Dr. Credit Card - All about Credit Card Travel and Consumer Protection (NOT updated)
Updated April 27, 2018. Please see our updated review here.
Top Credit Cards for Protection
1. Citi Prestige World Elite MasterCard
Citi American Airlines AAdvantage Executive World Elite MasterCard
3. Chase Sapphire Reserve Visa Infinite
J.P. Morgan Ritz-Carlton Visa Infinite
5. Citi ThankYou Premier World MasterCard
Citi American Airlines AAdvantage Platinum Select World MasterCard
Citi Expedia+ Voyager World MasterCard
8. Chase United Airlines MileagePlus Club Visa Signature
Chase United Airlines MileagePlus Explorer Visa Signature
Chase Sapphire Preferred Visa Signature
Nowadays, most credit cards provide some sort of travel and consumer protection. However, benefits provided by different issuers or even different products by the same issuer can be very different, and here we will try to provide a summary and help you get a basic idea. Please do refer to the benefit guide that comes with your credit card for details.
Primary Rental Car Collision Coverage
Most credit cards' rental car collision coverage is secondary, meaning that your personal collision damage insurance kicks in first. However, there are a few credit cards that offer primary rental car collision coverage. Chase Sapphire Preferred's auto rental collision insurance is primary, covers a rental up to 31 consecutive days, but excludes expensive or exotic vehicles. Vehicles such as Aston Martin, Bentley, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lotus, Maserati, Porsche, and Rolls Royce are excluded, while select models of BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Cadillac, and Lincoln are covered. Chase United MP Club, United MP Explorer, Chase Sapphire Reserve, and JPM Ritz-Carlton Visa all offer the same primary coverage. Please visit our featured review "Credit Cards with Primary Rental Car Insurance" for details.
Roadside Assistance
Most credit cards' roadside assistance coverage is for dispatch only - they will find a provider for you and send them to your location, but you have to pay out of your pocket for the actual towing charges (most of them charge $59.95 for 5-mile towing), etc. However, a few cards provide certain coverage for free. Chase Sapphire Reserve or JPM Ritz-Carlton Visa covers you up to $50 per service event, up to 4 events per year; however, you need to be more than 50 miles from home to use this benefit. Amex Platinum Card, Amex PR Gold, Delta Reserve, and Hilton Aspire allow your to use their roadside service regardless of distance from home, and the first 10 miles of towing is free, up to 4 events per year. Citi Prestige or Citi AA Executive is even better in that its coverage is the same as Amex's except that you can use the service as many times as you need.
Travel Accident Insurance
Most Visa Signature, World MasterCard, and Amex cards provide this insurance to a covered person in the event of accidental death, dismemberment, and loss of speech, sight, and hearing, when traveling. Most cards offer Common Carrier coverage which only applies when you are aboard a common carrier (airplane, ship, train, shuttle, bus, etc.) or at airport, terminal or station, while Chase cards offer an additional option called 24 Hour coverage which applies to the entire trip on a 24 hour basis, starting on the departure date printed on the airline ticket and ending on the return date printed on the airline ticket, up to 30 days in length. A covered person defined by most cards is the cardholder or his/her spouse or underaged children; however, a Chase card has a wider coverage as it defines a covered person as the cardholder or his/her family members: spouse, children, siblings or siblings-in-law, parents or parents-in-law, grandparents, grandchildren, aunts or uncles, nieces or nephews, and even better, a covered person doesn't need to travel with the cardholder. Another important fact is that while most other card issuers require you to use the credit card to pay in full or use rewards points associated with that particular card, thus limiting the benefit to revenue tickets, Chase cards again stand out as they allow you pay a portion of the fare with the card to receive this benefit, so that you are covered on an awards ticket (using frequent flyer miles) as long as you pay taxes and fees with your Chase card.
As for the insurance amount, most cards provide up to $100,000 to $500,000 per covered person for Common Carrier coverage. The highest amount we have seen is on Citi Prestige / Citi AA Executive ($1,000,000 per person), Chase Sapphire Reserve / JPM Ritz-Carlton Visa ($1,000,000 per person for Common Carrier coverage, and $100,000 per person for the more extensive 24 Hour converge), or BofA Premium Rewards ($1,000,000 per person, up to two persons per accident).
Trip Cancellation & Interruption Insurance
Not many cards offer this benefit - when your trip is canceled or interrupted due to a covered reason such as death, injury, sickness, severe weather, jury duty, etc., you will be reimbursed up to the insurance amount, normally $1,500 to $5,000 per person per trip. The best coverage we have seen is $10,000 per person per trip, up to $20,000 per trip, and up to $40,000 per year, as provided by JPM Ritz-Carlton Visa, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Sapphire Preferred, United MP Explorer, or United MP Club Card. Just as detailed in the "Travel Accident Insurance" section, a Chase card with this benefit covers the cardholder and family members, as well as awards tickets. Several Citi cards, such as Citi Prestige, Citi AA Executive, ThankYou Premier, Citi AA Platinum, Expedia+ Voyager, cover up to $5,000 per person per trip, without a maximum cap per trip or per year. Starting May 2016, a Citi card with this benefit covers the cardholder, family members, and traveling companion(s), as well as awards tickets. BofA Premium Rewards covers up to $5,000 per person per trip, up to $10,000 per trip, and up to $20,000 per year, and it also covers the cardholder plus family members.
Trip Delay Reimbursement
This benefit is even rarer among credit cards - when your trip is delayed more than a certain number of hours due to a covered reason such as equipment failure, inclement weather, labor strikes, etc., you will be reimbursed for reasonable expense up to the insurance amount. Unlike Travel Accident Insurance, a Chase card with this benefit (such as JPM Ritz-Carlton Visa, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Sapphire Preferred, United MP Explorer, or United MP Club) only covers you and your spouse or underaged children; however, award tickets are still covered. Chase covers you up to $500 per ticket when the delay is more than 12 hours or when an overnight stay is needed, while Chase Sapphire Reserve and JPM Ritz-Carlton Visa reduce the eligible delay to more than 6 hours. While several Citi cards (ThankYou Premier, Citi AA Platinum, Expedia+ Voyager) cover up to $500 per ticket when the delay is more than 12 hours, the best coverage is provided by Citi Prestige and Citi AA Executive, up to $500 per ticket when the delay is more than 3 hours, Citi cards also extend the coverage to the cardholder, family members, and traveling companion(s), as well as awards tickets. BofA Premium Rewards's coverage is up to $500 per ticket when the delay is more than 12 hours; however, family members and awards tickets are not covered.
Lost Baggage Reimbursement
Many credit cards provide this benefit - when your checked or carry-on baggage is lost or damage in a common carrier covered trip, you will be reimbursed for the cost of repairing or replacing the baggage and personal properties contained within, up to the maximum insurance amount. A Chase or Citi card covers the cardholder and family members (traveling companions are also covered by Citi), and an awards ticket is eligible to receive this benefit. Many Chase Visa Signature cards cover you up to $3,000 per person per trip, and up to $500 per person per trip for high-risk items such as jewelry, watches, cameras, video recorders, and other electronic equipment. Coverage by Amex cards differs from card to card, and the best is Amex Platinum which covers up to $3,000 for carry-on, $2,000 for checked baggage, and $250 for high-risk items. Several Citi cards (including Citi Prestige, Citi AA Executive, Citi AA Platinum, ThankYou Premier, Expedia+ Voyager) cover up to $3,000 per person per trip, up to $10,000 maximum per trip, and there is no high-risk item provision. Several Bank of America Cards, including BofA Premium Rewards, cover up to $3,000 per trip.
Baggage Delay Reimbursement
Not many cards provide this benefit - when your baggage is delayed for a certain number of hours, you will be reimbursed for purchase of essential items, up to the maximum insurance amount. A Chase or Citi card covers the cardholder and family members (traveling companions are also covered by Citi), and an awards ticket is eligible to receive this benefit. Several Chase Visa Signature cards cover up to $300 per person per trip ($100 per day, for up to 3 days) when a delay is more than 6 hours, while Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve and Ritz-Carlton Visa raise the limit to $500 per person per trip ($100 per day, for up to 5 days). Citi Prestige / Citi AA Executive covers up to $500 per person per trip and doesn't have daily limit, when a delay is more than 3 hours, while several other Citi cards, such as ThankYou Premier, AA Platinum, Expedia+ Voyager, cover up to $500 per person per trip when a delay is more than 6 hours. BofA Premium Rewards covers up to $500 per trip ($100 per day, up to 5 days) when a delay is more than 6 hours. Several Barclays cards, including Arrival Premier WEMC, cover up to $300 per trip ($100 per day, up to 3 days), and up to $300 maximum per year, when a delay is more than 12 hours.
Price Protection
Amex was the first to offer this valuable benefit, but has discontinued due to fraud and abuse. Currently several card issuers, including Citi, Chase, and Barclays, offer this benefit - when the price of a purchased product drops within a certain period from the purchase date, you will be reimbursed for the price difference, up to the insurance amount. Several Chase cards offer the same coverage, up to $500 per item, and up to $2,500 per year, when the price drop occurs within 90 days. Several Barclays cards cover up to $250 per item and $1,000 per year, when the price drop occurs within 60 days. Citi has its own special version of this benefit named Citi Price Rewind, in which they will automatically search for a lower price for you and notify you after finding one - this obviously makes the process much easier for most consumers. Many Citi cards offer Citi Price Rewind coverage, up to $500 per item and $2,500 per year, when the price drop occurs within 60 days.
Extended Warranty
Nowadays most credit cards offer this benefit - they automatically extend the warranty on a purchased product for one additional year after the original manufacturer warranty expires, when the original manufacturer warranty is three years or less, and they will reimburse you up to the insurance amount, normally up to $10,000 per item and up to $50,000 per account. Amex cards (such as Amex SPG, Amex Platinum Card) allow the original manufacturer warrant to be five years or less, and the $50,000 maximum is for per year instead of lifetime per account. Citi is the same regarding the five-year rule but doesn't specify a per year or per account maximum. In addition, effective May 2016, Citi is the only card issuer that offers two years of extended warranty instead of one, and most Citi cards come with this benefit.
Purchase Protection
Most credit cards now offer this benefit covering your purchased product in the event of damage, theft, or accidental loss, up to the insurance amount, for a certain period after purchase. Most cards covers up to $500 or $1,000 per item, and up to $50,000 per account, for the first 90 days of purchase. A Chase or Citi card extend this benefit to the first 120 days, and some cards (such as Chase Sapphire Reserve, JPM Ritz-Carlton Visa, Chase United MP Explorer, Chase United MP Club, Citi Prestige, Citi ThankYou Premier, Citi AA Executive, Citi AA Platinum, Citi Expedia+ Voyager) cover up to $10,000 per item and the $50,000 maximum is for per year. Amex cards also have $10,000 per item and $50,000 per year limit, but only for the first 90 days.
Return Protection
Several Amex and Chase cards offer this benefit covering your purchased product when the retailer refuses to take it back, up to the insurance amount (normally $250-$500 per item, and $1,000 per year), for the first 90 days. The best coverage we have seen is from some Citi cards (including Citi Prestige, ThankYou Premier, Citi AA Executive, Citi AA Platinum, Expedia+ Voyager), which cover up to $500 per item and raise the per year maximum to $2,500.
Other Coverages
Chase Sapphire Reserve, JPM Ritz-Carlton Visa, Citi Prestige, Citi AA Executive, and BofA Premium Rewards all offer Emergency Evacuation and Transportation coverage, up to $100,000 per person, for the cardholder and spouse/children. Chase Sapphire Reserve and JPM Ritz-Carlton are the only cards we know that offer Emergency Medical and Dental coverage, secondary to your existing medical coverage, up to $2,500 per person with a $50 deductible, for the cardholder and spouse/children. Event Ticket Protection is offered by Citi Prestige / Citi AA Executive (up to $500 per ticket, and $5,000 per year) and Chase Sapphire Reserve/JPM Ritz-Carlton (up to $500 per ticket, $2,000 per event, and $4,000 per year)
© 2018 DrCreditCard.net All rights reserved.
Top Credit Cards for Protection
1. Citi Prestige World Elite MasterCard
Citi American Airlines AAdvantage Executive World Elite MasterCard
3. Chase Sapphire Reserve Visa Infinite
J.P. Morgan Ritz-Carlton Visa Infinite
5. Citi ThankYou Premier World MasterCard
Citi American Airlines AAdvantage Platinum Select World MasterCard
Citi Expedia+ Voyager World MasterCard
8. Chase United Airlines MileagePlus Club Visa Signature
Chase United Airlines MileagePlus Explorer Visa Signature
Chase Sapphire Preferred Visa Signature
Nowadays, most credit cards provide some sort of travel and consumer protection. However, benefits provided by different issuers or even different products by the same issuer can be very different, and here we will try to provide a summary and help you get a basic idea. Please do refer to the benefit guide that comes with your credit card for details.
Primary Rental Car Collision Coverage
Most credit cards' rental car collision coverage is secondary, meaning that your personal collision damage insurance kicks in first. However, there are a few credit cards that offer primary rental car collision coverage. Chase Sapphire Preferred's auto rental collision insurance is primary, covers a rental up to 31 consecutive days, but excludes expensive or exotic vehicles. Vehicles such as Aston Martin, Bentley, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lotus, Maserati, Porsche, and Rolls Royce are excluded, while select models of BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Cadillac, and Lincoln are covered. Chase United MP Club, United MP Explorer, Chase Sapphire Reserve, and JPM Ritz-Carlton Visa all offer the same primary coverage. Please visit our featured review "Credit Cards with Primary Rental Car Insurance" for details.
Roadside Assistance
Most credit cards' roadside assistance coverage is for dispatch only - they will find a provider for you and send them to your location, but you have to pay out of your pocket for the actual towing charges (most of them charge $59.95 for 5-mile towing), etc. However, a few cards provide certain coverage for free. Chase Sapphire Reserve or JPM Ritz-Carlton Visa covers you up to $50 per service event, up to 4 events per year; however, you need to be more than 50 miles from home to use this benefit. Amex Platinum Card, Amex PR Gold, Delta Reserve, and Hilton Aspire allow your to use their roadside service regardless of distance from home, and the first 10 miles of towing is free, up to 4 events per year. Citi Prestige or Citi AA Executive is even better in that its coverage is the same as Amex's except that you can use the service as many times as you need.
Travel Accident Insurance
Most Visa Signature, World MasterCard, and Amex cards provide this insurance to a covered person in the event of accidental death, dismemberment, and loss of speech, sight, and hearing, when traveling. Most cards offer Common Carrier coverage which only applies when you are aboard a common carrier (airplane, ship, train, shuttle, bus, etc.) or at airport, terminal or station, while Chase cards offer an additional option called 24 Hour coverage which applies to the entire trip on a 24 hour basis, starting on the departure date printed on the airline ticket and ending on the return date printed on the airline ticket, up to 30 days in length. A covered person defined by most cards is the cardholder or his/her spouse or underaged children; however, a Chase card has a wider coverage as it defines a covered person as the cardholder or his/her family members: spouse, children, siblings or siblings-in-law, parents or parents-in-law, grandparents, grandchildren, aunts or uncles, nieces or nephews, and even better, a covered person doesn't need to travel with the cardholder. Another important fact is that while most other card issuers require you to use the credit card to pay in full or use rewards points associated with that particular card, thus limiting the benefit to revenue tickets, Chase cards again stand out as they allow you pay a portion of the fare with the card to receive this benefit, so that you are covered on an awards ticket (using frequent flyer miles) as long as you pay taxes and fees with your Chase card.
As for the insurance amount, most cards provide up to $100,000 to $500,000 per covered person for Common Carrier coverage. The highest amount we have seen is on Citi Prestige / Citi AA Executive ($1,000,000 per person), Chase Sapphire Reserve / JPM Ritz-Carlton Visa ($1,000,000 per person for Common Carrier coverage, and $100,000 per person for the more extensive 24 Hour converge), or BofA Premium Rewards ($1,000,000 per person, up to two persons per accident).
Trip Cancellation & Interruption Insurance
Not many cards offer this benefit - when your trip is canceled or interrupted due to a covered reason such as death, injury, sickness, severe weather, jury duty, etc., you will be reimbursed up to the insurance amount, normally $1,500 to $5,000 per person per trip. The best coverage we have seen is $10,000 per person per trip, up to $20,000 per trip, and up to $40,000 per year, as provided by JPM Ritz-Carlton Visa, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Sapphire Preferred, United MP Explorer, or United MP Club Card. Just as detailed in the "Travel Accident Insurance" section, a Chase card with this benefit covers the cardholder and family members, as well as awards tickets. Several Citi cards, such as Citi Prestige, Citi AA Executive, ThankYou Premier, Citi AA Platinum, Expedia+ Voyager, cover up to $5,000 per person per trip, without a maximum cap per trip or per year. Starting May 2016, a Citi card with this benefit covers the cardholder, family members, and traveling companion(s), as well as awards tickets. BofA Premium Rewards covers up to $5,000 per person per trip, up to $10,000 per trip, and up to $20,000 per year, and it also covers the cardholder plus family members.
Trip Delay Reimbursement
This benefit is even rarer among credit cards - when your trip is delayed more than a certain number of hours due to a covered reason such as equipment failure, inclement weather, labor strikes, etc., you will be reimbursed for reasonable expense up to the insurance amount. Unlike Travel Accident Insurance, a Chase card with this benefit (such as JPM Ritz-Carlton Visa, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Sapphire Preferred, United MP Explorer, or United MP Club) only covers you and your spouse or underaged children; however, award tickets are still covered. Chase covers you up to $500 per ticket when the delay is more than 12 hours or when an overnight stay is needed, while Chase Sapphire Reserve and JPM Ritz-Carlton Visa reduce the eligible delay to more than 6 hours. While several Citi cards (ThankYou Premier, Citi AA Platinum, Expedia+ Voyager) cover up to $500 per ticket when the delay is more than 12 hours, the best coverage is provided by Citi Prestige and Citi AA Executive, up to $500 per ticket when the delay is more than 3 hours, Citi cards also extend the coverage to the cardholder, family members, and traveling companion(s), as well as awards tickets. BofA Premium Rewards's coverage is up to $500 per ticket when the delay is more than 12 hours; however, family members and awards tickets are not covered.
Lost Baggage Reimbursement
Many credit cards provide this benefit - when your checked or carry-on baggage is lost or damage in a common carrier covered trip, you will be reimbursed for the cost of repairing or replacing the baggage and personal properties contained within, up to the maximum insurance amount. A Chase or Citi card covers the cardholder and family members (traveling companions are also covered by Citi), and an awards ticket is eligible to receive this benefit. Many Chase Visa Signature cards cover you up to $3,000 per person per trip, and up to $500 per person per trip for high-risk items such as jewelry, watches, cameras, video recorders, and other electronic equipment. Coverage by Amex cards differs from card to card, and the best is Amex Platinum which covers up to $3,000 for carry-on, $2,000 for checked baggage, and $250 for high-risk items. Several Citi cards (including Citi Prestige, Citi AA Executive, Citi AA Platinum, ThankYou Premier, Expedia+ Voyager) cover up to $3,000 per person per trip, up to $10,000 maximum per trip, and there is no high-risk item provision. Several Bank of America Cards, including BofA Premium Rewards, cover up to $3,000 per trip.
Baggage Delay Reimbursement
Not many cards provide this benefit - when your baggage is delayed for a certain number of hours, you will be reimbursed for purchase of essential items, up to the maximum insurance amount. A Chase or Citi card covers the cardholder and family members (traveling companions are also covered by Citi), and an awards ticket is eligible to receive this benefit. Several Chase Visa Signature cards cover up to $300 per person per trip ($100 per day, for up to 3 days) when a delay is more than 6 hours, while Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve and Ritz-Carlton Visa raise the limit to $500 per person per trip ($100 per day, for up to 5 days). Citi Prestige / Citi AA Executive covers up to $500 per person per trip and doesn't have daily limit, when a delay is more than 3 hours, while several other Citi cards, such as ThankYou Premier, AA Platinum, Expedia+ Voyager, cover up to $500 per person per trip when a delay is more than 6 hours. BofA Premium Rewards covers up to $500 per trip ($100 per day, up to 5 days) when a delay is more than 6 hours. Several Barclays cards, including Arrival Premier WEMC, cover up to $300 per trip ($100 per day, up to 3 days), and up to $300 maximum per year, when a delay is more than 12 hours.
Price Protection
Amex was the first to offer this valuable benefit, but has discontinued due to fraud and abuse. Currently several card issuers, including Citi, Chase, and Barclays, offer this benefit - when the price of a purchased product drops within a certain period from the purchase date, you will be reimbursed for the price difference, up to the insurance amount. Several Chase cards offer the same coverage, up to $500 per item, and up to $2,500 per year, when the price drop occurs within 90 days. Several Barclays cards cover up to $250 per item and $1,000 per year, when the price drop occurs within 60 days. Citi has its own special version of this benefit named Citi Price Rewind, in which they will automatically search for a lower price for you and notify you after finding one - this obviously makes the process much easier for most consumers. Many Citi cards offer Citi Price Rewind coverage, up to $500 per item and $2,500 per year, when the price drop occurs within 60 days.
Extended Warranty
Nowadays most credit cards offer this benefit - they automatically extend the warranty on a purchased product for one additional year after the original manufacturer warranty expires, when the original manufacturer warranty is three years or less, and they will reimburse you up to the insurance amount, normally up to $10,000 per item and up to $50,000 per account. Amex cards (such as Amex SPG, Amex Platinum Card) allow the original manufacturer warrant to be five years or less, and the $50,000 maximum is for per year instead of lifetime per account. Citi is the same regarding the five-year rule but doesn't specify a per year or per account maximum. In addition, effective May 2016, Citi is the only card issuer that offers two years of extended warranty instead of one, and most Citi cards come with this benefit.
Purchase Protection
Most credit cards now offer this benefit covering your purchased product in the event of damage, theft, or accidental loss, up to the insurance amount, for a certain period after purchase. Most cards covers up to $500 or $1,000 per item, and up to $50,000 per account, for the first 90 days of purchase. A Chase or Citi card extend this benefit to the first 120 days, and some cards (such as Chase Sapphire Reserve, JPM Ritz-Carlton Visa, Chase United MP Explorer, Chase United MP Club, Citi Prestige, Citi ThankYou Premier, Citi AA Executive, Citi AA Platinum, Citi Expedia+ Voyager) cover up to $10,000 per item and the $50,000 maximum is for per year. Amex cards also have $10,000 per item and $50,000 per year limit, but only for the first 90 days.
Return Protection
Several Amex and Chase cards offer this benefit covering your purchased product when the retailer refuses to take it back, up to the insurance amount (normally $250-$500 per item, and $1,000 per year), for the first 90 days. The best coverage we have seen is from some Citi cards (including Citi Prestige, ThankYou Premier, Citi AA Executive, Citi AA Platinum, Expedia+ Voyager), which cover up to $500 per item and raise the per year maximum to $2,500.
Other Coverages
Chase Sapphire Reserve, JPM Ritz-Carlton Visa, Citi Prestige, Citi AA Executive, and BofA Premium Rewards all offer Emergency Evacuation and Transportation coverage, up to $100,000 per person, for the cardholder and spouse/children. Chase Sapphire Reserve and JPM Ritz-Carlton are the only cards we know that offer Emergency Medical and Dental coverage, secondary to your existing medical coverage, up to $2,500 per person with a $50 deductible, for the cardholder and spouse/children. Event Ticket Protection is offered by Citi Prestige / Citi AA Executive (up to $500 per ticket, and $5,000 per year) and Chase Sapphire Reserve/JPM Ritz-Carlton (up to $500 per ticket, $2,000 per event, and $4,000 per year)
© 2018 DrCreditCard.net All rights reserved.