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Recent Events Remind Me Why I’m So Grateful to Have Travel Insurance

Chris Carley by Chris Carley
July 29, 2025
in Travel Related
16
Frustrated man at airport

(©iStock.com/fizkes)

Advertiser Disclosure: Eye of the Flyer, a division of Chatterbox Entertainment, Inc., is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Compensation may impact how and where card products appear on the site. This site does not include all card companies or all available card offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Some of the links on this page are affiliate or referral links. We may receive a commission or referral bonus for purchases or successful applications made during shopping sessions or signups initiated from clicking those links.

Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) got smacked with some severe thunderstorms on Sunday and Monday nights. Several MSP-bound flights on Delta Air Lines and United Airlines were diverted to alternate airports such as Duluth (DLH) and my original hometown, Fargo (FAR).

Most of the flights made it out within “only” five or so hours, arriving at MSP in the middle of the night. A United flight diverted to FAR didn’t leave until the following afternoon. (I assume that’s because the crew timed out.)

At times like these, I’m reminded why I purchase an annual travel policy and am mindful about which credit cards I use to pay for trips.

Both René deLambert and I buy Allianz plans.

My wife, daughter and I are on on my policy. I like the annual plan because it covers everyone and every trip we take. If my wife goes out of town with friends or visits family, she’s covered. Plus, we don’t have to go through the hassle of signing up for it each trip. (And that would be more expensive than an annual policy, too.)

Like all insurance policies, it’s one of those things that you don’t like paying for — but then are suddenly grateful when you really need to use it. René had to use his policy when a cruise switched ports. Allianz was also great during the COVID-19 pandemic.

(Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.)
A Delta Air Lines 767-400 experiences bad weather at New York-Kennedy Airport (JFK): thunderstorms and rain.
A Delta Air Lines 767-400 experiences bad weather at New York-Kennedy Airport (JFK): thunderstorms and rain.

The Peace of Mind is Worth It

When I nearly missed a flight home last year, I wasn’t worried about affording a place to sleep that night. I was more concerned about missing work the next morning.

Same thing when a ground stop nearly kept my wife and me overnight in Honolulu (HNL) when we returned home after taking Delta’s inaugural flight from Boston (BOS) to Honolulu. (I’m not going to lie: we were cheering on the ground stop. Spending an extra night in Hawaii? Sending the receipts to our travel insurance company? Sure!)

Whenever I travel — especially with my family — and something looks like it might go sideways because of weather delays or some other problem, I don’t panic anymore. There are two reasons for that.

First, panicking doesn’t solve anything — especially when things are out of your control. (It took me years of experience and therapy to learn that!)

More importantly, I’m usually backed up by paying at least part of the airfare with my Chase Sapphire Reserve®* card. I don’t have a choice when redeeming a Delta Companion Certificate, though. But that’s OK because the The Platinum Card® from American Express — the card I use for those purchases — has good trip interruption coverage. (Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.)

I know that if I get stuck overnight somewhere, I can probably get a hotel, transportation there and back to the airport, buy some food and essentials, and claim most (if not all) of it on my travel insurance or Chase Sapphire Reserve®.

That is a fantastic peace of mind.

a bed with white sheets and a lamp

Final Approach

Operation meltdowns and bad weather can wreak havoc on our travels. Travel insurance can help pay for expenses not covered by airlines. It’s one of those things we don’t know we need — until we really do.

Do you purchase any travel insurance plans?

 

 

For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please visit this link.
*All information about this card was collected independently by Eye of the Flyer. It was neither provided by nor reviewed by the card issuer.

Advertiser Disclosure: Eye of the Flyer, a division of Chatterbox Entertainment, Inc., is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Compensation may impact how and where card products appear on the site. This site does not include all card companies or all available card offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Some of the links on this page are affiliate or referral links. We may receive a commission or referral bonus for purchases or successful applications made during shopping sessions or signups initiated from clicking those links.

Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

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Chris Carley is the owner, editor, and lead writer of Eye of the Flyer (formerly known as Rene's Points).

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Comments 16

  1. Jemaredii says:
    1 year ago

    I do. Thanks to the tip from Rene some years back.

    Reply
  2. Jackie says:
    1 year ago

    Sometime I travel as a standby passenger as I get benefits from offspring that is a flight attendant. I am curious to know if a travel insurance company would allow me to use the benefits if I was not on a regular purchased ticket. I absolutely would not expect or try to use benefits for a “missed” flight. More so want peace of mind for healthcare emergencies as my husband and I age. Anyone that can offer advice?

    Reply
  3. Greg says:
    1 year ago

    Hi Chris
    Does the Allianz yearly policy provide primary or secondary emergency medical coverage?

    Reply
    • Chris Carley says:
      1 year ago

      Hey, Greg. It’s secondary.

      Reply
      • Benjamin H Troemel says:
        2 weeks ago

        This question and answer is a year ago so I hope maybe I can still get a response. I usually buy separate policies with PRIMARY coverage. I have considered an Alliance annual policy but my concerns are that 1) It is secondary coverage, and 2) The max medical coverage is only $50K which is way too small in my mind. Care to comment with input that would be helpful at convincing me to try an annual policy?

        Reply
        • Chris Carley says:
          2 weeks ago

          IF the $50k is way too small for you, I think you have your answer. 🙂 Don’t get it if you don’t want to.

          I have the annual policy because it’s cheaper and more convenient for us than buying individual policies for each trip for everyone on my plan. Plus, my wife doesn’t mind doing things like driving (ew!) instead of flying from L.A. to the S.F. Bay Area or Las Vegas. It’s easier for us to purchase the annual policy.

          Look, my father-in-law and I argue about stuff like car insurance for a few reasons. First, he’s never been wrong in his life. Second, I’m his son-in-law and it’s his job to give me hell. Third, he has his reasons for liking whatever insurance he’s using at the time and I have mine for liking GEICO.

          Reply
          • Benjamin H Troemel says:
            2 weeks ago

            Thank you Chris – yes, I agree having an annual policy is cheaper and more convenient. Regarding the medical coverage, since I am on medicare I have no medical coverage outside the US, but I do have Tricare (retired military) which is supposed to provide coverage outside the US – meaning I guess if I had a claim I would send to them and if denied then I file with Allianz (or for what Tricare doesn’t cover).

            I see there are 2 policies, Executive & Premier with main differences being the trip length coverage, trip cancellation coverage, emergency transportation coverage. If I do an annual, I would think I would go with the Executive with the highest trip cancellation coverage offered. Any comments?

          • Chris Carley says:
            2 weeks ago

            If the trip cancellation is your main concern, then yes. Premier has higher coverage for emergency medical transportation (though that’s to “the nearest hospital or appropriate facility following a covered illness or injury,” so I’d scrap any dreams of a Gulfstream G700 giving you a lift to Cleveland Clinic or something!) It also has better luggage loss protection. But, yes, Executive has the edge when it comes to cancellation.

  4. Joe says:
    1 year ago

    I’ve had an annual policy for many years, although I’m not sure why. They always deny any claim based on obscure reasons not mentioned in the contract.

    Reply
    • René says:
      1 year ago

      @Joe – Reach out to Chris Elliotts team. They are remarkable and get results! https://elliottadvocacy.org/

      Reply
  5. Dee says:
    1 year ago

    Sounds like a plan

    Reply
  6. Cory Cesar says:
    1 year ago

    @Chris – Thank you for the insightful post. It’s crucial to be mindful of the payment cards we use for travel bookings, including car rentals. Personally, I’ve relied on Squaremouth for short-term international travel insurance. However, I’ll definitely explore Allianz for longer-term coverage. After all, unexpected accidents can happen anywhere, like a moped-crosswalk incident in Rome. Look right, look left, look right again.

    Reply
  7. Roger says:
    1 year ago

    This is based on a true story… A close friend does not have dental insurance. He has both the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and the Allianz Annual Travel Policy (at little over $200 per year). He was recently on a 65 days cruise. While the ship is sailing between Indonesia and Hong Kong, one of his teeth broke off leaving part of the root in the gum. It was at least 5 days before he would see land. Fortunately, the ship has a fully licensed dentist. He receive oral surgery and other procedures to remedy his issue. The total bill was over $1700. First, he submitted the bill to Allianz; and they paid $750 (this was the max covered amount) of the bill. It took less than 4 week from initial filing to payment received; and it was VERY EASY because he has all the required documentations. Then he submitted to Chase Sapphire Reserve® because he paid the cruise with Chase Sapphire Reserve®. Chase paid him back the remainder of the bill minus $50 deductible; and the whole process with Chase took about 2 weeks. No questions asked!!! If he had this dental issue occurred at home, he would have to pay for the whole dental bill himself because he has no dental insurance. In this case, his was only out $50!!!

    PRO-TIP: When buying annual insurance, MAKE SURE YOU KNOW THE MAX LENGTH of the covered trip (From the day you leave home to the day you return). Remember, insurance companies are there to make money, NOT TO PAY YOU. They will deny you coverage whenever they find a reason to do so even if your trip is just one day more than the coverage length of the trip.

    Reply
    • Chris Carley says:
      1 year ago

      Maybe I just need to be a full-time digital nomad and rely on Allianz and Chase for my insurance! 🙂

      Reply
  8. Benjamin H Troemel says:
    2 weeks ago

    Thank you Chris for your reply. Understand about the nearest hospital or appropriate facility – and no Gulfstream to Cleaveland – that’s what I have a MedJet membership for and have maintained for a good 10 years+

    Reply
  9. Sam says:
    2 weeks ago

    Chase Sapphire Reserve® insurance covered a stolen rental car off a street mid-day in SF. Hertz sent me the bill for the car, valued at over $60k. The insurance also covered an accident in Lisbon and a delay going to Venice. I love that card.

    Reply

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