Amex Gold Travel Insurance for Award Flights

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AndersB

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Sep 8, 2005
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Hi All,

I have read through the new June 2005 Amex Gold Card Product Disclosure Statement. There is no information about how Award Flights are covered by their insurance policy. I called ACE Insurance and they said that Award Flights are NOT covered for Amex Gold.

Considering that these days "free" award flights cost several hundred dollars in surcharges, this does not seem reasonable.

Does anyone know what the real rules are?
 
AndersB, welcome over from FT :wink:

I didn't read it that closely - I'll have to see whether I retained it and re-read it. I suppose they look at the point that you are only charging the surcharges to your Gold card, not the actual airfare (which they deem to be the important part to ensure their policy responds to any claim).

Then again, I usually transfer my points to QFF and use there as upgrades and I have a year round travel policy. I'm lucky that I also had to claim only once (1996 on lost jewelery) and hadn't had to claim for anything more serious.
 
QF used to offer a travel policy that included the return of the FF points if you had to cancel/change etc due to circumstances normally covered by travel insurance (sickness etc). I assume they still have that policy. It is the only one I have seen that makes any specific mention of FF award flights.
 
I find this an interesting question too. I called AMEX on this one and at least the guy told when I charge all the cost associated with the award flight booking to the card it would be covered.

This sounds more reasonable to me because how would AMEX or ACE decide how much a certain trip should cost. You could have a mate who is as a travel agent and get a last minute offer for 1/10 what it originally costs.

Would you not be covered paying the full fare because you are getting a better price?

NOTE: From my exprience the taxes and insurance can be around 1/4 of what the full fare would be these days. So it's not just a few dollars you are charging to the card in most cases.
 
aschmid said:
This sounds more reasonable to me because how would AMEX or ACE decide how much a certain trip should cost. You could have a mate who is as a travel agent and get a last minute offer for 1/10 what it originally costs.

Would you not be covered paying the full fare because you are getting a better price?
They could limit cover only to "published" fares, which would eliminate FF awards, industry fares such as IDx, prizes, consolidator fares etc. That is why it is important to check, and I would be asking for clarification in writing or a reference to the relevant terms and conditions that ensure cover is available.
 
My understanding of the Amex insurance thing was you needed to charge at least 50% of the entire trip (ie flights, accom etc) to the card. So say your frequent flyer seat costs you $280 in taxes and you charge that, your hotel and your transfers to your Amex card, then it should be covered. That's just how I read it, could well be wrong
 
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So I just checked the information available to me and that says "if the tickets are charged to my card" or "the travel is paid for with my card".

As far as I can see there are no other comments in the card's PDS nor the insurance booklet. There is nowhere a reference to "published fare" not to at least 50% of all costs etc.

I am thinking given the information provided to me it would be reasonable for me to believe I am covered as long as it's charged to my card no matter if it's reduced price or fees & taxes only.

Maybe sometimes it's better not to ask to many questions???
 
aschmid said:
So I just checked the information available to me and that says "if the tickets are charged to my card" or "the travel is paid for with my card".

They'll come back at you saying that you paid for the travel with FF points, not the card.
 
Deeruck said:
aschmid said:
So I just checked the information available to me and that says "if the tickets are charged to my card" or "the travel is paid for with my card".

They'll come back at you saying that you paid for the travel with FF points, not the card.
This is exactly my point. The fare is not paid on the card, the fare was paid with FF points. Be careful folks, the insurance companies will look for any reason why they should not cover you, and as the compensation cost increases, so does they desire to find a loophole.

They write the marketing material, and sometimes even the terms and conditions, to sound attractive to the customer. But you can be assured they have passed the wording to their lawers first to ensure they are only covering what they want to cover.
 
I booked awards flights using my converted Altitude points (Visa Gold & Amex rewards) to Qantas FF points - Even though all charges were paid by Amex card I am not covered by the travel insurance because a small amount about 5% of Qantas award points in the mix - the points have to all be credit card coverted points. This took 4 messages to the insurance company until I finally got this info. SO..............I had to take out private insurance
The insurance rules basically stink..............
Next time I will make sure that for overseas travel I ask Qantas to make sure that they use only my converted Altitude points and save the Qantas awards points for interstate travel. (so I must phone ff instead of booking online - so costs more points booking) Generally Qantas don't differentiate between points when booking awards. Hope this helps some other info seeker. It just makes me cross and disillsioned with the program.
 
How is the Amex Platinum's travel insurance different from that of the gold card when it comes to using it for award flights? Does it matter that the points are a combination of QF award pts & credit card conversions? I thought as long as you charge at least $100 of the applicable fees & taxes (with the Platinum charge card) or all the fees on the Plat credit card, you'll be covered with their travel insurance policy??
 
I have an Westpac Visa Gold card which earns one point per $1 transaction of Altitude points and an add on Amex card which earns 2 points per $1 transaction of Altitude points. You may be on a different program - I think that you will have to check up for yourself via your credit card and the company offering the insurance - thats what I did and found out that no matter how you pay the costs associated with the travel that any mix of Qantas ff points awarded by Qantas and used with the converted Altitude points makes the insurance void.
 
My first post.
I booked award flights for wife and self from BNE to LHR using QFF points accumulated from QF flights and converted Altitude points. The return leg was fully paid for using my Altitude Gold card.

After reading marnie_g2001's post I checked with the status of my insurance cover with Zurich. Nothing has changed since last year.

Zurich confirmed that "If your organised flight is a combination of both Qantas points and converted "Altitude" reward points, unfortunately, you will not be covered for this complementary insurance."

This rule makes it vitually impossible for Altitude Gold card holders to take advantage of this travel insurance cover, if like me, they both travel on QF and convert their Altitude reward points periodically.

There will always be QFF points in the mix, thereby invalidating the travel insurance cover.

I have taken this up with Westpac and will keep you posted on their response.

Having said that, is there an alternative CC that provides travel insurance without these restrictions?
 
The ANZ Gold Credit Card (no points program) gives you travel insurance so long as you spend at least $250 on international airfares OR accommodation on the card. This is by far the most easy way to get free travel insurance. Annual fee is only $87 and there are the other Gold insurance benefits as well.
 
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