The best cards for trip cancellation and interruption insurance — and what it actually covers

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 wrench in the works, forcing you to change your plans and seek compensation.

Fortunately, many credit cards include trip cancellation and interruption insurance at no additional cost when you use your card to book travel. The right card can reimburse nonrefundable expenses if your plans fall apart.

Here are the best credit cards for trip cancellation and interruption insurance — and how their coverage compares.

Best credit cards for trip cancellation and interruption insurance

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees): Best for travelers looking for a sub-$100 annual fee
• Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees): Best for travelers who want the most travel protections
• American Express Platinum Card®: Best when traveling with nonfamily companions
• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: Best for business travelers
• United Club℠ Card (see rates and fees): Best for United Airlines loyalists
• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card: Best for Delta Air Lines loyalists

The cards listed above offer some of the strongest trip cancellation and interruption protections available. However, many other travel credit cards also include some form of coverage — often with lower limits.

Related: Credit cards with travel insurance

What is trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance?

Trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance can reimburse prepaid, nonrefundable travel expenses if you cancel or alter your trip for a covered reason. Coverage limits, eligible expenses and qualifying events vary by card.

In general, trip cancellation insurance applies when you must cancel before departure, and trip interruption insurance applies if your trip is cut short after it begins.

Unlike stand-alone "cancel for any reason" travel insurance policies you can purchase separately, credit card coverage typically applies only to specific covered events outlined in your card's guide to benefits. Covered reasons often include illness, injury, severe weather or other unforeseen circumstances, but exclusions apply.

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Because benefits can change, always review your card's guide before booking travel.

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

Chase trip cancellation and interruption insurance

Chase credit cards offer some of the most comprehensive trip cancellation and interruption protections among major issuers.

The Sapphire Preferred and the Sapphire Reserve each provide coverage of up to $10,000 per covered person and $20,000 per trip. Despite their different annual fees, $95 and $795, respectively, both cards offer top-tier protection limits.

The United Club Card, United's highest-tier personal card and the one best suited for frequent United travelers, also provides coverage of up to $10,000 per covered person and $20,000 per trip, per the United Guide to Benefits.

When you use an eligible Chase card to pay for all or a portion of your trip, you and your immediate family members may be eligible for coverage. You must charge all or a portion of the cost to your Chase credit card (including bookings made with points through the Chase Travel℠ portal associated with your account).

Other Chase cards offer lower limits. For example, the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (see rates and fees), the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (see rates and fees) and the World of Hyatt Credit Card (see rates and fees) typically provide coverage of up to $5,000 per covered person and $10,000 per trip.

Meanwhile, cards such as the Chase Freedom Flex® (see rates and fees), the Chase Freedom Unlimited® (see rates and fees) and the United℠ Explorer Card (see rates and fees) also offer trip cancellation and interruption insurance but with lower coverage limits. These cards typically reimburse only nonrefundable common carrier fares and offer significantly smaller per-person caps than the Sapphire cards.

Important limitation

Coverage generally applies only to the portion of the trip charged to your eligible card (or booked using associated rewards).

For example, if you pay for a nonrefundable hotel stay with gift cards but charge your flight to your Chase card, you likely won't be reimbursed for the hotel if you cancel — even if the flight was covered.

Always consult your card's guide to benefits for full terms, conditions and exclusions.

Related: Your guide to Chase's trip insurance coverage

American Express trip cancellation and interruption insurance

Select American Express cards offer trip cancellation and interruption coverage of up to $10,000 per trip, with a maximum of $20,000 per eligible card per 12 consecutive months.

This includes the Delta SkyMiles Reserve*, the American Express Platinum Card* and the The Business Platinum Card from American Express.*

*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.

Unlike many issuers, eligible American Express cards may also cover traveling companions, not just immediate family members. A traveling companion is defined as someone who has made advance arrangements to travel with you or your family members for all or part of a covered trip.

To qualify, you must charge the full cost of round-trip common carrier transportation to an eligible Amex card or use a combination of your card and Membership Rewards points, vouchers or loyalty program certificates.

You can find benefit guides for eligible cards on Amex's website.

Who is covered by trip cancellation and interruption insurance?

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.

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."

Definitions of "family member" and "traveling companion" differ, and benefits are subject to change. Review your guide to benefits to confirm eligibility before booking.

Related: Are authorized users covered by Chase's credit card travel insurance?

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 to 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 about how to file after starting 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

Does credit card insurance cover natural disasters?

Generally, trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance will cover nonrefundable expenses if you need to cancel your trip (or the remainder of your trip) due to a natural disaster. However, credit card insurance policies vary, so check your benefits guide for specific exclusions.

Note that you must book your trip before the natural disaster starts to be covered. If a storm or hurricane is named and you book your trip afterward, you likely won't be covered.

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

Bottom line

Trip cancellation and interruption insurance can be one of the most valuable — and overlooked — benefits on a travel credit card.

Coverage details vary widely by issuer and by card, so it's important to review your guide to benefits before booking. For expensive trips, you may still consider stand-alone travel insurance, but the right credit card can provide meaningful protection without paying extra.

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