How to create an Amex Platinum insurance certificate before you travel

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• JDB says:

  21 Jan21 January 16:56

  @C7Barma – it’s difficult to say one policy is better or worse than the other. They are different and which one suits you depends on your needs. It’s not difficult to compare them – looking at the two IPIDs side by side is a good starting point.

  The + of the Plat policy is the ability to claim for postponement of a trip and it includes the car hire excess cover which HSBC doesn’t offer.

  Amex is much weaker on the travel disruption section vs HSBC

  Amex has a very limited range of existing pre-conditions it allows and the definition of existing conditions is extraordinarily strict, as in it including things that the ordinary person probably wouldn’t think were effectively excluded. You can’t ‘buy out’ or add any condition.

  With HSBC there’s a wider list including many very common conditions and you can pay a fairly modest sum to add otherwise not covered conditions.

  For me, those are the key differences but do check! Insurance is too important to rely on random internet posters.

• Rob says:

  21 Jan21 January 17:31

  Would be helpful to mention this is for Great Britain, not US cardholders. The link above goes to the GB amex website, which has different insurance than US.

  • Billy Bil says:

    25 Jan25 January 19:12

    British website, ergo….

• Reney says:

  21 Jan21 January 18:03

  Question on views on the validity of paying with the card on card account if cancellation due to illness of one of the travel party. Does anyone know what would be the likely outcome if I complained or take it to FOS. In scenarios where using Amex cost more I feel like I should not have to pay more to benefit from the insurance. A follow up question, what if someone else in the travel party paid on my behalf? If a group is travelling we book our flight as one booking so that we are not separated, it would not be feasible for everyone to pay on their own card.

  • JDB says:

    21 Jan21 January 18:17

    The issue is that the insurance is packaged with the card, so Amex is already being generous in allowing you to use another Amex card that may be more advantageous to use or indeed not requiring you to use an Amex card at all for some sections. Amex also allows any card to be used if a particular merchant can be shown not to accept Amex.

    I would be surprised if you could win a complaint or FOS case on the basis that the Amex card cost more as, without the card you don’t have cover, you have bought a whole package (the terms of which you have agreed) including insurance and other benefits, not a standalone policy and that policy ceases upon cancellation of the card; it’s all tied together. Equally, for the additional cost of the Amex, do you seriously want the aggro and risk of going to the FOS? It takes time and effort to present a strong case.

    In respect of the Plat policy, for the cancellation section you are potentially covered if you have to cancel because a travelling companion or their close relative not themselves covered on the policy suffers an insurable event but it doesn’t cover them, so your question depends a bit on who exactly is travelling.

• Natalia Garcia says:

  22 Jan22 January 12:46

  So if I booked a travel without the Amex Plat, can I generate the insurance document? Or I need to book my flights and stay with the Amex Plat to be covered?

  • Rob says:

    22 Jan22 January 13:07

    You need to read the policy document. Some stuff requires payment with AN Amex, some doesn’t. Medical doesn’t.

    • Talay says:

      23 Jan23 January 05:21

      And as some stuff cannot be bought with an Amex card, this leave you potentially uninsured and uninsurable !

      • Daniel says:

        24 Jan24 January 01:44

        Not true, where AMEX can’t be used for payment then you’re still deemed to be covered by the AMEX Plat policy.

• Deepak Gupta says:

  27 Jan27 January 15:48

  Hi Rob -my understanding was that if one has the Platinum card, and if you pay for flights/hotels with any card( non Amex or BA Amex) you were still covered for Platinum travel insurance, specially medical -inconvenience benefits were less though. When creating the certificate it does not ask for this info. However on their website it appeared that you are only covered if paying by your Platinum card – this was confirmed by Amex Insurance -is this correct? Also if I bought my tickets last October ( when AXA were providing the insurance) using a Virgin or BAAmex card, where do I stand now?
  Also what is the best thing to do if my journey exceeds 90 days which is max for insurance with Amex. Many Thanks

  • Rob says:

    27 Jan27 January 18:35

    Show me where it says you need to pay with a Platinum card.

    If your journey exceeds 90 days you are not covered for any of it.

• Deepak Gupta says:

  28 Jan28 January 16:17

  You are correct it is not written that ‘use of The Card’ is necessary for
  Medical Assistance and expenses, car rental benefits, personal accident on a trip, and legal assistance and compensation : so it does not matter how you pay for the trip, what care you use, even non amex.
  Following benefits are dependent on use of any amex card and you get the benefits of the highest level of amex card you have:
  Cancelling etc, cutting short the trip, travel inconvenience, personal belongings/money/travel documents, purchase protection, refund protection.
  However I talked to an Agent yesterday and another one today at Europassistance who told me that medical benefit is only covered upto the benefit of the amex card you use for payment – on insisting that they are wrong and spending an hour on the phone she has agreed with me today. Thanks Rob.

• Chris Pattison says:

  5 Feb5 February 13:55

  Possibly the most discriminatory travel insurance on the market . Only valid for under 70s. Most bank insurances charge a small supplement for over 70s. Barclays is over 80. AMEX we don’t want you.
  Pre Existing medical conditions . Virtually every insurer covers some for nothing and most others a supplement . AMEX no chance . Pre existing we don’t want you .

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