Insurance: How does credit card flight delay insurance work?

Updated Jun 29, 2024
Fact checked by
Vincent Morin
Vincent Morin

Vincent Morin

Vincent Morin
Vincent achieved financial independence and retired early (FIRE) at the age of 35. After a career in financial technologies for a large American investment bank, he founded Retraite101, a personal finance site that reaches more than 350,000 unique visitors per year and has more than 30,000 subscribers on social media. Passionate about personal finance, cycling, reading and gardening, he continues to write to inspire and motivate Quebecers to take charge of their finances.
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To the point Would you like to have a flight delay insurance? Know how to compare the credit card offers in Canada!

Flight delay insurance

Credit cards can offer flight delay insurance.

With this coverage, you may get a refund for some of your expenses arising from a delayed flight.

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Nice Airport (France)

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, their spouse and their dependent child or children.

To be covered by your credit card’sflight delay insurance, you must have paid for your flight in full with your credit card(except for certain cards such as the National Bank World Elite Mastercard®, which requires partial payment, or the Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card, which requires 75% of the cost of the flight to be charged to the card).

If you pay for the airfare for someone close to you (a spouse or child), but you are not travelling with it, he / she will not be covered by flight delay insurance.

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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

To enforce flight delay insurance, the cause of this must be serious and legitimate.

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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

These are therefore rather rare major causes.

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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 amount for the whole family

Credit cards will differ in terms of coverage (types of purchases allowed) and amount covered (per person, per trip).

As a general rule, the higher your annual credit card fee, the better is the coverage! But some first-year free cards already have excellent coverage.

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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 supporting documents on hand:

  • Flight tickets
  • Hotel reservations
  • Taxi invoices / Uber
  • Restaurant notes
  • Purchase bills (prefer airport purchases)
  • credit card bank statement

Keep ALL your proofs. And most importantly, make sure you keep your credit card open until the end of your trip! If you cancel your credit card you won’t be ableto take out insurance, even if you paid for the entire trip with it!

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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 3 credit cards we recommend for flight delay insurance, based on different income levels:

Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card

The main advantage of the Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card is that it charges no conversion fees for foreign currency transactions. So you can charge your travel purchases like car rentals or airline tickets abroad without paying the 2.5% conversion fee charged by most credit cards!

The Scotiabank Platinum American Express® Card requires an income of only $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 $1,000 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
Scene+ points

National Bank World Elite Mastercard

The National Bank World Elite Mastercard® is one of the only credit cards to offer partial payment coverage. This is handy for those who use points!

Its special feature is to be valid, even if only part of the trip has been taken to account. Reimbursable expenses arereasonable additional expenses incurred for Your accommodation and travel. However, these costs must be incurred as a result of the delay.“.

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 part of the cost has been charged to the account:

Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card

The Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card charges no conversion fees for foreign currency transactions. This means you can charge your travel purchases such as car rentals and flight tickets abroad without paying the 2.5% conversion fee charged by most credit cards!

In addition, you get six complimentary visits to VIP airport lounges. Enough to wait comfortably for your plane in the event of a flight delay.

Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card requires an income of $60,000. 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
Scene+ points
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Jean-Maximilien Voisine

Jean-Maximilien Voisine

Jean-Maximilien Voisine
Jean-Maximilien, President and Founder of Milesopedia, is a recognized expert in rewards programs, credit cards, and travel in Canada and France. Approaching forty and a father of two, he has travelled to over 100 countries, half of them with his children and his wife, Audrey. Specializing in top loyalty programs like Aeroplan, American Express Membership Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy, he guides travellers to maximize their benefits across North America and Europe.
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