Personal Finance

Credit card with best trip cancellation/interruption insurance?

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  • May 19th, 2015 2:48 pm
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Deal Fanatic
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Jan 11, 2008
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Paulfistinyourface wrote: I'm pretty sure it's still available. I got something in my recent statement mentioning a bonus for switching to this card.

(I have the Nat. Bank Edition MC, not the Platinum. I hardly use it.)

That would be a great bonus if it is for new customers as well.
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Mar 2, 2005
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loseyourmindtoo wrote: I also chose the National Bank Platinum card because of the great insurance with it. Specifically, the trip cancellation insurance was fantastic. A lot of the other cards (TD Infinite, Aspire etc...) have similar or even better rewards, but not enough trip cancellation. That was the clincher for me. The rewards of 1.5%/1.36% are great too! And you can apply it to any travel you want. You just charge it to your card, then call them and they will give you a credit! Plus, when I applied, there was a bonus of 20000 points (=$200).

I don't know why this card is not talked about more on RFD! It's one of the best travel cards out there!

Its because RFD is that "Red Flag Deals" :D most people consider freebies to be deals. How many threads come up with sign-up bonuses and everyone jumps to score one. But what you said is right, this card has best insurance package and I think if they put out a decent promo or renewal bonus, this will get a lot of loving at RFD.
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JustBob wrote: I still don't get what the 1.50/1.36% reward is about.

For example, I currently have 54,000 points on my card. If I apply 50,000 points towards travel, I get a $500 travel discount. Where does that 1.50/1.36% reward fit in this scenario?

That's the rate of return when you redeem what you've earned from using the card.

You get 1.5 points for every dollar spent. For example for travel, if you redeem less than $500 your rate of return is 1.36% and if you redeem for $500 your rate of return is 1.5%. (e.g. you have to spend approximately $7,333 to get a $100 travel reward which makes the rate of return 1.36% in that case).
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Feb 9, 2003
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Seems expensive to me. I'd rather just self-insure. It's essentially a gamble. You pay $125, and you only get paid back on the non-refundable portion over $1000/pp. The odds of it paying out are slim. The money would go further in a casino.
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i6s1 wrote: Seems expensive to me. I'd rather just self-insure. It's essentially a gamble. You pay $125, and you only get paid back on the non-refundable portion over $1000/pp. The odds of it paying out are slim. The money would go further in a casino.

? I'm not sure where you got that idea from, and if it was true it certainly wouldn't be worth it but that isn't how it works at all.

For the trip cancellation insurance, you get your non-refundable amounts back to a maximum of $2,500/person and the interruption insurance you get the listed coverages paid for up to a maximum of $5,000/person. It doesn't start at your amounts over $1,000/person at all.
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sillysimms wrote: ? I'm not sure where you got that idea from, and if it was true it certainly wouldn't be worth it but that isn't how it works at all.

For the trip cancellation insurance, you get your non-refundable amounts back to a maximum of $2,500/person and the interruption insurance you get the listed coverages paid for up to a maximum of $5,000/person. It doesn't start at your amounts over $1,000/person at all.

Sorry, I meant over the capital one, which has cancellation of $1000 and interruption of $5000.
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i6s1 wrote: Sorry, I meant over the capital one.

:) That makes a lot more sense!

Yes, it is a personal choice and for me, this card is better but it may not be for others.
Sr. Member
Nov 22, 2010
759 posts
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Toronto
i6s1 wrote: Seems expensive to me. I'd rather just self-insure. It's essentially a gamble. You pay $125, and you only get paid back on the non-refundable portion over $1000/pp. The odds of it paying out are slim. The money would go further in a casino.

Same here. The capital one card provides a nice balance between having some insurance for minimal cost (net $20 annual fee) and self insuring the rest. Occasionally I will have a trip with non-refundable costs over $1K, but it usually doesn't go over by much so I'm comfortable with self-insuring a few hundred vs. paying $120 or more annual fee.

But if others are not comfortable with it, then that's up to them, and the $120 or so buys them peace of mind.
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Oct 8, 2006
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travelgeek wrote: Same here. The capital one card provides a nice balance between having some insurance for minimal cost (net $20 annual fee) and self insuring the rest.

Not only "a nice balance" but a beter return of 2% than 1.5%(1.36%) in NBC case.
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Mar 2, 2005
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travelgeek wrote: Same here. The capital one card provides a nice balance between having some insurance for minimal cost (net $20 annual fee) and self insuring the rest. Occasionally I will have a trip with non-refundable costs over $1K, but it usually doesn't go over by much so I'm comfortable with self-insuring a few hundred vs. paying $120 or more annual fee.

But if others are not comfortable with it, then that's up to them, and the $120 or so buys them peace of mind.

+1. Insurance is something we invest in hoping we never have to use it. Not only that is a good card for insurance, its rewards are very competitive when compared to popular cards like the Avion, Aventura & First Class.
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Feb 14, 2006
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What about BMO's World Elite card?
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Nov 22, 2010
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lilclie wrote: What about BMO's World Elite card?

more trip cancellation coverage than what aspire is providing, but steep annual fee and lackluster rewards.
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Feb 16, 2004
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Sorry to bump an old thread...

We are planning a trip in January and we already have BMO MC. There is an option of adding Trip Cancellation insurance for $80/year.

I have a pre-existing condition in my back (so the call it)...ocasional flare-ups where i have to take pain killers and muscle relaxer pills...I assume this ins will NOT cover a flare up , right?

What about the National Bank CC?

Any advise? :)
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bump


Nevermind...3 months wait time for National Bank MC
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Mar 1, 2015
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Birdton, NB
Sorry to bump an old thread, but this one seemed the most on point I could find. If I missed something, I'm sorry.

Anyone recently looked into this (i.e. best trip cancellation/interruption insurance with a credit card)? Flight/baggage delay (maybe baggage loss) coverage is also important (we're near a small airport and so often do have weather related cancellations going out/coming back, to connecting flights). Same boat as OP in that travel medical is not as much of a concern due to other coverage, but as family of 4, per person/trip totals and how restrictive is what we are looking at. From my own research, the NBC cards still appear among the best (and they don't seem to have any restrictions based on province of residence), but trying to sort through/comparing insurance details has been complicated and so if someone else has looked into this recently, wouldn't mind some thoughts.

For the NBC cards, the thread mentions the Plat card, but AFAICT, the World also has same insurance benefits/fees, but higher rewards? Any other differences? (rewards not critical, but, hey, if I can get coverage and some rewards, I'll take 'em and if I can get more rewards, why not?).

Thanks for any input! :)
Sr. Member
Oct 31, 2003
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Woodbridge
Scotiabank AMEX gold has a very comprehensive insurance package.

75% of the flight's ticket must be charged to the cc in order for the insurance (flight delay and trip cancellation/interruption) to be activated and the full charge of the hotel/motel for its burglary insurance.
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Jan 28, 2014
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I would start looking at the MAXIMUM flight cancellation insurance per person. If it is $1,000 per person and your tickets cost $1,500 per person you will lose $500 each.

We have a purchased multi-trip plan - we decided on how much trip cancellation to buy. So if my husband paid $2,600 and I paid $1,400 and we have a cap of $2,000 each, I could not add his $600 overage to my $1,400 resulting in the allowable claim of $2,000 each.

A few years ago a co-worker of my husband's was interested in a specific credit card for the trip cancellation/interruption insurance. The maximum coverage per person was $1,000 - their tickets cost $1,600 each. They were also travelling for 15 days. The card allowed for 10 days - including days of departure and return - so basically 8 days. And of course just to add to the story, her husband was over 65 - she was not - another issue - one that I do not think you have - yet!
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Aug 31, 2014
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sillysimms wrote: I'm looking at replacing my RBC Infinite Avion credit card as it has trip interruption but no cancellation insurance.

I've looked at the Capital One Aspire, but the cancellation insurance is only $1,000/person - we normally cruise and want more than that.

I'm not concerned with travel medical insurance as we have that through work (although most cards with the other insurances have that). Rewards aren't a major issue as I have another main CC and just want this for the insurance when booking trips.

I've looked at many cards and just wanted to check whether anyone knows one that is better for what I'm looking for:

Seems like the best choice for me:

National Bank Platinum Mastercard:

http://www.nbc.ca/bnc/cda/productfamily ... 48,00.html

Annual fee $125

Cancellation insurance: $2,500/person
Interruption insurance: $5,000/person
Checked baggage: $500/person (if delayed 6 hours or more)
Flight delay insurance: $250/day to a max of $500 if delay is 4 hours or more

There are other coverages as well and for anyone interested, the rewards program is $1 purchase = 1.5 points. 11,000 points = $100 travel discount. 50,000 points = $500 discount

Is anyone aware of a better card specifically for travel cancellation/interruption insurance? Thanks.
Avion added cancellation awhile back

http://www.rbcroyalbank.com/credit-card ... avion.html
Newbie
Mar 1, 2015
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Birdton, NB
sillysimms wrote: Yep, but it hadn't been added in 2011 when I made the thread.
Did you end up going with the NBC or keeping the Avion in the end? We're actually looking at the Avion as an alternative option. Any thoughts on the Avion generally?

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