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We like to think that things won’t go wrong on a trip, but it’s good to know that someone’s got your back when things do turn sour. Credit cards offer a huge variety of protections for your trip and many times will cover you no matter if you paid cash or even redeemed points or miles.
Baggage Delay/Lost Baggage Reimbursement
Imagine getting to your destination only to find that your bags didn’t make it with you, or they’ve been lost entirely. It could happen, and the last thing you need is to be on a trip left with no clothes, no toiletries and no solutions.
The two types of protections with many credit cards are baggage delay and lost baggage reimbursement.
Baggage delay will cover you for a fixed number of days to go and get some necessities, like a change of clothes or basic toiletries. Just keep your receipts and submit them to the card’s insurer when you get home.
Lost baggage reimbursement will replace what the airline has lost. While it doesn’t stop it from happening, at a minimum you’re not on the hook for all your stuff—especially if those bags were loaded with holiday gifts for friends and family.
Trip Delay Coverage
Nothing says “Grinch” like a travel delay. Whether it’s because of a late crew, a broken plane or a snowstorm, trip delay coverage will take care of getting you a place to sleep and some food while the airline sorts it all out. During one holiday season trip, my plane suddenly got a flat tire while pushing back from the gate in Detroit. It turns out that the problem went deeper and we’d need to get a new plane, which had to be flown in from Salt Lake City the next day.
The airline was having issues finding hotels since it was close to Christmas and everything was booked. So I snagged a hotel, kept the receipts and got a warm place to crash for the night. I called the number on the back of my Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card when I got home and the agent walked me through the process. It couldn’t have been easier.
Rental Car Insurance
It’s no secret that roads can get messy in the winter, so the extra peace of mind that a rental car collision damage waiver can provide is priceless. The problem is that rental car companies charge daily for this coverage, potentially adding up to hundreds of extra dollars for your rental period.
Cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred offer primary rental car insurance, meaning that claims go through Chase’s insurance first before any other insurance policies you may have. Other cards like the Chase Freedom Flex® and Chase Freedom Unlimited® only come with secondary insurance, meaning you might get an unexpected Grinch-ly visit.
Purchase Protection
Remember how the Grinch comes and steals all the presents from the kids in Whoville, along with the Christmas tree and food? Well, if the Whos had used their credit card to purchase those gifts, depending on the card, they would have been covered by purchase protection.
Purchase protection covers your items from accidental damage—or even Grinch theft—for a certain number of days. The Sapphire Preferred, for example, covers eligible items for up to 120 days from the date of purchase. Coverage levels will vary by card and expect certain items to be excluded, like expensive jewelry and antiques. But general purchases and even gifts are covered.