A reader in our Frequent Miler Insiders Facebook group points out a limitation I had long missed on the US Bank Altitude Reserve card: The card’s trip cancellation protection only applies to transportation booked through a common carrier. It does not offer any trip cancellation protection for accommodations (like hotel bookings!) or other travel bookings for your trip, whereas most ultra premium credit cards that offer trip cancellation protection offer some protection for all of those other trip components booked with your card.
A reader reported in our Facebook group that they had booked a trip, including a hotel booking made through the US Bank Travel Center to use Altitude Reserve points. The short version of the story is that they had to cancel the trip due to illness, but were surprised to find that the card’s trip cancellation protection does not extend to hotels.
My initial reaction was that they were incorrect, but upon review of the card’s guide to benefits, indeed, the benefits only list protection for common carrier methods of transportation. On the card’s benefits landing page, it suggests that “this coverage applies to more than air travel”:
However, as a literal read of that paragraph would suggest, the coverage only applies to other forms of eligible transportation (like a ferrry, train, bus, or cruise ship). Maybe it would still make sense to book things like train tickets or ferry tickets on this card, But given that this card only offers $2,000 worth of trip cancellation protection, it might not be a great choice for cruises.
Here is the wording from the full guide to benefits regarding trip cancellation protection:
Trip Cancellation and Interruption benefits pay up to $2,000.00
per Insured Person for the non-refundable Common Carrier
ticket(s) that You paid for with Your covered Account and/or
rewards programs associated with Your covered Account. You,
Your spouse (or Domestic Partner) and Your Dependent Children
are eligible for coverage if You charge the entire cost of the Trip
using Your Account, less redeemable certificates, vouchers,
or coupons, or rewards program associated with Your
covered Account.
I found that really surprising, as most ultra-premium credit cards will cover other components of your trip. It’s kind of wild to me that the wording suggests that you need to charge the entire cost of your trip to your account, but only the non-refundable common carrier tickets are covered.
Given that this card hasn’t been available new for a long time, and many people have probably dropped it since the December 2025 changes, this probably doesn’t apply to many people. However, I have used the altitude reserve for prepaid hotel reservations in the past, expecting that they would be covered in the event of trip cancellation. I’m surprised that I hadn’t realized sooner that they wouldn’t be covered. As such, I thought it was worth a post for anyone who still has an Altitude Reserve and books travel with it for the travel protections. Be aware that only your “common carrier transportation” will be covered.
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The picture is even someone opening the door to an Air B&B or similar!!!
Dude … uncool!!!
“I have used the altitude reserve for prepaid hotel reservations in the past, expecting that they would be covered in the event of trip cancellation.”
Source: Vibes.
“It [USBAR] does not offer any trip cancellation protection for accommodations (like hotel bookings!)”
Source: Actually reading the T&C’s.
“Whereas most ultra premium credit cards that offer trip cancellation protection offer some protection for all of those other trip components booked with your card.”
Source: Vibes. Let’s go back to using vibes.
If you actually read the T&C’s for these other cards, you’ll find that they often don’t cover what you think they do. Chase is an exception. Most of their $95 and up cards do cover hotels and other expenses.
Someone below said that Amex Platinum covers hotels, but they require that you also book all Common Carrier transit with your Amex Platinum (it’s okay to also use frequent flier points) to receive hotel coverage. So technically they do, but there’s a gotcha in there.
Flashbacks of when everyone assumed Alaska/Hawaiian wouldn’t devalue partner awards after the merger because they didn’t read the fine print.
I was burned recently due to booking a one way cash flight with a combination of cashback and a one-time travel credit earned as part of a SUB for my Capital One Savor card.
My flight was cancelled due to a blizzard at the destination, and I ended up getting stuck for an extra 3 days, which added up to about $900 in hotel stays plus food and rideshare expenses that would have been covered under Trip Delay protection had I booked using the right card.
The frustrating part was that I booked the way there with my Chase Sapphire Preferred, but since each way was booked as a one-way ticket, that trip was considered complete.
Lesson learned, travel protections can really come in handy when you need them.
This is not limited to the USBAR. The Venture X and Bilt Palladium also limit trip cancellation coverage to common carrier fares, which applies to more people. It’s an important detail in terms of how much to favor refundable hotel bookings, which card to book with, and whether to get travel insurance.
Mike is correct. Venture X Guide to Benefits page 8. Bilt Palladium Guide to Benefits page 16 of the PDF (page 2 of Common Carrier Coverage).
I sense a deeper dive article on travel coverage might be in the making.
This makes the Chase Sapphire Preferred an underrated travel protections card.
It includes Trip Cancellation for lodging as well (which includes even Airbnbs) which seems increasingly rare, besides for common carrier fares. It also includes Trip Delay (after 12+ hours) and Baggage Delay, the latter of which the Venture X lacks.
The Amex Platinum’s coverage and the Citi Strata Elite’s coverage are for “Travel Suppliers,” which they define as:
“Travel Supplier means a tour operator, innkeeper, resort, or a cruise line, airline, railroad or other Common Carrier.”
The new Wells Fargo Premier Autograph has travel protections that are greater than the Autograph Journey. Both cards have $15k of cancellation/interruption coverage and include the broader travel category (and not just transportation). The Premier version also includes primary auto coverage, roadside service, trip delay, baggage delay, and lost baggage.
In FM’s recent review of travel protections: “Bank of America’s ultra-premium travel protections are probably second to Chase’s.”
BofA’s Premium Rewards Elite’s cancellation and interruption coverage states: “Receive reimbursement for the common carrier passenger fare in the event of trip cancellation or trip interruption.”
All those cards have an annual fee significantly higher than the $95 of CSP.
I didn’t mean that the CSP is unique in the fact that it offers this coverage, I meant that relative to it’s annual fee, it is a travel protections workhorse.
i was having this card from the time it was introduced . 3x mobile wallet and dining/travle credit was most useful. Once they nerfed everthing by december , i product changed to connect card and got my annual fee refunded partially.
Wise up people. We’re talking about US Bank. I’m not trying to be a smart ass but, after everything that we’ve seen US Bank pull over the past few years, how is something like this a surprise? No sympathy for any hobbyist who plays with US Bank. That’s harsh but hey.
Forgot the travel protection… when is my point transfer coming? It was to be announced last year around December change… here it’s almost April.
Curious as well – since the 8 PP x $28 visits per year haven’t been as useful as they once were – the 1.5ccp RTR redemptions were semi-valuable but US Bank also stopped the quarterly promos that were good for earning 5-7.5K per year a few years back.
I heard the points transfer feature is supposed to FINALLY go live the week of April 6th. It is crazy how long the delay has been.
We’ll see if next week is indeed when it launches. I just hope they have more than like 2-3 crappy airlines and hotels as partners and the transfer ratio is 1:1 and not some BS 2:1 ratio or something like that that.
Where did you hear this?
From someone at USB.
And nothing happened so far. It’s April 9th.