Questions and Answers

Hi Lucky,

Long time reader of the blog, big fan- writing today about maximizing travel insurance benefits. I recently got the amex platinum for the 100k bonus and have slowly been learning all the many perks that come with the card. After reading your post today about the many Delta flights that have been cancelled and the generous delay insurance policies of the citi, I checked to see what Amex offered in the event of a delay. On [U][URL=’https://www.americanexpress.com/lacidc/iccsite/pdf/Platinum_Card_Summary_of_Travel_Insurance_Benefits.pdf’]page 10[/URL][/U][URL=’https://www.americanexpress.com/lacidc/iccsite/pdf/Platinum_Card_Summary_of_Travel_Insurance_Benefits.pdf’] of their travel benefits pdf[/URL], I found that if a flight is delayed by more than four hours, cardholders are entitled to up to $/€250 for a meal/other travel expenses. On top of this, if the airline loses their luggage even temporarily after four hours upon arrival, you can buy up to $/€500 per clothes per ticket and an additional $/€500 if you still don’t have your bags after 48 hours.

My main question is despite the low point multiplier of the amex platinum, doesn’t it likely always make sense to book with this card given the robust insurance benefits? I also have an amex gold and while I’d love to earn 3x instead of 1x points, having this peace of mind of such a generous travel allowance if there’s a delay I imagine in the long run is worth more than the points themselves, although of course it’s a personal question. Would love to know for what type of person/for yourself you think this strategy of always buying with the premium card vs. the best multiplier works for and maybe comparing premium high AF credit cards on their delay/travel inconvenience insurance – Thanks!

Hi Zack, I am not writing with any answer, only to say that its a great reminder when I take that one trip a year when I check my bags. Our trip last year to Thailand on AA had a 6 hour delay at LAX, we rebooked on CX, our luggage was lost for 4 days. As an AA EXP, I should have complained but did not. I was mad that I (1) checked my bags for the first time in years and (2) did not have trip insurance with AMEX Platinum.

I think the answer is “it depends” — working on a post with more detail, but yeah, it’s a great benefit!

Zack, is that document you linked to current? I was under the impression the Amex Platinum card doesn’t carry cancellation insurance anymore. Maybe someone else has better information than me.

[QUOTE=”Zach Resnick, post: 19661″]Hi Lucky,

Long time reader of the blog, big fan- writing today about maximizing travel insurance benefits. I recently got the amex platinum for the 100k bonus and have slowly been learning all the many perks that come with the card. After reading your post today about the many Delta flights that have been cancelled and the generous delay insurance policies of the citi, I checked to see what Amex offered in the event of a delay. On [U][URL=’https://www.americanexpress.com/lacidc/iccsite/pdf/Platinum_Card_Summary_of_Travel_Insurance_Benefits.pdf’]page 10[/URL][/U][URL=’https://www.americanexpress.com/lacidc/iccsite/pdf/Platinum_Card_Summary_of_Travel_Insurance_Benefits.pdf’] of their travel benefits pdf[/URL], I found that if a flight is delayed by more than four hours, cardholders are entitled to up to $/€250 for a meal/other travel expenses. On top of this, if the airline loses their luggage even temporarily after four hours upon arrival, you can buy up to $/€500 per clothes per ticket and an additional $/€500 if you still don’t have your bags after 48 hours.

My main question is despite the low point multiplier of the amex platinum, doesn’t it likely always make sense to book with this card given the robust insurance benefits? I also have an amex gold and while I’d love to earn 3x instead of 1x points, having this peace of mind of such a generous travel allowance if there’s a delay I imagine in the long run is worth more than the points themselves, although of course it’s a personal question. Would love to know for what type of person/for yourself you think this strategy of always buying with the premium card vs. the best multiplier works for and maybe comparing premium high AF credit cards on their delay/travel inconvenience insurance – Thanks![/QUOTE]

There are different versions of the Platinum card offered worldwide. The European version, for example, does offer baggage delay insurance, trip delay insurance etc. The American version does not. The US Platinum card no longer offers coverage as good as the Citi Sapphire card.