Feel like your flight’s always late? It’s not your imagination. In the U.S., about 1 in 4 flights is delayed, on average. Long, 3-hour+ delays are a lot more common than they used to be.^{1, 2}

Many travelers expect to get some travel delay compensation from the airline. You might get lucky and get a meal or hotel voucher, but probably not cash or anything else. Your best defense is trip delay insurance from Allianz Partners.

But what is trip delay insurance, and what does it cover?

How trip delay insurance works

You’re in the Boston airport, waiting to fly home to Atlanta, when you see that your flight has been delayed. The gate agent says the control tower’s computer systems are down. You wait. Three hours later, you learn that all flights are canceled and rescheduled for tomorrow. You have to book a hotel and buy yourself dinner—expenses you really weren’t planning on. Now what?

If you have Allianz Travel Insurance with trip delay benefits, you’re good. Because you experienced a covered travel carrier delay of 5+ hours, your OneTrip Prime plan can reimburse you for eligible expenses up to your plan limits:

• The cost of transportation to and from your hotel
• Your hotel stay
• Your meals during the delay

That $30 Uber ride to the hotel. Your $140 hotel stay. Your $26 dinner at a local restaurant. Your $18 breakfast the next morning and your ride back to the airport. All these expenses can be covered, up to the limits of your plan ($200/day and $800 total for OneTrip Prime). What a relief! 

It’s important to know that travel insurance only covers trip delays caused by specific covered reasons. Maximum benefit limits and minimum time requirements for trip delays vary by plan.

Why trip delay insurance from Allianz Partners is so good

1. It covers more than you think.

• Your plan can reimburse nonrefundable, prepaid travel expenses if they’re lost due to a covered delay, up to the limits of your plan. For example: If you paid $100 for a culinary tour at your destination, and you have to cancel it because of a covered travel delay, your trip delay benefits could reimburse you.

• If a covered delay causes you to miss the departure of your cruise or tour, your insurance can reimburse reasonable transportation expenses to help you catch up with your cruise ship or tour group, or reach your intended destination.

• If you miss your flight or train because of a local public transportation delay on the way to the airport or train station, your trip insurance can reimburse the costs of transportation to your destination or back home.

(Terms, conditions, and exclusions apply, and benefits may vary by plan and by state. Read your plan documents for details.)

2. You can get rapid cash payments.

If your travel insurance plan includes SmartBenefits®, you can get a fixed inconvenience payment of $100 per insured person, per day, for a covered travel delay (or baggage delay) up to the maximum no-receipts limit. You don’t need to submit any receipts for expenses—just proof of a covered delay.

What if your expenses exceed the fixed payment amount? You can still file a claim for the remainder, up to the daily total limit. Plans with SmartBenefits are OneTrip Prime and OneTrip Premier.

3. You get help anywhere, anytime.

All Allianz Travel Insurance plans include 24-hour assistance, no matter where you are in the world. If you need help dealing with a travel delay or any other travel emergency, big or small, contact us right away.

Allianz trip delay insurance vs. travel delay compensation from the airline

Travelers often ask: Is trip delay insurance worth it? Aren’t you entitled to get travel delay compensation from the airline?

The short answer: Don’t expect delay compensation if you’re traveling in the U.S. Here’s why:

• U.S. airlines have only agreed to offer compensation for controllable flight cancellations and delays of 3+ hours.³
• “Controllable” means the reason was something within the airline’s control, like plane maintenance, cabin cleaning, or crew issues.
• All major U.S. airlines have agreed to a) rebook a passenger on the same airline for no additional cost following a significant delay and b) provide a meal or cash/voucher for a meal for a controllable 3+ hour delay.
• Most major U.S. airlines have agreed to provide hotel accommodation and ground transportation for a controllable overnight delay
• No airlines have agreed to pay cash compensation for a controllable 3+ hour delay.

In the EU, flight delay compensation policies are a little better. If your flight is delayed or canceled for certain reasons, and you meet the eligibility criteria, you’re entitled to complimentary meals and hotel accommodations (depending on the length of the delay). You also may be entitled to cash compensation totaling 250 to 600 euros per passenger, depending on the length of the flight. However, delays caused by “extraordinary circumstances" aren’t covered—that means weather, security risks, some airline strikes, and other things out of the airline's control.⁴

Allianz trip delay insurance offers travelers better protection. One big difference: We consider a travel carrier delay to be a covered reason for the trip delay, even if the reason is out of the airline’s control. If, for example, a winter storm delays your flight for 12 hours, the airline doesn’t owe you anything. Travel delay insurance can reimburse you for your covered expenses.

Allianz trip delay insurance vs. trip delay insurance from a credit card

You may have some trip delay coverage through your American Express card, Chase Sapphire Reserve card, or other travel credit card. However, this coverage isn’t usually the same as stand-alone travel insurance with trip delay benefits.

To find out, look closely at your credit card’s fine print:

• What’s the minimum delay?
• What are the covered reasons for a travel delay?
• What’s the maximum you can be reimbursed?

Typically, credit card trip delay benefits have a $500 maximum. Many don’t cover delays less than 12 hours.⁵ Depending on the plan you choose, Allianz Travel Insurance trip delay benefits apply to covered delays with a minimum length of 3 to 6 hours, with a maximum of $150 to $1,600.

Compare Allianz Travel Insurance vs. credit card travel insurance.

How to file a trip delay claim with Allianz

Allianz Partners makes it easy to file a claim and get reimbursed as quickly as possible.

Step 1: When the delay happens, make sure to document it. Keep any text messages or emails you receive from the airline about the delay. If there’s a major event that caused the delay, like a blizzard or an airline strike, you can screenshot the news coverage and submit that as well. Also, keep all receipts for purchases you make during the delay that may be reimbursable.

Step 2: Start your claim in the Allianz Partners Claim Center. We’ll walk you through the process of describing what happened and uploading your supporting documentation.

Step 3: Watch for emails from Allianz Partners, or check your claim status online for updates. Once we determine you’re eligible for reimbursement, we’ll send your payment via your chosen payment method.

Here’s a quick overview of the claims process.

Traveling soon? Protect yourself with the travel insurance trusted by 59 million Americans each year. Start the process here: Get a quote.

Related Articles

• Trip Delay, Trip Interruption, and Trip Cancellation Insurance Explained
• Trip Cancellation Insurance: Covered Reasons Explained
• The Complete Guide to Travel Insurance from Allianz Partners