As countries around the world have recently relaxed their COVID restrictions, people are traveling more and more again. However, the aviation industry still has not returned to normal operations. In both the US and Europe, there have been large numbers of flight delays and even cancellations. Flight disruptions are certainly frustrating, but if a credit card can reimburse some of the extra expenses, that is at least some consolation.
AMEX Trip Delay Insurance
Let’s first talk about what trip delay insurance covers. To qualify, you must use an eligible AMEX card, airline miles, or Membership Rewards points to purchase a round-trip ticket departing from home, although that round trip can consist of multiple separately purchased one-way tickets. In addition, the flight delay must exceed 6 hours. The insurance reimburses reasonable additional expenses caused by the delay that were not reimbursed by the airline.
Once you learn that a delay has occurred, I recommend saving all receipts for your expenses, or at least taking photos and keeping electronic copies. This includes food, transportation, and lodging. Even if you think at the time that you may not need them, the situation may change, and receipts that seem unnecessary at first may end up being reimbursable after all.
The Delay
In this case, I was flying Flair Air from Edmonton (Edmonton, AB) to Abbotsford, BC. The distance was not very far. But the day before departure, I received an Email from Flair notifying me that the next day’s flight would be delayed by 3 hours. Under Canadian regulations, the airline also informed me that the reason for the delay was within the airline’s control. Since the delay was not very long, I did not pay much attention to it and simply planned to go to the airport later.
On the day of departure, Flair sent another Email saying the flight would be delayed further, this time because it was “within the airline’s control, but required for safety reasons.” They also included a C$10 Visa virtual gift card. I also kept receipts from meals I had earlier that day at other restaurants. After that, nothing unusual happened during the trip to the airport or boarding. As luck would have it, when the plane was approaching the Greater Vancouver area, there were some thunderstorms that slowed things down. The landing ended up being just over 6 hours late.
Because we landed fairly late, public transportation from Abbotsford was no longer running. I ended up taking an Uber into downtown Vancouver.
The Claim Process
Because the final reason Flair gave for the delay was safety-related, under Canadian rules the airline was not required to provide additional compensation in this situation. Still, I decided it was worth a try, so I sent Flair an Email requesting compensation and also filed a complaint with the CTA. So far, though, it has been like a stone dropped into the sea, with no response at all.
It looked like my best hope was AMEX. Following the requirements in the American Express benefits guide (I recommend carefully reading the terms after anything happens), I called AMEX to open a claim. Unlike AMEX baggage delay insurance, which is handled by AMEX Assurance Company, AMEX trip delay insurance claims are handled by AIG, so all further communication was with AIG.
After the call, AIG sent me an email asking me to fill out a claim form and submit various supporting documents:
I submitted everything as requested. For proof of the delay, I provided the airline’s delay Emails as well as screenshots from Flightaware.com showing the delayed flight time. I also submitted my Uber receipt and receipts for food and drinks that day.
After submitting the documents, it was time for the waiting game.
About 2 weeks after I submitted everything, I received an Email from AIG confirming that the claim had been approved and that I would receive a claim check in the mail. About a week later, the check arrived at my home.
Bottom Line
Overall, the claim experience with AMEX trip delay insurance was quite good. As long as you keep the required documents, the process is fairly straightforward. The hardest item to obtain may be proof from the airline showing the reason for the delay. So if you do not have an official Email from the airline like I did, you can ask the gate agents at the airport to issue written proof of the delay for future claim purposes.
Nowadays, the restrictions and conditions on trip delay insurance from major credit card issuers keep getting tighter. I recommend checking the benefits in advance when buying airfare and making sure you use the right credit card for the purchase.