This premium credit card benefit came through for me again — and it covered the majority of my annual fee on two cards that I used for a recent trip that was snowballed due to a significant snowstorm.
This Premium Credit Card Benefit Came Through For Me. Again.
I use a premium credit card for travel purchases because I earn points towards future purchases — and because I usually am able to take advantage of special offers, which can include discounts on lodging stays or the benefits of elite status while I am traveling…
…but one significant reason why I like using premium credit cards for spending on travel purchases is because of the peace of mind I have with the insurance benefits that are included.
The most recent example was an attempt to travel from Georgia to Georgia — that is, the state in the United States to the country that is geographically located in western Asia — that also included visiting other countries in the itinerary over the course of three weeks; but the journey instead turned out to be a trip in vain that lasted all of 22 hours. Most of that time was spent aboard airplanes crossing the Atlantic Ocean with approximately four hours spent at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam during a major snowstorm…
…so when one employee of the airline eventually asked in a crowded area of stranded passengers at the airport in Amsterdam, “Is anyone wanting to go to Atlanta and only to Atlanta?” and only two of us raised our hands, I thought to myself that at that point, returning back to the United States would be a better option than dealing with a complex itinerary that was in jeopardy — so head back to Atlanta immediately and worry about the financial aspects later.
The employee escorted us to the front of the line and at the transfer desk, where which one of the employees happily accommodated us after understanding our situation. We were given our boarding passes and told to immediately board the airplane, which brought us back to the United States.
Once I was back and the chaos had ended, my work began to recover my financial losses. I used two premium credit cards to cover most of the travel expenses — some of which were flights and one lodging reservation which were not refundable. Other expenses included visas and parking.
Some of the expenses were refunded by two of the five airlines on which I had booked flights. Only one hotel property refused to give me a refund. That still left $1,253.27 outstanding that I had not been reimbursed — and that is where the insurance benefits of the credit cards came in.
I filed claims with both premium credit cards that I used for the purchases. I was already paid by one of them but was short by $265.50, of which I requested a secondary review. I had not been paid by the insurance benefit of the other credit card company yet.
Final Boarding Call
“I will not pay 800 dollars just speculating I might get stuck in a hurricane once in my life time”, Petronella — who is a reader of The Gate With Brian Cohen — responded to the article I wrote which is titled Why I Am Keeping My Chase Sapphire Reserve Card — For Now… “Didn’t happen yet and I am 64. Sure, I used rental protection once, for $2K but in 10 years I paid Chase way more in AF .” That is a fair statement — but if that means that Petronella never pays for travel insurance separately, some people may find that to be too much of a risk to take. If Petronella does purchase travel insurance separately, is Petronella unnecessarily paying more than what is included in the expensive annual fee of a premium credit card?
Insurance is a gamble. You are betting money that if something unexpectedly goes awry, you will be repaid in the form of a response to a claim. If nothing happens and everything goes smoothly, the insurance company wins and gets to keep the money that was paid for the premium. No insurance policy is guaranteed to pay in full when something does happen, which is why I am usually loathe to purchase a separate policy whenever I travel…
…but the way I view it is that because I take advantage of enough benefits with the premium credit cards that I have in my possession to at least justify the cost of the annual fees — I strive to usually get more of a return on my investment — the peace of mind of having the included insurance benefits is to me like cake, gravy, the cherry on top, or any other food description you prefer to use to describe an extra benefit…
…and for me, that unexpectedly renders most of my other benefits as extras once the insurance is paid.
Important to note is that no insurance policy — not one as a benefit to a premium credit card or a separate standalone insurance policy — covers everything and automatically assures that you will be paid. You need to have definitive proof of your losses and of the circumstances that are covered by the policy — and in some cases, extra insurance may need to be purchased in addition to the coverage you already have due to special circumstances.
Also keep in mind is that just because two or more premium credit cards carry the same insurance benefit does not mean that the coverage is the same. Read the full terms, conditions, restrictions, and disclosures of each insurance policy prior to departing on your trip to ensure than if anything goes wrong, you will be covered.
All photographs ©2025 and ©2026 by Brian Cohen.
