Amex Platinum Charge Card Travel Insurance

[mlob]

Interested to see if people rely solely on the Platinum Charge Travel Insurance.

 

[theblank]

well it depends, the Answer is YES for relying on Credit Card insurance, but NO for the AMEX one.
Normally I use my ANZ or NAB credit card insurance.

 

[Bell21]

well it depends, the Answer is YES for relying on Credit Card insurance, but NO for the AMEX one.
Normally I use my ANZ or NAB credit card insurance.

I agree and take the same approach, with one exception - amex platinum's rental car insurance (locally and overseas) is better than other credit card cover

 

[liuyz]

well it depends, the Answer is YES for relying on Credit Card insurance, but NO for the AMEX one.
Normally I use my ANZ or NAB credit card insurance.

could you share a bit more on the reasoning behind this? why ANZ/NAB over AMEX on cc insurance? thanks

 

[Bell21]

Others may have more detail to add but in brief, insurance activation requirements for amex cards are usually a lot more restrictive (eg you often have to put the entire cost of flights etc on the card to activate insurance whereas eg bank cards often have minimal requirements such as spend $500 on card before you go) and cover is usually more extensive for bank credit cards (eg unlimited medical cover, higher limits for travel cover cancelation and lost baggage etc)

 

[Bell21]

... also, from memory, I think bank credit card are often more generous re covering spouse/kids etc (but I think that is also quite dependent on exact amex card)

 

[mlob]

The platinum charge card insurance allows cover for reward flights as long as the fees and taxes are paid on the card.

 

[theblank]

could you share a bit more on the reasoning behind this? why ANZ/NAB over AMEX on cc insurance? thanks

because most of my trips are paid with FF points, so I dont qualify with AMEX.

I have 5 credit cards that offer Travel Insurance, I definitely do some checking which one to use to effect my travel cover. On lots of occasions I can wangle it to get two covers (albeit pointless if they underlying insurer is the same), ANZ is pretty easy to do, only need to book hotels worth $250 to trigger that one.

 

[hossein_au]

If it is revenue tickets, I use AmEX Plat.

If it is rewards ticket, I use Bankwest World Mastercard (as it activates when $500 is charged to the card; and the coverage is pretty good and claims are processed very efficiently).

I'll need to look into AmEx Plat coverage if/when only taxes are paid via the card.

 

[liuyz]

The platinum charge card insurance allows cover for reward flights as long as the fees and taxes are paid on the card.

because most of my trips are paid with FF points, so I dont qualify with AMEX.

Amex Plat insurance will cover the award tickets, also, if the merchant is not Amex friendly, they will still be able to cover it.

Also, find this link,
Credit card travel insurance compared - CHOICE

It would be great if members can share more stories on their experiences on this topic.

 

[hossein_au]

It would be great if members can share more stories on their experiences on this topic.

I had a very good experience with a claim on Bankwest World Mastercard: claim lodged over the phone, with subsequent submission of the the required documentation on their web site. Had a call a few days later to discuss one of the items on the claim (a pair of headphones which I did not have the purchase receipt for--only a couple of photos of the headphones in my possession). The entire claim (headphones plus a couple of other items) was approved on the spot and money was deposited in my bank account within 24-48 hours. The approved sum was more than I initially feared I would get.

Overall, very happy with the service and do not hesitate to recommend it.

 

[hossein_au]

It would be great if members can share more stories on their experiences on this topic.

I had a nested set of trips: the flights out of Australia were JASA, but the remaining flights were revenue tickets. The entire set of flights were paid for on my AmEx Edge. My 1-week-old iPhone was stolen in Europe. Had police reports, purchase receipts, etc.

The claim was denied because I could not show Qantas points used as part payment of the flights out of Australia had come from AmEx Membership Rewards (even though I pointed it out that Qantas was not a transfer partner of AmEx Edge and the tickets had been mostly paid for on the AmEx card). I was *this* close to close my AmEx Edge card because of this experience; but I have kept it and barely used it since (have only used the travel credit, some groceries expenses, and shop small).

I have heard the cover that comes with AmEx Plat is much better. I am keen to hear others' experiences.

 

[mlob]

I think I should have put a bit more detail into the original poll. I’m keen to know for those that hold the Platinum Charge card whether they use thaparticular insurance or not, if not why not. For those that do use it would love to hear experiences. It’s also good to hear other people’s experiences of card insurance generally.

In my own experience I have used the Charge card when traveling OS on my own but when I travel with the family I get a little more nervous and have paid for an alternative. Last year we had about 5 trips OS so purchased an annual TRavel Insurance Direct annual policy for the family. Which we still had to top up when we went skiing with an additional policy. Chose TID based on the fact our travel is predominantly award seats.

Strangely enough though when my husband and son got delayed in Penang West Sumatra it was Amex Platinum that I called and who I found very helpful in calling my husband OS to assist him. In the end the flight was delayed 4 hours and they got underway again and they didn’t need assistance. Connections were met. Made me think why do I bother with an alternative? Again they were great in trying to get me an alternative flight ( this time domestic though) when there were cancellations. Virgin came through for me on that one.

 

[theblank]

Amex Plat insurance will cover the award tickets

No, I cant get cover for flights paid with FF points, only if paid wth MR points

 

[greenfrog86]

That doesn’t seem right. This is the wording of the insurance document for Platinum and it has been changed over recent years to explicitly call out frequent flyer points as this was a significant issue for many cardholders...

Cover is effective for each Trip only when:
(a) You pay the full fare for a return Trip on Your American Express Platinum Card; or
(b) You pay using American Express Membership Rewards points, frequent flyer points; or
(c) YouuseYourTravelBenefit.
The Trip must be a return Trip and commence and end in Your Country of Residence. Cover is not activated until a return ticket has been purchased.
Important: One-way Trips are not covered.

 

[potm]

Yes, the platinum charge travel insurance is very easy to activiate if using points for award flights.
The condition of having to pay taxes on the card has also been removed in the lastest terms and conditions.

 

[liuyz]

No, I cant get cover for flights paid with FF points, only if paid wth MR points

Surprised to hear about this, possible to provide more details on this? 'frequent flyer points' is specifically mentioned in the T&C, how did they escaped from it?

I have an up-coming trip on award tickets, and paid the tax and fees on the Plat Charge, supposing it is covered according to the T&C (Effective 17 July 2018):

ACTIVATION OF INSURANCE
Activation of Transport Accident Cover (Section A),
Card Account Balance Waiver Cover (Section B)
And Travel Insurance Cover (Sections C – K):
Cover is effective for each Trip only when:
(a) You pay the full fare for a return Trip on Your American Express Platinum Card; or
(b) You pay using American Express Membership Rewards points, frequent flyer points; or
(c) You use Your Travel Benefit.
The Trip must be a return Trip and commence and end in Your Country of Residence. Cover is not activated until a return ticket has been purchased. Important: One-way Trips are not covered​

 

[straitman]

I have used FF points previously and made a claim.

That part was not an issue but I really had trouble claiming as they kept saying something was a preexisting illness even though the Dr provided a certificate that it wasn't. It was only when I started applying their own T&C against them that suddenly the money and point appeared in the appropriate accounts.

Needless to say I won't rely on them any more and take out seperate insurance.

 

[albyd]

With the move to Chubb, Amex cover removed the ability to cover pre existing conditions for an extra fee.

I’ve been activating and relying on my CBA cover (has no spend requirement) which still offers cover for an additional premium after answering a few short questions. They even cover over 80 year olds for an extra premium which isn’t available on the Amex cover.

I usually activate my cover as soon as I’ve booked my flights so I have immediate cover should I have a change in circumstances before my trip. This is particularly important If traveling to/through an area that may have volcanic ash activity. If you activate after the event, they’ll likely exclude it.

As with everything insurance, make sure you read the PDS and decide if it’s roght for your situation before proceeding.

Haven’t needed to make a claim yet

 

[theblank]

Surprised to hear about this, possible to provide more details on this? 'frequent flyer points' is specifically mentioned in the T&C, how did they escaped from it?

(b) You pay using American Express Membership Rewards points, frequent flyer points; or​

must be different for other AMEX products. I have Platinum Edge and FF points is not eligible. I didnt make the distinction this was exclusively about Platinum Charge
( I blame the poorly constructed thread title, use of capitals properly is helpful )