Don’t Let a Delayed Flight Ruin Your Holiday. How a Credit Card Can Help

Holiday chaos can cause all of the travel woes we hate, like lost bags or canceled flights. Instead of resigning yourself to a disastrous holiday trip, consider letting your credit card help you out of a travel jam.
When most people think of credit card benefits, they envision perks like airport lounge access or credits to cover Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership. But you may be in luck if your card has travel benefits — even if you didn’t pay for coverage when booking.
If you’re stuck at the airport or trying to secure a hotel, it’s a good time to see if your travel credit card has insurance to help salvage some of your trip costs. Here’s what to check for.
Types of credit card insurance
The most common types of credit card insurance include travel insurance and shopping protections. While included insurance benefits vary from card to card, remember that these protections are typically complimentary but only apply when consumers use their cards for eligible purchases.
What is travel insurance?
Travel insurance provides financial protection for travelers before or during a trip away from home and comes in many different forms. Note that many types of travel insurance you get with a credit card provide secondary coverage to your own insurance. Secondary coverage means your own insurance policy kicks in before your credit card travel insurance coverage pays a dime.
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Common types of travel insurance you can get with a credit card include:
Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
This type of coverage reimburses you for prepaid travel expenses when a trip must be canceled or interrupted for reasons beyond your control. If a natural disaster makes it so you cannot depart for your destination, for example, this coverage may apply. The same is true if you break a bone while on vacation and need to return home for medical care.
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Limits for this type of coverage vary from card to card. With the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, for example, cardholders get trip cancellation and interruption coverage worth up to $10,000 per covered person and up to $20,000 per eligible trip.
Rental car insurance
Credit cards can also include rental car insurance as a covered benefit, although many cards only include secondary coverage that applies after you exhaust coverage offered through your existing personal auto insurance policy.
The best credit cards offer primary coverage. For example, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® offers a primary auto rental collision damage waiver worth up to $75,000 for theft and collision damage.
Travel accident insurance
Some credit cards also offer travel accident insurance that kicks in to cover events like loss of a limb, hearing, speech or vision or even a death during a covered trip. The limits for this coverage vary significantly across cards that offer it, and cardholders have to pay for travel with a common carrier for this protection to apply.
Baggage delay insurance
Credit card baggage delay insurance works the same as if you purchased this coverage directly from a travel insurance provider. This insurance can reimburse you for essential purchases when your bags are delayed by a minimum amount of time — usually 6 or 12 hours.
Essential purchases can include toiletries, clothing and charging cords for your electronic devices.
Lost or damaged luggage reimbursement
This coverage protects your bags if they’re lost or stolen while in the care of a common carrier. Some coverage also provides reimbursement if your bags are damaged while in transit.
While credit card policies vary, many plans cover checked or carry-on luggage for up to $3,000 per person.
Trip delay insurance
Trip delay insurance covers incidental expenses that occur when a trip is delayed for a certain length of time, usually six hours or longer. This coverage is typically offered on a per-traveler basis and covers unexpected hotel stays, unplanned airport meals and other surprise expenses that occur while waiting to depart.
How to submit a travel insurance claim
Before you submit a travel insurance or protection claim, take a look at what your cardholder benefits are and what’s covered. You may find this in your cardholder agreement or by calling your issuer.
Once you know what’s covered (and what’s not), you’re ready to submit a claim by phone or online. During major holidays, phone calls may have long wait times. You may be able to submit a claim online through your credit card issuer’s website or app. Or you may opt for a callback if that’s an option.
Keep a record of any proof that your flight was delayed or canceled, such as an email or text message. Also, hold on to receipts you paid during the wait, such as for food or a hotel stay. If your luggage or other items are lost, file a claim with the airport and keep a copy. Your issuer may ask for proof when submitting the claim by phone or online.
Should you choose a card based on the insurance it offers?
While credit card insurance can be valuable, it shouldn’t be the sole driver for opening a new credit product. You should compare credit cards based on their credit score requirements, rewards, fees, APRs and other cardholder benefits.
Credit card insurance can be nice to have, but it won’t always replace the need for purchasing a separate insurance policy — particularly since card insurance plan limits tend to be on the low end.
Travel insurance from credit cards rarely covers emergency medical expenses and may not take care of the total financial losses you experience when missing or canceling a trip. This is particularly important for people traveling overseas. If you want to have travel insurance with higher limits and more types of coverage overall, you’ll be better off buying a comprehensive travel insurance plan instead.
What are shopping protections?
Purchase protections that work similarly to travel insurance. For these coverages to apply, you have to pay for an item or bill with your credit card. These benefits can still come in handy when you’re traveling.
Purchase protection
Purchase protection is a type of coverage that protects new purchases against damage or theft within a certain number of days after you make the purchase, usually up to 90 or 120 days.
If you buy a new laptop and it stops working within a few weeks later, for example, you can file a purchase protection claim as long as you paid for the laptop with a credit card that offers this coverage.
Extended warranty protection
Some credit cards also offer extended warranty protection on eligible purchases that already come with a manufacturer’s warranty. This type of coverage can also include limits for each occurrence and each account.
Cell phone protection
Some cards also come with built-in cell phone protection, but this coverage only applies when you pay your regular phone bill with the card. You might also have a deductible and coverage limits.
Return protection
Finally, some credit cards also offer guaranteed returns or