age are covered, but later defines a family members to include legally dependent children under age 18, or under 25 if enrolled as a full-time student. (We will update this post if we see that this is clarified in a future benefit guide.)
The Capital One Venture X is one of our favorite travel credit cards for airport lounge access with a family and offers a robust suite of travel insurance benefits. Learn more in our overview of the Venture X.
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card offer: 75k miles after spending $4k in 3 months. (Annual fee: $395)
Earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening. Get this welcome bonus.
Not nearly as good as the card’s 100k point launch offer, but an above-average bonus when compared to competing cards.
$300 Capital One Travel annual credit. Transferable points. Travel insurance. (More in our card review.)
This is a referral link. All information about the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has been collected independently by cardsandpoints.com.
U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card: Another option to get 6-hour trip delay reimbursement with a lower annual fee
The U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card gives you $500 of coverage when you book a portion of your ticket using the card. Like the other best cards for trip delay protection, it covers you, your spouse, and your dependent children under 22 years of age. Six-hour or longer delays trigger the trip delay protection on this card.
Your travel can be one-way or round-trip and you only need to charge a portion of your common carrier ticket to your card to be eligible. Tickets you book using your card’s rewards are also covered, which is great because you can get 50% more value from your rewards points when you book travel through the Altitude Rewards Center.
The Altitude Reserve is one of our favorite cards for its generous rewards on mobile wallet purchases. It’s also one of the best cards to use at Costco and a good option if you want occasional airport lounge access. Learn more in our overview of the Altitude Reserve.
Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card: A no annual fee card offering trip delay reimbursement
The Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card makes our list of the best cards with trip delay insurance because it is one of the few cards with no annual fee that offers the benefit. And it may be the only one that you can get as a new cardmember.
The coverage isn’t as generous as the other cards on the list—you’ll only be covered for delays of 12 hours or that require an overnight delay. But if you’re averse to paying annual fees and you want trip delay reimbursement coverage, the Bonvoy Bold is the card to get.
All of the other Chase-issued Marriott cards that have annual fees offer trip delay reimbursement, so if you’re a Marriott loyalist, you have plenty of options. Take a look at our guide to Marriott cards to find the best Marriott card for you. And be sure you check out the rules for earning Marriott bonuses if you’re planning on picking up a new card.
Frequently asked questions
Can I book a ticket for someone else and have them covered by trip delay reimbursement?
In most cases, tickets you book a for a spouse or dependent child will be covered by trip delay reimbursement. Some Amex cards also provide coverage for non-family traveling companions traveling with you.
Do I have to book a ticket with my eligible credit card to get coverage?
Yes. Trip delay reimbursement insurance applies only when you book your ticket with your eligible credit card and, in many cases, the points you have accumulated with that card.
How much compensation do you get from trip delay insurance?
Trip delay insurance does not provide compensation; it covers necessary expenses. If your trip is delayed, you may be entitled to compensation from your airline, but your trip delay insurance can cover your expenses regardless of your airline compensation rights.
If I book a ticket for my friend, will they get trip delay insurance protection?
Most credit card trip delay insurance protections only cover tickets booked for family members. The exception is if you have a card with Amex trip delay insurance, your friend is traveling with you, and you booked their ticket with your card.
American Express card disclosures
- For rates and fees of the The Platinum Card® from American Express, please visit this link: See Rates and Fees
- For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, please visit this link: See Rates and Fees
- For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, please visit this link: See Rates and Fees
- For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, please visit this link: See Rates and Fees
- For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, please visit this link: See Rates and Fees
- For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, please visit this link: See Rates and Fees
- For rates and fees of the The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, please visit this link: See Rates and Fees
- For rates and fees of the American Express® Business Gold Card, please visit this link: See Rates and Fees
- For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, please visit this link: See Rates and Fees
- For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card, please visit this link: See Rates and Fees
Amex Basic Trip Delay Insurance benefit disclosure: Up to $300 per Covered Trip that is delayed for more than 12 hours; and 2 claims per Eligible Card per 12 consecutive month period. 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.
Advertiser disclosure: Cards and Points has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Cards and Points and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers. Compensation may affect how and where card products appear on the site. The site does not include all card companies or all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. Terms apply to all credit card benefits.
