Premium Baggage Protection

Fortunately the Hopeful Traveler purchased Premium Baggage Protection from American Express. For $9.95 per covered person per covered trip, the insurance offers $500 coverage for replacement items if bags are delayed three hours or longer and $2,000 for lost, stolen or damaged baggage.

With the coverage, I immediately headed to Boots, a health/beauty/drugstore, for some basic toiletries (razor, toothpaste) and to Marks & Spencer department store for a dress shirt for the evening. I tried not spend the total $500 limit in case the bag is delayed more than one day. My total is US$186.

Good News, when I returned to the hotel that evening after the theatre, the concierge had left a message on my TV screen (yeah, you read right) that they had a bag delivered and waiting for me at the bell desk. Needless to say I ran down six flights of stairs to the lobby. My bag was intact and nothing was missing. A happy ending to the beginning of this trip.

Upon returning home, I called to file the baggage delay claim and American Express offered me the choice of a check or a credit to my account. They will cover the total expense with submission of copies of the baggage delay report, receipts and airline issued itinerary or ticket.

For more information, click on Premium Baggage Protection in the Quick Links column. American Express also offers Travel Delay Protection and Trip Cancellation Insurance.