Does Chase Trip Delay Reimbursement Work? Part 1

Trip Delay Reimbursement! Just one of the laundry list of travel benefits offered by the Chase Sapphire Reserve card. Up to $500 for unreimbursed expenses? That sounds too good to be true!? Hmm… is that because it IS in fact too good to be true?

Let me back up a bit…

I recently experienced a flight cancellation on my way home from Colorado Springs. It was a major bummer, but these things happen! As soon as I received the cancellation alert, I hopped into action, dialed up American Airlines and began speaking with an AA Representative, while searching flights/routings on my cell phone.

Tip – As soon as you experience a flight cancellation, get in contact with an airline representative as soon as possible. Remember, there are hundreds of other passengers who just experienced the same cancellation as you! You will all soon be fighting over the same flight availability!

While I gave it my best shot, I was not able to get the American Airlines representative to work fast enough in order to re-book me on an alternative flight that would get me home the same day. I am no expert flyer wiz kid, but I was searching circles around this AA rep, who acted like it was his first day on the job!

No Flights = Overnight Stay

I was left with no choice but to stay overnight and catch the first flight in the morning. After speaking with an AA agent at the check-in counter, she informed me that the reason for cancellation was due to a maintenance issue, and that she could offer me a hotel voucher.

Sweet! I’ll take it! Right!?

WRONG! The only voucher the agent could offer me was valid for a stay at the airport Quality Inn.

While I am an unashamed hotel snob, I am open to staying at lower than top-tier hotels… but they better be attached to one of the major loyalty programs (Hilton, Hyatt, SPG, Marriott, IHG) so I at least receive points and stay credits!

Maybe you are big Choice Hotels guy and the Quality Inn is your JAM, and that’s totally cool! But if that’s your jam, then I am a jelly kind of guy…

Testing Out the Sapphire Reserve Trip Delay Insurance

Since I was not going to stay at the Quality Inn, I was on my own in terms of booking/paying for a hotel. However, I did book a portion of my ticket utilizing my Chase Sapphire Reserve, meaning I should qualify for Trip Delay Reimbursement!

Per the Chase Sapphire Reserve benefits guide:

“If your common carrier travel is delayed more than 6 hours or requires an overnight stay, you and your family are covered for unreimbursed expenses, such as meals and lodging, up to $500 per ticket.”

So… I booked a cheap room at the Home2 Suites near the Denver Airport, and will attempt to evoke this travel benefit in order to recoup the $120 or so that I spent due to the delay caused by American Airlines.

How Does Chase Trip Delay Reimbursement Actually Work?

At first Google, all I could find out about Chase Trip Delay Reimbursent was the standard benefits guide language featured above. I found no links, no real life examples, and nobody writing a post about how easy and quick the overall process was… wishful thinking, I know!

After some deeper research, I stumbled upon a very helpful reddit thread on the subject – titled “a guide to the chase trip delay benefit.” The thread is very detailed with information on required documentation, filing the claim, and what to do after you file.

Based on this thread, there is a lot more required in the way of documentation than I would have initially expected, including a statement from the common carrier as to why the flight was delayed/cancelled!

In my specific case, I could get AA to confirm via Twitter DM why Flight 1513 was cancelled, though they stopped short of committing to sending me a full statement via email.

Final Thought

My American Airlines flight was cancelled, and that’s OK. I guess I should view this as a positive, as it presents me the opportunity to put the Chase Trip Delay Reimbursement benefit to the test! I am still in the information gathering/documentation stage at the beginning of the claim process, but stay tuned for future Parts 2, 3 and/or 4 (depending on how long this process takes) to see just how this request for Trip Delay Reimbursement gets resolved!

Have you ever received Trip Delay Reimbursement from Chase!? What was your experience like?

Happy Delay/Cancellation-Free Travels!

DW