CIBC Flight Delay Insurance in Canada

July 19, 2024

In this post Hide

When to use flight delay insurance?
Coverage Eligibility
Who is covered?
Claim Information
Conclusion

Have you ever read the details of your CIBC Flight Delay Insurance provided by your credit card?

Understanding flight delay insurance can be beneficial when your flight is delayed or cancelled. I have worked with many clients who have encountered long delays, including overnight delays, that have been made for more comfortable because we could leverage their flight delay insurance to recover significant costs incurred due to a flight delay.

I have summarized important details about the Flight Delay insurance provided by your CIBC credit card.

The following credit cards have CIBC Flight Delay Insurance:

Other insurance benefits information for being a CIBC credit card holder is available here:

The information listed below is my interpretation of the insurance policy.

When to use flight delay insurance?

Flight delay insurance provides coverage for reasonable living expenses such as meals and accommodations when your flight is delayed. This will include coverage for any maintenance reasons, weather reasons, or any other reason, which the airline might use as an excuse to not provide any benefits in the unlikely event you have a flight delay.

The flight delay insurance takes into effect when your scheduled flight departure is delayed by more than 4 hours. Interestingly, this coverage will apply until the arrival of your flight. So, if you encounter any consequences of your initial flight delay, such as a missed connection forcing you to have an overnight, the forced overnight stay will also be covered by your CIBC credit card.

Coverage Eligibility

The following conditions apply prior to being eligible to use the flight delay insurance:

The full fare of the delayed flight was charged to the credit card, or,
The delayed flight was obtained through the redemption of points from the credit card reward program. For CIBC, this will either be using Aventura Points or Aeroplan Points for the relevant credit card.
The delay must be greater than four hours, causing you to delay your travel arrangements or miss a connecting flight.
The delayed flight is a scheduled service by an airline.
The delay of the fight was the result of strike by airline personnel, quarantine, civil commotion, hijack, natural disaster, inclement weather, mechanical breakdown or air traffc delays caused by congestion in
the skies.

The CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Privilege and CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege has a maximum coverage amount of $500 per insured person, for up to $1,000 for all insured person combined.

All other credit cards have a maximum coverage amount of $500, for all insured person combined.

In addition to the flight delay insurance, CIBC will also provide the following expenses for all credit card holders:

$100, in aggregate, for all insured person, for any transportation expense incurred to reach the principle residence or a place of overnight accommodation.
$100, in aggregate, for all insured person, for any entertainment expense due to a flight delay, that includes, but not limited to, movie theatre, concert hall, opera or sports event tickets.

Who is covered?

CIBC covers the following individuals:

The primary cardholder, or,
The primary cardholder’s spouse and dependent children, even if the primary cardholder is not traveling with them, or,
An authorized user of the credit card.

Claim Information

If you find yourself needing to use the CIBC flight delay insurance, you should call 1-855-845-0999 in Canada or the United States. From anywhere else in the world, call collect to: + 905 412-1102.

You should initiate the claim as soon as the flight is delayed. You will need the following documents to complete your claim formalities:

Verification by the airline of the delay, including the reason for and duration of the delay; and any compensation issued; and
Original itemized expense receipts; and
A copy of the travel arrangements’ invoice/itinerary, or a copy of the account statement on which the full fare expense appears, showing your card as the method of payment or showing it as a ticket obtained through the redemption of points from the card travel reward program; and
A copy of the airline ticket.

Conclusion

The flight delay insurance has been incredibly valuable during any delays. I have made multiple successful claims, and it has been a blessing during bad travel days, that often impact all of us at some point in time.