The best credit cards that offer trip cancellation and interruption insurance

Planning and taking a trip can be exciting, but unexpected events can disrupt even the most meticulously organized vacations. Sudden illness, severe weather and unforeseen circumstances can throw a spanner in the works, forcing you to change your plans and seek compensation.

In this guide, we will explore the best credit cards that offer trip cancellation and interruption insurance. We will explain what these policies cover and provide you with peace of mind for your next adventure.

Related: Credit cards with trip cancellation insurance

What is trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance?

Trip cancellation and interruption insurance may reimburse nonrefundable, prepaid trip expenses when you cancel or alter your trip due to a covered situation. In some cases, you may even be covered for select additional costs. But maximum coverage amounts, the types of covered situations and eligible expenses vary from card to card.

Generally, trip cancellation insurance provides reimbursement when you must cancel a trip before its departure date. Meanwhile, trip interruption insurance may refund you if an ongoing trip is interrupted or canceled.

Although you can buy separate travel insurance that will provide a partial refund if you cancel your trip for any reason, trip cancellation and interruption insurance doesn’t typically work the same way. Instead, trip cancellation and interruption insurance typically has specific covered losses and exclusions that define the situations in which you can claim reimbursement (and these vary from card to card).

Many different types of cards — including some credit cards with no annual fee — offer trip cancellation and interruption insurance when you purchase travel with your card. The remainder of this guide details some of our favorite cards that offer trip cancellation and interruption benefits. Of course, benefits frequently change. So, it’s best to look at your card’s guide to benefits before booking to understand your card’s protections.

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Related: Why you might actually need road trip travel insurance

Related: 4 times your credit card’s travel insurance can help with travel woes, and 7 times it won’t

Chase credit cards offer some of the best credit card travel protections. The Chase cards in the table below provide trip cancellation and interruption insurance with relatively high maximum coverage amounts.

To help you understand this benefit, let’s consider the specific protection provided by the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card as described in its guide to benefits. The other Chase cards listed in the above table provide similar benefits, but check your card’s guide to benefits to ensure your coverage is the same.

When you use an eligible Chase card (like the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card) to pay for select travel expenses, you and your immediate family may be eligible for trip cancellation and interruption protection. You must charge all or a portion of the cost to your Chase credit card (including bookings made with points through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal associated with your account).

Eligible trip cancellation or interruption events

You’ll only be eligible for reimbursement if certain events cause the cancellation or interruption of your travel arrangements. For example, Chase may provide trip cancellation and interruption coverage for the following circumstances:

• You or your traveling companion experience accidental bodily injury, death or sickness that prevents travel
• An immediate family member of you or your traveling companion dies or experiences accidental bodily injury or sickness that is life-threatening, requires hospitalization or requires care by you or your traveling companion
• Severe weather that would prevent a reasonable and prudent person from beginning or continuing on a trip (the weather must meet specific requirements regarding timing, location and effect on your trip)
• Named storm warning
• Change in military orders for you or your spouse
• A call to jury duty or a court subpoena that you can’t postpone or waive
• Your or your traveling companion’s permanent residence is uninhabitable, burglarized or damaged by fire or flood
• Your or your traveling companion’s lodging at your destination becomes uninhabitable
• Your or your traveling companion’s host at your trip’s destination dies or is hospitalized
• A physician or a competent governmental authority having jurisdiction requires you or your traveling companion to quarantine due to health reasons
• You or your traveling companion miss at least 20% of your trip or the departure of a prepaid cruise or tour due to an organized strike affecting public transportation

Related: 6 lesser-known Chase Sapphire Reserve travel and shopping benefits

Additionally, Chase may provide trip cancellation coverage for the following events:

• Terrorist incident within 25 miles of your or your traveling companion’s place of permanent residence within 30 days of your scheduled departure date
• U.S. government travel warning due to terrorism for the immediate vicinity of your or your traveling companion’s place of permanent residence within 10 days of your scheduled departure
• Terrorist incident within 25 miles of an airport, booked lodging or destination host’s location as listed on your itinerary within 30 days of your scheduled arrival
• U.S. government travel warning due to terrorism for a geographic area within 25 miles of an airport, booked lodging or destination host’s location that’s in effect within 30 days of your scheduled departure

Finally, Chase may provide trip interruption coverage for the following events:

• Terrorist incident within 25 miles of an airport, booked lodging or destination host’s location as listed on your itinerary while on a trip
• A U.S. government travel warning due to terrorism for a geographic area within 25 miles of an airport, booked lodging or a destination host’s location that is issued during your or your traveling companion’s trip

Related: Your guide to Chase’s trip insurance coverage

Excluded reasons for trip cancellation or interruption

However, you won’t be eligible for reimbursement if any of the following directly or indirectly cause (or result from) the trip cancellation or interruption:

• A change in plans, financial circumstances and any business or contractual obligations
• A preexisting condition or any other event that occurs or commences before the trip’s initial deposit date or booking date
• Any loss due to voluntarily surrendering unused vouchers, tickets, credits, coupons or travel privileges from the travel supplier before their expiration date
• Travel after the 26th week of pregnancy, travel when any multiple pregnancy occurs before the initial deposit date or booking date of the trip, or travel during any pregnancy associated with an assisted reproductive program
• Any loss for any trip booked while on a waiting list for specified medical treatment or booked to obtain medical treatment
• Disinclination to travel due to civil unrest
• Failure to obtain necessary visas, passports or other documents required for travel
• Commission or attempted commission of any illegal act
• Suicide, attempted suicide or intentionally self-inflicted injury
• Being under the influence of any narcotic, legal recreational marijuana or other controlled substance at the time of a loss (except if the narcotic or other controlled substance is taken as prescribed by a physician)
• Disinclination to travel, a country closing its borders or a travel supplier canceling or changing travel arrangements due to an epidemic or pandemic
• Default of the common carrier resulting from financial insolvency or financial insolvency of a travel agency, tour operator or travel supplier
• War, undeclared war, civil war, insurrection, rebellion, revolution, warlike acts by a military force or personnel, any action taken in hindering or defending against any of these, the destruction or seizure of property for a military purpose or any consequences of any of these acts (war does not include terrorism)

Additionally, Chase won’t provide trip cancellation coverage for trips booked to any area associated with terrorist activity. Plus, trip interruption coverage won’t be provided for loss caused by or resulting from:

• Travel arrangements that a travel supplier cancels or changes unless the cancellation results from severe weather or an organized strike affecting public transportation
• Any terrorist incident or travel warning within 25 miles of your or your traveling companion’s place of permanent residence within 30 days before the initial deposit date or booking date of the trip
• A terrorist incident within 25 miles of an airport, booked lodging or destination host’s location within 30 days of your initial deposit date or booking date of the trip

Related: Should you get travel insurance if you have credit card protection?

What expenses are covered?

In general, Chase will only reimburse you for eligible, nonrefundable, prepaid travel expenses charged by a travel supplier or redeposit fees imposed by a rewards program administrator. However, for trip interruption, Chase may also reimburse you for the following:

• Change fees
• Costs to return a rental vehicle to the closest rental agency
• Costs to return your vehicle to your closest leased or owned residence
• Ground transportation expenses up to $250 to directly transport you for necessary medical treatment (excluding transportation in vehicles operated by a medical facility or specifically designed to transport sick or injured individuals)
• Prepaid, unused and nonrefundable land, air or sea arrangements (if you must postpone a trip due to a covered loss and set a new departure date)

However, if your trip cancellation or interruption results in a credit from a travel supplier, you will not receive payment for that portion of the eligible travel expenses until the credit expires. Additionally, transportation expenses, including the difference in cost between the original fare and any new fare to return home or rejoin the trip, will not be reimbursed.

Several other Chase cards, including the United℠ Explorer Card, Chase Freedom Flex℠ and Chase Freedom Unlimited®, also provide trip cancellation and interruption insurance.

However, these cards cover far fewer expenses than the Chase cards discussed in the previous section. In particular, they only cover nonrefundable prepaid passenger fares.

The Chase Freedom Flex guide to benefits, for instance, covers you in similar cases as the more premium Chase cards above:

• Nonrefundable prepaid travel expenses charged by a cruise line, airline, railroad or another common carrier
• Change fees to a travel supplier (if you interrupt your travel instead of canceling)
• Redeposit fees to a rewards program administrator
• Ground transportation expenses up to $250 for transport to necessary medical treatment (excluding transportation in vehicles operated by a medical facility or specifically designed to transport sick or injured individuals; only for trip interruption)
• Prepaid unused, nonrefundable land, air or sea arrangements (if you must postpone a trip due to a covered loss and set a new departure date)

Chase may reimburse you up to $1,500 per person per trip. However, the reimbursement cap is $6,000 for all covered persons on the same trip.

Related: Here’s why 1 TPG staffer buys an annual travel insurance policy, even though his credit cards offer travel protections

You can get up to $2,000 per insured person in trip cancellation and interruption protection when you use the Capital One Venture X to pay for nonrefundable common carrier tickets.

Your spouse or domestic partner and your dependent children are eligible for coverage when you pay for the entire cost of common carrier transportation (less redeemable certificates, vouchers or coupons) with your Venture X account.

Eligible trip cancellation or interruption events

The list of eligible trip cancellation or interruption events for coverage is short and simple with the Venture X. You may be covered if one of the following applies:

• You or an immediate family member dies or experiences accidental bodily injury, disease or physical illness that prevents you from traveling (as verified by a physician)
• Your common carrier defaults as a result of financial insolvency

Related: Does paying the taxes and fees on award flights trigger trip protections?

Excluded reasons for trip cancellation or interruption

Even if one of the above losses applies, you won’t be covered if any of the following caused or led to the loss:

• A preexisting condition
• Accidental bodily injuries from participation in interscholastic or professional sports events, racing or speed contests or uncertified scuba diving
• Cosmetic surgery (unless necessary due to a covered loss)
• Being under the influence of drugs (except as prescribed by a physician) or alcohol
• Traveling against the advice of a physician, while on a waiting list for specified medical treatment, to obtain medical treatment or in the third trimester (seventh month or after) of pregnancy
• Suicide, attempted suicide or intentionally self-inflicted injuries
• Declared or undeclared war (war does not include acts of terrorism)
• An insured person’s emotional trauma, mental or physical illness, disease, pregnancy, childbirth or miscarriage, bacterial or viral infection or bodily malfunctions (except physical illness or disease which prevent travel and bacterial infection caused by accident or from accidental consumption of a substance contaminated by bacteria)

Related: 7 times your credit card’s travel insurance might not cover you

What expenses are covered?

The Venture X’s trip cancellation and interruption protection won’t cover as much as the premium Chase cards discussed above. According to the Venture X guide to benefits, Capital One will only reimburse up to $2,000 per insured person for the following:

• Your nonrefundable common carrier ticket (but only once any unused credit voucher you get from the common carrier expires)
• Change or cancellation fees on common carrier tickets

Learn more: Capital One Venture X

Some Amex cards offer trip cancellation and interruption insurance of up to $10,000 per trip (up to $20,000 per card per 12 consecutive months). Here’s a list of some of these cards:

The information for the Hilton Aspire Amex Card 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. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

You can find benefit guides for these cards on Amex’s website.

You, your family members and your traveling companions may be covered when you charge the full cost of round-trip common carrier transportation to an eligible Amex card. You’ll also get coverage when you use an eligible Amex card in combination with Membership Rewards points or redeemable certificates, vouchers, coupons or discounts awarded from a loyalty program.

For coverage purposes, round-trip travel may consist of one-way tickets or a combination of round-trip and one-way tickets.

Related: Which is the best American Express credit card for you?

Eligible trip cancellation or interruption events

Based on the benefits guide for the above-mentioned Amex cards, covered losses include trip cancellations or trip interruptions that result from the following:

• Accidental bodily injury, death or sickness (including of a covered traveler’s family member)
• Inclement weather that would prevent a reasonable and prudent person from traveling or continuing on a trip
• Change in military orders (including of a covered traveler’s spouse)
• Terrorist action or hijacking
• Call to jury duty or subpoena by the courts that can’t be postponed or waived
• A dwelling that becomes uninhabitable
• Quarantine imposed by a physician for health reasons

Related: Should you purchase travel insurance for your vacation rental?

Excluded reasons for trip cancellation or interruption

For Amex’s trip cancellation and interruption insurance, coverage does not apply to any accident, accidental bodily injury or loss caused by or resulting directly or indirectly from the following:

• Preexisting conditions
• Suicide, attempted suicide or intentionally self-inflicted injury by the traveler
• A declared or undeclared war
• Mental or emotional disorders (unless hospitalized)
• Participation in a sporting activity (with a salary or prize money) by the traveler
• Intoxication by the traveler at the time of an accident (as defined by the laws of the location where the accident occurs)
• The traveler is under the influence of any narcotic or other controlled substance at the time of an accident (unless taken as prescribed by a physician)
• Commission or attempted commission of any illegal or criminal act by the traveler
• The traveler parachutes from an aircraft or engages or participates in a motorized vehicular race or speed contest
• Dental treatment, except as a result of accidental bodily injury to sound, natural teeth
• Any nonemergency treatment, surgery or routine physical examination
• Hearing aids, eyeglasses or contact lenses
• The traveler is incarcerated
• Loss due to intentional acts by the traveler
• Financial insolvency of a travel agency, tour operator or travel supplier

Related: Will your travel insurance cover you in case of vendor bankruptcy?

What expenses are covered?

If a covered loss causes you to cancel your trip, Amex may reimburse you for the nonrefundable amount you paid to a travel supplier with your eligible card.

However, suppose a covered loss causes you to interrupt your trip. In that case, Amex may reimburse you for the nonrefundable amount paid to a travel supplier with your eligible card for the following:

• The forfeited, nonrefundable, prepaid land, air and sea transportation arrangements that eligible travelers missed
• Additional transportation expenses incurred by eligible travelers, less any available refunds (not to exceed the cost of an economy-class ticket by the most direct route to rejoin the trip or return to the trip’s origin)

Now, suppose a covered loss causes you to temporarily postpone transportation by a common carrier for a covered trip and set a new departure date. In that case, Amex will reimburse you for the following:

• Additional expenses incurred to purchase tickets for the new departure (not to exceed the difference between the original fare and the economy fare for the rescheduled trip by the most direct route)
• Unused, nonrefundable land, air and sea arrangements paid to a travel supplier

Although some Visa Infinite cards offer their own trip cancellation and interruption insurance, all Visa Infinite credit cards issued by U.S. banks provide a basic level of protection.

Visa Infinite cards offer trip cancellation and interruption protection covering the cardholder (you) and your immediate family when you purchase common carrier travel with your card. This benefit can reimburse up to $2,000 per trip for nonrefundable common carrier fares if you must cancel or interrupt your trip for a covered reason.

Visa provides a quick overview of the Visa Infinite protections. However, your card’s guide to benefits will have the full details.

Related: How to choose the best Visa card for you

Who is covered?

Who is covered by credit card trip cancellation and interruption insurance varies greatly. For example, eligible premium Chase cards cover the cardholder and immediate family members when the cardholder pays for all or a portion of a trip with their card account or rewards associated with their account. For these cards, an immediate family member is someone with any of the following relationships to the cardholder:

Spouse, and parents thereof; sons and daughters, including adopted children and stepchildren; parents, including stepparents; brothers and sisters; grandparents and grandchildren; aunts or uncles; nieces or nephews; and Domestic Partner and parents thereof, including Domestic Partners or Spouses of any individual of this definition.

Immediate family members also include legal guardians or wards for premium Chase cards. The guide to benefits for the Chase Sapphire Preferred notes that immediate family members do not need to travel with the cardholder for benefits to apply.

On the other hand, eligible American Express cards cover the cardholder, their family members and traveling companions. The guide to benefits for eligible Amex cards defines a traveling companion as “an individual who has made advanced arrangements with you or your Family Members to travel together for all or part of a Covered Trip” and family members as:

A spouse, Domestic Partner, or unmarried dependent child up to age 19 (or under age twenty-six (26) if a full time student at an accredited college or university).

So, although Amex will cover traveling companions, you’ll need to charge their common carrier fares to your eligible Amex card. On the other hand, Chase doesn’t cover traveling companions but does provide a broad interpretation of family and doesn’t require round-trip common carrier travel.

Related: Does credit card travel insurance cover authorized users?

How do I file a trip cancellation or trip interruption insurance claim?

1. Contact your issuer: Call your credit card’s benefits administrator or start a claim online. Even if you believe your insurance will cover you after reading your card’s guide to benefits, it is usually a good idea to call the number on the back of your card. Doing so will let you ensure you’re covered, learn about deadlines for making your claim and determine what documents you’ll need to collect.
2. Submit on time: Most claims must be made within 20-60 days of the cancellation to be eligible for reimbursement, depending on your specific card issuer’s guidelines.
3. Present evidence: A benefits administrator will give you further instructions to file your claim after you present your claim. It’ll help to submit physical documentation with your claim (such as receipts, doctor’s notes and weather advisories), plus anything else that can help validate your claim.

A benefits administrator can usually walk you through specific steps to make your claim. Luckily, many card issuers also allow you to make claims online, so you may not even need to hop on the phone to send any physical documents.

Related: Comparing travel protections with the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Amex Platinum

However, there are many exclusions. So, it pays to read the guide to benefits on your favorite cards. By doing so, you can determine the best card for booking flights and consider whether it’s better to rely on the travel insurance provided by your card or purchase travel insurance.

Related: Flight canceled or delayed? Here’s what to do next

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.