American Express Travel Insurance
Is This Your Business?Author: Kaitlyn Short
American Express offers automatic travel insurance when you pay for travel or flights booked with many of its credit cards. The company also offers travel insurance for purchase, whether you have an American Express card or not.
Users can opt-in to an insurance plan with options ranging from Basic, Silver, Gold, and Platinum or make their own plan.
The company’s plans include coverage for individuals and families or groups, 24-hour assistance, and standard coverage for trip cancelation, medical expenses, and luggage.
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The Good
- Baggage Insurance
- Unexpected Job Termination
- Customer Service
- Car Rental Insurance
Baggage Insurance
Most trip insurance plans offer a benefit if your baggage is delayed after a flight for over 12 hours. American Express, however, offers benefits starting with just a three-hour delay for the Platinum plan and a six-hour delay for the other two plans.
Unexpected Job Termination
AmEx plans cover cancelation due to unexpected job termination, standard. This is one of the few providers to cover this type of cancelation insurance.
Customer Service
American Express offers 24/7 customer assistance toll-free and collect phone numbers. Customer support can help with pre-trip questions and concerns, as well as assistance once your trip has begun.
Car Rental Insurance
The company also offers optional rental car insurance coverage, from $12.25-$24.95, depending on several factors.
The Bad
- Exclusions
- Cancel for Any Reason
- Extreme Sports
Exclusions
American Express Travel Insurance is only available to permanent residents of the 50 states, including Washington, D.C.
Cancel for Any Reason
American Express Travel Insurance doesn’t either include or make options to help with a Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) coverage.
Extreme Sports
If you plan to do any extreme sports or hazardous activities while on your trip, please be aware that American Express doesn’t offer an add-on for extreme sports like bungee jumping or cliff jumping.
The Bottom Line
American Express offers pretty standard travel insurance benefits with its assistance and coverage for trip cancellation, travel medical coverage, and baggage. Where this provider lacks is in CFAR coverage and extreme sports coverage.
Where this insurance provider shines is with its unexpected job termination cancelation benefit and its shorter than average wait times for its baggage delay benefit.
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