See How the Best Travel Credit Cards Save You Money on This Little-Known Cost

Travel insurance is nice to have, but it's not always cheap. Most people might not realize this, but some of the best travel credit cards give you built-in travel insurance benefits for free, like trip cancellation/interruption coverage. 

If you're traveling without travel insurance -- especially for expensive international vacations with lots of flight connections, various hotel stays, and non-refundable bookings -- you could be taking a big risk. The best travel credit cards can help protect your trip automatically, and might save you thousands of dollars (and many hours of aggravation). 

Let's look at how to get free travel insurance with the best travel credit cards. 

Which travel cards offer free travel insurance? 

Not every travel credit card offers travel insurance, but some have free built-in coverage when you use your card to book travel. Your flight, hotel, and rental car can be automatically covered by some generous insurance protections. Here are a few of the best credit cards that offer free travel protections. 

The Platinum Card® from American Express

This card is renowned as one of the most elite premium credit cards, with generous perks for luxury travel experiences. But it also offers some less glamorous but still valuable travel protections. 

The Platinum Card® from American Express gives you these built-in travel protections if you use your card to purchase a round trip: 

• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance: If your trip is canceled or interrupted for a covered reason, you can get eligible (non-refundable) expenses reimbursed up to $10,000 per trip and up to $20,000 per eligible card per 12-consecutive-month period.  
• Trip delay insurance: If your trip is delayed by more than six hours for a covered reason, you can get up to $500 of reimbursement for certain additional expenses paid for by your eligible card. (Maximum of two claims per 12-consecutive-month period.) 
• Terms apply.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card 

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers some valuable travel protections, especially for a card with such a low annual fee (only $95). When you book trips with your Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, you get these built-in travel protections:  

• Trip cancellation/interruption insurance: If your trip is canceled or interrupted by sickness, severe weather, or other covered situations, you can get up to $10,000 of reimbursement per person, and up to $20,000 per trip, for prepaid, non-refundable travel expenses. 
• Trip delay reimbursement: If your trip gets delayed by a common carrier (i.e. airline) for over 12 hours, or requires an overnight stay, you can get reimbursed for up to $500 per ticket for additional unreimbursed expenses like food and lodging.
• Baggage delay insurance: If your baggage gets delayed for over six hours, you can get reimbursed up to $100 per day (for five days) for extra expenses like toiletries and clothes.

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is a higher-end premium credit card from Chase, and it charges a higher annual fee than the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card ($550 vs. $95). But this premium travel credit card also offers some higher-value travel protections. 

You get all the same benefits provided by the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card listed above, plus these extra travel insurance coverages: 

• Travel accident insurance: When you pay for transportation (air, bus, train, or cruise) with your Chase Sapphire Reserve®, you'll be eligible for up to $1 million of accidental death or dismemberment coverage. 
• Lost luggage reimbursement: If you or an immediate family member have your luggage lost or damaged by a carrier, you can get up to $3,000 of coverage per passenger. 
• Emergency evacuation and transportation: If you or an immediate family member is injured or sick and requires emergency evacuation, you can be covered for up to $100,000 of medical services and transportation costs.  
• Emergency medical and dental benefits: If you're more than 100 miles from home and you or an immediate family member become sick or injured and need medical or dental care, you can get reimbursed for up to $2,500 of medical expenses. 

The travel insurance benefits from Chase Sapphire Reserve® are some of the most generous and comprehensive of any travel credit card. If you want a higher level of coverage, you can buy an additional travel insurance policy. But this card's travel protections -- especially the coverage for emergency medical expenses and $100,000 of medical evacuation -- can give you peace of mind for your next adventure. 

Leaving the country? Don't forget to buy medical travel insurance 

If you don't have the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, or if you want a higher level of protection, you should also buy medical travel insurance. Getting emergency medical travel insurance is especially important if you're traveling internationally, since your American health insurance might not cover you in other countries. 

To give you a sense of how much money you can save on travel insurance with the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, I got a quote from a leading travel insurance company for a 40-year-old traveling for one month in France, July 1-31, 2024. The total price was $51 for a month of travel insurance, including emergency medical expenses and medical evacuation. 

This is a rough estimate, because your costs will depend on your age, when you travel, where you travel, and how much insurance coverage you want. But if you travel internationally two times per year, the generous travel insurance from the Chase Sapphire Reserve® could help you save over $100 per year. 

Bottom line 

Buying travel insurance for every trip can feel like a hassle. The best travel credit cards make it automatic, with built-in travel protections. Make sure you and your family are covered in case of cancellations, delays, or medical emergencies on your next trip.