Credit Cards & Travel Insurance for The Schengen Visa
Last Updated : Sep 4, 2023
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If you're like me and travel overseas regularly, you already know that travel insurance can save you a lot of financial headaches. Furthermore, in a world that has endured COVID-19 (coronavirus), travel insurance is almost mandatory.
Not only does it mitigate the financial repercussions of uncontrollable events. It also allows you to enjoy a stress-free trip knowing that you're covered.
The question is...
Can You Use Credit Cards With Travel Insurance For The Schengen Visa?
In this post, I'll walk you through my personal experience and all my findings on the topic!
Can You Use Credit Cards With Travel Insurance For A Schengen Visa Application?
As a US Green Card Holder, I was fortunate enough to travel to 14 out of the 26 Schengen Countries. From my experience, I have learned that travel insurance is almost as important as a flight ticket!
For those who don't know, travel insurance is a mandatory Schengen Visa requirement (depending on your home country). As I'm not from the USA, and my home country requires a Schengen Visa, I need to provide proof of valid travel insurance.
During my travels, I kept wondering if there was a better way to provide proof of travel insurance for my Schengen Visa applications.
Back then, all my US friends recommended a credit card that included travel insurance. So after learning that some credit cards provide travel insurance, I immediately jumped on the internet to research the topic.
My query - "Can I use credit card insurance for my Schengen Visa application?"
Unfortunately, my research concluded that it would not be possible.
You see, credit cards with travel insurance do not meet the minimum insurance requirements for the Schengen Visa application.
I'll briefly explain the Schengen Visa travel insurance requirements...
What Are The Schengen Visa Insurance Requirements?
For a successful Schengen Visa Application, your travel insurance must meet the following requirements:
It must provide minimum coverage of €30,000
It must provide coverage across the entire Schengen Area (which form part of the European Union)
Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Your travel insurance must cover all medical expenses that may occur during your trip. This includes emergency hospital treatment, repatriation, medical costs, medical treatment, emergency medical evacuation, etc.
The insurance you decide to use must be valid for the duration of your stay. So, if you plan to visit Spain for 2 weeks, your insurance must be valid for 2 weeks.
Here's the problem...
Credit cards with travel insurance do not provide minimum coverage of €30,000 for medical expenses. For this reason, you won't be able to use them as proof of valid insurance when applying for your Schengen Visa.
In the end, you'll need to use travel insurance companies like AXA or Europe Assistance that provide some of the best travel insurance plans for visitors of the Schengen Area. European Embassies and Consulates will accept any one of these providers.
However, this does not mean that these credit cards are not viable travel insurance options. In fact, for frequent travelers (like myself), these credit cards have some excellent benefits.
Next, I'll talk about all the 5 best credit cards with travel insurance you should consider...
5 Best Credit Cards With Travel Insurance
If you're new to travel, you might not know that some credit cards include travel insurance.
In fact...
Some credit cards are specifically tailored towards frequent travelers.
Nonetheless, not all credit cards are equal. For example, you'll find that some provide excellent insurance coverage, whereas others have more limited benefits.
Here 5 credit cards you should consider for your next trip abroad:
Quick note: At the end of this section, I'll add why you can't use these cards as proof of travel insurance for your Schengen Visa.
For the purpose of this post, I'll only cover what each credit card covers in terms of travel. Also, I'll link to each credit card if you want to learn more about other benefits.
Chase Sapphire Reserve
Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver (up to $75,000.00)
Baggage Delay Insurance ($100 per day a maximum of 5 days)
Emergency Evacuation and Transportation (up to $100,000.00)
Emergency Medical and Dental Benefit (up to $2,500.00)
Extended Warranty Protection (up to a maximum of $10,000.00 per claim and a maximum of $50,000.00 per Account)
Lost Luggage Reimbursement (up to $3,000.00 per covered person per trip)
Purchase Protection (maximum of $10,000.00 per claim and $50,000.00 per year)
Return Protection (up to five hundred $500.00 per item and $1000.00 per account)
Roadside Assistance
Travel Accident Insurance
Travel and Emergency Assistance Services
Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance (up to $10,000.00 per covered person and up to twenty thousand $20,000.00 per trip)
Trip Delay Reimbursement (up to $500.00 for each ticket purchased)
If you want to learn more about the benefits of this card, check this pamphlet on all the included coverage and how to claim them.
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver
Baggage Delay Insurance (maximum benefit is $100.00 per day up to five (5) days)
Extended Warranty Protection (up to $10,000.00 per claim** and **$50,000.00 per account)
Lost Luggage Reimbursement (each has a maximum benefit up to $3,000.00 per covered person per trip)
Purchase Protection (up to $500.00 per claim and $50,000.00 account)
Roadside Dispatch
Travel Accident Insurance
Travel and Emergency Assistance Services
Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance (up to $10,000.00 per covered person and up to $20,000.00 per trip)
Trip Delay Reimbursement (up to $500.00 for each ticket purchased)
For more detailed information about this card, check this pamphlet on all the included coverage and how to claim them.
United Explorer Card
Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver
Baggage Delay Insurance (up to $100 a day for 3 days)
Lost Luggage Reimbursement (up to $3,000 per passenger)
Trip Cancellation / Trip Interruption Insurance (up to $1,500 per person and $6,000 per trip)
Trip Delay Reimbursement (up to $500 per ticket)
Purchase Protection (new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per year)
Extended Warranty Protection
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express Card
Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance
Premium Global Assist® Hotline
Baggage Insurance Plan (up to $2,000 for checked baggage and combined maximum of $3,000 for checked and carry-on baggage)
Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance (up to $10,000 per trip and up to $20,000 per card)
Trip Delay Insurance (up to $500 per trip, maximum 2 claims per eligible card)
The Platinum Card from American Express
Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance
Premium Global Assist® Hotline
Trip Delay (up to $500 per trip, maximum 2 claims per card)
Trip Cancellation (up to $10,000 per trip and up to $20,000 per card)
Why These Cards Can't Be Used For Your Schengen Visa Application
As I mentioned, the minimum travel insurance requirements for the Schengen Visa are pretty strict. All of these cards mentioned above do not meet one essential requirement:
They do not provide medical coverage of up to €30,000.00
Even though some cards, like the Chase Sapphire Reserve, include some sort of medical coverage. The amount covered does not meet the minimum requirement of €30,000.00. It's essential that your travel insurance covers all medical costs. Most of these cards only provide limited medical coverage.
For this reason, you won't be able to use a credit card with travel insurance for your Schengen Visa application.
What Credit Card Is The Best Option?
These are the credit cards I recommend. Nonetheless, there are many other credit cards with travel insurance not listed. Remember, not all cards are equal, and you need to choose a credit card most suited to your traveling needs.
For example:
If you travel regularly (like business travel), the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card is your best option. For those who travel often but not as frequently (like me), I would recommend the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card.
What Do Credit Cards With Travel Insurance Cover?
The benefits you receive from a travel credit card depend on the type of credit card you apply for. Also, as I mentioned earlier, not all credit cards with travel insurance are equal.
You'll find that some travel credit cards have more insurance benefits than others (as seen in the list above).
I'll quickly walk you through the most common benefits you'll find with these types of credit cards.
Note: These benefits only include travel insurance benefits.
Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver
The Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver typically provides coverage for a rented vehicle. This can include damage, theft, or collision of a rented vehicle.
Be mindful of the terms and conditions of your travel credit card. For example, the insurance will only cover vehicles rented from certain companies in some cases. Furthermore, your travel credit card may exclude some countries from this type of protection.
Baggage Delay Insurance
Once, my baggage was delayed for 16 hours. I found myself without clothes, toiletries, and a cellphone charger. After making peace with my situation, I had to buy a few items while I waited for my luggage.
This is what the Baggage Delay Insurance is all about.
If you find yourself in the same situation, your travel credit card can reimburse all emergency purchases made due to baggage delays.
Most travel credit cards only provide a limited amount (like $100) for a certain wait time (like 6 hours). However, this is more than enough to get the essentials while you wait.
Lost Luggage Reimbursement
I've heard many horror stories of people losing their luggage while traveling. Luckily, travel credit cards can provide coverage for these exact situations. As a result, you'll be able to replace all your belongings and essentials.
The amount you can claim depends on the terms and conditions of your credit card.
For example, theChase Sapphire Reserve has a maximum of up to $3,000.00 per covered person.
Travel and Emergency Assistance Services
When traveling abroad, something as simple as acquiring medical assistance may be more challenging than you think. This could be because of a language barrier, local laws, etc. This is only one of many examples.
The Travel and Emergency Assistance Service acts as a line of communication when you find yourself in these types of situations. Dedicated staff will use reasonable efforts to relay emergency messages on your behalf. Furthermore, this will also allow you to clearly understand instructions given to you by doctors, nurses, police officers, and so on.
Keep in mind that this is only an assistance service and does not cover any cost that may occur during such events.
Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance
Unfortunately, many unexpected events can lead to your trip being canceled. Weather, wars, local law changes, you name it. This could result in you losing all your money for a planned trip that can't happen.
Trip Cancellation Insurance can mitigate this financial loss. In some cases, you might even be fully reimbursed for your entire trip.
Trip Delay Reimbursement
A flight being delayed is not unheard of.
In fact
According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 809,509 flights were delayed in 2021.
Trip Delay Reimbursement provides coverage for such instances.
For example, the Chase Sapphire Reserve will reimburse expenses incurred during the delay of up to $500.00 for each ticket purchased. This only applies when delayed due to a "covered hazard" for more than 6 hours or requiring an overnight stay.
A Quick Tip
You must read and understand all your benefits (including exclusions) when filing a claim. It's essential that you know what you're covered for and how to file a claim. Always ask your credit card provider for the terms and services before applying.
To Summerize My Experience
Unfortunately, you can't provide your credit card insurance as proof of travel insurance for your Schengen Visa. You'll need to buy travel insurance policy from an accredited company. Nonetheless, if you travel frequently, I still recommend considering a credit card with travel insurance.
Why?
These cards have attractive travel insurance advantages, but they also provide other benefits. For example, some credit cards offer Walmart credit, hotel credit, digital entertainment credit, and so on.
To conclude, applying for a credit card with travel insurance is your decision. Depending on the type of traveler you are, you might find use out of these travel cards, or you might not.
My advice to you...
Before applying, research the benefits of each card. If they meet your travel preferences, apply for one.
If not, instead, apply for a low cost insurance policy for your next trip.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can think of travel insurance as a safety net for your wallet. In short, travel insurance is a policy you can purchase to protect yourself from any financial loss that may occur during international travel.
Some of these losses can be small, like a missing suitcase. While others can leave some "financial scars" like a trip cancelation or a medical emergency. Travel insurance is highly recommended, and it's a mandatory requirement for some visas.