How To Maximize Chase Sapphire Preferred Trip Delay Benefits for Missed and Delayed Flights

The Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card can reimburse you for trip delay expenses related to missed flights, but only for qualifying delays. It doesn’t cover flights missed because of short delays or personal reasons (like running late) and is generally limited to covering meals, lodging, and necessities as you wait out a travel delay.

Here’s what you need to know about using Chase Sapphire Preferred card benefits to get reimbursed for expenses related to travel delays from missed flights.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Overview

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Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

U.P. Rating 

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A fantastic travel card with a great welcome offer, good benefits, and perks for a moderate annual fee.

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Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

A fantastic travel card with a great welcome offer, good benefits, and perks for a moderate annual fee.

Welcome Offer

Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

100,000 points

UP's Offer Valuation*:

$2,000

Annual Fee

$95

APR

19.99% - 28.24% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent

Why We Like This Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred^® card is one of the best travel rewards cards on the market. Its bonus categories include travel, dining, online grocery purchases, and streaming services, which gives you the opportunity to earn lots of bonus points on these purchases.

Additionally, it offers flexible point redemption options, no foreign transaction fees, and excellent travel insurance coverage including primary car rental insurance. With benefits like these, it’s easy to see why this card is an excellent choice for any traveler.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 5x points on all travel booked via the Chase Travel portal
• 3x points on dining purchases, online grocery purchases, and select streaming services
• 2x points on all other travel worldwide

Cons

• $95 annual fee
• No elite benefits like airport lounge access or hotel elite status

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Card Highlights

• Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
• Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel.
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
• Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027.
• Member FDIC

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 19.99% - 28.24% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

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Are Missed Flights Covered Under the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card’s Trip Delay Benefit?

If you miss a flight, it’s possible to get trip delay reimbursement from your Chase Sapphire Preferred card. However, it’s not automatic, and you have to qualify for the benefit with a travel delay of at least 12 hours or overnight. There’s no specific missed flight coverage, though trip delay costs are covered.

For example, if you have a connecting flight and your first flight is delayed, it could cause you to miss your connecting flight. If the next flight isn’t available for 12 or more hours or you have to wait overnight, you could file a claim for reasonable expenses while waiting for your rescheduled flight.

What Does the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card’s Trip Delay Benefit Cover?

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card’s trip delay benefit offers up to $500 per person for unexpected expenses you incur while waiting on a delayed flight. These include hotel accommodations, meals, and necessary items such as toiletries and medication.

Who Qualifies for the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card’s Trip Delay Insurance?

Chase Sapphire Preferred card trip delay coverage applies to the cardholder, their spouse or domestic partner, and dependent children under 26.

To be eligible, you must pay for some or all of the ticket costs with your Chase Sapphire Preferred card or have redeemed Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

What Trip Delay Reasons Does the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Cover?

Severe weather, mechanical issues, strikes, and hijacking or skyjacking are covered trip delay reasons. Missing a flight because of delays of less than 12 hours or personal reasons such as oversleeping are not covered.

What Expenses Aren’t Covered Under the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card’s Trip Delay Benefit?

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card’s trip delay benefit covers lodging, meals, and essential items, but it doesn’t cover everything. For example, it won’t cover rebooking fees for missed flights — you have to take those up with the airline. It also doesn’t apply to prepaid, nonrefundable activities such as tours or event tickets, so you can’t get reimbursed if a travel delay causes you to miss travel plans.

Does the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card’s Trip Delay Cover International Flights?

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card’s trip delay benefits apply worldwide if you purchase your ticket using the card or with Chase Ultimate Rewards points. Just be sure to work out currency conversions and get proof of the delay from the airline.

Are Short Layovers Covered Under Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Trip Delay Benefits?

No, connections missed because of short layovers don’t qualify for trip delay benefits with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. If you book a flight with a short layover and miss your connection because there wasn’t enough time, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card trip delay benefit wouldn’t apply. However, the airline may be responsible for rebooking you in this situation.

Airline vs. Credit Card Coverage: Who Pays First?

Airlines generally rebook you on the next available flight, but they’re not always required to cover hotels and meals. The airline may provide hotel accommodations and meals if you miss a connection because of an airline-caused delay, such as mechanical issues or operational problems. However, if a missed connection is caused by weather, airlines are generally not required to provide hotels. This is a situation in which trip delay coverage would be helpful.

What’s a Reasonable Trip Delay Expense?

Chase Sapphire Preferred card trip delay benefits offer reimbursement for reasonable expenses, but unreasonable expenses won’t be reimbursed. For example, staying at a midrange hotel near the airport would be reasonable, but you shouldn’t expect to be fully reimbursed for a night at a luxury resort. Likewise, extravagant dining, such as a steakhouse, might be questioned.

What Should You Do if Your Flight Is Delayed and You May Miss a Connection?

If you experience a trip delay that could cause you to miss a flight, take these steps:

• Contact the airline as soon as possible to check for alternative flights.
• Find out whether the airline offers hotel or meal vouchers.
• Save your receipts and proof of delay for submitting a claim.

How Do You File a Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Trip Delay Claim?

You can file a trip delay claim by contacting the claims administrator within 60 days of the delay. You’ll need to verify your card benefits and provide necessary documents, including:

• Your trip itinerary, both original and updated, that show the delay
• Your credit card statement, vouchers, or rewards showing proof of ticket purchase
• A statement from the airline with the delay reason
• Receipts for travel delay expenses of $50 or more

File a Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Travel Delay Claim Online

Here’s how you can file a travel delay claim in the Chase Card Benefits online portal.

Start by signing in chasecardbenefits.com. If you’ve filed a previous claim and have a login, you can sign in. If not, you can verify your card and register for an account.

After logging in, navigate to the claims dashboard and click on “File a Claim.”

Next, confirm you’re using your Chase Sapphire Preferred card benefits and click “Next.” Then select “Trip Delay Reimbursement” under the list of benefits.

Next, enter details about your ticket purchase and the delay. List the date you purchased your ticket, the date of the delay, and select the reason for the delay. The causes they include are equipment failure, hijacking or skyjacking, inclement weather, strike, and other reasons.

After that, go to the document upload section and share the documents required to make a claim. These include your travel itinerary, monthly billing statement showing the purchase amount, proof of delay, and an itemized sales receipt for expenses.

Once your documents are uploaded, explain the delay details and your expenses. Chase will ask you to confirm the details, including what the claim is about, the transaction and incident dates, and that you paid with your card or Chase Ultimate Rewards.

After that, you can submit your application and get a claim number. The benefits administrator will review your claim, which can take up to 7 business days. You may need to provide additional information. If so, a representative will contact you.

Your claim and reimbursement should be processed within about a month. If you want to check the status, you can log in to the claims portal.

Additional Travel Insurance Benefits From Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

In addition to trip delay coverage, Chase Sapphire Preferred card travel protection benefits include:

• Primary auto rental collision damage waiver
• Trip cancellation and interruption coverage of up to $10,000
• Lost luggage reimbursement of up to $3,000 per person per trip
• Baggage delay insurance of up to $100 per day for 5 days after a 6-hour-or-more delay
• Roadside assistance
• Emergency medical and dental benefits
• Travel accident insurance of up to $500,000
• 24/7 travel and emergency assistance

Final Thoughts

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers valuable travel protection, but you can’t get reimbursed for missed flights unless you claim expenses related to a qualifying trip delay. It won’t cover rebooking fees or prepaid activities you’ve missed, but it can reimburse you up to $500 per person for meals, lodging, and essentials while you’re delayed.