When should you set an American Express travel notification?

American Express Platinum card trip cancellation insurance covers non-refundable travel expenses purchased with American Express Platinum card, up to $10,000 per trip and $20,000 per eligible card every 12 consecutive months, if a cardholder has to cancel because of unforeseen events. Covered events include inclement weather, jury duty, accidental injuries, and others, as outlined in the card’s … read full answerGuide to Benefits.

Here’s how the American Express Platinum card trip cancellation insurance works:

• Overview: To be eligible for American Express Platinum card trip cancellation insurance, you must use your American Express Platinum card or rewards points to pay for the entire fare.
• Who is covered: Cardholders along with immediate family members and traveling companions whose trips are purchased with the cardholder’s American Express Platinum card. Immediate family members include spouses, domestic partners or unmarried children up to the age of 19 or 26 if they are full time students at an accredited college or university.
• How much is covered: Up to $10,000 per trip and $20,000 per eligible card every 12 consecutive months.
• What is covered: Trips cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances such as accidental bodily injury, loss of life or sickness, weather conditions, court subpoenas or jury duty, terrorist actions, quarantines imposed by physicians and more. Reimbursement covers expenses such as prepaid passenger fares and hotel rooms.
• What is not covered: Trips cancelled due to pre-existing conditions, wars, intoxication at the time of an accident, self-inflicted injuries, illegal or criminal acts and more.
• How to claim: To file an American Express Platinum card trip cancellation claim, contact the Benefit Administrator at (844) 933-0648. You can also file a claim through your online account. You must also notify your travel supplier (e.g.: airline, hotel, etc.). You’ll have 60 days from the covered loss date to submit a claim. Once American Express receives your claim, you’ll need to offer supporting documentation to validate the claim, such as copies of your tickets or a American Express Platinum card billing statement listing the charges for the trip. All documents are due within 180 days of a covered loss.

Insurance benefit disclosure: Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

You don’t need to let your credit card company know you’re traveling, but it’s always a good idea. To protect you from fraud, credit card issuers look for charges that seem to be out of the ordinary, or “suspicious activity”. So, if they suddenly start seeing charges pop up on your card in a different state or country, they may decline the charge, assuming it’s fraudulent. In order to keep your credit card from being declined while you’re traveling abroad, you should submit a travel notice to your issuer.… read full answer

Issuers like Capital One and Barclaycard have stopped recommending travel notices, thanks to the increased security of EMV chip cards. They still offer the ability to set a travel notification, but state that it’s not necessary. American Express has actually stopped letting cardholders set travel notices altogether, saying their confidence in their fraud protection makes it unnecessary.

Submitting a travel notice to your credit card company can be done quickly and simply. Most credit card issuers let you submit a travel notice online or through their app. If you’re not sure how to submit a travel notice, you can always call the number on the back of your card and submit a travel notice over the phone. When you submit a travel notice, you should tell your issuer where exactly you’ll be traveling and the dates of your trips. If you’re going to multiple destinations, be sure to make that clear.