Taking out travel insurance is essential for all trips and many people opt for credit card travel insurance instead of choosing a plan from an insurance company on the market. But is it the best option and is it worth it? We’ll talk about that in this article. Check out!
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How to use credit card travel insurance?
The credit card travel insurance must be activated for the period in which the insured person is away and, in case of any eventuality during his trip, he must activate his insurance, in order to be entitled to the benefit.
In short, credit card travel insurance works like international travel insurance. It covers medical and hospital expenses, as well as flight cancellations, lost luggage , and other benefits, depending on the insurance.
How to activate credit card travel insurance?
As a rule, card operators require the customer to buy the tickets (full amount) with their credit card, to be entitled to the benefit of travel insurance. If your ticket is issued with miles, you may also be entitled to benefit, provided that all departure taxes have been paid with your eligible credit card.
And, even if premium customers are entitled to travel insurance , the activation of their benefit is not carried out automatically. To issue the policy , the customer must contact his card operator before his trip.
Regardless of the brand of your credit card, the procedure for activating travel insurance is practically the same: the customer must log in to the company’s website*, complete the basic information requested and place his order, according to the period of Your trip.
* Note: the website for customers to request their travel insurance varies according to their card brand:
How do I know if my credit card has travel insurance?
Credit card travel insurance is offered to customers who have one of the premium brand credit cards (such as Visa, MasterCard, Elo and American Express) , such as:
- Visa: Platinum or Infinite;
- Mastercard: Platinum e Black;
- Elo: Diners Club, Nanquin Diners Club, Nanquin and Grafite;
- American Express: Green, Gold e Platinum.
The higher the category of your credit card brand, the greater the coverage offered.
However, the best way to confirm whether your credit card offers travel insurance is by checking the benefits offered by the brand directly on the operator’s website. Thus, it is possible to verify if you are entitled to the benefit and issue the policy.
It is worth emphasizing, therefore, that it is not enough to have the benefit; it is necessary to issue the document before your trip . The policy is proof of insurance!
How to activate credit card travel insurance?
In the event of an unforeseen event covered by your travel insurance during your trip, the insured person must call the Call Center for the card brand, available 24 hours a day, and ask for guidance. This can be done by calling or even in the customer portal.
It is extremely important that you have your travel insurance policy at hand (or easily accessible), with all the contact details in case of an emergency, such as telephone number, website, etc. In any case, here are the contacts of the flags of the main cards:
Visa
- Call made in Brazil: 0800 891 3679;
- Calling from the US and Canada: 1 800 396 9665;
- Calls made from other countries: 1 303 967 1098.
You can request to make a collect call.
MasterCard
- Call made in Brazil: 0800 891 3294;
- Calling from the US: 1 800 627 8372;
- Calls made from other countries: 1 636 722 7111.
How much
- Calls made in Brazil: 0800 892 1755 or 0800 047 4740;
- Calls made from other countries: + 52 55 9126 9503.
American Express
- Calls made in Brazil: 0800 042 0393 (Bradesco customers) and 0800 761 5422 (Santander customers);
- Calls made from the US and Canada: +1 888 558 2701 (Bradesco and Santander);
- Calls made from other countries: +1 312 356 5921 (Bradesco and Santander).
Is the credit card travel insurance coverage sufficient for Europe?
It depends on the flag and category of your credit card.
The MasterCard Platinum, for example, offers coverage for medical and hospital expenses for Europe of just 30,000 euros, which is the minimum required to enter Schengen Treaty destinations and may not be enough for you, as it has more coverage. limited.
MasterCard Black, for example, covers up to $150,000 of medical and hospital expenses, which is more comprehensive coverage.
However, it is important to check the credit card travel insurance policy to which you are entitled, to check all the coverage offered and analyze whether they meet your needs.
How can I prove travel assistance insurance on my credit card?
To prove that you have travel insurance on your credit card or other travel insurance, it is essential that you print the policy with your personal data and information about the coverage of your plan and take the document with you in your hand luggage.
Is it worth using credit card insurance?
It depends .
Credit card travel insurance is a benefit offered “free of charge” to customers (and their families, depending on the age of their children) who have cards with a premium brand. That is, customers do not pay anything more than the annual fee for their card to be entitled to the benefit. In addition, it is offered in partnership with AIG Seguros , an insurance company recognized in the market.
On the other hand, the coverage available for this travel insurance may be limited, not sufficient for some countries or people, such as pregnant women and the elderly, for example, who need more specific coverage. It is “cast” insurance, as it is not possible to choose the coverage that best fits the profile, destination and needs of the insured person.
Therefore, we recommend that you carefully analyze the credit card travel insurance policy that you are entitled to, see if the coverage offered is sufficient for you and if it is worth hiring. If it doesn’t fit your needs, look for a personalized insurance plan to complement your travel protection.
How much does private travel insurance cost?
The cost of a private travel insurance plan varies according to some factors, such as: the contracted insurance company, the contracted coverages, the traveler’s profile, the destination, age, among others.
So, for you to have an idea of the values, on October 26, 2022, we carried out a quote on Seguros Promo for good Europe travel insurance plans for 10 days, with various coverage. See the result in the table below.
| coverage | Affinity 35 Europa | UA 40 World (except US) | Coris 60 Europa Basic +Covid19 | Travel Assist 150 World (Except USA) +Covid-19 |
| Medical and hospital expenses | USD 35 million | USD 40 million | EUR 60 mil | USD 150 million |
| Medical and hospital expenses due to Covid-19 | Not | Not | USD 10 million | USD 10 million |
| sanitary return | USD 35 million | USD 60 million | EUR 50 mil | USD 60 million |
| Body transfer | USD 35 million | USD 40 million | EUR 50 mil | USD 60 million |
| medical transfer | USD 900 | USD 40 million | EUR 50 mil | USD 60 million |
| lost luggage insurance | USD 1.200 Suplementar | USD 1.300 Suplementar | EUR 1 mil | USD 1.500 Suplementar |
| Permanent disability insurance by accident | R$ 50 mil | USD 1.500 | R$ 50 mil | R$ 30 mil |
| accidental death | R$ 50 mil | USD 1.500 | R$ 50 mil | R$ 30 mil |
| Valor | R$ 146,46 | R$ 265,40 | R$ 279,66 | R$ 236,44 |
Discover our ranking of the best travel insurance .
Where to quote other travel insurance options?
The best way to get a quote for other travel insurance options is through comparison sites. This is because in one place it is possible to view a wide variety of plans and prices, from renowned insurers in the market.
In addition to saving research time, you can also save money – as they market a large number of plans daily, these sites are usually able to charge less than the insurer’s own site.
Among the most recommended travel insurance comparators are Seguros Promo , Real Seguro Viagem and Compara Online .
Advantages and disadvantages of credit card travel insurance
See the main advantages and disadvantages of taking credit card travel insurance on your next trip to Europe.
Main advantages
- If you use the same credit card to rent a car, the insurance covers it and you do not need to hire the car rental company;
- As it is a benefit, you do not need to pay extra for it;
- Concierge: some offer this service and it is practical when traveling;
- Emergency withdrawal abroad;
- Access to the airport’s VIP area, in some cases.
main disadvantages
- Not having extras for pregnant women and sports practitioners is a disadvantage. In these cases, we suggest hiring more complete plans;
- It is not possible to choose the best travel insurance that suits your type of trip. Only what the card offers;
- The simplest cards offer limited coverage for high medical and hospital expenses in some countries.
Find out more about travel insurance for the Schengen Agreement.
Take out complete travel insurance
Our biggest recommendation is that your travel insurance offers the necessary items for your type of trip. Especially if you’re pregnant or playing sports. If you need insurance for the elderly or children, the benefit of cards is only worth it if they have the highest coverage.
Therefore, we suggest that you check the plans offered by Seguros Promo in complete plans of the main insurers in the market. Euro Tips readers still get a discount. To pay less than 10% of the amount of your travel insurance, enter the Seguros Promo EURODICAS5 discount coupon (to get a 5% discount) at the time of payment and pay by bank slip or PIX (to earn an additional 5%).
Frequently asked questions about card benefits
Now that you know the essential information about credit card travel insurance, see below for answers to some very common questions about the benefit of the card with different operators.
How does MasterCard credit card travel insurance work?
It works like traditional travel insurance. It includes coverage, such as: medical and hospital expenses, health return, return of dependents, among others.
And, in the event of an accident covered by your credit card travel insurance, the insured person should contact the Customer Service Center of their flag, to receive guidance. If necessary, he will pay the expenses out of his own pocket and then the insurance company will reimburse him.
The benefit is free, exclusive to premium MasterCard credit card customers .
How does Visa credit card travel insurance work?
Visa credit card travel insurance is available for Platinum or Infinite premium customers. Therefore, after purchasing the tickets with your card, the customer is entitled to issue, free of charge, their travel insurance. It is valid for trips of up to 60 calendar days and all trips made during the validity period of the insurance ticket are covered, 12 months from the date of issue.
As with the MasterCard brand, with Visa travel insurance , the insured must contact the brand operator to receive guidance in the event of an accident.
It is worth noting here that travel insurance is not the responsibility of your card brand, but AIG Seguros, the guarantor of credit card insurance.
How does Elo credit card travel insurance work?
To request your Elo credit card travel insurance, the insured must access the logged-in area of the Elo website and click on “My cards”. Afterwards, you must choose the travel insurance benefit and fill in your personal data. The ticket is sent by email.
The travel insurance ticket is valid for 12 months from the date of issue. In this period, all trips with a maximum duration of up to 90 consecutive days from the first departure date of each trip are covered. For Elo Corporativo Diners Club and Elo Corporativo Nanquim Diners Club cards, the maximum duration of the trip is 120 days.
If the trip begins within the 12 months of validity and ends after this period, it is essential to issue a new insurance ticket at the end of the first 12 months to supplement the coverage.
In the event of a covered claim occurring during your trip, the insured person must contact the operator’s Call Center to receive information on how to proceed.
How does American Express credit card travel insurance work?
Bradesco and Santander offer American Express credit cards in Brazil for VIP customers. And, despite being a benefit that is granted by the brand of your credit card, travel insurance is offered by AIG Seguros, an insurance partner of credit card operators and well known in the insurance industry.
After purchasing tickets with your eligible credit card, you can book travel insurance in just a few minutes, 100% online, from any device before or during your trip. And, should any unforeseen event occur during your trip, the insured can manage your requests and view your status at any time.