What is the best credit card with trip cancellation insurance?

You get Mastercard travel insurance just by having a Mastercard. It’s free, too. There are six different types of Mastercard travel insurance available: travel accident insurance, trip cancellation/interruption insurance, trip delay insurance, insurance for lost or delayed baggage, and rental car insurance.

Coverage amounts and categories differ based on what level of Mastercard you have: regular, World or World Elite. Plus, it’s up to the card’s issuer whether or not to include each benefit in the first place. Below you’ll find descriptions of the insurance offerings and the dollar amounts of the coverage if they don’t differ by card. Coverage amounts that change based on the Mastercard tier are noted in the last few bullets.… read full answer

Here’s how Mastercard travel insurance works:

• Mastercard travel accident insurance: Reimburses you in the event of serious injury or death aboard a common carrier (airline, cruise ship, bus, etc.). Coverage applies to you, your domestic partner and your dependent children, as long as you pay for the whole fare with your Mastercard.
• Mastercard trip cancellation insurance: Reimburses for trips cancelled because of the death, illness or injury of you or a family member. If the travel provider goes out of business that counts too. Some situations, like pre-existing conditions and cosmetic surgery, are not covered.
• Mastercard trip delay insurance: Will pay up to $500 per trip for each person whose ticket you pay for with your card. You’re eligible if the travel provider delays your trip for at least 3 hours.
• Mastercard baggage delay insurance: Gives you up to $100 per day for up to 3 days you spend without your bag. It covers items you are forced to buy, like clothes and toiletries. All Mastercards have this benefit.
• Mastercard lost baggage insurance: Pays up to $3,000 per trip for bags that are lost by the travel provider. Certain types of items, like medical equipment, aren’t covered.
• Mastercard rental car insurance: When you rent a car with any Mastercard, you’ll be protected against collision damage and theft, up to $50,000 for rental periods of 31 days or fewer. You have to decline any insurance the rental agency offers you. Certain types of cars aren’t covered: vans, trucks, antique cars, motorcycles, etc. And Mastercard won’t pay for the theft of personal belongings or if you were driving irresponsibly.
• Best Mastercard for travel insurance: World Elite Mastercard credit cards give you the most travel insurance, followed by World Mastercards and standard Mastercards. The best World Elite Mastercard for travel is Citi Prestige.
• World Elite Mastercard travel insurance: World Elite Mastercard credit cards offer every type of travel insurance. You’re also covered for a higher total dollar amount than with a World Mastercard: up to $1,000,000 for travel accidents.
• World Mastercard travel insurance: World Mastercards give every type of travel insurance. They offer just $200,000 in trip accident insurance. They also give up to $1,500 per trip for cancellation.
• Standard Mastercard travel insurance: Standard Mastercards only give a mere $100 in travel accident insurance and $100 in trip interruption/delay insurance. Aside from that, they offer the regular baggage delay insurance and rental car insurance amounts.

Each of these benefits comes with a laundry list of restricted situations. So be sure to read your card’s benefits guide in detail to confirm you know what’s covered and what’s not.

To cancel a credit card transaction, contact either the merchant on the other side of the transaction or the credit card company. Which you should contact first depends on whether or not you think the transaction is fraudulent.

When You Think the Transaction Is Fraudulent:

If you want to cancel a credit card transaction because you think it is fraudulent, the first thing you should do is search online for the name of the biller, as listed on your credit card account. Sometimes, legitimate transactions can lead to false alarms simply because a biller’s corporate name isn’t as recognizable as the brand name a consumer really does intend to pay. If that clears things up in your case, great – crisis averted.… read full answer

However, if you still don’t recognize the details, you should definitely call your credit card’s issuer (the number is listed on the back of your card) to inform them about the unauthorized transaction. Even if the issuer can’t cancel the transaction before it goes through initially, you will not be on the hook for any fraudulent purchases made with your credit card account. All credit cards give users a $0 fraud liability guarantee.

When You Just Want to Cancel the Transaction:

If you know that a credit card transaction is legitimate, but you want to cancel it because you changed your mind or made the purchase by mistake (or any other reason), take your request directly to the merchant the transaction is with. The credit card company won’t be able to do much about a legitimately authorized credit card transaction. They might be able to instruct you on how to cancel future transactions if the card is being used for a subscription or other recurring purchase, but that’s about it.

Your chances of being able to cancel a credit card transaction made online figure to be especially good. Check the merchant's cancellation policy. Some provide a small window in which you can cancel a pending transaction. Just bear in mind that in this situation, an order may show as canceled before the transaction reversal posts to your credit card account.