It’s the season for major changes to credit card purchase and travel protections, it seems. This week, Citi removed benefits from a slew of its credit cards, and now American Express is sharing some changes coming to its own portfolio. Fortunately, however, Amex’s tweaks are far more balanced — and, in some cases, card members will actually be considerably better off.
All of the changes below take effect on January 1, 2020, though Amex will begin notifying customers on October 1.
Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
First, I’ll detail benefits that Amex is adding — they’re game-changing, in my opinion, especially when paired with the 5x points you’ll earn on direct airfare purchases with The Platinum Card® from American Express and on flights booked through AmexTravel.com with The Business Platinum® Card from American Express.
Beginning on January 1, if you book a round-trip flight entirely with your eligible card and the flight is canceled for a “covered reason” — including inclement weather, terrorist action, call to jury, sudden illness or injury to you or an eligible traveler — you may receive reimbursement of non-refundable travel expenses of up to $10,000 per trip, with a maximum of up to $20,000 per eligible account for each consecutive 12-month period.
Note that a round-trip is defined as travel to one or more destinations that begins and ends in the original city of departure. So one itinerary bringing a covered traveler from New York to London, then back from Paris to New York would qualify as a round-trip for the purposes of Amex’s insurance coverage.
This particular perk will be available with the following Amex cards:
- The Platinum Card® from American Express
- The Business Platinum® Card from American Express
- American Express Corporate Platinum Card
- Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express
- Delta Reserve® Credit Card from American Express
- Delta Reserve for Business Credit Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant
American Express® Card
These are Amex’s premium credit cards with significant annual fees, so it’s not surprising they’re getting this new perk. Though to be fair, it’s a perk that other credit cards have had for a while. Travelers will also be covered if they book award tickets with miles but use one of the eligible Amex cards to pay the taxes and fees, as well as customers who purchase tickets using Pay With Points.
Trip delay insurance
Amex is also adding trip delay insurance, which will cover round-trip flights purchased entirely with an eligible card (again, paying taxes and fees on award tickets or Pay With Points tickets are also covered). If your trip is delayed by more than six hours due to a covered reason, this perk will reimburse unexpected expenses — such as meals, lodging and personal-use items — up to $500 per trip with the following cards:
- The Platinum Card® from American Express
- The Business Platinum® Card from American Express
- American Express Corporate Platinum Card
- Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express
- Delta Reserve® Credit Card from American Express
- Delta Reserve for Business Credit Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express® Card
And, if your trip is delayed more than 12 hours due to a covered reason, you’ll be eligible for expense reimbursement of up to $300 with these cards:
- American Express® Gold Card
- American Express® Business Gold Card
- American Express Green Card
- Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express
- Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express
Extended warranty and purchase protection
Beginning January 1, most consumer and small business American Express cards will offer one year of coverage, down from the two years offered today. Note that select no annual fee cards won’t offer extended warranty coverage at all, including Blue from American Express®, the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card, the American Express Cash Magnet® Card and the Blue Cash Everyday® Credit Card from American Express.
Additionally, all Amex consumer and business cards that currently offer purchase protection will have this benefit changed to 90 days, down from the 120 days offered today. As of now, a number of Chase cards offer 120 days of purchase protection, so once this Amex change kicks in, you may want to consider making large purchases with one of those cards, instead.
The information for the Amex EveryDay, Amex Magnet, Blue Cash Everyday has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Other changes
Finally, American Express is removing two underutilized benefits across the board: Travel Accident Insurance, which covers expenses specifically related to death or dismemberment during a covered trip, and Roadside Assistance Hotline. Amex reports that fewer than 1% of cardmembers have utilized these benefits, so the impact should be limited here.
Bottom line
Overall, while some benefits are being reduced, customers are gaining useful travel coverages, so the net effect is positive. It’s also great that the new perks will also cover Pay With Points tickets, along with award tickets booked with miles when an eligible Amex card is used to pay the taxes and fees. So if you’re considering whether one of the premium travel credit cards belongs in your purse or wallet, these new protections will be another factor to take into account.
This story has been updated with information from Amex on coverage for Pay With Points and award tickets.
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