The Best Little-Known Travel Card Perk

You might know that travel credit cards earn points or miles that you can use toward travel purchases, like flight and hotels. But what many cardholders aren't aware of is that travel cards are jam packed with free perks, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card's trip delay coverage. Not many people know about this perk, but it could save you hundreds, especially if you're flying during high-volume travel times. Let's take a look at how this credit card perk works and how you can benefit from it.

Apply now for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.

No more sleeping at airports or paying out of pocket for hotels for delayed trips

Trip delay coverage is travel insurance that reimburses travelers for delay-related expenses, like booking hotels. Typically, you need to buy a travel insurance policy to have this benefit, but cardholders of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card get it for free.

As long as you use your Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card to book your airfare, Chase will reimburse you up to $500 per ticket when your flight is delayed by at least 12 hours (or requires an overnight stay). This money can be used for meals, lodging, and any other expenses that arise due to a severely delayed flight.

Apply now for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.

Notice that's $500 per ticket. That means, for a family of four, you could receive $2,000 for a delayed flight. Talk about turning what could be a nightmarish limbo at the airport into a way to treat yourself and your family.

Trip delay coverage is just one of many little-known travel perks

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has a suite of little-known travel coverage designed to help you hold on to your bearings when unexpected events disrupt your travel. As a cardholder, here are some other benefits you'll enjoy.

• Trip cancellation/interruption insurance: Whether your trip is canceled or cut short, Chase will reimburse you up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip for any pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses.
• Common carrier accident insurance: So long as you pay for your travel with your Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, you'll get up to $500,000 in coverage for accidental death or dismemberment.
• Lost luggage reimbursement: Lost or damaged baggage is eligible for up to $3,000 per covered passenger per trip. For a family of four, that could be a maximum reimbursement of $12,000.
• Baggage delay insurance: Each passenger in your family can get up to $100 per day for 5 days for essentials like toiletries when your bags are delayed more than six hours.

This card also earns 5 points per $1 for travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3 points on dining at restaurants and eligible delivery services, and 2 points on all other travel purchases. Toss in a welcome offer of up to $750 in Chase Travel℠ value bonus points ($750 when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards) and you're looking at a travel card that has pretty much everything (terms apply).

Apply now for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.

Is it worth the annual fee?

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has a relatively low annual fee of $95. For frequent travelers, you would need to spend $1,900 through Chase Ultimate Rewards to earn $95 back. But if you add in the free travel insurance -- which usually costs 5% to 6% of your trip costs -- you could earn that $95 faster than you think.

It's a card certainly worth considering, especially if you travel frequently and would like to get a rewards card that earns points to cover your trips.