Is paying with a credit card (Fidelity Rewards) sufficient for travel insurance?

[BlueberryPie]

Just booked flights for Greece next May, about to book a cruise as part of that trip.
In the past I've booked separate travel insurance but someone told me it's a waste, my credit card already provides travel insurance, but that's not how I read it: Fidelity® Rewards Visa Signature® Card Benefits & Offers it seems to be limited to lost luggage and emergency situations.

I specifically want to get reimbursement should I not be able to go (e.g. medical issue before leaving) since it's like 9 months away.

 

[sengsational]

You don't get trip cancellation protection from the credit card...you have to buy that. And you can get "cancel for any reason", which is expensive, or "cancel due to medical reason", where if you or your travel partner has something "new" documented (not a pre-existing condition), you can get the non-reimbursable expenses covered (usually that's the air fare and cruise fare).

But airlines now let you rebook, so that money is not down the drain if you can go later. Cruises, that's something that probably needs insurance, because if you cancel some months before, you loose 50% and it drops to zero well before departure (typically). The cruise lines (or the cruise travel agent) will often offer insurance, which might not be the best deal, but probably not too bad.

 

[BlueberryPie]

The insurance from the cruise line is pretty dismal, but we've used a couple other companies that were reasonable in the past.
I even had to cancel a cruise about 10 years ago due to medical issues, and eventually they reimbursed the airline too because I was not allowed to fly for over a year for the same medical reason so wasn't able to rebook during the time allotted by the airline.

 

[Drake3287]

As someone who travels internationally often, I find having a backup medical policy more important than having trip cancellation insurance. Losing a few thousand dollars means little to me compared to paying tens of thousands for a medical emergency. I've also rolled the dice on not getting trip cancelation insurance and I've more than won that bet.

 

[luckydude]

+1.

I have never bothered with trip cancellation insurance. I figure my CapOne Venture card provides some coverage but I have never been curious enough to find out. I figure an overseas trip is entirely discretionary, so worst comes to worst, I'll just eat the cost and move on.

Having a medical emergency while overseas can be far more costly, especially if the emergency is serious enough to require evacuation (say, while hiking, diving or biking) and immediate treatment. That's why it's always a good idea to look at a foreign country's medical insurance system before you travel there and what options are available for visitors, or see if your medical insurance in your home country extends to overseas travel.

 

[Texas Proud]

I just bought insurance for my $10K trip next year... it has restrictions but it also offers medical coverage... I have not looked into what coverage I have with UHC gap...

It was about $500.... full reimbursement for any reason was over $1,000...

 

[nwsteve]

Since any international coverage from Medicare is limited (50K lifetime) we use Squaremouth.com to find policies that provide Primary Medical Coverage which means the insurance company pays first dollar, and you are not waiting for Medicare to process while you wait to be reimbursed. Also, means you can leave hospital without maxing out your cc. Most of the travel insurance sold by travel industry only offers Secondary medical. coverage. Travel insurance is one of those products that you must read the fine print.
I like Squaremouth not only for the pricing but also all their providers are pre-vetted for their customer service. Website has good filter that lets you choose the type and limits you are comfortable.

 

[brett]

Read the small print. I did have cancellation insurance on a credit card that we used to book a China trip. We did in fact have to cancel for medical reasons. Made a claim with the card issuer's insurance carrier, proveded the necessary documentation. Full refund within three business weeks.

As above, we would never, ever rely on credit card out of country medical and evac insurance. We have seperate coverage for that and would not travel without it. Fortunately we have only once had to make a small claim.

One other thing. Just because when your card was first issued a few years ago does not mean that all of the insurance attributes are still valid.

One card that we used for rental car coverage stopped providing that coverage. Only found out when a friend told us. Now, we check card insurance attributes on line before booking anything.

I do the same with the out of country medical/evac provided with my DB pension. Since it is a retirement benefit that can be rescinded by the employer I check each January to ensure the coverage is still in force.

 

[Aerides]

Typically only premium high fee CC's offer any insurance, and that's usually just for approved cancellation reasons like illness and injury. Think Amex Platinum and the like - which is why they come with hefty price tag. Still, can be worth it if you take a number of large dollar trips every year.

Your Fido card doesn't cover trip cancellation. 3rd party policies with Allianz are usually well rated.

 

[Sunset]

The Chase Sapphire Preferred CC (which has an annual fee of $95) covers travel insurance for specific reasons like sickness, death, etc.

Guide to Chase Sapphire Travel Insurance | Chase

 

[brett]

We have a Capital One (Canada) MC World Elite card. Premium card. We had it for one year, then booked a China trip on the card. We had to cancel the trip for medical reasons.

The cancellation insurance provided by the credit card paid for well over 10 years worth of the annual card fee! There was no deductable. Full claim paid with three or four weeks from submission to the cards insurance carrier.

I did not even realize that the card had cancellation insurance. I decided to check just in case....and it did.

This was the only time we have to cancel a trip, other than because of an airline initiated cancellation.

 

[simple girl]

Our no-fee IHG One Rewards Traveler Chase card covers the following:

"If your trip is canceled or cut short by sickness, severe weather and other covered situations, you can be reimbursed up to $5,000 per person and $10,000 per trip for your pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses, including passenger fares, tours and hotels."

If I were traveling internationally as others have said, I would be sure to get medical travel insurance, as the card does not cover this.

 

[Global Wizzo]

Just booked flights for Greece next May, about to book a cruise as part of that trip.
In the past I've booked separate travel insurance but someone told me it's a waste, my credit card already provides travel insurance, but that's not how I read it: Fidelity® Rewards Visa Signature® Card Benefits & Offers it seems to be limited to lost luggage and emergency situations.

I specifically want to get reimbursement should I not be able to go (e.g. medical issue before leaving) since it's like 9 months away.

I’m with most of the others. I keep a Trekker annual medical coverage and a med Jet membership. Our cruises are usually 14K or less. I wouldn’t like to lose that, but most travel policies aren’t worth the cost since they duplicate coverage and aren’t cheap. In 30 years, would have never used one.

 

[isisdave]

The Chase Sapphire Preferred CC (which has an annual fee of $95) covers travel insurance for specific reasons like sickness, death, etc.

I've used this. They covered a $1200 windshield on a rental car in New Zealand. We get Allianz Annual for medical coverage; they reimbursed us for five days of a cruise when we were stuck in cabin with Covid. I get the minimum cancellation/interruption coverage, $2000, and rely on the Sapphire to cover the actual trip costs.

 

[mystang52]

You must read the fine print. Because I have a pre-existing condition, we always buy "standalone" travel insurance. Insurance covers pre-exiting conditions as long as the insurance is purchased within 10 days to 3 weeks [depends on the policy] of initial trip deposit, and that you were physically able to travel at time of purchase. Over the years I've filed claims 3 times, got paid easily in 2 of them and once I had to fight a bit before they paid. Remember you need insurance for you and your companion. For example, if I have to fly home early due to illness, insurance would cover any extra costs I incur. But for my wife to be covered for MY illness, she needs to have her own policy.

 

[meleana]

Unlike years ago I no longer have credit cards that provide Travel insurance, so bought it through our travel agent (Travelex) for our upcoming Sicily/ Southern Italy trip. Has medical evacuation. Also purchased cancel for any reason.

Our Medicare supplement G also has limited emergency medical coverage.

 

[brett]

I would never rely on third party information when it comes to something like travel insurance-cancellation and most especially medical.

Read the info, read the fine print. As the insurer or cc issuer. And be aware that cc coverage can change.

Just because it covered something when you got the card a few years ago does not mean that it remains a cardholder benefit today!

 

[Gallaher]

Another advocate for travel insurance through Squaremouth.
Not so concerned about cancellation. However, primary medical and evacuation insurance offer piece of mind.
Trip to Egypt next month cost $10k, insurance is $500.
I can afford both.
Friend of a friend had a cardiac issue while in the Aussie Outback.
Close to 7 figure cost by the time he got back o USA.
Fortunately, he had insurance.

 

[JoeLevyMD]

I agree with medical coverage . Try to not only get evacuation ( usually to nearest hospital) but hospital of choice. This type of evacuation coverage will get you back to the states .
Travel Guard offers this perhaps others

 

[FedRetired50]

We recently reviewed many options for travel insurance. Allianz came out on top (mostly based on recommendations and real-world experiences mentioned here, plus a recommendation and real-world experience from a friend) for a trip coming up soon that isn't covered by a credit card with good travel benefits.

But for future trips, we recently got the Chase Sapphire Reserve. Comparing just the travel insurance benefits with other cards and Allianz policies, the Reserve has very comparable coverage for the price. The initial $550 is essentially cut to $250 with the annual $300 travel credit. This was the primary reason for getting the card (and yes, you need to charge at least partial fees to the card to be covered). This includes trip cancellation/interruption, evacuation, some medical, delay, etc. Then it also acts as primary insurance for car rentals, and doesn't have foreign transaction feeds. Add in the other perks it offers and it was a no-brainer for us. Only downside is the medical coverage is fairly low, but our health insurances cover overseas so I wasn't worried about that.

Make a spreadsheet, pull in all the data for each coverage category (and the perks) for every card and insurance company. You will need to read a LOT of fine print to get the details.

 

[imnontrad]

If you buy cruise insurance from the cruise company and the company goes belly up, you lose your money completely.
If you just rely on the credit card for travel insurance, yes, you would be covered if your bag was lost but not if you had a major medical problem and needed to be airlifted off of the ship or worse, your body transported back home.

 

[FedRetired50]

If you buy cruise insurance from the cruise company and the company goes belly up, you lose your money completely.
If you just rely on the credit card for travel insurance, yes, you would be covered if your bag was lost but not if you had a major medical problem and needed to be airlifted off of the ship or worse, your body transported back home.

Depends on the credit card. With Sapphire, all of that would be covered.