New Study Reveals Americans' Credit Card Travel Benefits Habits

by Patrick Clarke
Last updated: 3:25 PM ET, Thu June 22, 2023

Traveling with the right credit card can make all of the difference.

WalletHub has released its 2023 Credit Card Rental Car Insurance and Credit Card Travel Insurance studies as well as the results of a nationally representative consumer survey gauging people's opinions about common travel perks.

Read on for some of the notable takeaways from the latest research.

One of the key findings is that inflation is boosting interest in travel benefits, with more than one-third of Americans (34 percent) indicating that inflation will make them use credit card travel benefits more.
 
In terms of the most popular credit card travel benefits, four out of 10 people (41 percent) want trip delay/cancellation insurance from their credit card. That's followed by insurance for accidents while traveling (26 percent), rental car insurance (20 percent) and airport lounge access (13 percent).
 
Unfortunately, nearly half of Americans believe that they don’t take full advantage of their credit card benefits and three in 10 Americans indicate that their credit card's customer service has not been helpful while traveling.
 
WalletHub also found that 60 percent of people trust the rental car insurance provided by credit cards more than what's being offered by the rental companies and more than half of people (55 percent) say travel benefits matter to them when applying for a new credit card.
 
Chase Sapphire Reserve was found to be the Best Credit Card for Rental Car Insurance, providing worldwide rental car insurance for up to 31 days. Protection from damage from dirt and gravel roads and towing charges are also included.
 
When it comes to the Best Credit Card for Travel Insurance, Chase Sapphire Preferred takes the crown as it covers up to $500,000 for travel accidents, including $3,000 for lost luggage, $20,000 for trip cancellation, $500 for delayed trips and $500 for delayed luggage.

Earlier this month, WalletHub revealed the best credit card programs for redeeming travel.

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