Credit Card Travel Insurance in Canada: What It Covers and What to Check
Many Canadian credit cards include travel insurance, and it can save you buying a separate policy. But each type of coverage has its own conditions, and the limits matter most when something goes wrong far from home.
What credit card travel insurance can include
- Emergency medical: hospital and doctor costs outside your province
- Trip cancellation and interruption: non-refundable costs if you have to cancel or come home early for a covered reason
- Flight delay: meals and hotels after a long delay
- Delayed or lost baggage: essentials while you wait, or the value of lost items
- Rental car collision and loss damage: damage to or theft of a rental car
Few cards include all of them. Premium travel cards such as the RBC Avion Visa Infinite or the Platinum Card from American Express cover most; no-fee cards often cover none. Each teardown lists exactly which coverages a card has.
Trip length and age limits
Emergency medical coverage only covers the first part of each trip, and the number of days often shrinks, or disappears, at age 65. If your trip runs longer, you need a top-up policy for the extra days, bought before you leave.
| Card | Trip length covered | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|
| PC World Elite Mastercard | Covers the first 10 days of a trip if you're under 65 | $0 |
| Rogers Red World Elite Business Mastercard (business) | First 10 days of a trip at 64 or under; 3 days from 65 to 75 | $0 |
| Rogers Red World Elite Mastercard | First 10 days of a trip at 64 or under; 3 days from 65 to 75 | $0 |
| Scotia Momentum for business Visa Card (business) | First 8 days of a trip if under 65 | $79.00 |
| BMO VIPorter Mastercard | Covers the first 8 days of a trip if you're 64 or younger | $89.00 |
| ScotiaGold Passport Visa Card | Covers the first 25 days of a trip if you're under 65 | $110.00 |
| SimplyCash Preferred Card from American Express | Covers a 15-day period per trip, including departure and return days | $119.88 ($9.99/mo) |
| BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Card | Covers the first 15 days of a trip if you're 64 or younger | $120.00 |
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| Card | Trip length covered | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|
| CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite Card | Covers the first 10 days of a trip if you're 64 or under | $120.00 |
| MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard | First 21 days of a trip | $120.00 |
| PC Insiders World Elite Mastercard | Covers the first 10 days of a trip if you're under 65 | $120.00 |
| RBC Avion Visa Infinite | Unlimited coverage for the first 15 days of a trip if under 65 | $120.00 |
| RBC Cash Back Preferred World Elite Mastercard | Unlimited coverage for the first 10 days of a trip if under 65 | $120.00 |
| Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite+ Card | Covers the first 15 days of a trip if you're under 65 | $120.00 |
| Scotiabank Gold American Express Card | Covers the first 25 days of a trip if you're under 65 | $120.00 |
| Tangerine Rewards World Elite Mastercard | Covers the first 15 days of a trip, only for insured persons under 65 | $120.00 |
| BMO CashBack World Elite Mastercard | Covers the first 8 days of a trip if you're 64 or younger | $139.00 |
| CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card | Covers the first 15 days of a trip if you're 64 or under | $139.00 |
| CIBC Aventura Gold Visa Card | Covers the first 15 days of a trip if you're 64 or under | $139.00 |
| CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Card | Covers the first 15 days of a trip if you're 64 or under | $139.00 |
| TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card | Covers the first 21 days of a trip if you're 64 or under | $139.00 |
| TD Cash Back Visa Infinite Card | Covers the first 10 days of a trip if you're 64 or under | $139.00 |
| TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite Card | Covers the first 21 days of a trip if you're 64 or under | $139.00 |
| WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard | Unlimited coverage for the first 15 days of a trip if under 65 | $139.00 |
| TD Aeroplan Visa Business Card (business) | First 15 days of a trip if under 65 | $149.00 |
| TD Business Travel Visa Card (business) | Trips of up to 15 days if under 65 | $149.00 |
| BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard | Covers the first 21 days of a trip if you're 64 or younger | $150.00 |
| BMO Blue Rewards World Elite Mastercard | Covers the first 15 days of a trip if you're 64 or younger | $150.00 |
| Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite+ Card | Covers the first 25 days of a trip if you're under 65 | $150.00 |
| RBC British Airways Visa Infinite | Unlimited coverage for the first 31 days of a trip if under 65 | $165.00 |
| BMO Ascend World Elite Business Mastercard (business) | First 15 days of a trip | $175.00 |
| BMO Blue Rewards World Elite Business Mastercard (business) | First 15 days of a trip | $175.00 |
| RBC Avion Visa Infinite Business (business) | Unlimited coverage for the first 15 days of a trip if under 65 | $175.00 |
| WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard for Business (business) | Unlimited coverage for the first 15 days of a trip if under 65 | $175.00 |
| American Express Cobalt Card | Covers the first 15 consecutive days of each trip; coverage ends after day 15 unless you buy a top-up | $191.88 ($15.99/mo) |
| BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard | Covers the first 21 days of a trip if you're 64 or younger | $199.00 |
| Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Business Card (business) | First 25 days of a trip if under 65 | $199.00 |
| Wealthsimple Visa Infinite + Credit Card | Covers the first 14 days of a trip | $240.00 ($20.00/mo) |
| Wealthsimple Visa Infinite Privilege Credit Card | Covers the first 14 days of a trip | $240.00 ($20.00/mo) |
| American Express Gold Rewards Card | Covers the first 15 consecutive days of each trip | $250.00 |
| RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege | Unlimited coverage for the first 31 days of a trip if under 65 | $399.00 |
| Scotiabank Platinum American Express Card | Covers the first 31 days of a trip if you're under 65 | $399.00 |
| Rogers Red World Legend Mastercard | First 21 days of a trip at 64 or under; 5 days from 65 to 75 | $495.00 |
| CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Privilege Card | Covers the first 31 days of a trip if you're 64 or under | $499.00 |
| American Express Aeroplan Business Reserve Card (business) | Covers a 15-day period per trip, including departure and return days | $599.00 |
| American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card | Covers a 15-day period per trip, including departure and return days | $599.00 |
| BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege Card | Covers the first 22 days of a trip if you're 64 or younger | $599.00 |
| CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege Card | Covers the first 31 days of a trip if you're 64 or under | $599.00 |
| Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Privilege Card | Covers the first 31 days of a trip if you're under 65 | $599.00 |
| TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege Card | Covers the first 31 days of a trip if you're 64 or under | $599.00 |
| Business Platinum Card from American Express (business) | Covers a 15-day period per trip, including departure and return days | $799.00 |
| The Platinum Card from American Express | Covers the first 15 consecutive days of each trip; coverage ends after day 15 unless you buy a top-up | $799.00 |
52 of the 139 cards CardTruth tracks. Built from each card's teardown, so it updates when a card changes.
Five conditions to check before you rely on it
- How you paid. Trip cancellation, delay and baggage coverage usually require charging the trip to the card, or redeeming the card's points for it. Emergency medical often doesn't, but check.
- Pre-existing conditions. Most policies exclude a medical condition that wasn't stable for a set period before departure. Changes in medication can count as unstable.
- Provincial health coverage. You must be covered by your provincial health plan for the travel medical insurance to apply.
- Rental cars. Charge the full rental to the card and decline the rental company's collision damage waiver, or the card's coverage may not apply. Some vehicle types and long rentals are excluded.
- Call before treatment. Most policies require you to contact the insurer's assistance line before non-emergency treatment, or they can limit the payout.
Is card insurance enough?
For short trips by travellers in good health, a card with emergency medical coverage often is. For long trips, travellers over 65, or anyone with a recent change in health, a separate policy or a top-up is usually worth it.
Compare cards by insurance on our Compare page, and see which cards have no foreign transaction fee for your next trip.