Credit Cards that offer travel accident insurance
Quick insights
- Travel accident insurance may provide financial protection if an accident occurs while you’re traveling.
- Some credit cards come with travel accident insurance coverage, such as accidental death and dismemberment.
- Chase Sapphire® credit cards offer Travel Accident Insurance as part of a suite of complimentary travel insurance benefits.
Travel insurance policies may come with several different kinds of coverages, including travel accident insurance. This coverage may provide a payout if death or injury occurs while you’re traveling.
Some travelers opt to purchase a policy with this coverage, but you may be able to get travel accident insurance through a travel rewards credit card. Chase Sapphire Reserve® and Chase Sapphire Preferred® both come with accidental death and dismemberment coverage as part of their Travel Accident Insurance benefit.
This article gives an overview of what to know about travel accident insurance to make your next trip less stressful.
What is travel accident insurance?
When an accident happens during a trip, travel accident insurance may protect you against a range of losses. It generally includes accidental death and dismemberment coverage but may also cover emergency medical services.
You may be able to get this coverage as a cardmember benefit with some credit cards. How credit card travel insurance works is that you’re usually covered when you pay for your ticket to travel by air, bus, train or cruise with the eligible credit card or credit card rewards. Immediate family members may be able to benefit from the coverage if you purchase their fare with the credit card or rewards.
What’s covered by credit card travel accident insurance
This insurance usually offers financial compensation when there’s an accidental loss of life, limb, sight, speech or hearing that occurs during a covered trip while you’re a passenger in transit with an airline or other carrier, which may be referred to as Common Carrier Travel Accident Insurance. In addition, some credit cards may offer coverage for the duration of your trip, this coverage may be called 24 Hour Travel Accident Insurance and the coverage amount may be less than Common Carrier coverage.
The payout may vary by covered loss. For example, if you have up to $1,000,000 as the maximum benefit amount, a loss of life could result in the full payout to a designated beneficiary. However, you may get 25% of the full payout for loss of hearing.
You may find some variation in the coverages for travel accident insurance. You can see exact details for coverage, limitations and payouts by reviewing the insurance policy or your credit card’s Guide to Benefits.
Chase credit cards with travel accident insurance
If you’re looking for credit cards with travel accident insurance, Chase has a few options in the travel rewards credit card category. Chase Sapphire® travel insurance may make your next trip less stressful.
Chase Sapphire Reserve® Travel Accident Insurance
Chase Sapphire Reserve provides cardmembers with up to $1,000,000 in coverage for accidental death and dismemberment. In addition to Travel Accident Insurance, the card also comes with a comprehensive suite of travel protection benefits:
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver
- Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance
- Trip Delay Reimbursement
- Travel and Emergency Assistance Services
- Lost Luggage Reimbursement
- Baggage Delay Insurance
- Emergency Evacuation and Transportation
- Roadside Assistance
- Emergency Medical and Dental Benefit
All cardmember travel benefits are complimentary. Cardmembers need to use their Chase Sapphire Reserve card to pay for air, cruise or other carrier fare for themselves or any immediate family members for any coverage to apply.
You may find that Chase Sapphire Reserve provides exceptional credit card rewards for travel. The card features a $300 annual travel credit and complimentary airport lounge access. For purchases made through Chase TravelSM, after the first $300 is spent annually, cardmembers may earn:
- 10x total points on hotels and car rentals
- 5x total points on flights
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Travel Accident Insurance
Death and dismemberment coverage is available with Chase Sapphire Preferred up to $500,000. Alongside Travel Accident Insurance, cardmembers may use these complimentary travel benefits:
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver
- Baggage Delay Insurance
- Lost Luggage Reimbursement
- Roadside Dispatch®
- Travel and Emergency Assistance Services
- Trip Cancellation /Interruption Insurance
- Trip Delay Reimbursement
The travel fare must be purchased with a Chase Sapphire Preferred card for the coverage to apply.
Cardmembers may get these premium dining and travel rewards on eligible purchases:
- 5x total points on travel purchased through Chase Travel, excluding hotel purchases that qualify for the $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit
- 3x points on dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out
- 2x on other travel purchases
It may be helpful to evaluate the rewards, benefits, perks and other features to determine the right travel rewards credit card for you.
Benefits of Chase Sapphire Travel Accident Insurance and other travel insurance benefits
If you apply and qualify for a Chase Sapphire card, you get built-in credit card benefits like Travel Accident Insurance. The suite of travel benefits may make you feel more confident when you travel and may help limit any liabilities when your trip doesn’t go as planned. You may also feel reassured knowing that you’ll likely get reimbursed for eligible purchases when things go wrong.
Filing a claim for Chase Sapphire’s Travel Accident Insurance
The first step to filing a claim is to reach out to the Benefit Administrator as soon as possible after a covered loss occurs. You can find the contact information in your Guide to Benefits or by calling the number on the back of your card.
The Benefit Administrator will send you a claim form, and you’ll need to submit the claim form and any requested documentation. You may be asked to provide:
- Completed claim form
- Travel itinerary
- Police report confirming accident
- Credit card statement with charge for carrier’s fare
- Copy of death certificate
It’s possible you may be asked to submit additional documentation.
In summary
Travel accident insurance may include coverage for accidental death and dismemberment or emergency medical coverage services. You may be able to get this insurance as a benefit with a credit card. Chase offers this travel protection to Chase Sapphire Reserve and Chase Sapphire Preferred cardmembers.
