Travel protection perks on award travel?

[MrDisco99]

I'm pretty close to redeeming some points for award travel.  I have a couple questions maybe you guys could help with.

If I use a card to pay the taxes and surcharges on an award ticket, will that trigger the travel insurance policies on that card (delay, lost luggage, etc.)?

Which of my cards (see sig) offers the best travel protection perks?  I'll probably end up going through the fine print on all of these anyway, but I'd like to know immediate impressions from you guys.

[Anonymous]

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@MrDisco99 wrote:

I'm pretty close to redeeming some points for award travel.  I have a couple questions maybe you guys could help with.

If I use a card to pay the taxes and surcharges on an award ticket, will that trigger the travel insurance policies on that card (delay, lost luggage, etc.)?

Which of my cards (see sig) offers the best travel protection perks?  I'll probably end up going through the fine print on all of these anyway, but I'd like to know immediate impressions from you guys.

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I was wondering the same thing, I will take my family on a vaction using UR pints next year. And I love the travel protection the CSR has. I don't want to lose that when redeeeming points to pay for it. 

Ironically I just had a flight cancelled and delayed 24 hours, unfortunely since its for work my CSR was not used.

[MrDisco99]

I just read that the Citi TY Premier (and Prestige) travel protection benefits are effective if PART of the fare is paid with the card or TY points. Most issuers require the whole fare be paid. Trip cancellation only covers amount paid but delay and baggage protections are effective.

I know Amex PRG requires payment of the entire fare for their protection policies to take effect. Not sure about Chase.

[fltireguy]

The nice thing wth Amex MR points is when you book a flight using them, you get all of the protections on your PRG or Platinum, etc... since they charge you for the full fare and then refund it. But also with MR points the taxes are included in the fares as well

[fltireguy]

And there’s nothing better than earning 5x points on a free ticket too!

[plastic_man]

From what I remember , at least for the CSR, you get all the benefits regardlesss if you paid the trip with UR points or not, but I could be wrong.

[pip3man]

only if u had the Prestige, in my experience has the best travel insurance and perks. I once had to cancel a trip and was reimbursed the full $2k I paid (via check) and still was allowed to keep the ticket for later use. And I had a 24hrs flight delay in LAX and was reimbursed $500 which im waiting on the check to arrive any moment from now. You don't have to pay for the ticket in full using the card to get coverage. Just using TYP and/or partial charges to the card works.

[MrDisco99]

If you book with MR points you only get 1 cent per point. I'm talking about transferring to airline partners and booking that way.

And what do you mean 5x on free travel? You don't get rewards when you buy with points, do you?

[iced]

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@MrDisco99 wrote:

I'm pretty close to redeeming some points for award travel.  I have a couple questions maybe you guys could help with.

If I use a card to pay the taxes and surcharges on an award ticket, will that trigger the travel insurance policies on that card (delay, lost luggage, etc.)?

Which of my cards (see sig) offers the best travel protection perks?  I'll probably end up going through the fine print on all of these anyway, but I'd like to know immediate impressions from you guys.

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When it comes to paying for the ticket, it'll likely come down to the individual card/bank. Some are good about covering insurance on the flight if you paid the fees for it with that card, others may want to see the full airfare. Some also see award ticket fees as paying the full price (since that is what the airline charged you, after all) and are fine with it. Advice is to read the fine print on each card.

I only have ever owned one card in your profile (TY Premier) and I have never used its insurance so I can't really comment on that part.

It's also key to read the COC for the airline you're flying with. Some airlines will reimburse hotels for overnight delays, depending on the circumstance, fare class, and/or location. For instance, if you're in the EU when you have a delay, the airline may be required by EU law to reimburse you up to a certain amount. Read your airline's COC to know just what they do and don't cover. Many airlines also reimburse delayed and lost luggage.

Other than the occasional hotel/meal reimbursement, the standard CC travel insurances for airfare aren't really doing much for you. Where CC insurances start becoming useful is with rental car and medevac. 

[Anonymous]

If I'm not mistaken, I believe you have to pay the entire trip with the card, not just taxes and fees. 

But again, I just used my AMEX Delta Platinum to pay $45 in taxes and fees and used 30,000 miles for a trip to Vegas and received my $100 statement credit.  Previously, the rep told me taxes and fees do not count towards the credit....but i got it...so...yeah.

Your best bet is to call and ask.