The travel benefits embedded in mid-tier and premium credit cards are worth $200–$1,000+/year for frequent travelers — and most cardholders don't know they have them or how to activate them.
Rental car insurance: the biggest underused benefit
Most credit cards with auto rental collision coverage allow you to decline the rental company's Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) — saving $20–$40/day. Two types:
- Primary coverage: Pays first, before your personal auto insurance. Chase Sapphire Preferred/Reserve, Capital One Venture X. Decline CDW confidently.
- Secondary coverage: Pays after your personal auto insurance. Most other cards. Still useful for the deductible, but you must involve your auto insurer.
Key requirement: pay for the rental with that credit card and decline all rental company insurance. Renting for a week at $35/day CDW: save $245 using your card's primary coverage.
Trip cancellation/interruption insurance
Chase Sapphire Preferred: up to $10,000/trip for non-refundable expenses if you cancel for covered reasons (illness, weather, jury duty, job loss). Must charge the trip to the card. On a $4,000 international flight package: this coverage is worth $40–$80 in standalone travel insurance premiums.
Other benefits most people miss
| Benefit | Cards that offer it | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Trip delay reimbursement | Chase Sapphire, Amex Platinum | $500/ticket for 6+ hour delays |
| Lost luggage | Chase Sapphire | Up to $3,000/passenger |
| Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit | Many travel cards | $100–$120 every 4.5 years |
| Airport lounge access | Amex Platinum, Chase Reserve | $50+/visit value |
| Hotel room upgrade/late checkout | Hotel co-branded cards | $50–$200/stay |
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About the author
Enrique 'Kike' Faúndez is an Information Systems and Management Control Engineer from Universidad de Chile, with master’s degrees in Finance from Universidad de Chile and Industrial Engineering from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. He has 15+ years of experience in regulated financial services across finance, operations, and digital product development. He founded CashControlly in Santiago, Chile, with the conviction that personal financial control should not be a privilege, but an accessible and well-designed tool.
- Master's in Finance, Universidad de Chile
- Master's in Industrial Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
- Information Systems and Management Control Engineer, Universidad de Chile
- AI and ITIL certifications
- 15+ years in regulated financial services
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