Lost or damaged baggage can ruin your perfectly planned trip.
Luckily, there are several credit cards that offer baggage insurance to help ease the burden.
Baggage insurance covers both damage to your bag and its contents including items stolen from your luggage.
Plus, many of these cards offer other travel protections such as trip delay insurance and trip cancellation insurance.
What Is Baggage Insurance?
Baggage insurance is a benefit that’s offered by most travel credit cards which insures your checked or carry-on luggage in case it gets lost stolen, or damaged during travel.
You can use the insurance to cover the costs of repairing or replacing your bags and its contents. Different credit cards normally have different policies so it’s best to check with your bank to know which items are covered and if there are limitations on the coverage.
However, most baggage insurance policies normally have these rules below:
You Must Use the Card for Coverage
Lost or damaged luggage insurance will only kick in if you used the card to purchase your plane ticket.
Chase allows you to purchase only a portion of the ticket, but American Express requires you to purchase the entire amount, which does not offer protection for travel on points.
Secondary Coverage
Credit card luggage protection is secondary to what an airline or common carrier gives you in compensation. If the airline replaces the bag, you cannot claim insurance as well from your credit card.
But if the airline denies your claim or only pays part of the cost, you could make a claim with your credit card company.
Document Everything
You need to document everything when submitting a claim. The insurance is handled by a third party (not your card issuer) and the claims administrator requires very specific documentation.
You should keep all receipts and any documentation you receive from the airline or common carrier. The claims administrator will look for any reason to deny or reduce your claim.
Chase Luggage Protection
Chase has very good luggage protection, which covers award tickets as well.
Many Chase cards also qualify for for baggage delay insurance, which pays for essential items such as clothes or toiletries in the event your bag is delayed for typically 6+ hours.
What is Covered with Chase's Luggage Protection?
Reimbursement for costs you incur to repair or replace your checked baggage, carry-on baggage, and/or personal property contained within the bag due to loss, damage, or theft during the trip.
You can collect a maximum of $3,000 per insured person per covered trip.
However, jewelry, watches, and electronics have a maximum of $500 per item.
What is Not Covered Under Chase's Luggage Protection?
Loss of documents or valuable papers, money, securities, tickets, checks, traveler’s checks or furs.
Who is Covered by Chase's Luggage Protection
Cardholders and immediate family members (even if not traveling with cardholder).
Immediate family members are defined as:
- Spouse or domestic partner and parents thereof
- Sons and daughters, including adopted children and stepchildren; parents, including stepparents;
- Brothers and sisters;
- Grandparents and grandchildren
- Aunts or uncles; nieces or nephews; and
- Legal guardians or wards.
What is the Purchase Requirement?
A portion of the fare must have been purchased with the card, which covers tickets purchased with airline miles.
How Can I File Chase Luggage Protection Claim?
You will need to follow these three steps:
- Notify the common carrier (airline, cruise line, bus, etc.) to begin the claims process. You will need to submit a report with the common carrier and keep a record of the report.
- File a claim within 20 days of the baggage being lost, damaged, or stolen.
- Submit copies of your travel itinerary, credit card account statement showing travel purchase, copy of report to common carrier, and any receipts of replacement items over $25.
Chase Cards with Luggage Protection
- Sapphire Preferred
- Sapphire Reserve
- Ink Business Preferred
- United Explorer
- United Club
- Hyatt
American Express Baggage Insurance
American Express offers baggage insurance on 20+ cards. The amount covered varies by card, but the other aspect of the coverage are the same.
What is Covered by American Express?
American Express covers any damage to your baggage or personal property inside your baggage.
Platinum, Hilton Aspire, Bonvoy Brilliant, and Centurion– $3,000 for carry on bags, $2,000 for checked bags, and $1,000 for high-risk items.
Other Cards– $1,250 for carry on-bags, $500 for checked bags, and $250 for high-risk items.
Reimbursement of high risk items are capped and include, but are not limited to:
- jewelry;
- sporting equipment;
- photographic or electronic equipment;
- computers and audio/visual equipment;
- wearable technology;
- items consisting in whole or in part of gold, silver or platinum; and
- furs or articles made mostly with fur or trimmed or lined with fur.
What is Not Covered with American Express?
Several things are not covered by American Express’ luggage protection.
- Credit cards and other travel documents (including passports and visas);
- Securities;
- Documents and tickets of any kind;
- Travelers checks and other negotiable instruments (including gift certificates, gift
cards, gift checks, food stamps), cash or its equivalent, notes, accounts, bills,
currency, deeds, evidences of debt or intangible property, rare stamps or coins; - Living plants and animals;
- Food, consumable and perishable items;
- Eyeglasses, sunglasses, and contact lenses;
- Hearing aids, prosthetic devices;
- Prescription or non-prescription drugs; and
- Property shipped as freight or shipped prior to the Departure Date.
Who is Covered by Baggage Insurance?
The card member, the card member’s spouse or domestic partner, dependent children under 23 years old, or dependent children above 23 that have a handicap condition.
What is the Purchase Requirement?
You must pay the entire fare on the American Express card to be covered.
Trips booked with frequent flyer miles are excluded from coverage.
The only time award travel would be covered is if you paid with Membership Rewards points, which is generally a worse value that transferring directly to an airline.
How to File a Baggage Insurance Claim?
First, you must file a claim within 30 days of the loss by calling 1-800-645-9700 or submitting form online.
Second, you will need to submit documentation including an inventory list of items, itemized receipts of what was in your luggage, travel itinerary, proof of payment with the card, and a written report of loss with the common carrier.
American Express Cards with Baggage Insurance
There are 20+ American Express cards with baggage insurance including:
- Platinum
- Platinum Business
- Centurion (Black Card)
- Gold
- Gold Business
- Green
- Green Business
- Delta SkyMiles Gold
- Delta SkyMiles Platinum
- Delta SkyMiles Reserve
- Delta SkyMiles Gold Business
- Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business
- Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant
- Marriott Bonvoy Business
- Hilton Aspire
- Hilton Surpass
- Hilton Honors Business
- Amazon Prime Business
Other Cards With Luggage Protection
There are not many other cards with baggage insurance after Citi eliminated all travel protections on all of their cards in 2019.
But these card options are the:
- Wells Fargo Propel ($1,000 per person)
- Bank of America Premium Rewards ($3,000 per per person)
The Verdict
Putting your travel on a credit card with baggage insurance is important to protect your bag and your things inside the bag.
Chase has the best luggage protection that covers a wide range of people.
Whereas, American Express offers their best coverage on their $450+ annual fee cards, with lesser coverage on their lower fee cards.
Frequently Asked Questions
Credit card baggage insurance covers any damage to your luggage or your personal property inside your bag.
Yes, baggage insurance covers carry-on bags.
This can be helpful if an item was stolen from your carry-on bag while traveling.
