
- Review: The Best Credit Cards Offering Insurance On Award Travel
- How does theft and damage insurance for credit card rental cars work?
- How does credit card trip cancellation/interruption insurance work?
- How does the extended warranty offered with credit cards work?
- Credit Card Flight Delay Insurance
Table of contents
Flight delay insurance
Credit cards can offer flight delay insurance.
With this coverage, you may get a refund for some of your expenses that arise with a delayed flight.

Insured people
The flight delay insurance from credit cards protects:
- credit card holder
- Close family travelling with the credit card holder (will vary depending on each credit card)
As a general rule, insurance may apply to the principal holder, his or her spouse and dependent child.
To be protected by theflight delay insurance on your credit card it is mandatory to have paid for the full airfare with your credit card (except for some cards such as the BMO® World Elite®* Mastercard®* requiring a partial payment or the Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card requiring 75% of the cost of the airfare to be charged on the card

Covered by flight delay insurance
The flight delay insurance offered by credit cards usually COVER the following situations:
- A strike by airline staff
- Forty
- Civil unrest
- A hijacking
- A natural disaster
- Bad weather
- A mechanical failure
- Refusal to board due to overbooking

Not covered by flight delay insurance
Credit cards flight delay insurance WILL NOT:
- A criminal or fraudulent act perpetrated by the insured person
- War, declared or not, civil war, insurrection, rebellion or revolution
- Any act of war by a government or military forces

Refunds
The coverage offered by your credit card will vary depending on each card.
Generally, credit cards flight delay insurance will reimburse the card for reasonable and necessary expenses incurred within 48 hours of the delay or denied boarding for:
- Accommodation in a hotel
- meals at the restaurant
- drinks
- essential items
- various articles (magazines, paperbacks and various small articles)
Compensation will vary depending on credit cards
- $500 to $2,500 per insured person
- with a maximum ceiling for the whole family

Make a claim
Is your flight delayed? Our first tip is to check your credit card brochure to find out what you are entitled to. If you can, call the issuer at the number on the back of your card.
When you return home, open a claim procedure. Make sure you have all the supporting documents at your fingertips:
- Flight tickets
- Hotel reservations
- Taxi invoices / Uber
- Restaurant notes
- Purchase bills (prefer airport purchases)
- credit card bank statement

Credit cards recommended per milesopedia
Not all credit cards are equal to flight delayinsurance.
As a general rule, credit cards offering flight delay insurance will stand out in three areas:
- Coverage (types of purchases allowed)
- The amount covered (per person, per trip)
- Booking conditions (total or partial amount on the card)
Here are 4 credit cards that we recommend for travel cancellation/interruption insurance, depending on different income levels:
Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card
Scotiabank’s American Express Gold card has been completely overhauled in 2019.
Its main asset: it does not charge any conversion fees for foreign currency transactions. So you can charge your travel purchases such as car rental, airfare abroad without paying the 2.5% fees charged by most credit cards!
Scotiabank’s American Express Gold card only requires an income of $12,000. This card is part of the one offering the widest coverage by repaying “reasonable and necessary expenses incurred for hotel accommodation, restaurant meals, beverages, essential items and various items (such as magazines, paperbacks and various small items).”
Specificities | Details |
Amount | up to $500 per insured person |
Length of delay | More than 4 hours |
Booking conditions | The coverage will reimburse the following costs if at least 75% of the total cost of the delayed flight has been paid to your account and/or get with Scotia Rewards |
The Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite*
The Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* was the first card from a major Canadian bank to charge no conversion fees for foreign currency transactions. So you can carry your car rental on this card by saving 2.5% fees charged by most credit cards!
Besides, it offers six accesses to Priority Pass airport lounges.
Like Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card,, this card is part of the one offering the widest coverage by repaying “reasonable and necessary expenses incurred with respect to hotel accommodation, restaurant meals, beverages, essential items as well as various items (such as magazines, paperbacks and various small items).”
Specificities | Details |
Amount | up to $500 per insured person |
Length of delay | More than 4 hours |
Booking conditions | The coverage will reimburse the following costs if at least 75% of the total cost of the delayed flight has been paid to your account and/or get with Scotia Rewards |
BMO® World Elite®* Mastercard®*
The BMO® World Elite®* Mastercard®* is one of the only credit cards to allow partial payment to be covered. It’s convenient for those who use points and miles!
Its special feature is to be valid, even if only part of the trip has been taken to account. The refundable fee is the “additional reasonable costs incurred for your accommodation and travel. However, these costs must be incurred as a result of this delay.”
Specificities | Details |
Amount | up to $500 per account |
Length of delay | More than 6 hours |
Booking conditions | The coverage will reimburse the following costs if at least part of the cost of the trip has been added to the account |
The Platinum Card® from American Express
The Platinum Card® from American Express is a card that appeals to frequent flyers as it allows you to earn 2 membership rewards per dollar for all travel purchases such as flight booking! Besides, it offers unlimited access to airport lounges as well as many benefits.
In addition, its coverage is higher in terms of insurance as for flight delay: $1,000 per account!
Specificities | Details |
Amount | up to $1,000 per account |
Length of delay | More than 4 hours |
Booking conditions | The coverage will reimburse the following costs when the full price of the airfare is charged in advance to the card card |
Conclusion
By choosing the right credit card you could improve your comfort during a flight delay: hotel room, restaurant, miscellaneous items… Don’t let a flight delay ruin your trip!
Anyway, remember to check out the insurance booklet provided with your credit card BEFORE booking your trip!
- Review: The Best Credit Cards Offering Insurance On Award Travel
- How does theft and damage insurance for credit card rental cars work?
- How does credit card trip cancellation/interruption insurance work?
- How does the extended warranty offered with credit cards work?
- Credit Card Flight Delay Insurance
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