How to Get a Travel Delay Refund with Your Credit Card

Here at TPG we talk a lot about how to use your credit card benefits for things like travel delays. The peace of mind these benefits can add to your trip when something goes wrong is fantastic.

However, before you get lulled into a false sense of security, remember that reimbursement for travel delay is not automatic. You must take specific steps to obtain reimbursement for reasonable expenses after a prolonged (or overnight) delay.

If you want your credit card travel delay refund coverage to work as intended, here are some key things to know.

What is travel delay reimbursement?

Travel Delay Reimbursement is a credit card travel protection benefit that reimburses eligible expenses incurred during a covered travel delay. Depending on the card, coverage may apply when a flight, train, bus or cruise is delayed for a specific period of time or requires an overnight stay.

The cards refer to “common carriers” for this coverage, which generally means forms of public transportation with published schedules for which you purchased a ticket, not a road trip in your friend’s car, for example.

Covered expenses typically include hotels, meals, ground transportation, and essential toiletries. Coverage limits, eligible delay reasons, and claim requirements vary by card issuer.

While airlines may provide hotel rooms and meal vouchers for overnight delays that are under their control, such as maintenance issues, they typically do not offer compensation for things like weather delays. Additionally, what an airline offers may not cover all of your expenses. This is where travel delay reimbursement can come in handy.

However, to be eligible, you will generally need to pay for all or part of the trip with a credit card that offers this coverage.

Related: Getting a refund for a canceled or delayed flight: What you need to know

Travel Delay Refund Checklist

To successfully submit and receive approval for a travel delay reimbursement claim, you generally need:

• Pay for your trip with a credit card that offers reimbursement for trip delays.
• Obtain written confirmation of the delay from the airline or other carrier.
• Keep receipts for all eligible expenses.
• Please retain documentation showing your travel itinerary and payment method.

Pay for the trip with a credit card that provides reimbursement for trip delays.

Not all travel credit cards offer reimbursement for travel delays and coverage requirements can vary significantly. Before booking travel, review your card’s benefits guide to understand how long a delay should last before coverage begins and what expenses are eligible for reimbursement.

Coverage requirements vary by issuer, but many of the best credit cards for travel Offers up to $500 in travel delay reimbursement per traveler or ticket. Below are some cards that are among the best for travel delay reimbursement:

*Eligibility and benefit level vary by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG company.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. Please see the respective Benefits Guide for details as terms and exclusions apply.

It’s important to note that specific terms may vary from card to card (or issuer to issuer).

For example, here are the terms of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, according to the card benefits page:

“If your trip on public transportation is delayed more than 12 hours or requires an overnight stay, you are covered for unreimbursed expenses, such as meals and lodging, up to $500 per covered traveler.”

The card covers “reasonable expenses” incurred due to the delay. This means that items like a new toothbrush are probably covered, but three new pairs of shoes probably aren’t.

Additionally, the coverage is secondary, meaning it comes into effect after any other insurance or coverage you may have, including carrier benefits and your own insurance protections.

Lastly, find out if your card’s specific benefit requires you pay the full cost of the trip or just a part to activate travel delay reimbursement coverage.

For example, with the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you can “charge all or a portion of a common carrier fee to your credit card account and/or to the rewards programs associated with your account.” Capital One cards have similar terminology. Therefore, an award reservation in which you have paid the taxes and fees with your card would be sufficient.

However, some American Express cards require the full amount of the common carrier fee to be charged to the card to qualify for trip delay coverage.

Related: Is the Chase Sapphire Reserve worth the annual fee?

Obtain a statement from the carrier confirming the delay.

Once your lateness exceeds the required time mentioned above, it’s time to get it in writing. If it is not written, it does not exist.

The easiest way to do this is to ask a staff member at the customer service desk, at the gate of your flight, or at some other airline facility. The most important thing is to try to do this while you are still at the airport.

If you leave the airport without receiving a delay confirmation, it is possible to request one after the fact. Delta, for example, has a home page to request this formwhile other airlines handle this through their respective customer service contacts. Regardless of how you obtain this information, make sure it includes: your name(s), confirmation or ticket numbers, flight details (including date, flight number, and route), and the specific reason for the delay.

Confirming that a flight was delayed and proving that the delay was due to a covered reason are two different things. Be sure to obtain documentation confirming both the delay and its cause, as many travel delay reimbursement claims require proof that the interruption was due to a covered reason.

The same concept applies whether your trip was with an airline, bus company, or cruise ship.

save receipts

Get printed receipts for all eligible expenses and save them, including expenses such as hotel stays, meals, transportation, and essential toiletries purchased due to the delay.

In fact, you should probably take a photo with your phone as soon as you receive them; That way, you’ll have a record of your purchases, even if the physical copies are lost. If you do not receive a receipt, you will not be able to request a refund from your credit card issuer.

This applies not only to receipts for your purchases during the delay, but also to confirmation emails associated with the trip. You will need that documentation to prove that you paid for this trip with a credit card that offers trip delay reimbursement. They may even ask for the monthly statement with the transaction, which is what TPG Editor-in-Chief Nick Ewen had to provide when he had an unexpected overnight stop in Lima, Peru, on his way back from Chile.

During the delay, you may want to start gathering those documents. Make sure you know what credit card you used to pay for the trip and start organizing these things for the claim you will make later. Doing this will also help avoid surprises later.

Because? You’ll check what coverage you have based on the card you used, such as how long it takes before coverage takes effect.

Save the paper trail (if part of a longer trip)

If your delayed flight is part of a longer trip, be prepared to provide documentation beyond the affected flight. Depending on the circumstances, an insurance adjuster may request records showing your pre-delay itinerary, including confirmation numbers, tickets, and transportation receipts.

Requirements vary by issuer and claims administrator, but keeping a complete paper record can make the refund process much easier. Keep copies of your flight confirmations, boarding passes, hotel reservations, and any other transportation reservations associated with your trip.

While every claim is different, reimbursement providers may request documentation showing how you traveled from your departure point to the location where the delay occurred. Having those records available can help support your claim and avoid unnecessary delays during the review process.

In addition to keeping receipts for expenses incurred during the delay, consider keeping documentation of transportation and accommodations associated with the larger trip. This can be especially useful when the delayed flight is part of an international or multi-city itinerary that does not begin or end at your origin airport.

Related: What to do when an airline loses your luggage

In a nutshell

Knowing that you are covered by travel delay reimbursement on your credit card can reduce travel headaches. This benefit can provide reimbursement for eligible expenses when a covered delay leaves you stranded for several hours or overnight.

However, you will only receive a refund if you follow the proper claims process. Make sure you understand your card coverage requirements, save your receipts and travel documents, and obtain written confirmation of the delay from the carrier. Having the correct documentation can make the difference between an approved travel delay reimbursement claim and one that is denied.

Related: Should you get travel insurance if you have credit card protection?

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