My Chase Sapphire Reserve travel insurance doesn’t work. Where is my $15,194?

Judy Lambert received bad news two days before leaving for a sailing trip to Cuba: her husband had tested positive for the Covid-19 virus. The trip was a wash – and $15,194 went down the drain.

Or did he?

Lambert used a Chase Sapphire Reserve Visa to pay for her trip, and her card came with gold-plated travel insurance coverage. After filing a claim with Chase, a representative confirmed that she was fully covered for her loss.

Then Chase Sapphire Reserve asked for additional documents. And she never heard from him again.

Now Lambert wants me to help her find out what happened to her $15,194 claim. When she met me, it had been seven months since she canceled her trip, and she wanted answers. After hearing her story, so did I.

What I found shines a bright light on one of the most complex areas of the travel industry: rewards credit cards. For years, I avoided dealing with popular payment systems because of their complexity and ethics.

But that changed recently. Our advocacy organization is now accepting loyalty program and reward issues.

The Queen’s Gardens are gone.

Lambert and her husband had a once-in-a-lifetime adventure on a liveaboard scheduled for this spring.

The trip, offered by the tour company Snorkeling Etc., took divers and snorkelers to the Queen’s Gardens (Jardines de la Reina) off the southern coast of Cuba. It is one of the last intact reef habitats in the Caribbean, with underwater landscapes and abundant fish.

Many years ago I taught scuba diving in the Florida Keys. I remember old teachers telling me what the reef looked like before all the pollution and over-flooding, drawing the color and life. They were describing the Jardin de la Reina.

So you can imagine how upset Lambert was when she found out her husband was infected with Covid. The doctor ordered him to stay home, and the couple had no choice but to cancel their trip.

“At that point, the whole trip was irreversible,” she says.

Lambert filed a claim with Chase expecting a quick resolution. She applied for the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card after reading reviews of the card on several travel websites. (She shouldn’t have believed the rankings. Most “reviewers” were paid generous referral fees and failed to be objective.)

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A claim – and a long wait

Lambert staked a claim to Chase and waited. She contacted the company from time to time to make sure it had all the information she needed for her request. Chase travel insurance claims are handled by a third party.

“Three months after I submitted my claim, the Chase representative told me it was approved but needed to be verified,” she said.

By “verified,” he meant that the agent needed someone at a higher level to sign off on the claim because it was over $10,000. But that should have taken a few weeks at most.

Chase asks for more documents. She spent hours on the phone trying to meet the requirements. But Chase, through the claims company, kept coming up with new requirements to get her claim paid. (To anyone who collects points, it probably sounds familiar.)

“I spent many hours contacting the claims department on the phone and online,” Lambert said. “I’ve talked to at least a dozen people in chess.”

But the claims process has dragged on, and she hasn’t heard from Chase or the benefits administrator lately. She thought the company was letting her down.

“Can you help me get my $15,194 claim approved?” she asked.

What are the benefits of Chase Sapphire Reserve travel insurance?

The Chase Sapphire Reserve is a too-good-to-be-true credit card. Here are the benefits of travel insurance that you will get:

Car rental collision damage avoidance

Your Chase Sapphire Reserve pays up to $75,000 in theft and collision coverage for rental cars in the U.S. and abroad.

Baggage delay insurance

Chase will pay you up to $100 per day for five days for baggage delays longer than six hours by passenger carriers, such as toiletries and clothing.

Emergency evacuation and transportation

If you get sick and need to leave, Chase covers up to $100,000 in medical services and transportation.

Trip cancellation and interruption guarantee

If you cannot go on your trip for a covered reason, Chase may reimburse you up to $10,000 per person plus $20,000 in non-refundable travel expenses for your advance payment. This includes airfare, hotels, and tours.

Travel delay refund

If your flight is delayed more than six hours or requires an overnight stay, you’ll be covered for non-refundable expenses, such as food and lodging, up to $500 per ticket.

Some of these covers are more generous than the average card. For example, my Visa card offers a cancellation benefit of up to $2,000. (Again, my card has no annual fee. The annual fee for the Chase Sapphire Reserve is $550.)

Bottom line: Chase Sapphire Reserve should have quickly covered Lambert’s cancellation.

How long did this claim on the Chez Sapphire Reserve take?

Travel insurance claims decisions have slowed since late spring. The reason: more people are traveling, and more claims are being filed. But no one expected it to happen. This a lot of.

This summer’s storm has made things worse with airline cancellations and delays. If I had to take an educated guess, I’d say the folks at Chase Sapphire Reserve’s claims department were swept away by the claims scandal. So does Lambert’s question.

That is no excuse. Chase earned $5 billion in revenue from its credit card division last year. Most transactions are posted within seconds. It is unconscionable to wait seven months for someone like Lambert to settle his claim.

How to contact Chase Sapphire Reserve customer service

The Chase Sapphire customer service phone number is (800) 935-9935. Like many companies, Chase has adopted a “DIY” model for customer service, preferring to send you articles and videos on a topic rather than someone who can help you.

For a complex problem like an insurance claim, the self-help section on the Chase website is a little more helpful. We publish the names, numbers and email addresses of Chase executives responsible for customer service. I recommend doing everything in writing – not calls! – To have a paper trail for your case.

Remember, if you can’t get help from Chase Sapphire Reserve customer service, contact us. We will do our best to help.

Another “advantage” of the Chase Sapphire Reserve: free lessons at Patience

Doesn’t Lambert’s case make you appreciate the value of these rewards credit cards?

She could have purchased a basic travel insurance policy, filed a claim, and received her refund months earlier.

Lambert says she’s disappointed that the Chase Sapphire Reserve card has received so many glowing positive reviews online. She expects her claim to move quickly — it won’t take seven months. She never expected the bureaucracy: a promise of payment, then months of requests for more information, and then radio silence.

To her, it looked like a Chase Sapphire Reserve card. it was Too good to be true.

Perhaps this is one of the “perks” of the Chase Sapphire Reserve card: it teaches you patience.

Should you get Chase Sapphire Reserve for travel insurance benefits?

Is it worth getting an expensive, points-earning credit card like the Chase Sapphire Reserve? In most cases the answer is no. By being a smart shopper, you can get many of the same benefits from the card. Some credit cards offer coverage, but a reasonable name-brand travel insurance policy or your auto insurance or AAA membership may offer similar or better benefits.

When it comes to earning points, I have the opposite view.

I think rewards credit cards can be addictive and dangerous, and I believe their days are numbered. Instead of focusing on maximizing your points — the game credit card companies want you to play — I think smart, responsible consumers should be looking for high-quality products at affordable prices. I feel sorry for the legions of cardholders looking for the latest promotion and trying to find a way to take advantage. That is not being a responsible consumer.

To Lambert, “Should I get Chase Sapphire Reserve for travel insurance benefits?” Answer the question. It is clear. No, the travel benefits on her Chase Sapphire Reserve didn’t deliver as promised. Instead, it was an unwanted masterclass in patience.

Chase had to update her claims process. He had to ask the document and her and then He told her the claim was accepted – not the other way around. And Chase didn’t have to keep her in the dark for seven months. That’s not the record for travel insurance claims at our advocacy firm, but it’s close.

Chase: “Sorry for the delay.”

I contacted Chase on Lambert’s behalf. The company broke its silence, meeting with Lambert after months of inaction and apologizing for the delay. The company evaluated her claim and decided to honor it.

Chase eventually sent her a check for $15,194.

“I was ready to give up,” Lambert said. “Without your help, this would not have happened. Thank you a million times!”

no thanks you.

Credit cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve are highly regarded by the frequent traveler community. All blogging empires are built on lucrative referral fees paid by Chase. But for all the money changing hands, the credit card couldn’t honor a simple claim right away. And sadly, no one holds Chase accountable for negligence.

all right, Almost no one.