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Your complete guide to travel protections on American Express cards

Ryan Smith
Ryan Smith
Contributor
Ryan is a former TPG credit cards writer who has been around points and miles for several years and has published content at Miles to Memories, AwardWallet and The Points Guy. His wife joins him on many of his trips, and they enjoy snowboarding, diving, and seeing animals in the wild. When not traveling, Ryan is probably answering questions from his family about how he travels so much and whether this points & miles stuff is illegal.
May 28, 2022
•
16 min read
In this photo illustration an American Express logo seen
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Numerous American Express cards offer travel protections that can take the headache out of your vacations. However, the coverage you get (and the limits of said coverage) differ by card. Rather than trying to remember all of this on your own, we will guide you through the travel protections offered by American Express cards.

This guide provides a comprehensive, detailed look at the variety of travel protections offered across the American Express card portfolio. Each section outlines a type of coverage and the cards offering this coverage. We also include coverage limits as well as any additional caveats to keep in mind.

Here's what you need to know about American Express travel insurance coverage.

Trip delay insurance

A sign shows names of cities with 'delayed' or 'cancelled' next to all of them
Flight delays and cancellations can be gruesome. (Photo by Getty Images)

Trip delay insurance covers you when you encounter travel delays. This could be a delayed flight for mechanical issues, or it could be an unexpected overnight due to a weather-related cancellation. Other reasons are covered, but individual policies vary in what they do and don't cover. If the reason for your delay is not specifically mentioned in your policy, assume that it's not covered.

With trip delay protection, there are two different "levels" of coverage, depending on the card you carry.

Level 1: Higher-end cards

Some of American Express' top products offer trip delay reimbursement of up to $500 per covered trip that is delayed for more than six hours, capped at two claims per eligible card per 12 consecutive months.*

This protection becomes effective when you purchase a ticket using any of the following cards:

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**The information for these cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Level 2: Mid-tier cards

Other American Express cards offer trip delay reimbursement of up to $300 per covered trip that is delayed for more than 12 hours, capped at two claims per 12 consecutive months.*

Here are the cards that include this protection when you use them to purchase your tickets:

*Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

Trip cancellation and interruption insurance

This type of coverage is for situations in which your trip is canceled or interrupted (meaning you started the trip but must end it to return home), and as a result, you're forced to forfeit prepaid, nonrefundable reservations. Again, be sure that your specific reason is mentioned in your policy for it to be covered.*

All Amex cards with this benefit provide the same level of protection. If your trip is canceled or interrupted for a covered reason, you can receive a maximum of $10,000 per covered trip and a maximum of $20,000 per eligible card in a 12-month period.

Here are the cards that include this protection when you use them to purchase travel:

*Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

**The information for these cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Global Assist Hotline

(Photo by d3sign/Getty Images)

Eligible cardholders can rely on the Global Assist Hotline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for medical, legal, financial or other select emergency services coordination and assistance while traveling more than 100 miles from home.*

Note that the Global Assist Hotline coordinates services but is not the service provider. Any third-party service costs may be your responsibility.

Here are the cards that include this protection when you use them to pay for your tickets:

**The information for these cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

*Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Cardmembers are
responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.

Premium Global Assist Hotline

Similar to the benefit above, eligible cardholders for certain premium Amex cards can rely on the Global Assist Hotline 24/7 for medical, legal, financial or other select emergency services coordination and assistance services while traveling more than 100 miles from home. With the Premium benefit, emergency medical transportation assistance and related services may be provided at no cost.*

If approved and coordinated by the Premium Global Assist Hotline, emergency medical transportation assistance may be provided at no cost to you. Otherwise, third-party service costs may be your responsibility.

Here are the cards that include this protection when you use them to pay for your tickets:

*Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. If approved and coordinated by Premium Global Assist Hotline, emergency medical transportation assistance may be provided at no cost. In any other circumstance, cardmembers are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.

**The information for these cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Baggage insurance plan

(Photo by izusek/Getty Images)

Baggage insurance applies to covered persons for eligible lost, damaged or stolen baggage during travel on a common carrier vehicle (such as a plane, train, ship or bus) when the entire fare for a ticket on the trip (one way or round trip) is charged to an eligible card.

With this coverage, there are two different "levels" of coverage, depending on the card you carry.

Level 1: Higher-end cards

Some of American Express' top products offer baggage insurance coverage of up to $2,000 for checked baggage and up to a combined maximum of $3,000 for checked and carry-on baggage. This coverage is in excess of coverage provided by the common carrier. Coverage is subject to a $3,000 aggregate limit per covered trip.*

For New York state residents, there is a $2,000 per bag/per suitcase limit for each covered person, with a maximum of $10,000 aggregate for all covered persons per covered trip.*

This protection becomes effective when you purchase a ticket using any of the following cards:

**The information for these cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Level 2: Mid-tier cards

Other American Express cards offer baggage insurance coverage of up to $1,250 for carry-on baggage and up to $500 for checked baggage. This coverage is in excess of coverage provided by the common carrier.*

For New York state residents, there is a maximum of $10,000 aggregate for all covered persons per covered trip.*

Here are the cards that include this protection when you use them to purchase your tickets:

*Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

**The information for these cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Car rental loss and damage insurance

(Photo by kung_tom/Shutterstock)

Car rental loss and damage insurance applies to the theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use an eligible card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the rental car company. Note that this product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered, and geographic restrictions apply.

With this coverage, there are two different "levels" of coverage, depending on the card you carry.

Level 1: Higher-end cards

Some of American Express' top products offer car rental loss and damage insurance of up to $75,000 for theft of or damage to eligible rental vehicles.*

Here are the cards that include this protection when you use them to pay for eligible rentals:

Level 2: Mid-tier cards

Other American Express cards offer car rental loss and damage insurance of up to $50,000 for theft of or damage to eligible rental vehicles.*

Here are the cards that include this protection when you use them to pay for eligible rentals:

*Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered, and geographic restrictions apply. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.

**The information for these cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Bottom line

(Photo by Roberto Moiola Sysaworld/Getty Images)

Understanding what benefits your card has to protect you when things go wrong during a trip can help reduce headaches. To that end, American Express provides multiple travel protections across many of its card products. Coverage limits within the same benefit can vary by which card you have, so consult your card's detailed benefits at americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for full details.

Featured image by SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.