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![Full List of Travel Insurance Benefits for the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card [2023]](https://upgradedpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Chase-Sapphire-Reserve-Upgraded-Points-LLC-Large-9.jpg?auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=1420&height=650&fit=crop)
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Few credit cards can compete with the Chase Sapphire Reserve® when you’re looking for a premium travel rewards credit card. There are also few, if any, travel rewards cards that offer a better selection of travel insurance benefits.
Travel insurance benefits and protections that come with your credit card can provide valuable assistance if your trip is disrupted, reimburse you for expenses if things go wrong during your journey, and much more.
It’s become increasingly more important to have a level of travel insurance for peace of mind and to make you whole after an unexpected event. While the travel insurance that comes on your credit card is not meant to take the place of a comprehensive travel insurance policy, it can provide sufficient coverage for most trips you make.
Today, we’ll dive deep into the assortment of travel insurance benefits that come with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.
We’ll also look at how the coverages work, glance at the process for filing a claim if something does go wrong, and in the end, give you all the other reasons we like the card for frequent travelers.
There are so many reasons we like the Chase Sapphire Reserve card overall and we’ll cover those later in our article. For now, we’re going to jump right into the focus of our review, the travel insurance benefits and protections offered on the card.
Some benefits or protections can save you money, others provide assistance during your travels, and yet others offer peace of mind.
Here is our breakdown of the travel insurance coverages that can be found on your Chase Sapphire Reserve card.
The auto rental insurance coverage on your Chase Sapphire Reserve card could save you hundreds of dollars on your car rental bill. Simply reserve and pay for your car rental with the card, decline the car rental agency’s collision damage waiver (CDW) or loss damage waiver (LDW) coverage, and receive primary car rental coverage for theft or damage to the rental car.
Primary coverage means that you do not have to file a claim with another insurance company first.
Additional coverage includes loss of use charges and reasonable and customary towing charges.
You and authorized drivers listed on the rental agreement are covered.
Coverage limitations and conditions apply, including:
Bottom Line: The Chase Sapphire Reserve card comes with primary car rental insurance. If a car rental agency charges $20 per day for this coverage, you could save $140 on a 7-day rental by declining the rental car agency’s collision damage waiver or loss damage waiver coverage.
When you pay for your trip partially or in full with your Chase Sapphire Reserve card, with Ultimate Rewards points earned on your card, or a combination of both, you could receive a benefit if your trip has to be canceled or is disrupted for a covered reason.
Examples of covered events could include:
Examples of expenses reimbursed include:
The trip cancellation/interruption coverage that comes with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card pays up to $10,000 per person, per trip, up to $20,000 per occurrence, and up to a maximum of $40,000 in a 12-month period.
Examples of losses that would not be covered could include:
Hot Tip: The trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance that comes with a credit card, including the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, does not cover voluntary trip cancellations. If you think you might have to cancel a trip, you should purchase Cancel for Any Reason Insurance which provides coverage regardless of the reason for cancellation.
Trip delays of more than 6 hours or an overnight stay trigger the trip delay reimbursement coverage on your Chase Sapphire Reserve card. You and your eligible family members could receive up to $500 for each purchased ticket, per trip, for unreimbursed expenses for incidentals, lodging, and meals.
If your checked or carry-on luggage is lost, stolen, or damaged, you could receive up to $3,000 per person, per trip. There is a sub-limit of $500 included in the $3,000 maximum for valuable items such as jewelry watches, and specific electronics.
When your bags are delayed for more than 6 hours, you could receive up to $100 per day for 5 days for reimbursement of essentials such as clothing, toiletries, and a cell phone charger.
Make just a call if you have a roadside emergency and receive assistance with services such as flat tire replacement, emergency fuel, jump-start service, towing, lock-outs, and more.
The number of covered service calls each 12-month period is limited to 4 and the maximum coverage is $50 per service call. Any charges over that amount will be charged to the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.
Pay for at least a portion of your common carrier trip with your Chase Sapphire Reserve card. Then, if you or an immediate family member become injured or sick during your travels and need emergency evacuation, the card could provide up to $100,000 in coverage.
Trips must be at least 5 days in length, not more than 60 days, and the traveler must be more than 100 miles from home.
This is not reimbursement coverage — you must call the benefits administrator at the time of the incident to initiate emergency transport.
It’s rare to find any medical or dental coverage provided on a credit card, but the Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers this benefit for its cardholders and qualifying family members.
Here’s how the coverage works:
Travel Accident Insurance is a benefit seldom ever used but it can provide peace of mind knowing that if a covered death or dismemberment occurred during you or your family’s common carrier trip, there could be a benefit provided.
The card comes with up to $1,000,000 in coverage.
Whether you need assistance planning your trip or need help during your travels, you’ll have access to a dedicated phone line 24/7. Receive assistance such as help securing emergency transportation, translation, medical, and legal referrals, help with lost passports, or emergency ticket replacement.
The cost of the actual services received is the responsibility of the cardholder.
Bottom Line: The Chase Sapphire Reserve card comes with one of the best collections of travel insurance benefits and protections available. To learn about additional credit cards also offering travel insurance, check out our list of the best credit cards for travel insurance.
The best time to think about filing a travel insurance claim is before an event happens. Before setting off on your trip, it’s wise to take a few minutes to learn how you or your travel companions could receive assistance, should your trip be disrupted.
Reviewing the process of how to contact the claims administrator en route, should it become necessary, could save you money and frustration after the fact for not following the correct procedure for coverage to be valid.
Reviewing the claims process in advance also makes it easier to gather needed information at the time of disruption, such as photos or a statement from the travel provider, versus trying to secure the needed documentation once you’ve arrived home from a disrupted trip.
Here’s what you’ll need to know about filing a claim for Chase credit card travel insurance benefits and/or protections.
Each specific travel insurance coverage has stated time limits to report a claim, submit the completed and signed claim form, and for supplying all of the required documentation. Failing to do so could jeopardize the processing of your claim.
The best rule of thumb is to contact the claims administrator as soon as an event occurs. This action can also help you receive proper instructions on how to proceed to make sure your expenses will be covered.
You will be asked to submit documentation for your claim to be processed properly. Keep in mind that Chase is not processing your claim as the card issuer utilizes a third-party claims administrator.
You could be asked to provide any of the following information:
Hot Tip: The claims process will be easier if you have saved receipts, kept travel provider cancellation/refund policy documentation, and have copies of your ticket information and itineraries.
Our list of Chase Sapphire Reserve card travel insurance benefits is an overview only. We have also abbreviated the coverage descriptions. You will need to access the official Guide to Benefits for the card for terms, conditions, current coverage limits, and claim procedures.
Also, note that most travel insurance benefits that come with credit cards are normally secondary to other insurance you might have that would otherwise cover the loss. If you are compensated by an airline for lost luggage, for example, you would only have coverage via your credit card for any excess loss you incurred above the airline’s payment (up to the limits of coverage).
In addition to having one of the best travel insurance offerings among credit cards, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card comes with strong earnings, redemption options, statement credits, and additional benefits.
Here are some of the reasons we like this premium travel rewards card.
A top player in the high-end premium travel credit card space that earns 3x points on travel and dining while offering top luxury perks.
If you’re looking for an all-around excellent travel rewards card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® is one of the best options out there.
The card combines elite travel benefits and perks like airport lounge access, with excellent point earning and redemption options. Plus it offers top-notch travel insurance protections to keep you covered whether you’re at home or on the road.
Don’t forget the $300 annual travel credit which really helps to reduce the annual fee!
The Chase Sapphire Reserve card earns valuable, flexible Ultimate Rewards points on every purchase you make.
Here’s how you’ll earn points on the card:
When it comes time to redeem your Ultimate Rewards points, you’ll have several options offering various values:
Other redemption values vary, but always strive to receive no less than 1 cent per point redeemed as you can cash out points for that amount. Transferring Ultimate Rewards points to travel partners can potentially result in the most value for your points. You may also find good value via the Chase travel portal utilizing points at 1.5 cents each for inexpensive flights.
Receiving statement credits for purchases you’ll be making anyway is an effective way to offset the card’s annual fee. Here are the statement credits you can expect from the Chase Sapphire Reserve card:
Bottom Line: With powerful earning and redemption options, statement credits for specific purchases, worldwide lounge access, and a long list of travel and shopping benefits/protections, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card can be worth the annual fee.
While we think the Chase Sapphire Reserve card is an excellent choice for a travel rewards card, here are a couple of equally appropriate alternatives for the frequent traveler.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesThe Amex Platinum reigns supreme for luxury travel, offering the best airport lounge access plus generous statement credits, and complimentary elite status.
When it comes to cards that offer top-notch benefits, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better card out there than The Platinum Card® from American Express.
Make no mistake — the Amex Platinum card is a premium card with a premium price tag. With amazing benefits like best-in-class airport lounge access, hotel elite status, and tremendous value in annual statement credits, it can easily prove to be one of the most lucrative cards in your wallet year after year.
Also packed with a generous collection of travel insurance benefits, the Amex Platinum card shines as a companion for the frequent traveler.
Its lounge access benefits are second to none, plus it offers hotel program elite status, rental car perks, and statement credits for specific purchases. It also earns valuable, and flexible, Membership Rewards points via a generous bonus earnings on eligible travel.
A fantastic travel card with a huge welcome offer, good benefits, and perks for a moderate annual fee.
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.
If you’re looking for a travel rewards credit card but are reluctant to pay a high annual fee, or you won’t use all of the benefits offered on the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, you might want to consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred comes with many of the travel insurance benefits and protections offered by the Chase Sapphire Reserve card and it’s one of our favorite travel rewards cards.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesThe Capital One Venture X card is an excellent option for travelers looking for an all-in-one premium credit card.
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is the premium Capital One travel rewards card on the block.
Points and miles fans will be surprised to see that the Capital One Venture X card packs quite the punch when it comes to bookings made through Capital One, all while offering the lowest annual fee among premium credit cards.
Depending on your travel goals and preferences, the Capital One Venture X card could very well end up being your go-to card in your wallet.
The newest premium travel rewards card on the block is the Capital One Venture X card. We like that the card comes with an annual $300 credit for travel purchased via Capital One Travel.
The card’s annual fee is also lower than most premium travel rewards cards but you’ll still find travel insurance, worldwide lounge access, Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee reimbursement, stellar earnings on travel, cell phone protection, and a respectable 2x earnings on all other purchases.
While the high annual fee may be off-putting, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card is packed with plenty of benefits to justify the expense — if you’ll utilize the majority of those benefits.
Our focus today was on travel insurance benefits that alone could save you money, provide compensation, and/or reimbursement if your trip is disrupted. But there is additional value in all the other benefits offered on the card.
A Priority Pass Select membership, for example, will set you back as much as $469 each year, plus $35 for each guest, per visit. The Priority Pass membership that comes with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers unlimited access for the cardholder and allows 2 additional guests at no charge.
The card also comes with a $300 travel credit, and up to $100 for Global Entry, NEXUS. or TSA PreCheck fees.
If you can utilize the benefits, the card can be worth it.
All information and content provided by Upgraded Points is intended as general information and for educational purposes only, and should not be interpreted as medical advice or legal advice. For more information, see our Medical & Legal Disclaimers.
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
Enrollment required through Capital One website or mobile app. Upon enrollment, eligible cardholders will remain at upgraded status level through December 31, 2024. Please note, enrolling through the normal Hertz Gold Plus Rewards enrollment process (e.g. at Hertz.com) will not automatically detect a cardholder as being eligible for the program and cardholders will not be automatically upgraded to the applicable status tier. Additional terms apply.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve card has one of the best travel insurance packages available.
You’ll find a collection of travel insurance coverages that include primary car rental insurance, trip cancellation/interruption, lost and delayed baggage coverage, emergency evacuation and medical, roadside assistance, and more.
If you will utilize the benefits offered on the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, the card is definitely worth it.
In fact, we’ve estimated that the card offers benefits that could be valued at nearly $3,500.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve card does offer primary car rental insurance.
Primary car rental insurance does not require that you file a claim with your own car insurance company insurance first. If a covered event occurs, you will have coverage on your Chase Sapphire Reserve card.
You must pay for the entire rental with your Chase Sapphire Reserve card and decline the rental car agency’s collision damage waiver coverage for coverage to be valid.
While you can have more than 1 Chase credit card, you can only be the primary cardholder on 1 Chase Sapphire credit card, either the Chase Sapphire Reserve card or the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. You could, however, be an authorized user on another Sapphire card.
Both the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and Chase Sapphire Reserve card offer benefits for the frequent traveler.
The better card for you will depend on your spending mix, your preferred redemption options, your tolerance for paying an annual fee, and the level of travel benefits/protections you will use on the card.
To assist you further, we’ve put together a detailed article comparing the 2 cards. Access our article on the Chase Sapphire Reserve card vs. the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.
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Christine ran her own business developing and managing insurance and financial services. This stoked a passion for points and miles and she now has over 2 dozen credit cards and creates in-depth, detailed content for UP.
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