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Credit cards, airlines, and cruise lines can make it effortless to add travel insurance while you book. Helpful as that is, these plans often set lower medical and evacuation limits that may not cover separate parts of your trip, like hotels and tours. Discover what credit cards, airlines, and cruise lines DON’T talk about with travel insurance, why limits matter for medical care and evacuation, and when a comprehensive plan can be a better fit for your travel needs.
1. Coverage Maximums May Not Be Enough
Limits for medical care and evacuation on credit cards, flight, and cruise insurance add-ons are usually lower than the average costs incurred, ranging from a couple of hundred dollars to several hundred thousand dollars.
| Option (example) | Trip cancellation | Emergency medical | Medical evacuation | Notes |
| Credit card benefit (Chase Sapphire Reserve) | Up to $10,000 per traveler; $20,000 per trip; $40,000 per 12 months | $2,500 per trip ($50 deductible) | Up to $100,000 | Benefits often apply only to items paid for with the card. |
| Cruise plan (Celebrity CruiseCare) | Cruise focused; see plan docs for cancellation terms | Up to $25,000 | Up to $50,000 | Amounts apply during the cruise portion and may be modest for at sea care. |
| Airline (American Airlines at checkout) | Up to 100% of trip cost (max $10,000) | $10,000 | $50,000 | Amounts apply during the cruise portion and may be modest for at-sea care. |
| Comprehensive trip protection (WorldTrips Atlas Journey) | Up to 100% of trip cost (to plan maximum) | Up to $150,000 | Up to $1,000,000 | One plan that can include flights, hotels, tours, and cruises from start to finish. |
Always look at your total travel costs to decide whether or not a credit card, airline, or cruise travel insurance add-on will be enough for you.
2. Covered Situations Might Be More Limiting Than You Think
Along with lower maximums, the number of situations covered also can be very limited, depending on the credit card, airline, or cruise line insurance that you choose:
- Credit card benefits often apply only to items you paid for with that card. If you used miles for flights, a different card for hotels, or paid cash for tours, those pieces may be outside the coverage scope.
- Cruise add-ons are built around the sailing. The same goes for airline add-ons for flights. They may not cover other expenses with your trip, like hotels or independent tours.
- For cruises, medical care at sea and evacuation can be costly, and limits on many plans can be modest.
- Some cruise plans issue future cruise credits in certain situations rather than cash.
If you want one set of rules for the whole itinerary, choose a comprehensive trip protection plan that lists the travelers on a single plan that can cover all your non-refundable trip costs. That way, your flights, hotels, tours, and cruises sit under one plan.
3. Pre-existing Conditions are Often Excluded
A pre-existing condition is usually a health issue for which you had symptoms, testing, treatment, or a change in medication before your coverage took effect, but it can also be a condition that is present without a previous diagnosis, like heart disease. Many plans use a look-back window to decide whether a claim connects to that history.
But that isn’t always the case with comprehensive travel insurance.
Some comprehensive plans offer a waiver when you purchase soon after your first trip payment, and if you are medically able to travel on the day you buy. For example, WorldTrips Atlas Journey can cover pre-existing conditions when you purchase within 14-21 days, depending on the plan.
If coverage for potential situations arising from pre-existing conditions is something important to protect for your trip, you may want to consider a comprehensive trip protection plan.
4. Cancel For Any Reason Flexibility is Usually Not Available
Credit cards and cruise insurance generally have a list of 15-25 different reasons to cancel a trip, but do not typically offer a Cancel for any Reason option. Airlines also rarely offer this option at checkout, which is another reason to look at a separate comprehensive plan if flexibility matters to you.
Cancel For Any Reason is an optional upgrade on many comprehensive plans. It lets you cancel for reasons outside the standard list and recover a percentage of your insured trip cost, often fifty to seventy-five percent. You need to buy it soon after your first trip payment, and the trip must be canceled at least two days before departure.
Not only does WorldTrips offer a Cancel for Any Reason option, but it also has one of the most generous cancellation policies on the market, covering over 40 cancellation reasons! Learn more: https://www.worldtrips.com/trip-insurance.
Always read insurance plan documents before making a purchase to better understand the extent of the travel coverage.
5. How to Determine if You Need Separate, Comprehensive Travel Insurance
When is it better to forgo credit card, flight, and cruise insurance and choose a separate comprehensive travel insurance plan? That all depends on your trip and what you’re hoping to cover.
Modern trips mix point bookings, direct hotel purchases, independent tours, separate airfare, and multiple travelers. These details affect coverage eligibility, limits, and how smoothly a claim goes. A comprehensive plan may be the better fit when you see yourself in one or more of these situations:
- Your non-refundable trip cost exceeds your card’s limits.
- You want strong medical and evacuation support.
- You want a waiver for pre-existing conditions and can buy within set time parameters.
- You are traveling with friends or family who did not pay with your card.
- You want flexibility through Cancel for Any Reason.
- Customizable add-ons such as pet coverage for your furry travel companion
If you resonate with any of these situations, compare WorldTrips Atlas Journey plans to find the right coverage for your next trip.
WorldTrips Customer Testimonial:
“Now, every time I plan a trip, the first thing I do is call and book travel insurance. I’ll never travel without Atlas Journey again. The combination of trip cancellation, trip interruption, and medical coverage makes it worth every penny.”
~ Linda
Travel Insurance FAQs
Is credit card travel insurance good enough?
Sometimes, for small and simple trips. For bigger cruises or tours, or for international travel, coverage limits and medical or evacuation benefits may not be enough.
Why would I need a Cancel for Any Reason benefit vs. regular cancellation benefits?
Cancel for Any Reason coverage adds extra flexibility to your trip coverage in case a situation that isn’t normally covered occurs where you need to cancel your trip. This can be especially helpful if you have a more expensive, non-refundable trip planned.
How much does travel insurance cost?
Prices vary by age, trip cost, destinations, and plan tier. A common rule of thumb is in the range of five to ten percent of the insured trip cost for trip protection plans.
Compare Atlas Journey plan tiers at worldtrips.com
KHE2FFFYH6SP-971744701-1467 | Disclaimer: In California, operating as WorldTrips Insurance Services. California Non-Resident Producer License Number: 0G39705. WorldTrips’ trip protection plans are underwritten by Tokio Marine HCC’s U.S. Specialty Insurance Company (USSIC). Coverage may vary by state; please consult the policy documents for specifics.
