Credit card-reimbursed trip-delay costs

I read the subscribers’ letters on the subject “Travel Insurance Claim Denied” (July ’16. pg. 37 & Aug. ’16, pg. 36) and noted some situations in which travelers’ credit cards could have covered them when purchased insurance travel plans did not.

Traveling home from the British Virgin Islands to Burlington, Vermont, in February 2016, my husband and I encountered a flight cancellation due to weather, and it required an overnight stay in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. American Airlines was not responsible for any reimbursement, as the cancellation/delay was due to weather.

I hadn’t purchased a travel insurance plan for this trip.

But I had purchased our airline tickets with our Chase Sapphire Visa card (800/432-3117, www.chase.com), so I filled out a claim for reimbursement and submitted all of the receipts for expenses that were caused by our delay. These included dinner and a hotel room and an extra day for our car parked at the airport and an extra day’s boarding for our dog in the kennel. 

I was reimbursed!

It’s always a good idea to check your credit card for its travel benefits.

LOUISE MESSNER

Warren, VT

The Chase Sapphire Visa “Travel Protection” plan can be found by visiting www.chase.com/online/sapphire/sapphire.html and clicking on “Enhanced Security and Protection” and then on “travel and purchase protection benefits.” 

Under one of the benefits listed, “Trip Delay Reimbursement,” it states, “If your common carrier travel is delayed more than 12 hours or requires an overnight stay, you and your family are covered for unreimbursed expenses, such as meals and lodging, up to $500 per ticket.”