A Complete Guide to American Express Platinum Travel Insurance Coverage

Whether you're a frequent traveler or someone who vacations once in a while, it's important to have travel insurance. It can help you minimize the cost of travel hiccups like lost luggage or a canceled trip. In the event of a serious medical emergency while traveling, it can even be life-saving.

Luckily, travel credit cards often offer their own insurance. In fact, The Platinum Card® from American Express gets you more than just rewards points and airport lounge access.

Along with the generous American Express Membership Rewards you'll earn, you'll also get pretty extensive travel insurance coverage with The Platinum Card® from American Express. Here's everything you need to know about the Amex Platinum Card travel insurance.

What's covered under Amex Platinum travel insurance?

The best cards offer extra benefits and protections apart from their rewards. The Platinum Card® from American Express is no different. Amex Platinum Card travel insurance includes trip cancellation and interruption insurance*, trip delay insurance**, car rental insurance***, and baggage insurance****. You also get access to American Express's Premium Global Assist Hotline*****.

In most cases, you have to pay for the trip with your Amex Platinum Card to get travel insurance coverage, and it's usually secondary. This means your American Express card coverage only kicks in after any primary insurance you have has paid out.

The table below details what's covered by your travel insurance and how much.

Trip cancellation and interruption insurance

The Amex Platinum Card travel insurance starts with generous trip cancellation and interruption coverage. If your trip is canceled or interrupted and you end up losing money to non-refundable, pre-booked travel expenses such as hotels or tours, you can seek reimbursement through this benefit. It covers up to $10,000 per trip and $20,000 per 12-month period. Terms apply.

To qualify for coverage, you have to purchase the entire roundtrip with your card. Your trip also has to be canceled or delayed for a covered reason -- simply changing your mind won't cut it. Covered reasons include cancelation or interruption due to accidental injury, loss of life, illness, severe weather, military orders, jury duty, terrorist action, uninhabitable accommodations, and quarantine imposed by a physician.

Trip delay insurance

If you've ever been stuck in a foreign city overnight thanks to a flight delay, you know how quickly the expenses can add up. Whether you need to pay for overnight accommodations, food, or toiletries, you might be able to get reimbursed through your Amex Platinum Card travel insurance.

To be eligible for this travel insurance benefit, your trip must be delayed for at least six hours, and the delay must be due to a covered reason. These include inclement weather, terrorist action, lost or stolen travel documents, and common carrier equipment failure. Thanks to your American Express card, you'll get up to $500 per trip and can make up to two claims per 12-month period. Terms apply.

Car rental loss and damage insurance

When you rent a car, you can use your Amex Platinum Card travel insurance to cover damage or loss. You'll have to pay for the rental with your card and decline the rental agency's collision damage coverage. This benefit covers up to $75,000 in damages to or theft of the vehicle. You'll also get limited accidental death and dismemberment, accidental injury, and car rental personal property coverage. Terms apply.

Some vehicle types, such as cargo vans, antique cars, and recreational vehicles, are excluded from coverage. Coverage is also not valid in select countries. Finally, this is secondary coverage. That means that you have to file a claim with your primary coverage, such as a personal car insurance policy, before you can file a claim with your Amex Platinum Card travel insurance. You'll then be reimbursed for any covered damage or loss that wasn't reimbursed by your primary insurer.

Baggage insurance

If your luggage is damaged or lost by a common carrier during your trip, you might be able to receive reimbursement through your Amex Platinum Card benefits. You'll get up to $2,000 per person per trip for checked baggage and $3,000 for carry-on. Terms apply.

Your trip is covered as long as you paid for it with your Amex Platinum Card. Coverage is extended to you, your spouse or domestic partner, and your dependent children. Some items are excluded from coverage, such as credit cards, documents, currency, eyeglasses, sunglasses, hearing aids, prosthetic devices, and prescription drugs.

You'll need to file a claim for reimbursement with the common carrier and any other travel insurance you have first. After that, you can file a claim with your Amex Platinum Card travel insurance for anything not reimbursed. Airlines are notorious for offering paltry reimbursements for lost or damaged baggage, so this benefit can really come in handy.

Global Assist Hotline

This 24/7 hotline is available to all cardholders as part of the Amex Platinum Card travel insurance benefits. The hotline offers trip planning assistance as well as general travel, financial, legal, and medical assistance.

Some of the services offered by this hotline include:

This is simply a hotline, so in most cases, you have to pay for any third-party services you receive. For example, if the hotline provides you with a lawyer referral or emergency cash wire service, you still have to pay the cost of hiring a lawyer or wiring money.

This benefit does cover the cost of several emergency medical services. If you need emergency medical evacuation or transportation, for example, your Amex Platinum Card travel insurance will cover the full cost as long as it's coordinated through the Global Assist Hotline. If you're traveling alone and end up hospitalized for 10 consecutive days or more, this hotline can arrange for you to have an adult family member travel to your bedside. Their round-trip, economy transportation will be covered. This benefit also covers the cost of repatriation of remains.

How to file a claim

You can file a claim quickly and easily by logging on to your Amex Platinum Card account. You'll want to have any important documents handy, such as receipts, medical paperwork, or airline documentation. If the coverage you're seeking is secondary, you'll have to file a claim with your primary coverage first.

Navigate to the card benefits section. From there, you'll want to complete the following steps.

1. Select the insurance you want to file a claim for and click "File a Claim."
2. Input any required information. This will include trip details as well as information regarding the covered incident.
3. Attach any necessary documentation. You might be asked for additional documentation after your claim is reviewed.
4. File your claim and wait for a response. It takes an average of 45 days for American Express to process and review claims.
5. You can check the status of your claim at any time through the American Express Claims Center or by calling customer service.

There's no question that the Amex Platinum Card travel insurance is a valuable benefit. Many other American Express cards offer similarly valuable protections. The best airline cards are also an option for frequent travelers, although they may not offer such extensive insurance.

We hope you won't need to use it, but if you're ever in a pinch while traveling, the Amex Platinum Card travel insurance can help you keep costs to a minimum.

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