Trip delay insurance is one of the main reasons that I choose to pay an annual fee on a luxury card like the Capital One Venture X. Yes, it comes with a pretty hefty annual fee, but to me it is worth it. Not only do you get an annual travel credit and bonus miles every year, it also has airport lounge access, roadside assistance and trip delay insurance. These benefits have saved me hundreds of dollars over the year – making it well worth it to pay the annual fee.
(SEE ALSO: Capital One Venture X Review – the best premium credit card)
Recently I had a situation where trip delay insurance COULD have come in handy, but I ended up not filing a claim. I thought I’d share the story as a bit of a cautionary tale if you ever find yourself in a similar situation.
Capital One Venture X Trip Delay Insurance Details
But first, here are a few details on the Capital One Venture X trip delay insurance:
- You must pay for your trip with your Capital One Venture X card (paying the taxes and fees on an award ticket counts!)
- If you have a delay of more than six hours (or an overnight stay), then the insurance kicks in
- It can cover up to $500 for each purchased ticket
- Only “reasonable expenses” will be reimbursed. This can include meals, lodging, toiletries, clothing
- You, Your spouse and Your dependent children under twenty-two (22) years of age are automatically covered
My Delayed (And Diverted) Flight
A few weeks ago, I was traveling back from a conference in San Antonio on American Airlines. Since there isn’t a direct flight, I was connecting through Chicago, and we were trying to land in Cincinnati in the remnants of Hurricane Helene. The pilot tried to land the plane 3 times but had to abort each time due to heavy crosswinds. Eventually they made the decision to divert to Columbus, 100 miles or so to the north of Cincinnati.
Of course, I do not live in Columbus :-), so I was looking for the best ways to get back home. I did consider renting a car or taking an Uber, but I knew both of those were going to be expensive options. Even though I had paid for this trip (at least the taxes and fees) with my Venture X card, and I was fairly confident that the Venture X trip delay insurance would cover it, I still blanched at paying a ton for either of those options.
(SEE ALSO: Successfully Getting A Capital One Venture X Trip Delay Insurance Claim (Here’s How To Do It))
After thinking it over, I decided to just have my wife drive up and pick me up. She was already waiting at the Cincinnati airport, so she just stayed in the car and drove up I-71 to Columbus. My flight was supposed to land in Cincinnati around 12:22pm – instead, I ended up getting home about 8pm.
Does Trip Delay Insurance Cover Mileage In Your Personal Car?
So that got me to wondering if my trip delay insurance would cover the mileage that my wife and I spent having to pick me up in Columbus and driving me home. I kind of thought that it would not, but I could also see a possibility that they would cover the mileage at the current IRS reimbursement rate (67 cents per mile for 2024).
I didn’t actually file a claim, but instead just reached out to their customer service department. They didn’t quite know what to make of my question, but eventually the agent confirmed that only expenses like a rental car, taxi or Uber would count in this scenario. I did consider having my wife invoice me as “Miller Transportation” for the ride to Columbus and back, but decided that would probably not be a good idea :-), so I just dropped the idea.
The Bottom Line
Next time if I run into this scenario (hopefully never!), I’ll just book a one way car rental, even if it’s super expensive. It would have been more convenient and gotten me home a few hours later. On the other hand, it was a pleasant drive alone with my wife back to Cincinnati (call it the poor man’s date night). I did have to wait around in the Columbus airport for awhile, but it was no problem to spend a few hours in the Escape Lounge CMH Lounge, which was a new lounge for me. At the end of the day, I was just happy to get home – it was a long and crazy day!
Have you ever filed a Capital One Venture X trip delay claim for personal miles? Or would you have rented a car in this situation? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.