What credit card do you use for travel?

[frugal-one]

The card we were using no longer provides insurance and charges a fee for foreign transactions. Know of any that have these benefits? Thanks! F-O

Answered my own question.... still hard to find ones that provide insurance.
https://www.cardratings.com/travel-r...creditcarduser

UPDATE:
COSTCO cards charge no foreign transaction fees, have car rental insurance, accident insurance and more. Trip problems are covered up to $3000 per person. Think this will be the card I carry. Check it out.

[catherine]

Sorry.. what kind of insurance are you talking about? Trip insurance? Like if you have to cancel a flight or a whole trip?

I'm pretty loyal to American Express. I don't know what their official travel policy is, but here's a good story about great customer service.

My BIL was turning 50 6 months after MIL died (2011). As many of you know, BIL lived with MIL his entire life. We decided to get him a cruise for this first milestone birthday without her--not a hugely expensive one but definitely far more than we would normally spend on a birthday for him. We thought he needed encouragement to get out in the world, meet a girl, etc. etc. (I can already hear the gnashing of teeth and growls of many of my friends here).

So pretty last minute I booked a Norwegian cruise, and put in on my AMEX. Of course, it was well past the refund dates cited on Norwegian's payment policy.

We watched him as he opened the brochure and then we watched his face drop. He gave us a lame "thanks" and then excused himself. Obviously he was upset. Next morning I went next door and asked him what he really thought about the gift. And he unloaded on how he definitely was not interested in going on a cruise. He almost made it sound like we were stupid for thinking so (well, maybe we were). I told him he certainly didn't have to go if he didn't want to.

Now I'm thinking, holy crap--I just spent a good amount of money on a 4-day cruise. I started planning the process of transferring the ticket to me and DH, to at least get something out of it.

But I thought, well, let me talk to American Express.

The woman on the phone was so nice and understanding. She acknowledged that the cruise line has policies about refunds that are hard to rebut. But she said she would try.

I got a full refund. I'll be honest--maybe my card has trip insurance and she was just milking my desperate request to make it SOUND like they were going above and beyond, but in any case, I got my money back and that's all I cared about. (ETA: I checked and my card does not offer trip insurance)

BIL got a cake and a card in 2012.

[SteveinMN]

We've been using an airline-affiliated CC that DW has had since before we married. No fee, uncertain interest rate (it's paid in full every month), and, now, enough miles to get DW to family across the country (or to transfer to someone in the family who needs to get somewhere).

I should check the current list of benefits; it used to include trip insurance. But, tbh, if the trip is important enough to us to warrant trip insurance, we prefer buying a policy for that trip from Squaremouth which covers far more than the trip insurance on most CCs.

[Gardnr]

Capital One is our only CC. We use it for everything. like Stevie, if needed serious travel insurance, I'd buy a policy specific to a bundled trip.

[frugal-one]

Capital One is our only CC. We use it for everything. like Stevie, if needed serious travel insurance, I'd buy a policy specific to a bundled trip.

Obviously, if you are paying mega $$, a serious travel insurance is warranted. However, it would be nice to have (as in past cards) around $1,200 in case the air was cancelled and hotel, etc would be covered. I am not going to take separate insurance for that amount.

[Gardnr]

Obviously, if you are paying mega $$, a serious travel insurance is warranted. However, it would be nice to have (as in past cards) around $1,200 in case the air was cancelled and hotel, etc would be covered. I am not going to take separate insurance for that amount.

I don't either. And, we don't pay mega $$ for travel.

[Gardenarian]

We only have one credit card, the Costco Visa. We get 3% back from travel purchases.

I also have a debit card that I can use at any ATM worldwide with no fees.

I have never purchased travel insurance.

[Yppej]

I have never purchased travel insurance either. I try to travel in calm seasons, like nothing in the hurricane zone in summer or fall.

[Teacher Terry]

I buy trip insurance for our cruises and European trips.

[Gardnr]

I buy trip insurance for our cruises and European trips.

We bought trip insurance for the cruise we took summer 2017 because my sister selected a damned expensive one for her 65th birthday celebration. That's the only time we've purchased it.

[Teacher Terry]

The insurance is not very expensive. At our age one of us could end up sick. My mom used her trip insurance enough to make it worthwhile.

[frugal-one]

I think the last time we purchased insurance it was about 10% of the trip. I think that is expensive!

[SteveinMN]

I think the last time we purchased insurance it was about 10% of the trip. I think that is expensive!
It's not cheap -- but, then, neither are the services that worthwhile policies provide, like ship-to-shore transportation if you're critically sick. Like all insurance, it's a matter of managing risk. Our policies have covered matters as diverse as surgeon's fees in other countries, medical transportation to countries where appropriate care is available, alternate transportation in the event of a natural disaster or political coup, and even will repay the cost of the cruise and airfare if your employer declares that you must stay at work instead of vacation. Like most insurance, you hope never to have to draw on it.

It's all managing risk. MHO is that, on a big vacation I'm a lot of places where I'm not familiar with the food or the quality of the water or with allergens or local insects and I'm doing certain activities (hiking in mountains, walking on slippery rocks, etc.) that I'm not always doing at home. I also figure that if the trip were, say, 10% more expensive, I probably still would go. But I'll put up 10% of, say, 5 or 6 grand for the bigger trips. It's a better ratio than my car insurance (on which I haven't claimed in decades)....

[Teacher Terry]

The trip insurance I buy only covers the cost of the cruise and airfare. Medical coverage is separate and we do not buy that. I think on our first cruise I paid 80 each for the cruise and airfare which cost 4k. Well worth it to me. A friend of mine bought the medical insurance because they had many health issues at the time (cancer).

[frugalone]

Capital One. I have it linked to a Cap One savings account as well. Have had no issues with it.