Does Chase Sapphire have travel insurance?
The Sapphire credit cards from Chase have quickly become some of the most sought-after credit cards on the market thanks to their high rewards rate and ample travel benefits. These cards are widely documented as some of the best travel credit cards thanks to their flexible rewards and cushy travel perks, including comprehensive travel insurance. In this guide, we’ll break down what you need to know about the Chase Sapphire travel insurance, how it stands up to a one-off travel insurance policy, and if you need any supplemental coverage for your trips.
Chase Sapphire Travel Insurance Coverage
Both the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Chase Sapphire Preferred cards include travel insurance, albeit with differing limits and coverage categories. Thanks to the Reserve cards’ higher annual fee, you’ll get comprehensive travel insurance in the form of medical and evacuation coverage, trip cancellation and interruption coverage, baggage and delay coverage, and rental car protection. The Preferred card includes these same benefits minus the medical and evacuation coverage.
Chase Sapphire Reserve Travel Insurance
As Chase’s most premium card on offer, the Chase Sapphire Reserve comes with comprehensive emergency medical coverage and higher coverage limits than the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. If choosing between the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Preferred card based on travel insurance alone, this card offers better travel insurance and is best suited for taking international trips or expensive vacations.
Here’s a look at what insurance benefits are included with Chase Sapphire Reserve:
- Trip Cancellation & Interruption: If your trip is canceled for a covered reason, you can receive up to $10,000 per person (a maximum of $20,000 per trip) for non-refundable expenses like flights, hotels, and tours.
- Trip Delay Reimbursement: If your flight is delayed more than 6 hours, you can be refunded up to $500 per ticket for meals, hotels, and other essentials.
- Baggage Delay Insurance: If your bags are delayed for more than 6 hours, you can be reimbursed up to $100 per day (a maximum of 5 days) for essential purchases like clothing and toiletries. You’ll need to buy the items first and then submit a claim with receipts to get reimbursed (up to $500).
- Lost Luggage Reimbursement: If your luggage is lost or damaged, you can be reimbursed up to $3,000 per passenger.
- Emergency Medical & Dental: Covers up to $2,500 for medical expenses incurred while traveling—a rare benefit among credit cards.
- Emergency Evacuation & Transportation: This program provides up to $100,000 for emergency evacuation or transportation due to a medical emergency.
- Rental Car Insurance: Primary coverage up to the car’s cash value if stolen or damaged.
Chase Sapphire Preferred Travel Insurance
Although the Chase Sapphire Preferred offers slightly lower limits in some coverage categories and excludes medical coverage, it still packs a punch with strong travel protection.
For example, this card offers the exact same coverage as the Reserve card for trip cancellations and interruptions, luggage, and rental car protection. These are arguably some of the most important types of coverage for many travelers. This card is a great option for people who mostly travel domestically, where their health insurance can pick up where this card lacks. This is also true for the travel delay coverage, which reimburses only $500 of your ticket cost, which is enough to cover most domestic flights.
Here’s a look at what insurance benefits are included with Chase Sapphire Preferred:
- Trip Cancellation & Interruption: The same as Reserve—up to $10,000 per person, $20,000 per trip.
- Trip Delay Reimbursement: Covers $500 per ticket, but only after a 12+ hour delay (Reserve kicks in after just 6 hours).
- Baggage Delay Insurance: Covers $100 daily (max 5 days) for delayed luggage.
- Lost Luggage Reimbursement: Up to $3,000 per passenger if your baggage is lost or damaged.
- Rental Car Insurance: Primary coverage for theft or damage up to the car’s cash value.
Note: Chase Sapphire Preferred does not include Emergency Medical or Evacuation Coverage. If you get sick or injured abroad, you must pay out of pocket or rely on a third-party medical travel insurance plan.
Limitations of Chase Sapphire Travel Insurance
It’s important to understand the caveats of the travel insurance offered by the Chase Sapphire cards.
- To qualify for reimbursement, you must pay for at least part of your trip with your Chase card.
- These cards don’t include coverage for pre-existing medical conditions. This is the case for covering flare-ups while traveling as well as cancellations before leaving.
- Medical coverage limits offered by the Chase Sapphire Reserve card are very low and may not be enough for an emergency.
When traveling abroad, medical coverage is arguably the most important travel insurance coverage to have, as U.S. health plans aren’t widely accepted. Opting for a third-party travel insurance policy is likely the best option to supplement the coverage offered by Chase.
Here is a deeper look at how Chase travel insurance compares to a standard travel insurance plan.
Chase Sapphire vs. Third-Party Travel Insurance: What’s Better?
| Feature | Chase Sapphire | Third-Party Travel Insurance |
| Trip Cancellation & Interruption | Up to $10,000 per person | Up to 100% of trip cost (at least $100K) |
| Trip Delay Coverage | $500 after 6-12 hours | Up to $2,000 after 3-12 hours |
| Baggage Delay Coverage | $100/day (5 days) | Up to $500 per day |
| Medical Coverage | $2,500 (Reserve only) | Up to $500,000 |
| Emergency Evacuation | Up to $100,000 (Reserve only) | Up to $1,000,000 |
| Rental Car Insurance | Primary | Varies, often secondary |
| Pre-existing Conditions | Not covered | Covered if bought within 14-21 days |
When Third-Party Insurance Is the Better Choice
Consider opting for third-party travel insurance to supplement your coverage through Chase if:
- You need quality medical coverage for trips abroad
- You need coverage for a pre-existing health condition protection
- Your trip costs more than the $10,000 that Chase is able to protect
- You need extended or customizable trip coverage, such as Cancel For Any Reason insurance
Stronger Medical Coverage for International Travel
Third-party travel insurance policies recommended by Squaremouth typically offer $100,000 to $500,000 in medical coverage, far exceeding Chase’s $2,500 limit on the Reserve card (and no coverage at all on the Preferred card). Medical care abroad can be very expensive, depending on the destination, and a medical evacuation from nearby countries like Mexico or the Bahamas can easily exceed $50,000. Based on the CDC’s guidelines and over 20 years of customer claims assistance, we recommend at least $100,000 of medical evacuation coverage—Chase only covers up to $100,000, which may not be enough for remote destinations.
Coverage for Pre-existing Conditions
Consider buying a separate travel insurance policy to supplement the benefits offered to you by Chase if you have a pre-existing medical condition. Squaremouth offers travel insurance for pre-existing conditions as long as you purchase the policy within 14-21 days of your first trip payment. These plans can protect you if you fall ill and need to cancel your trip or if you have a flare-up while traveling and need medical care, have to adjust your itinerary, or even return home early.
Your trip costs more than $10,000 per person
If you have an expensive trip, it makes sense to insure the full cost, as a travel dilemma could leave you out-of-pocket for thousands of dollars if not. As Chase only covers up to $10,000 per person or $20,000 per trip, consider opting for a supplemental luxury travel insurance policy if your trip exceeds this cost.
You need customized or extended coverage
Some trips may call for customized or extended coverage, which Chase’s travel insurance is simply not able to handle. For example, if you plan to embark on an adventure trip or any travel that involves sports or activities, you should consider having adventure sports coverage. Most travel insurance excludes sports like scuba diving, snorkeling, biking, deep-sea fishing, hiking, etc. A specialized adventure sport plan can cover you for these activities and more. Similarly, you may want comprehensive Cancel For Any Reason Insurance to allow you the utmost flexibility for cancelling at the last minute. In all of these scenarios, a third-party travel insurance plan is better suited to serving your needs.
Bottom Line: Is Chase Sapphire Travel Insurance Any Good?
Chase Sapphire’s travel insurance is a great perk to have “for free”. While you are technically paying for it via the annual fee, this travel insurance is applied to all trips purchased through Chase. When you compare the cost of standard travel insurance to the benefits offered by Chase, you are able to save quite a bit of money versus having to buy third-party travel insurance for each trip. That said, we do not recommend it as a complete replacement for a standard travel insurance plan. The medical limits are too low for most trips, and therefore, we recommend supplementing the Chase travel insurance with a third-party plan, especially for international trips.
Compare top travel insurance plans with higher medical limits and pre-existing condition coverage now.