American Express Travel Insurance: A Complete Guide (2024)

How does American Express travel insurance work?

American Express offers two forms of travel insurance:

• Travel insurance as a complimentary benefit for certain cards
• Standalone travel insurance packages that you can purchase

While the complimentary Amex travel insurance perks may be enough for your trip, you should consider purchasing a standalone policy if you want more comprehensive coverage that includes medical insurance.

If you’re not an American Express cardholder, you can purchase one of four standalone travel insurance packages using any major credit card.

All four standalone travel insurance packages include:

• 24/7 travel assistance
• Baggage protection
• Medical coverage
• Trip interruption and trip cancellation coverage

The high-end packages also include travel accident protection and coverage for global trip delays.

Complimentary Amex travel insurance

Many American Express credit card comes with six types of complimentary travel insurance:

• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
• Trip delay insurance
• Car rental loss and damage insurance
• Baggage insurance
• Premium Global Assist
• Global Assist

Let’s dive more into each of these types of travel insurance and what they cover.

Trip cancellation and interruption insurance

American Express offers 13 credit cards with complimentary trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance.

If you need to cancel your trip for a covered reason, American Express will reimburse you for any nonrefundable expenses paid to an airline, hotel or other travel supplier using your Amex card.

Here’s how it works. Imagine you used your American Express Platinum Card to book a $10,000 vacation to the Bahamas. Included in the $10,000 total was a $1,000 nonrefundable deposit. If you have to cancel your trip due to a medical condition, American Express will reimburse you $9,000 — the original cost of your trip, less the $1,000 nonrefundable deposit.

If your trip is interrupted for a covered reason, American Express will reimburse you for:

• The pre-paid, non-refundable land, air and sea transportation arrangements that you missed
• Additional transportation expenses for you to rejoin your common carrier or return home

The following are considered American Express covered reasons:

• Accidental bodily injury or sickness (must provide proof from a physician)
• Inclement weather
• Change in military orders
• Terrorist action or hijacking
• Call to jury duty or subpoena by the courts (and unable to postpone or waive)
• You’re home becoming uninhabitable
• Quarantine ordered by a physician for health reasons

The trip coverage does have some limitations, including:

Trip delay insurance

American Express offers 20 cards with free trip delay insurance, from the Amex Platinum Card to the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card.

This type of travel insurance covers trip delays due to:

• lost or stolen travel documents
• terrorist activity
• inclement weather
• equipment failure

For example, if your flight is canceled due to a mechanical problem with the aircraft, you may be eligible for reimbursem*nt under trip delay insurance.

Car rental loss and damage insurance

American Express has more than 50 cards with complimentary car rental loss and damage insurance. This type of insurance covers vehicle damage or theft of a vehicle from a covered territory.

If your rental car is damaged, Amex will pay the lowest amount of the following:

• The invoice price of the vehicle, minus reasonable depreciation and salvage costs
• The wholesale book value of the vehicle, minus reasonable depreciation and salvage costs
• The actual cost to repair the vehicle

For example, if the rental company purchased your vehicle for $25,000, the vehicle is worth $18,500 today and it will cost $7,500 to repair the vehicle, your insurance will pay $7,500 since it’s the lowest amount.

To activate this type of insurance, you must reserve and pay for your rental with an eligible Amex credit card, such as the Platinum Card or Cash Magnet Card.

You must also decline these optional coverages at the car rental counter:

• Personal property coverage
• Personal accident insurance
• Full collision damage waiver
• Similar insurance coverage

Finally, you must sign the rental agreement as the person responsible for taking control of the vehicle. Therefore, you can’t use your rental loss and damage insurance on a vehicle rented by your spouse, parent, child, sibling or friend, even if you have a Platinum card or other eligible credit card.

Baggage insurance

American Express has more than 40 cards with baggage insurance benefits, including the Amex Gold Card and the American Express Executive Business Card.

Amex covers lost and damaged bags under the following circ*mstances:

• The loss or damage occurs while in direct transit to or from the carrier’s terminal (carry-on bags only).
• The loss or damage occurs while you’re at the carrier’s terminal (carry-on bags only).
• The loss or damage occurs while traveling in a carrier’s vehicle (carry-on bags and checked bags).

Amex has different coverage limits for high-risk items, such as sporting equipment and jewelry, so make sure you understand what’s covered before you pack your bags.

Premium Global Assist

If you have an American Express Card with Premium Global Assist, you’ll have access to a variety of travel assistance services any time you travel more than 100 miles from home.

These Premium Global Assist services include:

• Lost item search
• Missing baggage
• Passport replacement
• Emergency transportation
• Translation
• Card cancellation
• Embassy referrals
• Medical assistance
• Financial assistance
• Legal referrals
• Urgent message relay

The Premium Global Assistant service also helps with pre-trip research and planning. With this service, you can get information about customs requirements, foreign exchange rates, vaccination requirements, local weather, travel warnings and visa requirements.

Global Assist

Global Assist provides many of the same benefits as the Premium Global Assist coverage included with the Platinum card and other high-end Amex cards. The main difference is that Premium Global Assist provides better coverage for medical emergencies.

For example, Global Assist will not cover the cost of returning your minor child to their principal residence if you’re unable to continue traveling with them due to a covered illness or injury. If you have a Platinum Card with Premium Global Assist, you may get this protection.

Our picks for American Express cards with travel insurance

Advertiser Disclosure

Best Overall for Travel Insurance

The Platinum Card® from American Express

Click here to learn more

Go to review

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Rates & Fees /Terms Apply on Bankrate's secure site

Up to 5X Reward Rate

Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 per calendar year), 5X points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel, and 1X points on other eligible purchases.

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Annual Fee

$695

Welcome Offer

80,000 points

Regular APR

See Pay Over Time APR

Recommended Credit

Good/Excellent (670 - 850)

Why we like it

The American Express Platinum card, although a bit on the pricey side with a $695 annual fee, boasts a multitude of premium travel perks. If you’re a luxury traveler who knows how to make the most of a credit card’s offerings, this card can reward you well.

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Card Details

Travel Insurance Details

• Trip cancellation/interruption: $10,000 per covered trip or up to $20,000 in a 12-month period
• Trip delay: Up to $500 per trip for delays over 6 hours
• Car rental: Secondary
• Lost/damaged baggage coverage: Up to $2,000 per person for checked bags and $3,000 per person for carry-ons (up to $3,000 per person total)
• Global Assist: Yes, Premium

*Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/​benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.

Pros

• Excellent rewards rate for travel purchases
• Qualify for $1,500+ in statement credits
• Very generous welcome offer

Cons

• High annual fee of $695
• Many statement credit offers are too specific and hard to use
• Non-travel-perks aren’t spectacular

Bottom Line

This is quite a spectacular card with incredibly valuable benefits, but the annual fee is objectively very high.

Best for Businesses

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

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Rates & Fees /Terms Apply on Bankrate's secure site

Up to 5X Reward Rate

Earn 5 Membership Rewards® points per dollar on flights and prepaid hotels through American Express Travel, 1.5 points per dollar on eligible business expenses and purchases of $5,000+ (up to $2 million yearly), and 1 point per dollar on other eligible purchases.

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Annual Fee

$695

Welcome Offer

150,000 points

Regular APR

19.49% to 28.49% variable

Recommended Credit

Good/Excellent (670 - 850)

Why we like it

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is a top-tier credit card for business owners looking to earn travel rewards on their business expenses. Although it boasts a hefty $695 annual fee, its rewards make up for it if used to their full extent.

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Card Details

Travel Insurance Details

• Trip cancellation/interruption: $10,000 per covered trip or up to $20,000 in a 12-month period
• Trip delay: Up to $500 per trip for delays over 6 hours
• Car rental: Secondary
• Lost/damaged baggage coverage: Up to $2,000 per person for checked bags and $3,000 per person for carry-ons (up to $3,000 per person total)
• Global Assist: Premium

*Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/​benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.

Pros

• Excellent welcome offer
• Easy to earn points
• Great travel benefits

Cons

• No intro APR offer
• Hefty $695 annual fee
• High spending requirement for welcome offer

Bottom Line

The annual fee certainly has a shock factor but for the premium business traveler, this card’s luxury perks could make it well worth it.

Best for Basic Coverage

American Express® Gold Card

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Rates & Fees /Terms Apply on Bankrate's secure site

Up to 4X Reward Rate

Earn 4X points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X) and restaurants (plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.), 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com, and 1X points on other eligible purchases.

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Annual Fee

$250

Welcome Offer

60,000 points

Regular APR

See Pay Over Time APR

Recommended Credit

Good/Excellent (670 - 850)

Why we like it

The American Express® Gold Card is perfect for travelers who spend a lot of money on dining out. It offers high rewards for eligible purchases, a substantial welcome offer, and an annual fee that can be easily offset by utilizing the card’s benefits.

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Card Details

Travel Insurance Details

• Trip cancellation/interruption: N/A
• Trip delay: Up to $300 per trip for delays over 12 hours
• Car rental: Secondary
• Lost/damaged baggage coverage: Up to $500 per person for checked bags and $1,250 per person for carry-ons (up to $$1,250 per person total)
• Global Assist: Yes

*Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/​benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.

Pros

• Generous welcome offer
• High rewards potential
• Many transfer partners available

Cons

• High annual fee
• Complicated statement credits
• Good or excellent credit recommended

Bottom Line

If you like to dine out frequently, the $200+ worth of dining-related annual statement credits can easily help justify the yearly fee.

Standalone American Express travel insurance plans

You don’t need to have a Platinum Card or another high-end American Express Card to get travel insurance. All you have to do is purchase a standalone plan with any major credit card.

The company offers four standalone insurance plans: Basic, Silver, Gold and Platinum.

Basic travel insurance plan

The basic plan is a good option if you want cheap travel insurance. While it includes various types of coverage, these levels tend to be low.

Basic plan benefits:

• Cancellation: Up to $1,000
• Trip interruption: Up to $1,000
• Global medical protection: Medical up to $5,000; dental up to $750; evacuation/repatriation up to $5,000
• Global luggage protection: Baggage loss up to $250; up to $100 for a delay of 24 hours or more
• 24-hour travel assistance

Silver travel insurance plan

With the silver plan, most coverage levels are much higher than with the basic plan. For example, trip cancellation will cover up to 100% of the total trip cost instead of up to just $1,000.

However, medical coverage is still low compared to most travel insurance plans at just $25,000.

Silver plan benefits:

• Cancellation: Up to 100% of the trip cost
• Trip interruption: Up to 100% of the trip cost
• Global medical protection: Medical up to $25,000; dental up to $750; evacuation/repatriation up to $100,000
• Travel accident protection: $50,000 to $100,000, depending on circ*mstances
• Global luggage protection: Baggage loss up to $500; up to $300 for a delay of 6 hours or more
• Global delay: Up to $150 per day; limit of $500 per trip
• 24-hour travel assistance

Gold travel insurance plan

The gold plan is very similar to the silver plan. The main differences are the increases in medical evacuation limits, accident protection and baggage loss.

Gold plan benefits:

• Cancellation: Up to 100% of the trip cost
• Trip interruption: Up to 150% of the trip cost
• Global medical protection: Medical up to $25,000; dental up to $750; evacuation/repatriation up to $500,000
• Travel accident protection: $100,000 to $200,000, depending on circ*mstances
• Global luggage protection: Baggage loss up to $1,000; up to $300 for a delay of 6 hours or more
• Global delay: Up to $150 per day; limit of $750 per trip
• 24-hour travel assistance

Platinum travel insurance plan

This is the most comprehensive plan. It covers up to $100,000 for medical expenses, which is similar to other insurance providers. However, it still does not include cancel for any reason (CFAR) coverage.

Platinum plan benefits:

• Cancellation: Up to 100% of the trip cost
• Trip interruption: Up to 150% of the trip cost
• Global medical protection: Medical up to $100,000; dental up to $750; evacuation/repatriation up to $1 million
• Travel accident protection: Up to $200,000
• Global luggage protection: Baggage loss up to $2,500; up to $500 for a delay of 3 hours or more
• Global delay: Up to $300 per day; limit of $1,000 per trip
• 24-hour travel assistance

Should I use the complimentary benefits or purchase a standalone policy?

For most people, the complimentary benefits available with the Platinum Card and other types of American Express travel credit cards are more than adequate.

However, the company doesn’t offer medical coverage with any of its free insurance benefits. If you have a chronic health condition, consider purchasing a standalone policy from Amex or another insurance provider.

You should also consider a standalone policy if you’re concerned about getting into an accident during your trip, as the free insurance options don’t include any kind of travel accident coverage.

Note: Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.

How to file an Amex travel insurance claim

If you need to file a travel insurance claim, you must contact your benefits administrator.

Here’s what to do for each type of claim:

• Rental car coverage: Call (800) 338-1670 within 30 days of the covered event. You can also submit a claim online.
• Luggage: Call (800) 228-6855 within 30 days of the covered event. You can also submit a claim online.
• Delays, interruptions or cancellations: Call (844) 933-0648 within 60 days of the covered event.

Amex travel insurance FAQs

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