How does travel insurance through credit cards work?

Lost luggage, canceled flights or rental car damage can be stressful and costly. But many credit cards come with a travel insurance benefit that can help when unexpected things happen on a trip.

Learn how travel insurance works when it’s provided through credit cards. Plus, find out which Capital One cards come with travel insurance.

What you’ll learn:

• When you travel, credit card travel insurance benefits can cover a wide range of issues—from lost or damaged luggage to needs that require emergency medical care.

• To get travel insurance through a credit card, you typically need to book your trip using that card.

• Coverage typically varies by card.* 

• You can check your card’s benefits guide for full details of your coverage.

Typically, travel insurance through a credit card works a lot like private travel insurance. To benefit from credit card travel insurance, you’ll typically need to use your card to book and pay for your trip. Then if something unexpected happens, you could be compensated up to a set limit.

Neither credit card travel insurance nor regular travel insurance is necessarily better. They just work differently. With credit card travel insurance, your guide to benefits explains what coverage is offered. With regular travel insurance, you pay for the coverage level you need.

The embedded travel benefits that come with your card are provided at no additional cost. Depending on your specific needs, you may want to consider purchasing additional coverage.

With travel insurance through a credit card, you could be covered for things like flight delays and cancellations, accidents, medical emergencies, lost luggage and more. Every credit card is different, so you can check your card’s terms and conditions to see what types of travel insurance you might receive. 

Here are some common situations credit card travel insurance may cover:

If you booked and paid for your trip with a credit card that offers trip cancellation and interruption insurance, you may qualify for flight or reservation reimbursement in certain situations. These can include:

• Unexpected health issues

• Accidental injuries 

• The death of an immediate family member or someone in your travel party 

There are also situations that aren’t typically covered by this type of insurance. Exclusions can include preexisting medical conditions or when a travel agency or hotel goes out of business. 

Maximum reimbursement depends on your card and can vary significantly.

You may need to pay for a meal or last-minute hotel room if your travel is delayed. If you paid for your trip with a credit card that has trip delay insurance, certain reasonable costs you incur during the delay might be covered.

Different cards’ policies vary on how long the delay must be before coverage kicks in. But having travel delay insurance could help take care of your most urgent needs.

If you pay for a rental car with your credit card, you might be able to skip the added cost of buying insurance through the rental company. Credit card rental car insurance through some Capital One cards could cover collisions and theft.

This type of insurance usually goes into effect after your regular auto insurance policy does. Whether you’re renting a car in the U.S. or abroad may affect whether you’ll need additional coverage and how much. And rental car insurance usually only covers the vehicle. You may need to buy liability coverage when traveling internationally if your personal auto policy is limited to the U.S.

Lost, delayed or even stolen baggage can interrupt your trip. If you need to buy replacement items, you could be reimbursed.

In cases of severe injury or death, you or your family members could receive benefits if you booked and paid for your trip with a credit card that offers travel accident insurance.

Capital One has several credit cards that offer travel insurance, including eligible Venture X, Venture and VentureOne cards. It’s one of the many travel benefits available through the cards. You can review your card’s benefits guide to know which benefits apply.

Travel insurance can cover the costs of unexpected issues you might run into during your travels. But to get your money, you’ll likely have to file a travel insurance claim.

Here are some steps designed to help you navigate the process:

Before traveling, read your card’s benefits guide to get the specifics on your travel insurance. That way, you can know which travel events are covered and for how much.

Whether or not you expect problems, it can be a good idea to save your receipts and document your travel expenses. Then you’ll have a paper trail if you want to be reimbursed for things like replacement articles of clothing, a last-minute hotel booking or a trip to the emergency room.

You can file a claim by contacting the administrator listed in your card’s benefits guide. Check if there’s a time limit on how long you have after a travel incident to report the incident and file a claim. You may have to answer a few questions, complete a form and submit your receipts to complete the claim.

Here are the answers to a few frequently asked questions about travel insurance offered through credit cards:

Travel insurance through a Capital One credit card can help protect you should things go wrong on your trip, whether you’re in the U.S. or abroad.

Capital One offers travel rewards credit cards with benefits and elevated rewards that can help make your travel experience more enjoyable.

• Explore travel rewards cards with unlimited miles you can actually use. 

• Elevate your next adventure with the Venture X card, which offers premium travel benefits and more.

• Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day, and earn a one-time 75,000-mile bonus with the Venture card. 

• Earn unlimited 1.25X miles on every purchase, every day, with no annual fee with the VentureOne card. View important rates and disclosures.