Always Buy Airline Tickets With a Credit Card
Many of us not prone to debt may want to put everything on a debit card just in case – even huge travel purchases like airline tickets.
But if you don’t charge for travel purchases, you are missing out on the extra layer of protection that many credit cards offer their customers.
There is an obvious reason to use a credit card for travel passes and on the road to protect the precious money in your checking account. “It’s just safer,” said Brandon No, Audience Growth Manager at FinanceBuzz . He is also an avid traveler who has traveled to 56 countries over the past 10 years. “If money is stolen from your credit card, it’s much easier to call, ask for it to be closed and get a new card,” he said, compared to waiting potentially months to see a refund in your checking account if your debit card is lost or stolen. …
But beyond safety, there is often additional insurance on your credit card that can come in handy while traveling.
“ There are very few cases where a credit card does not compensate you in one form or another, if the airline does not take care of you,” in the event of delays or other inconveniences, None said.
There is one important thing these additional coverage areas do not protect against, “warned Ted Rossman , an analyst at CreditCards.com:” If you really change your mind. ” But if you have a documented reason, these cards can help you offset inconvenience or emergency expenses.
Types of credit card insurance
For some real life examples, here are some of the added benefits my Jetblue Mastercard gives me, a credit card I definitely don’t get paid for, but one of my main cards for booking flights:
Cancellation and interruption of the trip
This will cover non-refundable travel expenses if I have to cancel or suspend my travel plans. A number of good reasons are listed: illness or injury due to which the trip should be canceled before departure; bad weather canceling the entire trip; changing military orders; terrorist act (!); I am being summoned to a jury or to a court; my home has been made uninhabitable; or I was quarantined by a doctor. Quite gloomy things, some of them! But it does cover ticket costs up to $ 5,000.
Such coverage could be very useful, say, if the airline suddenly closed, as a result of which I would be away from home. (Hardly, you say? Yes, but can I introduce you to WOW Air ?)
Delayed baggage
If my bags do not come off the conveyor belt as expected (and continue AWOL for more than 12 hours), I may receive $ 100 per day compensation for three days to cover the cost of essentials I may need in Meanwhile.
Delayed trip
If my trip is delayed more than six hours on departure or return due to bad weather, mechanical failure, or lost travel documents, I will be reimbursed up to $ 300.
Remember: this is only valid if I do not receive a refund / credit / voucher / anything else from the airline, which apologizes for the inconvenience. I’m not sure what the claims form is asking, “Have you tried tweeting them?”
Traffic accident
This benefit is paid up to $ 250,000 for serious injury or accidental death during my trip. This also applies to partners and dependent children.
Travel assistance
This is a kind of trick when something goes wrong while traveling. They can provide referrals to doctors or hospitals if I am more than 100 miles from home, legal referrals or consulates at an embassy or consulate, or facilitate transfers from a family member or friend if I need cash.
(There is also rental car insurance, but that’s a different post for a different day.)
How to track travel benefits
Your credit card issuer may have something like a “benefit guide” available on the site where you pay your bill. You probably received a paper version of this guide in the mail when you first signed up for your card, but unless you recently received a new card, I don’t expect you to have a physical copy on hand. The process for filing a claim can vary depending on the type of coverage, so check the fine print before your big trip so you don’t get caught off guard.
Then don’t forget to choose the right card for the right trip. “You should book your trip with this card,” advised Rossman. “Make this decision in advance. It can really pay off if you run into these problems. “
Doing this research can go a long way. No said that on his last trip to Europe, his bags were detained for five days. His card (it was the Chase Sapphire Reserve, I’m sure no one is surprised) reimbursed him $ 100 for each of those five days so he could buy clothes and toiletries. In addition, he said the card also covers flight delays after six hours – much more useful than credit cards, which only provide delay coverage after what would no doubt have been a measly 12 hours.
If you have several different cards and want a bird’s eye view of your coverage, you can add them to the Sift app for a quick snapshot or check out the benefits of your purchases. The app is one of many that will help you recoup the difference after a price drop, but it is the travel benefit information that makes this choice more valuable to me than others.
This is how it looks:
Even if the flight I’m buying is fast, close, or inexpensive, knowing my chosen credit card has several additional benefits and provides peace of mind. Plus, it usually allows me to skip the travel insurance that is offered to me every time I book a trip.