Paul Sanchez
When it comes to award flights and travel insurance, there are a few options to consider. Firstly, standalone trip insurance plans typically won't reimburse you for miles used to book a flight, as insurers don't assign value to miles. However, some airlines like United offer a travel insurance add-on that covers award trips. If the trip is cancelled for a valid reason, the miles are deposited back into your account, along with a reimbursement for taxes and fees. Premium travel cards like Chase Sapphire Reserve® and American Express also offer trip cancellation and interruption insurance, providing specific protections for trips paid with points. Additionally, certain credit cards provide trip cancellation coverage for eligible expenses, including non-refundable prepaid amounts charged by travel suppliers. It's important to note that understanding change and cancellation rules can help travellers determine flexibility without incurring extra costs.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| United Airlines' award rules | Elimination of change and cancellation fees, reduction in lap infant fees on awards, Excursionist perk for "free" multi-destination trips under one award |
| MileagePlus booking rules | How far in advance you can confirm flights, whether you can use your miles to book travel for family and friends, out-of-pocket fees |
| Itinerary rules | Types of trips you can structure with your miles, number of stops, number of partners on a ticket, discounts |
| Trip insurance | Coverage for trips booked with miles/points, standalone trip insurance plans won't reimburse for miles used to book a flight, airline insurance add-on covers award trips, miles deposited back into MileagePlus account if trip cancelled for a covered reason |
| Premium travel cards | Chase Sapphire Reserve, The Platinum Card from American Express offer trip cancellation and interruption insurance, protections for trips paid with points, Chase Ultimate Rewards points transferable to 14 partners, AmEx Membership Rewards with 20 transfer partners |
| Credit cards with trip insurance | Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, The New United Club Card, Ink Business Preferred Credit Card, Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Ink, Chase United Explorer |
| Coverage | Up to the value paid for the ticket itself, taxes paid, cancellation and reinstatement or change fees related to a covered event, "Return Air Only" coverage, trip interruption and baggage delay, hotel nights, clothing, incidentals |
| Reimbursement | Nonrefundable expenses and redeposit fees associated with the award ticket, nonrefundable prepaid amounts charged by a travel supplier, reimbursement in an amount equal to the monetary value of the points |
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What You'll Learn
United Airlines' MileagePlus award travel rules
United Airlines' MileagePlus is a frequent-flyer program that offers access to nearly 160 countries and 1,170 award-travel destinations. Here are some key rules and guidelines regarding United Airlines' MileagePlus award travel:
Booking Rules
Booking rules outline how you can use your miles. United Airlines does not have published routing rules, but some basic common-sense restrictions apply. For example, an itinerary from the western United States to Australia will not include a connection in Europe or Africa as it significantly deviates from a direct route.
United Excursionist Perk
The United Excursionist Perk allows you to visit an additional destination, but it is more restrictive than other types of round-the-world tickets. The free one-way award within the itinerary must be within a single "region" as defined by the MileagePlus program.
Married Segment Logic
United MileagePlus uses married segment logic, which means that the more popular and convenient a route is, the more likely it is to be overpriced. You may find that flying into a second-tier city, such as Brussels instead of Paris or Amsterdam, can save you a significant number of miles.
Fees and Charges
United Airlines charges a $25 phone booking fee, $10 at a city ticket office, and $50 at the airport. These fees are waived if you have United Premier Platinum or Premier 1K status. Additionally, MileagePlus eliminated its cash fee for close-in bookings in 2019 but increased the number of miles required for awards booked within 30 days of travel.
Award Travel Insurance
If you need to cancel your award travel, purchasing travel insurance can help protect your miles and expenses. United Airlines offers travel insurance, such as Travel Guard, for a fee. If your trip is cancelled for a covered reason, your miles will be deposited back into your United MileagePlus account, and you will receive a reimbursement for taxes and deposit fees. Alternatively, premium travel cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and certain American Express cards offer trip cancellation and interruption insurance. These cards earn points that can be transferred to airlines, and you can purchase travel insurance directly from the airline to get your points back in case of cancellation.
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$20.05 $39.99
United's add-on travel insurance option
United Airlines offers a travel insurance option to its customers called Travel Guard. This insurance can be purchased via United's website and is issued by AIG. The insurance costs \$27 and covers your trip, focusing on benefits during your air travel, though it also has limited coverage beyond your flight time. This includes coverage for delayed trips, lost baggage, and other travel mishaps.
United's Travel Protection Plus is another option offered by the airline. This insurance allows you to cancel or change your vacation at any time, guaranteeing the lowest price on select vacations, and providing coverage during your trip. It also includes a Hurricane Travel Credit, where you will be reimbursed for unused vacation nights if your trip is interrupted for 24 hours or more due to a Category One or greater hurricane. Travel Protection Plus starts from \$79.99 per person and is valid for all vacation packages and destinations except Scheduled Air Flight & Car and Flight-only vacations.
It is important to note that standalone trip insurance plans typically do not reimburse you for any miles used to book a flight. The only way to get your miles back is to purchase the travel insurance add-on offered by the airline when booking your flight with miles. United's insurance option with Travel Guard will deposit the miles back into your United MileagePlus account if your trip is cancelled for a covered reason, and you will also receive a reimbursement for taxes and deposit fees.
Other credit cards, such as Chase Sapphire Reserve® and The Platinum Card® from American Express, also offer trip insurance benefits, including trip cancellation and interruption insurance. These cards earn points that can be transferred to airlines or used to book trips, providing specific protections for trips paid with points.
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Trip cancellation insurance
Some providers offer Trip Cancellation Only insurance plans, which are designed solely to cover travel expenses leading up to your departure date. When purchasing a comprehensive plan, you will be asked to specify the amount of prepaid, non-refundable trip costs you wish to insure. These are the expenses that will be covered if you cancel for a covered reason. To ensure that all your costs are covered, you must include them when purchasing your policy or add them promptly after booking.
It is important to note that trip cancellation insurance does not cover every scenario. Common cancellation reasons that are typically not covered include foreseeable events, pre-existing conditions, and self-inflicted injuries. Additionally, epidemics are generally excluded from coverage, although some providers now offer temporary accommodations for COVID-19-related claims.
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Reinstating forfeited points
When it comes to reinstating forfeited points, there are a few options available, depending on the specific circumstances and the policies of the airline or credit card company. It is important to note that, generally, standalone trip insurance plans will not reimburse you for any miles or points used to book a flight, as insurers do not assign a value to these.
However, some credit cards, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, The Platinum Card® from American Express, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, the New United Club℠ Card, and the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, offer trip cancellation, interruption, and delay coverage for eligible travel expenses, which can include non-refundable prepaid amounts charged by travel suppliers, including flights booked with points. In these cases, the credit card company may reimburse you for the monetary value of the points used.
Additionally, some airlines, like United, offer a travel insurance add-on for a fee when booking a flight with miles. If the trip is cancelled for a covered reason, the miles will be deposited back into your account, along with a reimbursement for taxes and deposit fees. This option is worth considering if you want to ensure the ability to reinstate forfeited points in the event of a cancellation.
It is also worth checking the travel coverage provided by the credit card used to pay for the award ticket's taxes and fees, as some cards offer complimentary travel insurance that may cover cancellation or reinstatement fees. Furthermore, certain credit cards, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Ink, and Chase United Explorer, provide free trip cancellation insurance (up to a certain amount per trip) when the travel is charged to their credit cards.
Lastly, it is important to understand the change and cancellation rules of the airline to avoid forfeiting points in the first place. For example, United offers a paid add-on called FareLock, which allows you to hold some award itineraries for flights operated exclusively by United Airlines.
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Coverage for award tickets
Award tickets refer to flights booked using miles or points. Coverage for award tickets depends on the type of travel insurance you have. Standalone trip insurance plans generally do not reimburse you for any miles used to book a flight because insurers do not assign a value to the miles. The only way to get your miles back is to purchase the travel insurance add-on offered by the airline when booking your flight with miles. For example, United Airlines offers a travel insurance option with Travel Guard to cover award trips. If the trip is cancelled for a covered reason, the miles will be returned to your United MileagePlus account, and you will receive a refund for taxes and deposit fees.
Credit cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card, The Platinum Card® from American Express, and The New United Club℠ Card provide trip cancellation, interruption, and delay coverage for eligible travel expenses, which include non-refundable prepaid amounts charged by a travel supplier. Any trips booked using points through Chase's travel portal are also included. If you paid for your trip using Chase Ultimate Rewards® points, you will be reimbursed for an amount equal to the monetary value of the points, as long as the dollar amount is listed on your Chase booking confirmation.
Travel insurance for an airline ticket generally covers up to the value paid for the ticket itself. For an award ticket, it would cover only the taxes paid and any cancellation and reinstatement or change fees related to a covered event. It would not pay for a revenue ticket to replace a mileage ticket. However, some insurance companies offer "Return Air Only" coverage, which provides a fixed dollar amount for change fees and additional air ticket costs if you have to return home early, even if your insured trip cost is low due to being purchased with rewards miles or points.
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Frequently asked questions
United award points can be reinstated if you cancel your trip, but only if you have purchased the add-on travel insurance option at checkout.
United's travel insurance option, provided by Travel Guard, covers your award trip. If the trip is cancelled for a covered reason, the miles will be returned to your United MileagePlus account, and you will be reimbursed for taxes and deposit fees.
Yes, you can use the travel coverage on the credit card used to pay for the award ticket's taxes and fees. Some credit cards, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card, provide trip cancellation, interruption, and delay coverage for eligible travel expenses, including trips booked using points.
