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Few travel problems are more frustrating than canceling a trip you’ve already paid for — or having to cut a trip short once you’re already on the road. Non-refundable flights, prepaid hotels, tours, cruises, and other travel expenses can add up quickly, and travel providers aren’t always required to give you your money back.
That’s where trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance can help. And you don't need to purchase a separate policy to get these coverages. Many rewards credit cards include some level of trip cancellation and interruption coverage when you use the card to pay for eligible travel. The details vary significantly by issuer and card, so it’s worth knowing which cards offer the strongest protection before you book.
Here’s what trip cancellation and interruption insurance covers, which credit cards offer the best policies, and what to know before filing a claim.
What Is Trip Interruption and Cancellation Insurance?
Trip interruption and cancellation insurance covers you if your travel plans are interrupted during a trip or you have to cancel before your travel begins for any of the reasons covered under your card’s policy. The difference between the two policies is simple:
- Trip cancellation coverage applies until the day of departure. If your plans are canceled due to bad weather, illness, or another covered reason before you depart, trip cancellation insurance can help you recover the out-of-pocket, prepaid expenses you can’t recoup from the travel provider. Think of non-refundable activity deposits, for example.
- Trip interruption covers you during your travels. If your trip is interrupted for a covered event and you have to cut your travels short, trip interruption insurance can reimburse you for the portion of the journey you are unable to complete. An example here would be leaving a hotel early, only to be charged for the full stay.
What does trip interruption and cancellation insurance cover?
Coverage differs between providers, but the most common covered events include:
- Accidental injury, death, or illness experienced by you or a family member.
- Severe weather prevents you from beginning or continuing a trip.
- Change in military orders for you, your spouse, or your partner.
- A terrorist action or hijacking.
- Jury duty or receiving a subpoena from the courts, which can't be postponed or waived.
- Finding your hotel/accommodation to be uninhabitable.
- Quarantine imposed by a physician for health reasons.
- Financial insolvency of your travel agency, tour operator, or travel supplier whose services you booked.
The expenses covered by your policy are typically limited to non-refundable prepaid air, land, or sea transportation, change fees if you need to change travel arrangements to a later date, and any prepaid tour or accommodation costs that cannot be refunded.
Unlike trip delay coverage, the entire trip must be paid for with the card or with points earned through that provider's rewards program to receive a full refund of your travel expenses.
Out of all the cards on the market, two issuers offer the best trip interruption and cancellation coverage: Chase and American Express. If you want maximum coverage, you'll want a card from one of these issuers.
Chase Trip Interruption and Cancellation Insurance
Chase offers the most comprehensive trip interruption and cancellation insurance on the market on a wide variety of cards. Plus, Chase covers trips paid for with points from your qualifying card, so if you book award travel, you'll still be covered.
As a cardholder, you're covered up to $10,000 per person, $20,000 per covered trip, and $40,000 per year. The primary cardholder and immediate family are covered under the policy.
Here are the cards that feature top-tier trip interruption and cancellation insurance:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees)
- Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees)
- Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (Rates & Fees)
- United Club℠ Card (Rates & Fees)
- United Club℠ Business Card
This isn't to say that other Chase cards don't offer trip cancellation and interruption insurance. Several other cards do, but we're only including cards that provide maximum coverage. If you already have a card issued by Chase, it's worth taking a peek at your guide to benefits to see how much coverage you receive.
You'll notice that one of the cards above doesn't quite fit in with the others. The Sapphire Preferred charges an annual fee of just $95, compared to the $795 and $695 annual fees charged on the Sapphire Reserve and United Club, respectively.
That means you can get best-in-class coverage without breaking the bank.
$95Rates & Fees
- 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 gas and EV charging
- 3X points on vacation homes at top brands like Airbnb, Vrbo and more
- 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
$795Rates & Fees
- 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
$695Rates & Fees
- Earn at least 11X total miles on eligible United flights (excluding Basic Economy and other base fares)*
- 5X miles on hotel stays at Renowned Hotels and Resorts
- 5X miles on eligible United purchases
- 2X miles on dining and all other travel
- 1X on all other purchases
- 6X miles on the primary cardmember’s fare from United as a MileagePlus member
- 5X miles on entire United purchases with the United Club℠ Card
American Express Trip Interruption and Cancellation Insurance
American Express will reimburse non-refundable travel expenses up to $10,000 per trip (and up to $20,000 per consecutive 12 months) if your trip paid for with select cards is canceled or interrupted for a covered reason.
American Express offers slightly lower coverage than Chase, but the benefit of choosing American Express is that the primary cardholder, immediate family, and eligible travel companions are covered under the policy. If you're traveling with friends, this could be a better option than Chase, even if the overall coverage is lower.
Here are the best American Express cards for trip interruption and cancellation insurance:
- American Express Platinum Card®
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card
- Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
You can find full details of each policy on the American Express Trip Cancellation & Interruption Insurance Policies page.
$895Rates & Fees
(Terms apply)
- Earn 5X points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® (up to $500,000 in purchases per calendar year).
- Earn 5X points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®.
- Earn 5X points on Fine Hotels + Resorts® and The Hotel Collection bookings.
$650Rates & Fees
(Terms apply)
- 3X miles per dollar spent on purchases made directly with Delta
- 1X miles on every eligible dollar spent on purchases.
$550Rates & Fees
(Terms apply)
- 14X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton Portfolio
- 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com, car rentals booked directly through select rental companies, and at U.S. restaurants
- 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card
Wells Fargo Trip Interruption and Cancellation Insurance
While American Express and Chase both offer multiple cards with top-tier trip interruption and cancellation insurance, we'd be remiss not to mention the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card, which covers cardholders up to $15,000 per person and up to $20,000 per year. While the annual maximum is comparable to American Express, it's nice that the per-person coverage is higher. If you're traveling alone, you have more protection.
Similar to American Express, eligible travelers include the primary cardholder, family members, and travel companions. This is another $95-annual-fee card, which is great for anyone who wants protection without adding a premium card to their wallet.
- Apply Now to take advantage of this offer and learn more about product features, terms and conditions.
- Earn 60,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 in purchases in the first 3 months - that's $600 toward your next trip.
- Earn unlimited 5X points with hotels, 4X points with airlines, 3X points on restaurants and other travel, and 1X points on other purchases.
- $95 annual fee.
- Book your travel with the Autograph Journey Card and enjoy Travel Accident Insurance, Lost Baggage Reimbursement, Trip Cancellation and Interruption Protection and Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver.
- Earn a $50 annual statement credit with $50 minimum airline purchase.
- Up to $1,000 of cell phone protection against damage or theft. Subject to a $25 deductible.
- Find tickets to top sports and entertainment events, book travel, make dinner reservations and more with your complimentary 24/7 Visa Signature® Concierge.
- 5X points per $1 spent with hotels
- 4X points per $1 spent with airlines
- 3X points per $1 spent on other travel and restaurants
- 1X points per $1 spent on other purchases
Issuers That Offer Lesser Coverage
Unfortunately, some of our favorite issuers don't offer comparable coverage, so they can't make this list of the best cards for trip interruption and trip cancellation insurance. However, they could still be worth considering under certain circumstances:
- U.S. Bank: Provides up to $2,000 coverage on its flagship U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card.
- Capital One: Provides up to $2,000 on its flagship Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card.
- Citi: Provides up to $5,000 in coverage per trip on the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (Rates & Fees) and the Citi Strata Premier® Card (Rates & Fees).
- Cardless: Select cards include coverage up to $2,000 per trip, including the Bilt Obsidian Card and Bilt Palladium Card.
- Bank of America: Get up to $2,500 per trip on cards like the Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Elite Credit Card.
How To File a Trip Interruption or Cancellation Claim
To file a claim, you’ll need to supply the following documentation:
- Completed claim form.
- Copy of your itinerary and tickets.
- Confirmation of the reason for the trip interruption/cancellation — e.g., medical documents, death certificate, or other documentation supporting your claim.
- A copy of the credit card statement showing the charge for prepaid travel arrangements.
- Proof of expenses incurred due to a trip interruption.
- A copy of the cancellation or refund policies of the Common Carrier, Tour Operator, or Travel Supplier.
- Any other documentation required by your card provider.
The claim windows with Chase and Wells Fargo don't leave much time to submit your case. Timelines from American Express are much better:
- American Express: You must file a claim within 60 days of the interruption/cancellation, and all supporting documents must be supplied within 180 days.
- Chase: You need to file a claim within 20 days of the interruption/cancellation, and all supporting documents must be supplied within 90 days.
- Wells Fargo: You need to file a claim within 20 days of the interruption/cancellation, and all supporting documents must be supplied within 90 days.
To file a claim, either call your Benefits Administrator or visit the claims website:
- American Express: Call the Benefits Administrator at 844-933-0648 to start a claim, or file a claim online at aig.claimnotify.com/americanexpress.
- Chase: Head to chasecardbenefits.com or call 800-350-1697 to file a claim.
- Wells Fargo: Call 800-316-8051 or visit mycardbenefits.assurant.com to file a claim.
Final Thoughts
If you don’t want to pay top dollar for third-party travel insurance, using the trip interruption and cancellation insurance from your credit card can save you plenty of cash. Using a built-in perk avoids paying for something you already have that's waiting in your wallet.
While the top Chase cards all feature the same coverage, the winner of the “best overall card” goes to the Sapphire Preferred (Rates & Fees). Compared to the premium cards surrounding it, the Sapphire Preferred only charges an annual fee of $95 while providing the same or better coverage than every other card on the list.
- Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, 3x on vacation homes, 3x on gas & EV charging, 3x on top streaming services and online groceries (excluding Walmart, Target, and wholesale clubs), 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases
- Earn up to $100 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase Travel
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Emergency Evacuation and Transportation and more
- Get a year of complimentary Apple TV when activated by December 31, 2026 - a value of $156.
- Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for 12 months when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders.
- Receive one statement credit of up to $120 every four years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card for a Global Entry, TSA Precheck® or NEXUS application.
- Transfer points to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
- Member FDIC
- 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 gas and EV charging
- 3X points on vacation homes at top brands like Airbnb, Vrbo and more
- 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
Page Contents
- What Is Trip Interruption and Cancellation Insurance?
- Chase Trip Interruption and Cancellation Insurance
- American Express Trip Interruption and Cancellation Insurance
- Wells Fargo Trip Interruption and Cancellation Insurance
- Issuers That Offer Lesser Coverage
- How To File a Trip Interruption or Cancellation Claim
- Final Thoughts
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees), Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees), Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (Rates & Fees), United Club℠ Card (Rates & Fees), American Express Platinum Card® (Rates & Fees), Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card (Rates & Fees), Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card (Rates & Fees), Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (Rates & Fees), and Citi Strata Premier® Card (Rates & Fees)
