About Trip Cancel Guard

AMEX announced a new benefit on May 5, 2022, called Trip Cancel Guard. Its biggest feature is a simple flight cancellation policy: if you book airfare on amextravel.com with an AMEX card, even if the ticket is nonrefundable, you can still get up to 75% refunded as long as you cancel at least two days in advance.

However... this service is not free! The price depends on the airfare, and from my calculations it is roughly around 8%. You can add this benefit during step 3 when booking a flight through AMEX Travel.

How to Use It

According to the official website, this benefit works in three steps:

  • Book your flight through amextravel.com and purchase Trip Cancel Guard during the booking process
  • If you need to use the benefit, you must cancel your flight at least two days before departure (if you have already flown one half of a round trip, you cannot use it)
  • After canceling, submit your reimbursement request through the digital calim center

One important thing to note is that AMEX will only reimburse up to 75% of the ticket price. For example, on a $100 ticket, if the airline gives you nothing back after cancellation, AMEX will reimburse you $75. If the airline refunds $50, then AMEX will only reimburse $25, bringing the total back to $75.

Request for Reimbursement means a request made by You to the Benefit Administrator reimburse Eligible
Beneficiaries for loss of up to 75% of Nonrefundable Prepaid Expenses linked to an Eligible Trip Itinerary that

Also, based on my own testing, not every airline is eligible for this benefit. For example, I tried international flights from Los Angeles to Shanghai:

  • Delta, AA, and AC could all be purchased normally with this benefit
  • EVA, China Airline, and mixed itineraries involving multiple airlines could not

Submitting a reimbursement request is fairly convenient. You only need to upload the required documents and information online. I would guess you need to upload emails related to the flight cancellation and similar records.

Is It Worth It?

Since this service is not free and costs about 8% of the total ticket price, we need to think about whether it is worth paying for. First, this benefit requires you to book airfare through amextravel.com, and that price may differ a bit from the lowest fare you can find elsewhere online. However, cards like the AMEX Platinum earn 5x MR points on purchases through AMEX Travel, which can basically cover some of that price difference.

Cancel for Any Reason

The most important part is that this benefit lets you cancel a flight for any reason and still receive reimbursement. Regular travel insurance usually only covers things like injury, illness, and similar situations. AMEX also says this is a benefit for AMEX cardholders, not insurance. You can even buy travel insurance and Trip Cancel Guard at the same time.

Financial reimbursement if you have to cancel or interrupt your trip due to a covered illness, injury, jury duty, and more

Price Comparison

Another issue is price. If your travel plans are uncertain, you could book a refundable ticket instead. So which is the better deal: a refundable ticket or buying Trip Cancel Guard? I randomly checked an AA flight from Los Angeles to New York on one day:

  • AA's refundable fare was $558, while the nonrefundable fare was $508
  • For the exact same flight, AMEX Travel was only $482, and Trip Cancel Guard cost $31.39

Of course, pricing may vary by date, but based on this example, booking through AMEX Travel with Cancel Guard looks like a pretty good option. Also, some airlines may not refund cash even on refundable tickets, and may instead issue airline credit. In that case, getting money back through Cancel Guard may be better.

What Are Some Good Use Cases?

Right now, this service is clearly aimed at situations where your travel plans are highly uncertain. Using this approach, you can make sure that if you cancel for any reason, you still get at least 75% back.

For example, many people trying to return to China may book multiple flights and then take whichever one actually works, canceling the rest. Canceling flights can leave you with a large amount of airline credit that you then have to find a chance to use later. By using this cancel-for-any-reason benefit, you can turn those unused flights back into cash, and for some people, taking a 25% loss may be acceptable.