Several different types of credit card insurance are available, from perks that many credit card users automatically have access to (like rental car insurance, travel accident insurance, and cell phone insurance) to services that offer to make minimum payments for you or suspend payments in certain situations (not recommended). Credit cards and insurance also intersect at bill payments, with many people wondering whether it’s a good idea, or even possible, to make insurance payments with a credit card. So, we put together answers to some frequently asked questions about credit card insurance to help people stay informed.
This content is not provided or commissioned by any issuer, and has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by an issuer.
Credit Card Rental Car Insurance
Many credit cards offer insurance that covers cardholders against damage to or theft of a rental vehicle. You can learn everything you need to know about this type of insurance from our Credit Card Rental Car Insurance Study as well as the FAQs below.
You can find out whether your credit card covers rental car insurance by reading the card’s benefits guide, which comes with the card and may also be available on the issuer’s website or via your online account. You can also contact the issuer’s customer service line directly to ask whether you have rental car insurance.
Understanding Rental Car Insurance on Credit Cards
It’s important to note that if you’re searching for the benefit...
The Milestone Credit Card does not offer a rental car insurance benefit. Even though the Milestone Credit Card doesn’t have rental car insurance, this perk is one of the handful of credit card benefits that still come with many credit card offers. If you’d like a credit card with rental car insurance, there are plenty of options.
In general, credit card rental car insurance provides coverage against damage and theft of a rental vehicle, usually up to the vehicle’s actual...
The Indigo Credit Card does not offer a rental car insurance benefit. Even though the Indigo Credit Card doesn’t have rental car insurance, this perk is one of the handful of credit card benefits that still come with many credit card offers. If you’d like a credit card with rental car insurance, there are plenty of options.
In general, credit card rental car insurance provides coverage against damage and theft of a rental vehicle, usually up to the vehicle’s actual...
The Visa rental car insurance benefit covers cars rented with an eligible Visa card for theft and physical damage due to a collision, weather events, vandalism, or accidental fire. Towing charges, loss-of-use, and administrative fees are also covered, with cardholders protected up to the actual cash value of the vehicle.
How Visa Rental Car Insurance Works
- Coverage details: This benefit applies to rentals of up to 15 days within your country of residence or up...
All Chase credit cards cover rental car insurance in Jamaica. The best card for rental car insurance is the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, but all Chase cards provide global coverage. American Express credit cards will also cover rentals in Jamaica.
To qualify, decline the rental company's collision damage waiver (CDW/LDW), be the primary renter of the car and pay for the car in full with the card that provides the protection.You can find out more and compare...
The American Express Platinum Card® offers rental car insurance as a complimentary benefit. Platinum Card® rental car insurance covers damage to or theft of a rental vehicle. Geographic restrictions apply.
Cardholders are covered up to $75,000 per rental agreement for rental car damage or theft. To get the coverage, a cardholder must decline the rental agency’s insurance and pay for the rental entirely with a Platinum Card® or points.
Key Things to Know About Platinum Card® Rental Car Insurance
...The issuer does not disclose any specific information regarding the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card rental car insurance. The card may offer it as part of the Visa Signature benefits, but it is not guaranteed. So, make sure to check the guide to benefits that came with your Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card to see which perks are included.
Generally, credit card rental car insurance protects you against collision damage and theft when you rent a car using an eligible...
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers rental car insurance as a complimentary benefit. Capital One Venture rental car insurance covers damage or theft of the vehicle, damage or theft of personal items, loss of use and towing charges. For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
Cardholders are covered up to the actual repair amount, the wholesale market value less salvage and depreciation, ot the rental agency's purchase invoice less salvage and depreciation. To get the coverage, a cardholder must decline the rental agency’s insurance and...
For more information, check out our complete guide to rental car insurance.
Credit Card Travel Insurance
A credit card may offer several different types of travel insurance, providing coverage for things like delayed or cancelled trips, accidents that occur while traveling, lost or delayed luggage, and more. On the other hand, many credit cards don’t offer any sort of travel insurance. You can learn more from the Q&As and studies listed below.
Yes, some credit cards do offer travel insurance. Seven of the top 10 credit card companies have at least some credit cards with travel insurance, including Chase, American Express, Capital One, U.S. Bank, and Bank of America.
Still, the average credit card offer does not include travel insurance coverage. For example, lost luggage insurance is one of the most common types of travel insurance, but only 30% of consumer cards offer it.
Top Credit Card with Travel...
The best card for travel benefits is the American Express Platinum Card® because it offers luxury perks like airport lounge access and travel credits, plus really good rewards. Cardholders earn 5 points per $1 spent on flights booked with airlines or with American Express Travel® (up to $500,000 spent per year), 5 points per $1 spent on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®, and 1 point per $1 spent on all other eligible purchases. You may also be eligible to earn a bonus as high as 175,000 points for spending $12,000 on eligible purchases within the first 6 months (welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer; apply and, if approved, find out your offer amount and accept the card with your offer, spend $12,000 in 6 months, and receive the points).
In addition, the Platinum Card® provides rental car insurance, trip cancellation/interruption insurance, trip delay insurance and more. All these benefits could easily offset the card’s annual fee of $895, assuming you have the good credit typically needed...
Yes, the Visa credit card travel insurance is pretty good. It covers eligible Visa credit card users for damage or theft of rental cars. Some cards also provide coverage for accidents while traveling, trip cancellation, and lost luggage. Plus, Visa credit card travel insurance doesn’t cost extra. You just have to pay for your travel with an eligible Visa card to qualify.
The exact amount of coverage you get, the claims procedures you have to follow, and...
No, most credit cards do not offer travel insurance. According to a WalletHub study, only 32% of consumer credit cards offer a travel insurance benefit, with the most common being lost luggage insurance.
The stats differ when it comes to business credit cards, though. More than 60% of business credit cards offer benefits like travel accident insurance and lost luggage insurance. But the percentage drops significantly for benefits like trip cancellation or travel delay insurance.
Notable Credit Cards...
The best credit card with travel medical insurance is the Chase Sapphire Reserve card because it offers up to $1 million in coverage for travel accidents when you use it to pay for your trip. Chase Sapphire Reserve travel accident insurance covers loss of life, limb, sight, speech, or hearing.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve card also comes with additional travel benefits, such as emergency medical and dental coverage, plus a generous initial bonus and 1 - 8 points per $1 spent on purchases. The card...
Yes, the Chase Sapphire Reserve does have travel insurance. Travel insurance can reimburse cardholders for canceled trips, travel delays, baggage loss, travel accident coverage, and rental car damage or theft. To qualify for Chase Sapphire Reserve travel insurance coverage, you’ll need to pay for your travel using your card and file a claim shortly after a covered incident.
Key Things to Know About Chase Sapphire Reserve Insurance Benefits
Coverage
You can find the full details of your coverage,...
Yes, the Platinum Card® does have travel insurance. Travel insurance can reimburse cardholders for canceled or interrupted trips, trip delays, baggage loss and rental car damage or theft. To qualify for Platinum Card® travel insurance coverage, you’ll need to pay for your travel using your card and file a claim shortly after a covered incident.
Key Things to Know About Platinum Card® Insurance Benefits
Coverage
You can find the full details of your coverage, including...
For more information, check out our credit card travel insurance study.
Credit Card Cell Phone Insurance
While some other types of credit card insurance have become less common in recent years, many credit cards have added cell phone insurance. If you pay your cell phone bill with the right credit card, you’ll be coverage against damage and theft. You can learn more below.
The best credit cards with cell phone protection include the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card and the Ink Business Premier® Credit Card. These cards offer great cell phone protection insurance, along with excellent rewards on purchases.
Cell phone insurance isn’t commonly offered by major credit cards, but it’s certainly a welcome perk. Cell phones don’t come cheap, and some credit cards offer up to $1,000 in reimbursement for a stolen or damaged phone.
Just remember that all credit cards with cell...
The Chase Sapphire Reserve does not offer cell phone insurance. Cell phone insurance on other cards reimburses the cost of repairing or replacing a damaged or stolen phone if a cardholder regularly pays the phone bill with the card, though it’s not a benefit commonly offered by credit card issuers.
If you’re in the market for a credit card with cell phone protection, you should consider the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey, the Chase Freedom Flex, and the SoFi Credit Card.
Yes, the Platinum Card® does offer cell phone insurance. The Platinum Card® gives cardholders up to $800 per claim per card to repair or replace a damaged or stolen phone, if they charge their phone bill to the card every month.
The maximum coverage amount is $1,600 per year per card account, with up to two claims per year, and there is a $50 deductible. Keep in mind that the Platinum Card® cell phone protection does not...
Unfortunately, the Verizon Credit Card does not offer cell phone insurance. In general, credit card cell phone insurance provides coverage against damage or theft, as long as the monthly bill is paid with that credit card.
If you’re looking for a card with cell phone insurance, you can check out the U.S. Bank Shield™ Visa® Card, instead. It provides cell phone protection up to $600 per claim or $1,200 per year. But there are other credit cards that offer this benefit, as well.
Credit Card Trip Delay Insurance
If you have the right credit card, you can get reimbursed for your time if your trip is delayed for long enough. You can learn more about this helpful coverage from the FAQs below.
No, the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select card does not provide trip delay insurance. Citi removed several travel-related benefits from most of its credit cards, including trip delay, travel accident insurance, and baggage delay coverage. Trip delay insurance is not available on any American Airlines AAdvantage cards.
Although trip delay insurance is no longer available, the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select card still offers other valuable travel benefits, including free first checked bag, preferred boarding, etc.
Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select Travel Benefits
- Free First Checked...
The Chase Sapphire Reserve trip delay insurance offers coverage if your flight or another form of public transportation is delayed by more than six hours or it requires an overnight stay. This benefit applies to all kinds of transportation by a travel provider, such as planes, trains, buses, and cruises. You’re eligible for compensation if you pay for your travel with the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Chase will reimburse you for unplanned expenses that you have to make because...
Credit Card Trip Cancellation Insurance
Not being able to go on a trip you’ve planned and paid for can be very frustrating. It’s even worse when you can’t get reimbursed. But having the right credit card can add a silver lining to this type of situation. Check out the Q&As below to learn more.
The best credit card with trip cancellation insurance is the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card because it offers up to $10,000 in trip cancellation coverage per person and $20,000 per trip. Cardholders can get reimbursed for eligible travel expenses like airfare and car rentals if a trip is cancelled or interrupted due to sickness, severe weather, and other unforeseen circumstances. Chase Sapphire Preferred also has an annual fee of only $95, which is a bargain compared to other credit cards with similar trip...
No, there aren’t any credit cards that offer trip cancellation insurance for any reason. Many cards will reimburse you if your trip is canceled or interrupted. But each credit card defines the specific reasons for trip cancellation that are covered by this type of insurance. Typically, qualifying circumstances include sickness verified by a physician, death, and severe weather.
Notable Cards with Trip Cancellation Insurance
You can check out some of the best credit cards with trip cancellation insurance...
Unfortunately, AAA Travel Credit Card doesn’t offer trip cancellation insurance. Cards that have this benefit will cover certain nonrefundable travel expenses when you have to cancel a trip due to illness, injury, or other unforeseeable circumstances.
If you think you’ll need this coverage, you can compare the best cards with trip cancellation insurance, and may want to consider applying to one of these cards in addition to your AAA Travel Credit Card.
Chase Sapphire Reserve® trip cancellation insurance reimburses you for certain nonrefundable travel expenses, up to $10,000 per person and per person and $20,000 per trip per trip, when you have to cancel a trip or cut it short due to illness, severe weather, or other covered situations.
Eligible expenses include airfare, hotels, and more. To be covered, all or part of the trip must be purchased with your Chase Sapphire Reserve.
How Chase Sapphire Reserve Trip Cancellation Insurance Works
...American Express trip cancellation insurance reimburses you for certain nonrefundable travel expenses, up to $10,000 per person and per trip and $20,000 per eligible card every 12 consecutive months per trip, when you have to cancel a trip or cut it short due to illness, inclement weather, or other covered situations. Eligible expenses include airfare, hotels, and more.
Not all American Express cards offer this benefit. Additionally, coverage amounts and covered situations vary depending...
Chase trip cancellation insurance reimburses you for certain nonrefundable travel expenses when you have to cancel a trip or cut it short due to situations out of your control, such as sickness or severe weather. To qualify, you must pay for the travel using an eligible Chase card.
Your card’s benefits guide will tell you if it includes this coverage, along with details on covered situations, exclusions, and the maximum coverage amounts per person...
American Express Platinum Card® trip cancellation insurance reimburses you for certain nonrefundable travel expenses, up to $10,000 per person and per trip and $20,000 per eligible card every 12 consecutive months, when you have to cancel a trip or cut it short due to illness, inclement weather, or other covered situations.
Eligible expenses include airfare, train tickets, hotels, and more. To be covered, the entire trip must be purchased with your Platinum Card®.
How Platinum Card® Trip Cancellation...
Credit Card Baggage Insurance
Lost or delayed baggage can cause a cascade of costs, as you may need to buy new clothing and other essentials. However, if you paid with your trip using a credit card that has baggage insurance, you can get these purchases covered.
Visa baggage delay insurance is a credit card benefit that will provide compensation for basic cost-of-living expenses when a Visa cardholder’s baggage does not arrive at the intended destination on time. The standard Visa Signature baggage delay policy provides up to $300 in reimbursement after a delay of 4 hours or more.
Coverage only applies to baggage on common carriers, such as buses, trains, airlines, and cruise ships. The coverage amount and minimum delay...
The Chase Sapphire Reserve card baggage delay benefit reimburses cardholders up to $100 per day for a maximum of 5 days for essential purchases like toiletries and clothing when baggage is delayed over 6 hours after traveling with a common carrier. You must also pay for the travel ticket with the Chase Sapphire Reserve or points earned with the card in order to qualify.
Chase Sapphire Reserve Baggage Delay: How it Works
- Overview: The purpose of the Chase Sapphire Reserve...
The Chase Freedom card does not provide baggage insurance as a benefit. While the card does offer many valuable benefits like roadside assistance, purchase protection, and extended warranty protection, it doesn’t include baggage insurance.
For baggage insurance, you might want to consider other Chase cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve. Both of these cards offer baggage delay insurance and lost luggage reimbursement, among other travel related benefits.
The Platinum Card® baggage insurance covers checked baggage and carry-on baggage that is lost, damaged or stolen. Coverage can be provided for up to $2,000 for checked baggage and up to a combined maximum of $3,000 for checked and carry-on baggage, in excess of coverage provided by the carrier. To be eligible for coverage, cardholders must pay for the entire fare with their Platinum Card®. There is also a $3,000 aggregate coverage limit per trip.
The...
The Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card may offer lost luggage insurance as part of the Visa Signature benefits, but it is not guaranteed. Bank of America does not clearly disclose any specific information regarding the card’s travel insurance benefits.
How Visa Signature Lost Luggage Insurance Works
The Visa Signature lost luggage insurance benefit provides reimbursement for your checked luggage or carry-on baggage and their contents in the event of theft, or misdirection caused by the airline. In order for...
No, the American Express Blue Card doesn’t have any baggage protection. However, there are several American Express credit cards that offer this benefit.
It is worth noting that Amex baggage protection is designed to cover lost, stolen or damaged luggage and its contents.
Ultimately, keep in mind that while the American Express Blue Card doesn’t offer baggage protection, it does offer a number of other benefits. The American Express Blue Card’s benefits include car rental insurance and purchase protection, with a $0 annual fee.
Yes, Capital One does offer lost luggage reimbursement with some of its credit cards. One of the best Capital One cards that offer this benefit is the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (see details, rates & fees). This card helps you repair or replace your luggage, and the personal belongings contained within if your bag is lost or damaged during a covered trip. For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
Keep in mind that, to be eligible to file a Capital One credit card lost luggage reimbursement claim, you’ll need...
Credit Card Insurance by Company
Credit card insurance is a perk that comes from your credit card’s network, such as Visa or Mastercard. Individual card issuers get to decide which network perks to offer their customers, however. For your convenience, we organized some key information about the companies’ insurance benefits below. You can click on the benefits below to see if an issuer has a particular type of insurance and, if so, what coverage cardholders can expect.
Credit Card Insurance by Card
Some credit cards have better insurance benefits than others. Below, you can learn about the coverage provided by the most popular cards. Just click on each type of insurance next to a card to see what if offers.
Credit Card Protection Insurance
Credit card protection insurance, also known as payment protection, can prevent fees and credit score damage in the event of financial hardship, but it’s expensive. You can learn more from our credit card protection guide as well as the FAQs below.
Credit card debt insurance, also known as payment protection insurance, typically helps you cover your credit card’s minimum payment for a specified period of time if you’re unable to, due to unforeseen circumstances like disability, job loss or death. In order to enjoy the coverage when you need it, you will have to pay a monthly fee to keep your credit card debt insurance active.
The type of relief provided by credit card debt insurance...
Credit card insurance is not worth it in most cases because it adds fees to your credit card balance and there are limited circumstances that actually qualify for a payout. This type of insurance is only helpful if you don’t have savings or a backup plan to cover your credit card payments during a hardship.
How Credit Card Insurance Works
- Charges a monthly fee, which typically varies based on your balance. In some...
No, Capital One credit cards do not offer balance protection insurance. In case a cardholder is unable to make the minimum payments due to unforeseen circumstances, they can reach out to Capital One’s customer service to inquire about available options.
Based on each cardholder’s situation, Capital One may agree to lower their interest rates, settle for a portion of the debt, or work out a new payment plan. If negotiations with the company fail, you still have the options to...
You don’t typically need credit card insurance because there are plenty of other ways to plan ahead for the unforeseen situations that could put you in debt. Even something as simple as setting money aside may prove enough to cover your payments for a while, should you lose your job or become disabled.
Why You Don’t Need Credit Card Insurance
- Existing Coverage Consideration: Other insurance policies such as term-life insurance or long-term disability insurance often provide similar...
Paying Insurance With a Credit Card
Many insurance companies will let you pay your bill with a credit card. This is a great way to earn rewards. There may be a fee for paying with a credit card in some cases, however, so make sure your rewards rate is higher.
You can pay for car insurance with a credit card, but it might cost extra. All of the top 10 auto insurance companies accept credit card payments, as well as bank transfers, paper checks, and money orders. But insurers will charge a credit card processing or convenience fee, typically a percentage of the payment amount between 1.5% and 4%.
Major Car Insurance Companies That Accept Credit Card Payments:
Bills you typically can’t pay with a credit card include certain types of insurance, car loans, housing costs, and credit card balances. Billers may not accept a credit card due in part to high transaction fees and rules against borrowing more to pay off debt, so you’ll instead need to use a debit card or ACH payment. Often, you can pay by phone or by mailing a check, too. If your biller does accept credit cards, they...
Car insurance payments do not build credit because car insurance companies do not lend money. Credit scores are based on the contents of TransUnion, Equifax and Experian credit reports, which document our history borrowing and repaying money via loans and lines of credit. Given that on-time car insurance payments are not listed on credit reports, they will not help you build credit.
You can check your latest TransUnion credit report for free on WalletHub to see for yourself that a history...
You can pay many bills with a credit card, including bills for cell phone plans, car and life insurance, streaming services, cable and internet, medical expenses, taxes, and more. Other bills may also allow credit card payments, depending on the merchant, including health insurance, homeowners insurance, and car loan bills. Finally, there are some bills that you may not be able to pay directly with a credit card: rent, mortgage payments, other credit card bills,...
Ways...
Credit Card Life Insurance
You can pay your life insurance premium with a credit card. You can also purchase something called credit life insurance, which can pay off your credit card bills if you pass away. You can find more information in our guide on what happens to debt when you die.
Pet Insurance Credit Card
You can pay for pet insurance with a credit card, and there are even some credit cards designed to finance veterinary care. You can learn more below.
The best emergency pet care credit card is the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card because it offers 2% cash rewards on purchases, plus $200 cash rewards after spending $500 on purchases in the first 3 months. Wells Fargo Active Cash also has an introductory APR of 0% for 12 months from account opening and a $1,000+ credit limit.
Just bear in mind that a regular APR of 18.49%, 24.49%, or 28.49% Variable will apply when the intro rate expires, and there’s a balance transfer fee of 3% intro for 120 days from account opening, then up to 5% (min $5). Also, keep in mind that you can use this card, and the others in the list below, for a lot...
The best credit card for pet owners with bad credit is the Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards Secured Credit Card. It has a $0 annual fee, works pretty much anywhere that takes credit cards, and rewards you with 1.5 - 2% cash back on purchases. That can help you save a lot on pet supplies.
Generally, choosing a secured card for your pet supplies is the best way to go if you have bad credit. Secured cards charge the lowest fees and offer the best approval...
Additional Resources:
- Is Pet Insurance Worth It? Pros & Cons Explained
- Pet Financing: Compare Veterinary Loans & Payment Plans
- Ask the Experts: Caring for Pets Without Breaking the Bank
* Capital One Insurance Benefits Disclosure: For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
** American Express Insurance Benefits Disclosure: Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit https://www.americanexpress.com/us/credit-cards/features-benefits/policies/ for more details.
Ask the Experts
We posed the following questions about credit card insurance to a panel of experts. You can see who they are and what advice they had to share below. Just click “Read More” under an expert’s name and title to check out their comments.
- Why do you think credit card benefits such as rental car insurance, travel insurance and cell phone insurance aren’t more popular?
- Do you have any tips for using the various types of insurance that some credit cards offer?
- What do you think is the most useful type of credit card insurance?
- What do you think is the least useful type of credit card insurance?
Ask the Experts
Assistant Professor Emeritus of Business & Finance, Dickinson State University, School of Business and Entrepreneurship
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Ph.D., Associate Professor of Finance, College of Business and Technology – Winthrop University
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Assistant Professor, College of Business, University of Rhode Island
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Ph.D., Professor and Head of the Economics Program, Thomas More University
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Ph.D., Clinical & Gensler Professor of Computer Information Systems - West Texas A&M University
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MBA, Director of Operations, Stetson-Hatcher School of Business, Mercer University
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