Wells Fargo Travel Insurance Benefits

Let's face it: No matter how meticulously you plan your trips, surprises are bound to happen. Although you can't avoid the unexpected completely, you can at least help protect your finances with travel insurance. In fact, if you have a Wells Fargo credit card, you may already have travel insurance built into your card.

In this guide, we'll cover which Wells Fargo credit cards offer travel insurance, what each benefit entails, and how to file a claim.

Most Wells Fargo credit cards offer at least some level of travel insurance, like auto rental collision and damage waivers and 24/7 concierge services. However, some cards will have more luxurious offerings than others. For example, the Signify Business Cash℠ Card by Wells Fargo offers lounge access on Priority Pass, while the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card offers a wide range of travel insurance compared to other Wells Fargo cards.

First off, to activate the travel insurance on your Wells Fargo credit card, be sure to use your credit card to cover the travel purchase. As long as you use your Wells Fargo card to pay for your travel, its travel insurance will apply in eligible situations. With that in mind, here's what each travel benefit entails.

Concierge Services

Nearly all Wells Fargo credit cards offer concierge services of some kind, though its exact function will depend on whether your card is a Visa or Mastercard. For instance, Visa Signature® cardholders can use the concierge service to book tickets, dinner reservations, and entertainment and sporting events. Meanwhile, Mastercard holders get 24-hour assistance with lost or stolen cards, plus a 24/7 concierge to help you with your travel, dining, and entertainment plans.

Travel and Emergency Assistance Services

This perk helps you navigate a tricky or dangerous situation when you're traveling, such as emergency evacuation after a natural disaster or terrorist attack. Although the service doesn't pay for any costs incurred during an emergency, it can help you obtain urgent means of transportation. For instance, if you need to get off an island before a tropical storm, this travel benefit could put you in touch with a helicopter service. You'd still be responsible for covering the charges, but you wouldn't have to figure out transportation on your own. This service can cover you (the cardholder) and your spouse and children under age 22.

Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver

• Coverage limits: $50,000
• Length of coverage: 15 consecutive days in the U.S. and 31 days outside the U.S.
• Who is covered: Primary cardholder and any authorized drivers

This waiver takes the place of the collision loss/damage insurance offered at car rental agencies. It will reimburse you up to the maximum for any damages or theft sustained to a rental car during its rental period. The insurance is secondary, meaning it will kick in if your regular car insurance doesn't cover the full amount (it also covers deductibles). Note: You must decline the car rental agency's collision loss/damage insurance to be eligible for this benefit.

Lost Baggage Reimbursement

• Coverage limits: $3,000 per traveler, $3,000 for all travelers per trip ($2,000 per bag for New York residents, or $3,000 per trip)
• Who is covered: Primary cardholder, spouse, dependent children

Lost baggage reimburses you for luggage that your airline loses. The insurance covers most possessions, but it's important to look over what's not covered in your card's benefits page. For instance, bicycles, eyecare (like sunglasses and contact lenses), tickets, cameras, cellphones, sporting equipment, and certain non-durable items, like perfume, may not be covered.

Baggage Delay

• Coverage limits: $300 per traveler, $300 for all travelers per trip
• Who is covered: Primary cardholder, spouse, dependent children

This insurance will reimburse you for covered expenses that might arise when your luggage is delayed by at least four hours at your destination. This only applies if you lose your bags at your destination (you won't be reimbursed if bags are delayed at your original point of departure). Covered expenses include toiletries and a change of clothes. Keep in mind that if the item is not in your delayed bag, you probably won't get reimbursed for it. For instance, if you try to use this benefit to get your first pair of Gucci sunglasses, your claim might get denied.

Roadside Dispatch®

This program will put you in touch with a tow truck or fuel deliverer if you're stuck or stranded. Common services include towing, tire changes, jump starting, lockouts, fuel deliveries, and standard winching. Note: Services aren't free. You'll pay for each service as you use them. The service is available 24/7 at 1-800-847-2869.

Trip Cancellation and Interruption Protection

• Coverage limits: $2,000 per covered traveler per trip
• Who is covered: Primary cardholder, spouse, dependent children

Trip cancellation and interruption reimburses you when your trip is canceled or cut short for a covered reason. Coverage includes airline tickets, but not accommodation or entertainment bookings at your destination. Covered reasons include death, accidental bodily injury, disease, physical illness, or insolvency of your airline company. If you're feeling sick but a medical practitioner has not advised you not to travel, you're likely not eligible for this benefit.

$1,000,000 Worldwide Automatic Common Carrier Travel Accident Insurance

This insurance helps cover expenses that arise if you lose your life or a limb while riding as a passenger in an aircraft or in any form of transportation to or from an airport. It can also cover you while you're waiting at the airport for your flight. Cardholders get up to $1,000,000 per account, but the maximum benefit you're allowed for specific incidents depends on the loss (losing a thumb, for instance, gives you 25% of the maximum coverage). Loss of limb could include hands or feet, as well as sense organs like eyes, ears, and those that give you the ability to speak.

To file a claim on your Wells Fargo credit card, call 1-800-316-8051 or check your card's benefits page for a link to do so online. Although each type of travel insurance will have a slightly different claims procedure, in general, you'll need to provide documentation that the travel purchase was made on your Wells Fargo card. You might also need a receipt from the merchant showing that the purchase was made on your card, as well as evidence of delay, damage, or theft (like a police report).

Wells Fargo's customer service scored next to last in the 2023 J.D. Power U.S. National Banking Satisfaction Study. However, if you're filing a travel insurance claim, you'll likely be dealing with its third-party provider, Assurant. This company has positive reviews on Trustpilot, with a cumulative rating of 4 out of 5 stars.

Social media is pretty quiet around Wells Fargo travel insurance. No major complaints surface on Reddit, with most users simply curious about which cards offer which types.

• American Express Travel Insurance: American Express offers many of the same kinds of travel insurance that Wells Fargo has, including baggage insurance, auto rental loss and damage, and trip cancellation/interruption. Some of its cards also have trip delay, which covers expenses that arise when your travel is delayed by six or more hours.
• Chase Sapphire Preferred Travel Insurance: Holders of the luxurious Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card will also get the full suite of travel insurance detailed above, plus trip delay. The maximum benefit on its common carrier travel accident insurance is half what Wells Fargo offers ($500,000), but its trip cancellation/interruption insurance is significantly higher at $10,000 per person ($20,000 per trip).

If you're a frequent traveler on the hunt for a new credit card, a Wells Fargo credit card could provide you the travel insurance you need for peace of mind. Compare it with other cards -- especially the best travel cards -- to see which gives you the best combination of rewards, fees, and insurance.