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Flight delays are inevitable if you're a frequent traveler. Planes get held up by weather, mechanical, or personnel issues. But, provided you pay with the right card, you won’t have to rough it in the terminal or pay for an expensive airport hotel room during a long delay. If you hold a Chase travel rewards card, you likely have access to some of the best trip delay protection available.
While Chase's Trip Delay coverage can take the financial sting out of unwanted delays, AwardWallet users often express confusion around the claims process. For example, who is covered? What delays and expenses will the coverage reimburse? And what do you need to do to submit a successful claim?
In this post, we'll show you how to use the Trip Delay Reimbursement benefit offered by one of our favorite credit cards, the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. However, the process is similar for other Chase cards with this benefit, though reimbursement maximums and other specifics vary.
Page Contents
What Delays Are Eligible for Chase Trip Delay Coverage?
Trip Delay Reimbursement differs slightly between cards. Generally, Chase requires just a portion of the travel cost to be charged to your card, meaning you can pay with points or miles, and you only need to cover the award fees & taxes with the card to qualify for coverage.
Chase Trip Delay Reimbursement benefit covers flight delays due to:
- Equipment failure
- Inclement weather
- Labor strikes
- Hijacking or skyjacking
Your claim will be denied if you miss your flight due to sleeping in, traffic, or are given advanced notice of the delay.
How Long of a Delay is Needed for Chase Trip Delay Coverage?
The coverage on the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and The Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card kicks in after a 6-hour delay or any delay that requires an overnight stay, which is standard among high-end travel rewards cards. Meanwhile, coverage on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, and other eligible Chase credit cards coverage starts after a 12-hour delay.
If you’re unsure what level of protection your card offers, check out our master list of credit card guides to benefits.
- 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
- 5X points on Lyft rides through September 2027
- 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3X points on dining at restaurants worldwide
- 3X points on eligible streaming services
- 3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
- 2X points on all other travel
- 1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases
- 3X points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year
- 1X point per $1 on all other purchases
Who is Covered by Trip Delay Reimbursement?
Chase Trip Delay Reimbursement covers you and your family members. A family member may include a spouse, domestic partner, children, grandchildren, parents, and other immediate family members.
What Expenses Does Trip Delay Reimbursement Cover?
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® features Trip Delay coverage of up to $500 per covered traveler in associated costs. Some reasonable expenses include:
- Lodging
- Meals
- Toiletries
- Medication
Trip Delay Reimbursement is secondary and kicks in after reimbursements are supplied by the airline or other insurers.
What to do if Your Flight is Delayed
First, record all the details and collect documentation to prove the delay was out of your control. The terms from Chase are somewhat vague, leaving the insurer wiggle room to deny your claim if you haven’t supplied the correct paperwork.
You’ll need records of why you were delayed (weather, mechanical, etc.), the delay's length, whether it required an overnight stay, and a statement from the airline confirming all the details. It’s best to obtain this from the customer service desk before leaving the airport, but with some airlines, you can request this information online or over the phone.
Keeping itemized receipts for all expenses incurred due to the delay is also essential. These include the cost of accommodation, transport, and meals. You don't need to pay for these expenses with your Chase card.
How to File a Trip Delay Claim With Chase
To file a claim, go to chasecardbenefits.com or call the Benefit Administrator at 1-800-350-1697 within 60 days of the delay. The completed claim form and all requested documentation must be returned within 100 days of the trip delay.
You'll need to include:
- Completed and signed claim form.
- An account statement showing the travel fare was charged to your eligible Chase card. If more than one payment method was used, include documentation showing a portion of the purchase was made with your Chase card.
- Copy of your itinerary.
- A statement from the common carrier that shows why the covered trip was delayed.
- Copies of itemized receipts for the claimed expenses.
- Any other documentation that's deemed necessary to substantiate the claim.
While the process may seem like a hassle, you'll find the workload much less burdensome if you start recording everything from the moment the flight is delayed. And with up to $500 in expenses on the table for each covered traveler on your itinerary, the benefits can extend to thousands of dollars.
Final Thoughts
We’re huge fans of ancillary benefits here at AwardWallet, often rating the benefits received with rewards cards to be a significant contribution to the overall value of those cards. Swiping the right card when paying for flights can save you thousands of dollars by reimbursing you for costs incurred when you're delayed.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees), Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees), and Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (Rates & Fees)
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