American Express® Gold Card Travel Insurance Guide

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Vault’s Viewpoint on Amex Gold Travel Insurance

• Complimentary rental car* and baggage insurance* enhance the card’s value
• The Amex Gold Card travel insurance is missing key protections
• Additional perks and earning power help justify the card’s annual fee

Does Amex Gold Have Travel Insurance?

The American Express Gold Card does include travel insurance benefits. But the benefits aren’t as robust compared to other travel credit cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® or The Platinum Card® from American Express.

Amex Gold travel insurance includes two specific protections—baggage insurance plan* and car rental loss and damage insurance*.

Baggage Insurance*

Whether you’re #TeamCarryon or #TeamCheckedBag, the Amex Gold travel protection for baggage has you covered. This protection covers you for lost, damaged or stolen baggage when using the card to pay for the entire ticket. While many people focus on flights, you’re also covered when traveling by train, ship, bus and similar transportation options.

If you need to make a claim, each covered traveler is covered up to $1,250 for carry-on bags and up to $500 for checked baggage. High-risk items like jewelry, sporting equipment and electronics are capped at $250 per person in a covered trip. New York residents have a maximum aggregate limit of $10,000 for all eligible travelers per trip.

How to File an Amex Gold Card Travel Insurance Claim for Baggage

Claims can be filed online at AmericanExpress.com/onlineclaim or by calling (800) 228-6855. You must file claims within 30 days of the loss or as soon as reasonably possible. When filing a claim, the claims administrator will provide a form to submit your information within 15 days. If you don’t receive the form in time, you can write a letter describing your loss. Your completed form, letter and substantiating documentation must be submitted within 60 days of the event.

Information to substantiate your claim for Amex Gold travel protection includes:

• An inventory of all items being claimed
• Itemized store receipts for claimed items (if available)
• Itinerary showing travel dates, breakout of fare and payment by an eligible card
• For checked baggage, a written report of the lost bag and a settlement or denial of claim with the carrier

Rental Car Protection*

Travelers can use the Amex Gold Card to pay for the entire cost of the rental car and decline the collision damage waiver (CDW) to have the car insured against theft or damage in a covered territory. This protection is secondary, which means that its benefits apply to expenses not covered by your personal auto insurance.

Rental car protection benefits only apply to theft or damage to the rental car. It does not include liability protection for damage to other vehicles or property. Claims for injuries are also not covered by these travel benefits.

Not all types of rental cars are eligible for this Amex Gold travel protection. For example, exotic cars, commercial vehicles and motorcycles are typically excluded. Additionally, coverage is not available in Australia, Italy or New Zealand.

How to File an Amex Gold Travel Insurance Rental Car Claim

If your rental car is damaged or stolen, file a claim online at AmericanExpress.com/protectionbenefits or call (800) 338-1670. Your claim must be filed within 30 days of the incident, and you must complete all paperwork and submit it within 60 days.

Your claim should include the following supporting documentation:

• An itemized repair bill
• A copy of the rental agreement
• A copy of the charge slip for the rental car
• A copy of your personal auto insurance (if you don’t have auto insurance, submit a notarized letter stating that fact)
• A copy of your driver’s license
• Police report (if applicable)

How to Activate Amex Gold Travel Insurance Benefits

American Express Gold Card travel insurance benefits automatically apply when using your card to pay for the entire cost of your flight, cruise, train ride and other eligible modes of transportation.

These benefits also apply when redeeming Membership Rewards points to pay for a trip through Amex Travel. But if you transfer your Amex points to an airline partner to book an award flight, that is not covered.

Missing Travel Insurance Benefits

While these Amex Gold travel protection benefits offer some protection, the card is missing important protections that other travel cards offer. Some common travel insurance benefits that are missing include:

• Trip cancellation/interruption insurance. Covers pre-paid, non-refundable reservations booked if your flight is canceled or trip is interrupted. Maximum benefits per claim vary depending on which card you have.
• Delayed baggage insurance. If your bags don’t arrive with you, you’ll be reimbursed for reasonable and necessary expenses for clothing, toiletries and other items. Benefits typically cover up to $100 per person per day, up to a maximum of five days.
• Primary rental car protection. While the Amex Gold travel insurance benefits include rental car protection, the coverage is secondary. With primary rental car coverage, your personal auto insurance policy is not involved when filing claims for damage to the rental car.
• Emergency medical and dental benefits. When you get sick or injured far from home, you’ll be reimbursed for medical expenses up to a set amount.
• Emergency evacuation and transportation. Provides emergency evacuation if you or an immediate family member get sick or injured during a trip. This benefit is not offered on most travel cards, but is typically a feature of travel insurance policies.

Other Benefits of the American Express Gold Card

In addition to Amex Gold Card travel insurance, this card includes other valuable features to help justify its $325 annual fee.

Welcome Bonus

Eligible applicants can earn a welcome bonus of 60,000 points by spending at least $6,000 during the first six months after opening their accounts. This breaks down to an average of $1,000 per month. These points are worth up to $600 in travel through Amex Travel and potentially even more when booking award travel with Membership Rewards airline and hotel partners.

Earning Power

Beyond the welcome bonus, the Amex Gold Card earns Membership Rewards points on eligible purchases. You’ll earn 4X points per dollar spent at restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X). The card also earns 4X points per dollar spent on the first $25,000 you spend in purchases at U.S. supermarkets each calendar year (then 1X). Booking flights directly with the airlines or on AmexTravel.com earns 3X points per dollar spent. There’s also 2X points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com while all other eligible purchases earn 1X points per dollar spent.

Transfer Points to Airline and Hotel Partners

One of the most valuable redemption options for your points is transferring them to airline and hotel partners. The Amex Gold Card has 21 transfer partners to choose from, including Delta Air Lines, Flying Blue, Cathay Pacific, Hilton and Marriott. Points earned from linked personal and small business Membership Rewards cards automatically pool together to accelerate your path to redeeming points.

Up to $120 in Dining Credits

Enroll in this benefit to earn up to $10 in monthly statement credits when using your Amex Gold Card at participating merchants. When you max out your monthly benefits, you’ll earn up to $120 in dining credits each year. Unused credits expire at the end of each month.

Up to $120 in Uber Cash

Add your Amex Gold Card to your Uber account to receive $10 in Uber Cash automatically each month. The Uber Cash can be used to pay for Uber rides or Uber Eats orders in the United States for up to $120 in total savings per year. Effective 11/8/2024, an Amex Card must be selected as the payment method for the relevant eligible transaction to redeem the Uber Cash benefit from Amex. If you don’t use your monthly Uber Cash, it expires at the end of each month.

Up to $84 in Dunkin’ Credit

Enroll and pay with your Amex Gold you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits at eligible U.S. Dunkin’ locations, for a total of $84 in statement credits for Dunkin’.

Up to $100 in Resy Credit

With enrollment, get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with your Amex Gold to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually.

The Hotel Collection Benefits

American Express has curated a collection of upscale hotels worldwide of over 1,000 to explore with The Hotel Collection. You’ll receive a $100 credit to use towards eligible charges with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. The eligible charges vary by property.

No Foreign Transaction Fees

The card does not charge foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees), so you won’t be hit with hidden fees of up to 3% that some credit cards charge. Making purchases in the local currency also tends to provide the best exchange rates when the bank performs the currency conversion into U.S. dollars.

* Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.