What Are the Limits of Travel Credit Card Insurance?

📅 Published in 2016 — Updated in June 2026
💳 Neobanks (Revolut, N26, Wise) and online offers have disrupted the market.

💳 Bank card insurance in 2026

🆕 Neobanks: new options

• 💳 Boursorama Ultim — Free (under conditions). Visa Premier insurance included. Medical ceiling: €150,000. Duration: 90 days.
• 💳 Fortuneo Gold CB — Free (under conditions). Gold Mastercard. Ceiling: €155,000. 90 days.
• 💳 N26 Metal — €16.90/month. Allianz Insurance. 90 days.
• 💳 Revolut Metal — €13.99/month. Medical assistance + baggage + delay. 90 days.
• 💳 Classic Premier Visa — €125-200/year. Ceiling: €155,000. 90 days.
• 💳 Amex Gold — €200/year. Ceiling: €300,000. 90 days.
• 💳 Amex Platinum — €660/year. Premium. Ceiling: €500,000+. 90 days.

⏰ The 90 day rule — STILL unchanged

⚠️ No bank card covers you beyond 90 days. After 3 months abroad, your card insurance no longer works. You need expatriate health or long-term travel insurance.

✅ What is covered vs ❌ what is not

Covered: Medical expenses ✅ | Repatriation ✅ | Trip cancellation ✅ | Baggage loss ✅ | Civil liability ✅

NOT covered: Dental/optical ❌ | Extreme sports ❌ | Motorcycle > 125cc ❌ | Pre-existing illnesses ❌ | Stay > 90 days ❌

⚠️ Conditions often forgotten

• 🎫 Activation: You must have paid for your transport ticket WITH the card. Without it = no coverage.
• 💰 Excess: €50-75 per claim. For an 80€ bill, you receive 5-30€.
• 📅 Countdown: The 90 days start on the day of departure (or purchase of the ticket depending on the insurer).

💡 Advice for the expatriate

The bank card NEVER replaces expatriate insurance if you live abroad for more than 3 months. It is useful for:

• < 90 jours

✈️ One-off trips

• 🆘 Unforeseen emergencies (in addition)
• ❌ Cancellation of plane tickets

For an expatriate in Thailand: take out dedicated insurance (see my article on mutual insurance). Your card will be an additional safety net when traveling outside Thailand, never your main coverage.

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⬇️ Before it was like that…

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The limits of your bank card abroad

A credit card insurance for travel is included in your visa but did you know that? When you go on a trip, those who know it count on the insurance of your business card. This idea is quite normal because you pay for this service through the purchase of this “gold card”. The vast majority of bank cards offer insurance and assistance guarantees that will allow you to deal with a health emergency. These emergencies are transport/repatriation, advance on hospitalization costs, theft or damage to luggage, civil liability. But be careful only during short stays of less than 3 months.

Who is covered by credit card insurance?

The card holder and his or her spouse or partner.
Also covered:

• for insurance guarantees, his children,
• for assistance guarantees, dependent children of the holder under the age of 25, as well as tax dependent ascendants.

Coverage limited in time

It is essential to know that the coverage of your bank card is limited in time. So, whatever your bank card, your coverage generally only extends up to 90 days (3 months). Beyond this period of use, you will therefore no longer be able to benefit from any health coverage and assistance abroad if you have not also taken out international health insurance.

Limited ceilings for your bank card insurance

For your health expenses, bank card insurance can cover up to a certain limit:

• Visa and Mastercard: €11,000
• Premier and Gold card: €155,000

When we know that a day of hospitalization in the United States can cost several thousand euros, these ceilings can be reached and exceeded very quickly, particularly for so-called “classic” cards.  For your theft or damage to baggage guarantee, you are not covered if you have a simple Mastercard or Visa card, and you are only covered up to €800 per event with a Visa Premier or Mastercard Gold card.

A deductible applied to each of your reimbursements

Whatever your type of credit card, be aware that an excess is generally between €50 and €75. You will be billed for each intervention, whether you need insurance coverage or assistance. Credit card insurance is a good basis but not for “a trip around the world” for example.

In summary

The insurance guarantees associated with your credit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) make it possible in certain cases to manage an emergency situation such as an unexpected illness* or an accident*, provided that the event in question is of less importance. Indeed, reimbursement ceilings may be largely insufficient to meet the health expenses observed in certain countries where medical costs are very high (e.g.: United States, Canada, China, etc.).

My recommendations

If you are leaving for more than 3 months be careful. You want coverage comparable to that to which you are accustomed in your country of origin so consider taking out international health insurance. It will pay for all of your healthcare expenses. Also think about assistance/repatriation, foresight, legal protection and/or civil liability (which is, for example, not covered with a “simple” Mastercard or Visa), essential guarantees abroad!

The insurance offered by travel agencies is also limited, but some are more operational and more comfortable. I often use the one offered by Expedia, which partners with good international insurance for your plane tickets or your stay.

You can consult the details of the guarantees and exclusions of your bank card on the sites:

• www.mastercard.com
• www.visa.fr
• www.americanexpress.com

If you need currency exchange, I recommend: Travelex.

Accident: unintentional bodily harm on the part of the member. It must come exclusively from the sudden and unpredictable action of an external cause.

Unexpected illness: any medically observed sudden change in health. It must be unpredictable requiring surgery or medical treatment. This circumstance cannot wait for return or repatriation to the country of residence

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