Travel warning: How to protect yourself properly with your credit card!

Travel warning: How to protect yourself properly with your credit card!

Nowadays, credit cards are not only a means of payment, but also offer various insurance services, which are particularly important when traveling abroad. In a recent reader query, the question of international health insurance via credit cards was addressed. Loud t-online.de Many credit card providers provide international health insurance at no additional cost.

This protection is usually part of group contracts agreed between credit card companies and insurers. However, the exact scope of services can vary from provider to provider. It is particularly important that consumers check the terms and conditions of their credit card insurance, as some policies exclude psychotherapeutic treatment and often only cover medically necessary repatriation. There is also often an activation clause that states that the insurance coverage only applies if the trip was paid for with the corresponding credit card.

Important information for travelers

For example, the Bremen Higher Regional Court has decided that insurance coverage only applies if the trip was actually paid for with a credit card. However, many consumers mistakenly rely on credit card protection. How kreditkarte24.de As noted, separate travel health insurance policies are often more cost-effective and offer more comprehensive services.

For individuals, the cost of such insurance is around 10 to 30 euros per year, while families pay between 20 and 40 euros. The services that separate travel health insurance includes include outpatient and inpatient treatment, medication, operations and transport back to Germany. These policies are valid worldwide and are independent of the method of payment for the trip.

Insurance options and conditions

When it comes to credit cards that offer international travel health insurance, common options include the TF Mastercard Gold and the American Express Platinum Card. Other cards with corresponding insurance benefits are: Barclays Platinum Double, Barclays Gold VISA and Miles & More Gold. Updated annual fees for premium cards range from 120 to 720 euros.

• Deckungshöhen variieren zwischen 20.000 Euro bis hin zu unbegrenztem Schutz.
• Selbstbehalte pro Schadensfall können von 0 Euro bis 500 Euro betragen.
• Die Deckungsdauer reicht von 42 bis 120 Tagen.
• Leistungsberechtigte sind Karteninhaber sowie deren Familienangehörige.
• Die Reise muss im Europäischen Wirtschaftsraum (EWR) beginnen und enden, und der Karteneinsatz ist erforderlich.
• Bei leistungsberechtigten über 70 Jahren können Einschränkungen bestehen.

Given the multitude of exclusions and restrictions, arbitrary age limits and sometimes expensive annual fees, travelers should always weigh up the different options. In many cases, separate travel health insurance could be a safer and more economical choice in order to be comprehensively covered in an emergency.