Chase Sapphire Reserve: Travel Credit Reimbursement Explained

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers a $300 annual travel credit, which can be used to reimburse a range of travel-related purchases, including airfare, hotel stays, car rentals, and more. This credit is triggered by a qualifying purchase and resets every account anniversary. In addition to the travel credit, the card also provides reimbursement for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS application fees, up to $100 every four years. The card offers a comprehensive suite of travel benefits, including trip cancellation/interruption insurance, trip delay reimbursement, lost luggage reimbursement, and emergency evacuation and transportation coverage.

$300 annual travel credit

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers a $300 annual travel credit, which is one of the key perks of the card. This travel credit can be used to recoup more than half of the card's $550 annual fee, making it a cost-effective choice for travellers. The credit is awarded each year that you have the card and is available to use as soon as your account is opened. It is not based on a calendar year but is instead tied to the cardmember year and your cardholder anniversary.

The travel credit is triggered by a qualifying purchase and covers a broad range of travel-related expenses. This includes charges from airlines, hotels, car rentals, cruise lines, travel agencies, discount travel sites, taxis, car services, toll bridges, highways, parking lots, and garages. The credit is automatically applied when you make an eligible travel purchase, making it simple and convenient for cardholders.

It's important to note that not all travel-related purchases will count towards the travel credit. Excluded merchants include educational merchants arranging travel, in-flight goods and services, onboard cruise line goods and services, sightseeing activities, tourist attractions, RV and boat rentals, merchants within hotels and airports, and merchants that rent vehicles for hauling. Additionally, purchases from gift card merchants or those that sell points or miles do not qualify as travel purchases.

To check the status of your $300 annual travel credit, you can log in to your Chase account and view your rewards activity. This will provide information about how much of the credit you have used, when it automatically resets, and any remaining balance.

Trip cancellation/interruption insurance

Trip cancellation and interruption insurance can be a very effective way of mitigating worries when booking a vacation, as it covers you if something unexpected happens that either curtails or cancels your trip.

Trip interruption insurance will reimburse the unused portion of your trip if it has already begun and an unexpected incident forces you to return home early. This includes any unused, prepaid, non-refundable trip expenses, such as hotel nights or excursion bookings, as well as additional charges such as booking a new flight home, additional hotel nights and airport taxi fare.

Trip interruption insurance also applies if your trip is cut short due to a covered COVID-related medical reason.

Not every reason for interrupting your trip qualifies as a covered reason. Losses sustained due to intentional acts (such as self-harm), pregnancy or childbirth, mountain climbing, war, illegal acts, drug use, and trips taken against the advice of a physician will not be covered.

Some policies also exclude pre-existing conditions that have occurred within a specified time frame prior to departure.

Trip interruption coverage is usually included within comprehensive travel insurance plans. The cost of trip interruption insurance is usually between 2.3% and 7.2% of the total trip cost. The coverage ranged from 100% to 200% of the trip cost, and some of the lower-priced plans offered coverage in excess of 100%. The more expensive plans usually offered higher limits on medical expenses and evacuation.

If you have a premium travel credit card that offers trip interruption insurance, this coverage is provided free of charge as long as the trip is purchased with the applicable credit card.

Trip Interruption Insurance with Chase Sapphire Reserve

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® card offers trip interruption insurance, reimbursing you for up to $10,000 per person or $20,000 per trip. To be eligible, you must prepay trip expenses with your Chase Sapphire Reserve® card, and the cancellation must be for a covered reason. Any amount reimbursed by the travel company or any other travel insurance you hold will be subtracted from your benefit amount. There is a $40,000 annual maximum for this benefit.

Travel accident insurance

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card comes with up to $1,000,000 in coverage for travel accident insurance. When you pay for your air, bus, train, or cruise transportation with your card, you are eligible to receive accidental death or dismemberment coverage.

There are two types of travel accident insurance coverage:

• Common Carrier Travel Accident Insurance: This covers you during transport with a common carrier and comes with a high coverage limit of up to $1,000,000.
• 24-Hour Travel Accident Insurance: This covers you for the duration of your trip and has a lower coverage limit of up to $100,000.

To take advantage of this benefit, you must pay for your trip using your Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

Emergency evacuation and transportation

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers peace of mind when travelling, including emergency evacuation and transportation coverage. This benefit provides cardholders with up to $100,000 in coverage if they or a member of their immediate family become sick or injured during a trip and require emergency evacuation. This includes coverage for medical services and transportation costs.

To be eligible for this benefit, the trip must meet certain criteria. Firstly, it should be between 5 and 60 days in duration. Secondly, the trip must be at least 100 miles from the cardholder's billing address, and a portion of the trip expenses must be charged to the Sapphire card. It is important to note that pre-existing conditions, non-emergencies, and travel for medical treatment are not covered. The full list of exclusions can be found in the Chase Sapphire Reserve Guide to Benefits.

In addition to emergency evacuation and transportation coverage, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card also offers other travel protection benefits, such as trip cancellation/interruption insurance, auto rental collision damage waiver, trip delay reimbursement, and travel accident insurance. These benefits provide comprehensive coverage for various travel-related incidents, giving cardholders added peace of mind when travelling.

Trip delay reimbursement

Trip delay insurance is a common benefit offered by premium credit cards and travel insurance providers. It provides coverage for expenses incurred due to travel delays, such as overnight accommodation and meals. The coverage usually kicks in after a specific duration of delay, typically between 6 to 12 hours, or if an overnight stay is required. The policy terms specify the delay duration required for coverage, with many policies requiring a minimum delay.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card's trip delay reimbursement covers necessary expenses incurred due to travel delays. This includes reimbursement for meals, lodging, toiletries, medication, and other personal use items. The coverage is limited to $500 per covered trip.

To be eligible for trip delay reimbursement with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, the common carrier tickets must be purchased with the eligible Chase card or with rewards earned on the card. The coverage extends to the cardholder, their spouse or domestic partner, and dependent children under 22 years of age.

Understanding the benefits of trip delay reimbursement can provide peace of mind when travelling and protect against unexpected expenses due to travel delays.

Frequently asked questions