The best credit cards with trip late chargeback

Editor’s Note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.

Many things can go wrong when you travel these days. Unfortunately, many flight related problems as carriers try to meet exploding demand while dealing with staff shortages and weather headaches.

However, if you are facing a prolonged delay or a canceled flightyou may be eligible for a refund if you used the correct credit card for your trip.

We know yes credit card travel comes with opportunities to earn rewards such as bonuses you can earn from different types of purchases. But most cards include some less appealing perks, such as trip delay protection, which can be quite valuable in the current travel universe.

In short, trip delay protection can come to the rescue when something goes wrong.

Below, we list these cards with important benefits to help you navigate travel delays you may experience on your current or upcoming trips.

What is credit card trip delay protection?

Many of you have been there: You book a flight through an airline’s main hub, but First segment delayed and you miss your connecting flight, only to find out that the next available flight won’t be available for several hours or even until the next morning. And when everything Actually go wrong, it can take a few days before you can reach your destination.

Many airlines will offer meal vouchers and overnight accommodation if delays are within their control (such as maintenance issues). However, these vouchers may not always cover all the costs you will incur during the delay.

And for weather-related delays and system crashes, you’ll almost always have to do it yourself.

Related: What to do if your flight is delayed or cancelled?

This is where the trip delay protection offered by some credit cards can help you keep your money in your pocket. At the most basic level, this protection ensures that you will not be liable for additional (reasonable) costs due to extended travel delays. While you’ll have to pay the costs upfront, you may then be eligible for a refund if you’ve already paid for your regular airline travel with an eligible card.

Here is an example of what this includes on Chase Sapphire Priority Card (according to card benefits):

This benefit applies to reasonable expenses incurred during Your delay that are not covered by Your regular Carrier, another party or Your primary personal insurance policy. You will be refunded the excess (maximum) amount after all other reimbursements have been exhausted up to the limit of liability.

The keyword is logical, as you wouldn’t be able to book a room at the Four Seasons, then charge a $500 room service fee and expect a refund. Additionally, all cards that offer this coverage impose limits per ticket, person, or trip, so be sure to read the specifics of your card’s benefits.

Ultimately, this coverage is secondary — meaning it only takes effect after you’ve received compensation from the primary organization (in this case, the airline). Therefore, if an airline offers meal vouchers during an extended delay, you cannot claim a refund for those items. However, if you are forced to book a hotel at your own expense (not covered by the airline), that will be eligible for a refund due to a delay.

Related: The best credit cards that offer trip cancellation and interruption insurance

As you can see, this is a pretty consistent benefit among the cards that offer it. Again, review the detailed policies for the card(s) in your wallet to make sure you understand what is – and is not – insured. Amex offers a benefit guide on its website for all cards it offers trip delay protectioninclude some cards that are not included in this guide because they offer lower coverage.

Related: My Trip Delay Insurance Doesn’t Apply — Reader’s Mistake

General limitations of reimbursement due to flight delay

While the trip delay protection offered by some credit cards can be extremely valuable, it may not protect you all the time. Here are some important aspects to remember.

Related: Your credit card’s travel insurance may not cover you

You must pay for at least part of the ticket with an insured card (but some cards have stricter requirements)

In theory, this means you can charge taxes and fees on award tickets and qualify for coverage in some cases. However, other cards require you to pay the full cost of the trip with the card (or with points from the program).

Chase the card with this benefit note that you must “charge all or part of the airline’s regular fare to your credit card account and/or the rewards programs associated with your account.” Friend.” But the Amex card with this benefit notes that “you must charge the full amount of the covered trip to your eligible card or combine it with the qualifying card and the points accumulated on your eligible card.” or redeemable certificates, coupons, coupons or discounts from a frequent flyer or similar program.”

Finally, Capital One points out that you “need to purchase part or all of the cost of regular airline fare with your account.”

Your delay must exceed a set amount of time

Most cards require a delay of at least six or 12 hours to reimburse any charges. Some cards will also allow reimbursement for the required overnight stay.

Delays must have a covered reason

You are not eligible for a refund if you simply missed your flight due to reasons such as traffic or oversleeping.

Coverage may only cover specific family members

For example, a Chase card with this benefit usually covers you (because card holder), your spouse/domestic partner and your legally dependent children under the age of 26 when you purchase part of the regular airline fare with the requested card.

But Amex card with this benefit generally cover you (as the primary cardholder) as well as your spouse/domestic partner, unmarried dependent children up to age 19 (or under 26 if a full-time student). at an accredited college or university) and companions traveling with you or your family members.

Capital One offers the narrowest definition of a protected traveler, as only you, your spouse and dependent children under the age of 22 are eligible for this protection.

Related: Who gets travel insurance with your credit card?

There may be a maximum number of requests you can submit in a 12-month period

American Express limits you to two claims per eligible card in a 12-month period.

Round trip travel may be required

Amex defines a covered trip as “a round trip to one or more destinations other than the eligible traveler’s city of residence at the time of departure.” However, “return itineraries may include a round-trip, one-way ticket, or a combination of a return ticket and a one-way ticket with a regular carrier(s).

How to file a claim

If you’re late for an unexpected expense and think you’re eligible for a refund, the first step is to call and start the claim process.

For Chase, this usually means calling the customer service number on the back of your card. For Amex and Capital One, you need to call the benefits manager (Amex’s number is 1-844-933-0648 and Capital One’s number is 1-800-825-4062).

For both Chase and Amex, you must initiate the claim within 60 days of your delay. However, Capital One requires requests to be submitted within 30 days.

The exact requirements will vary slightly, depending on the card and your unique situation, but you will likely need to complete and/or provide the following information:

• A completed and signed claim form, which will usually be provided by the benefit manager when you initiate the claim.
• Original and updated travel itineraries and/or regular transportation tickets.
• Credit card account statement (showing the last four or five digits of the account number) reflecting the charge for the regular airline ticket (unless the travel itinerary reflects the last four digits of your account number) as payment method).
• If more than one payment method has been used, you must provide documentation of the additional currency, coupon, rewards program or other payment method used.
• General Service Provider Statement that the trip has been delayed and explain the reason for the delay.
• Copy of itemized receipts (Chase can only request itemized receipts for meals and expenses of $50 or more per eligible traveler).

Of course, the benefits manager may require additional documentation regarding delays and costs you incur, so be prepared to gather anything and everything that might help your case. .

Related: Which card should I use when my trip is delayed, canceled or interrupted?

bottom line

Many of our articles at TPG focus on the valuable rewards you can earn through credit cards, but some cards also offer life-saving benefits when things go sour. terrible.

Trip delay reimbursement is only available with a small number of travel rewards credit cards, but if you’ve ever been the victim of prolonged delays and incur additional costs as a result, this can can be useful. You certainly hope to never have to use it, but hopefully this post has given you some insight into what happens when you do.

If you are looking for more information about travel protection credit cardCheck out the following resources:

For Amex Platinum rates and fees, click This.
For Delta Reserve rates and fees, click This.
For Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant prices and fees, click This.

For the 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 Benefits Guide for details, where the terms and exclusions apply.

Additional reporting by Ryan Wilcox, Emily Thompson and Benét J. Wilson.