COVID-19: credit card trip cancellation and interruption insurance

Most credit cards offer trip cancellation and/or interruption insurance:

• Mastercard World Elite
• Visa Infinite / Infinite Privilege
• some American Express cards

I recommend that you refer to the insurance booklet provided upon receipt of your credit card . If you no longer have it, most bank websites offer a PDF version.

Here are links to the most common credit cards(information provided for information purposes only):

Several parameters will come into play so that your credit card ‘s trip cancellation and interruption insurance can be applied.

Until very recently, only destinations that the Government of Canada had formally advised travellers not to visit (China, Italy, etc.) allowed credit cards trip cancellation or interruption insurance to be used.

However, since March 13, 2020, the Government of Canada has formally discouraged all foreign travel.

Avoid non-essential travel outside Canada until further notice. To limit the spread of COVID-19, many countries have implemented travel or entry/exit restrictions and other measures such as movement restrictions and quarantines. The airlines have cancelled flights. New restrictions may be imposed with little notice. Your travel plans can be severely disrupted and you may be forced to stay abroad longer than you had planned.

Gouvernement du Canada - Conseils aux voyageurs

Insurance companies adjust their policies to allow you to be compensated for any trip booked BEFORE that date.

However, if you decide to book a new trip, trip cancellation and interruption insurance may not be activated for this reason! Indeed, now you are aware of the risks!

It will be interesting to see how policies will adjust once this crisis is behind us!

If you are currently travelling, check to see if your credit card has “trip interruption” insurance. This can be triggered under certain conditions:

• during your trip
• and until the scheduled return date

If you are currently travelling, check to see if your credit card has “trip interruption” insurance. This can be triggered under certain conditions:

• during your trip
• and until the scheduled return date

The COVID-19 situation, particularly since the Government of Canada’s call to avoid non-essential travel outside Canada and to ask travellers to return home, is part of the conditions of this insurance.

With trip interruption insurance, you could get:

• A refund of the non-refundable AND unused portion of your travel expenses (up to a certain limit),
• Coverage of the costs incurred by your early return (plane ticket, hotels, transportation costs such as taxi, food…).

Compensation will vary depending on the credit cards:

• $500 to $2,500 per insured person
• with a maximum amount for the whole family

It is ESSENTIAL to first contact the travel provider BEFORE contacting your credit card insurance company.

In fact, your credit card’s Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance will cover – up to the limit of your contract – all NON-REFUNDABLE travel expenses.

Since airlines, hotel groups and many other service providers have considerably relaxed their cancellation conditions – some of them allowing full reimbursement of the costs incurred – the insurance will first refer you to these providers BEFORE processing your file.

Only once you are aware of the actions taken by your travel provider will you be able to contact your credit card insurance.

Here is a list of the main telephone numbers. You can also get this information by calling the number on the back of your credit card.

If your trip is scheduled to take place in more than a month, be patient before calling your airline or insurance company. We are in a situation never seen before: the call centers are overwhelmed!

So make room for other people whose trips are planned in the very near future (less than 15 days) and who need more help!

Don’t worry, cancellation policies won’t change overnight!