Have you ever used your credit card trip insurance?

[CruizyWoozy]

I was curious if anyone has experience making a claim on trip insurance offered from a credit card. Since I started using a travel credit card to pay for my cruises, I haven't bought trip insurance. I have once in the past had to make a claim on trip insurance and it was pretty easy, and I feel like the description with my credit card make it sound similar. Still, just wondering if there is any wisdom to be shared form the the Board.

 

[auralia]

Does this card cover emergency medical evacuation from a cruise ship? I’ve never seen any that do… cruises are the only trips I always buy insurance for because if something horrible happens it can cost upwards of 50,000$ for evacuation from a ship…. Don’t have an answer for the question as i have never had to actually use travel insurance.

 

[Girl of the South]

I get a year long multi trip medical evacuation insurance policy to go with what my credit card offers. Haven’t ever made a claim but with the price of travel soaring I probably will make the effort. Could have claimed for an overnight in EWR a few years back but it was only $100 so I didn’t bother.

 

[DCLMP]

It's funny when you read the insurance policy reviews. They are always great, but the people writing the reviews haven't filed a claim. Buying an insurance policy is always easy so I'm not sure what they are reviewing.

Anyway I get what your asking. Maybe do some google searches on your particular card and claims. Redditt has a lot of credit card forums that are helpful. I would also try the credit card thread over on the budget board. I would be shocked if one of the posters hasn't filed a claim since they use their credit cards for travel.

 

[tvguy]

I was curious if anyone has experience making a claim on trip insurance offered from a credit card. Since I started using a travel credit card to pay for my cruises, I haven't bought trip insurance. I have once in the past had to make a claim on trip insurance and it was pretty easy, and I feel like the description with my credit card make it sound similar. Still, just wondering if there is any wisdom to be shared form the the Board.

I think the first thing everyone needs to do is check what coverage you may already have.

1) Find out what your credit card company offers. And find out what requirements they have for that coverage. Usually it means 100% of the trip has to be charged to their card.

2) If you have group insurance through work, check that. It is not uncommon for travel coverage to be included. During one open enrollment the insurance rep was asked why they offer it. He said for the simple fact that health care is usually more expensive in the U.S., so the SAVE money if you get treated outside the U.S.

3) If you are on Medicare Part A and B, you do NOT have coverage outside the U.S. However, if you have a Medigap Plan (Part G) check with your insurance company. My Medigap plan cover 80% outside the U.S.

I think the second thing everyone needs to realize is, is Covid changed what many Travel Insurance Policies cover, so review that carefully too.

 

[CarolynFH]

Our answer to your question is Yes. It was a land tour, not a cruise, several years pre-Covid, and we had to cancel several weeks before departure due to our son (who was not going on the trip) needing major surgery that ended up being scheduled to occur during the trip. We got part of our money back from the tour operator but had to file with the CC insurance for the remainder. It was a straightforward process requiring statements from the surgeon, etc., but there weren’t any problems, and we received our refund promptly after submitting the paperwork.

As others have said above, you have to read the CC policy carefully to make sure it covers what you need/want it to cover before making the decision that you don’t need to buy additional coverage. For instance, we have purchased coverage just for medical expenses and evacuation when the CC coverage didn’t seem adequate for us older folks.

 

[starry_solo]

I’ve tried, but it wasn’t worth the extra hassle to gather a year’s worth of medical records to show my traveling companion was fit to travel (she got ill for a few days in the trip that we had to leave the group tour for a few days and meet up with them later)

 

[Hegemon]

I've made two claims using my card's travel protection and found the process to be incredibly smooth both times. The filing process was easy and I received compensation within four weeks of filing the claim (which I thought was a bit long but I guess it's not unreasonable).

Also, to answer another poster's question, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card includes emergency evacuation coverage for up to $100,000 (along with coverage for many other problems) and all you have to do is pay for a portion of the trip with the card. I did a side-by-side comparison with the DCL coverage and that card's coverage is better (and free, if you use the card).

 

[WDWEPCOT]

I dud during Covid when certain vendors and airlines would not issue refunds - Chase said unacceptable and got me my money back in full - shockingly easy process for all except one airline who made it a pain but in the end I received full refund Chase did all the work !!