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If you’ve ever been the last person waiting for your bags at an empty luggage carousel, you’ll understand the frustration of having your checked bags delayed. It can mean hours spent filing reports and on the phone tracking down the location of your bag — not to mention the out-of-pocket expenses of purchasing essentials like phone chargers, a change of clothes, and toiletries while waiting for your mishandled bag.
The good news is that paying for your flight with the right credit card can lead to reimbursement for immediate, incidental costs if your checked bags are late to the party. Each credit card provider offers a different baggage delay policy, excluding specific items from claims, and the amount of time you must wait for your bag before benefits kick in will vary.
In this post, we break down baggage delay insurance policies from some of our favorite travel rewards credit cards and highlight the best overall policies.
Page Contents
What Is Baggage Delay Coverage?
Baggage delay insurance will reimburse you for immediate, out-of-pocket expenses incurred if your bag is delayed or misdirected by a common carrier en route to your destination.
Covered expenses typically include items like toiletries, a change of clothes, and phone chargers, but non-essential items like jewelry, watches, and electronics are typically excluded. Moreover, “essential” can vary based on your destination.
You can be reimbursed for a coat in Canada when a bag goes missing in wintertime or be reimbursed a full set of summer clothes when a bag doesn't arrive at your warm weather destination from a snow-covered winter starting point. Both the winter coat and summer clothes would be seen as essential due to the trip circumstances.
Most cards will cover the primary cardholder and their family members, even if the cardholder isn’t traveling on the same itinerary (provided the ticket is paid for with the eligible card). It’s crucial to read the guide to benefits for your credit card to understand the baggage delay policy.
It’s important to differentiate between baggage delay coverage and lost/damaged luggage coverage, as these policies are often confused.
- Baggage delay coverage reimburses you for the purchase of essential items while waiting for a delayed suitcase that didn't arrive with you at your destination.
- Lost/damaged luggage coverage will reimburse you for the cost of repairing or replacing checked or carry-on baggage (and typically the contents of your bag) if the luggage is lost or damaged while in transit on a common carrier.
Related: Best Credit Cards With Free Travel Insurance: Comprehensive Coverage, Lost Luggage, and More
Best Rewards Credit Cards for Baggage Delay Coverage
Similar to many other travel insurance perks we’ve covered — such as trip delay insurance and trip interruption/cancellation insurance — Chase features at the top of the list. But only select cards offer baggage delay coverage. Bank of America also includes baggage delay coverage on several credit cards.
These are the best credit cards for baggage delay coverage and their respective policies:
| Credit Card | Minimum Delay | Maximum Coverage | Who is Covered | Annual Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees) | 6 hours | $100 per day up to max 5 days ($500) | Cardholder & family members | $795 |
| Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (Rates & Fees) | 6 hours | $100 per day up to max 5 days ($500) | Cardholder & family members | $795 |
| Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees) | 6 hours | $100 per day up to max 5 days ($500) | Cardholder & family members | $95 |
| The World of Hyatt Credit Card (Rates & Fees) | 6 hours | $100 per day up to max 5 days ($500) | Cardholder & family members | $95 |
| Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card | 6 hours | $100 per day up to max 5 days ($500) | Cardholder, family members, and employees | $95 |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card (Rates & Fees) | 6 hours | $100 per day up to max 3 days ($300) | Cardholder & family members | $99 |
| United℠ Explorer Card (Rates & Fees) | 6 hours | $100 per day up to max 3 days ($300) | Cardholder & family members | $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $150 |
| Aeroplan® Credit Card(Rates & Fees) | 6 hours | $100 per day up to max 3 days ($300) | Cardholder & family members | $95 |
| Aer Lingus Visa Signature® Card | 6 hours | $100 per day up to max 3 days ($300) | Cardholder & family members | $95 |
| British Airways Visa Signature® Card (Rates & Fees) | 6 hours | $100 per day up to max 3 days ($300) | Cardholder & family members | $95 |
| Iberia Visa Signature® Card | 6 hours | $100 per day up to max 3 days ($300) | Cardholder & family members | $95 |
| IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (Rates & Fees) | 6 hours | $100 per day up to max 3 days ($300) | Cardholder & family members | $99 |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card | 6 hours | $100 per day up to max 3 days ($300) | Cardholder & family members | $149 |
| Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card (Rates & Fees) | 6 hours | $100 per day up to max 3 days ($300) | Cardholder, family members, and employees | $149 |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card (Rates & Fees) | 6 hours | $100 per day up to max 3 days ($300) | Cardholder & family members | $229 |
| Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card (Rates & Fees) | 6 hours | $100 per day up to max 3 days ($300) | Cardholder, family members, and employees | $299 |
| United Quest℠ Card (Rates & Fees) | 6 hours | $100 per day up to max 3 days ($300) | Cardholder & family members | $350 |
| United Club℠ Card (Rates & Fees) | 6 hours | $100 per day up to max 3 days ($300) | Cardholder & family members | $695 |
| Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® Card | 6 hours | $100 per day up to max 5 days ($500) | Cardholder, spouse or domestic partner, & your dependent children | $395 |
| Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Elite Credit Card | 6 hours | $100 per day up to max 5 days ($500) | Cardholder, spouse or domestic partner, & your dependent children | $550 |
| Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card | 6 hours | $100 per day up to max 5 days ($500) | Cardholder, spouse or domestic partner, & your dependent children | $95 |
Both Visa and Mastercard provide basic baggage delay coverage on mid-tier and premium credit cards. The benefit is capped at up to either $300 or $500, depending on the card. Like many other travel insurance perks we’ve covered, baggage delay insurance appears to be an optional card benefit. It isn’t provided on all products.
It’s essential to call your benefits administrator to check if your card offers baggage delay coverage and what items will be reimbursed.
Chase Sapphire Reserve® baggage delay insurance
Chase's premium travel reward credit card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees), comes with baggage delay insurance. Here's what you need to know.
- Benefit kicks in after six hours.
- Up to $100 per day for a maximum of five days.
- Covers cardholder and family members, including a spouse or domestic partner and their parents; your sons and daughters, including adopted children and stepchildren; legal guardians or wards; your parents or stepparents; brothers and sisters; grandparents and grandchildren; aunts or uncles; and nieces or nephews.
- Includes any motorized land, water, or air conveyance licensed for the transportation of passengers for hire.
- Covers award tickets and revenue fares paid in full/part using the Sapphire Reserve, as well as award travel paid for with points earned via Chase cards even when the card isn’t used to pay fees and taxes.
- Earn 125,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Get more than $2,700 in annual value with Sapphire Reserve.
- Earn 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠, including The Edit℠ and 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct. Plus, earn 3x points on dining worldwide & 1x points on all other purchases
- $300 annual travel credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
- Access over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide with a complimentary Priority Pass™ Select membership, plus every Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club with two guests. Plus, up to $120 towards Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck® every 4 years
- Get up to $150 in statement credits every six months for a maximum of $300 annually for dining at restaurants that are part of Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Coverage, Lost Luggage Insurance, no foreign transaction fees, and more.
- Get complimentary Apple TV+, the exclusive streaming home of Apple Originals. Plus Apple Music - all the music you love, across all your devices. Subscriptions run through 6/22/27 - a value of $250 annually
- Member FDIC
- 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠
- 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly
- 3x points on dining worldwide
- 1x points on all other purchases
As you might've guessed, this coverage is identical to what Chase offers on the Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (Rates & Fees). So, if you run a small business and want the best baggage delay coverage, this is the card to get.
- Earn 200,000 bonus points after you spend $30,000 on purchases in your first 6 months from account opening.
- $6,500+ in value your first year. 200K points, valued at $4,000 for select flights and hotels through Chase Travel℠, plus $2,500+ in annual value through travel and business benefits.
- Earn 8x points on Chase Travel℠ for airline tickets, hotels, including The Edit℠, car rentals, cruises, activities and tours.
- Earn 5x total points on Lyft rides through 9/30/27.
- Earn 4x points on flights & hotels booked direct.
- Earn 3x points on social media & search engine advertising.
- Get the most flexible travel credit compared to any other card, with up to $300 in statement credits each anniversary year on travel purchases.
- Enjoy complimentary access to the Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club network and Priority Pass™ Select membership. Two guests may accompany the Primary Cardmember to the lounges free of charge.
- Member FDIC
- 8X points on all Chase Travel℠ purchases
- 5X total points on eligible Lyft rides through 9/30/2027
- 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly
- 3x points on advertising purchases made with social media platforms and search engines
- 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases
Related: Everything You Need to Know About Chase Sapphire Reserve® Insurance Benefits
Which Card Issuers Don’t Offer Baggage Delay Coverage?
Baggage delay coverage doesn't apply evenly across credit cards. Citi removed baggage delay coverage across its entire range of rewards cards in 2019, so you also won't see Citi-issued cards on this list. And while you might expect to see a premium travel card like the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card on this list, it doesn't offer baggage delay coverage, only lost luggage coverage.
Amex Platinum Card® baggage delay
Sadly, Amex is absent from the list of providers, as none of its cards feature baggage delay, although select Amex cards do offer lost luggage insurance.
What Purchases Does Baggage Delay Cover?
Baggage delay policies only cover essential costs incurred because your baggage is delayed or misdirected. Baggage delay coverage typically applies to your destination only. It is considered secondary, meaning only costs not covered by the carrier or another travel insurance policy will be reimbursed.
Baggage delay from Bank of America and Chase cover:
- Clothing
- Toiletries
- Charging cables for cellular telephones (one cord per device)
However, Bank of America and Chase cards won’t cover:
- Personal health items, including hearing aids, artificial teeth, dental bridges, or prosthetic devices
- Tickets, documents, money, securities, checks, travelers' checks, and valuable papers
- Business samples
- Recreational equipment
- Jewelry and watches
- Cameras, video recorders, and other electronic equipment
- Equipment used to engage in a particular sport, hobby, game, excursion, or other recreational activity
How to File a Baggage Delay Claim With Your Credit Card Issuer
To file a baggage delay claim, you’ll need to supply documentation to support your claim to your card issuer, which may include:
- Completed claim form
- A copy of the itinerary with all passengers listed
- Confirmation of the baggage delay from the carrie
- A copy of the settlement/denial from the carrier (you must get this before you leave the airport)
- Credit card statement that shows the charge for your common carrier travel
- Receipts for purchased items
The claim windows for Chase and Bank of America vary slightly. But they provide the same amount of time in which to submit supporting documents.
- Chase: File a claim within 20 days of the delay or as soon as reasonably possible, and all supporting documents supplied within 90 days.
- Bank of America: Written claim notice must be given within 90 days of the delay or as soon as reasonably possible, and all supporting documents supplied within 90 days.
To file a claim, either call your Benefits Administrator or visit the listed website.
- Chase: Head to chasecardbenefits.com or call 1-800-350-1697.
- Bank of America: Call 1-866-848-3643 (or call collect 1-804-673-8361 outside the United States).
Final Thoughts
Turning up at your destination to find out your luggage went on a different vacation is frustrating. With the right credit card, however, you can have the cost of essential items reimbursed. That can reduce the out-of-pocket expense and take the sting out of an unfortunate situation.
Just be sure to understand in advance exactly what's covered. Policies can differ between cards — even credit cards from the same issuer.
- 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠
- 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly
- 3x points on dining worldwide
- 1x points on all other purchases
- 8X points on all Chase Travel℠ purchases
- 5X total points on eligible Lyft rides through 9/30/2027
- 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly
- 3x points on advertising purchases made with social media platforms and search engines
- 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: United Club℠ Card (Rates & Fees), United Quest℠ Card (Rates & Fees), Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card (Rates & Fees), Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card (Rates & Fees), Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card (Rates & Fees), IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (Rates & Fees), British Airways Visa Signature® Card (Rates & Fees), Aeroplan® Credit Card (Rates & Fees), United℠ Explorer Card (Rates & Fees), Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card (Rates & Fees), The World of Hyatt Credit Card (Rates & Fees), Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees), Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (Rates & Fees), and Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees)
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
