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Best Credit Cards With Travel Insurance in Canada (2026)

Updated

Many Canadian credit cards include travel insurance, but the cover varies more than the fees suggest: one card covers the first 25 days of a trip, another 15; one stops covering medical bills at 65, another keeps going for a few days. For a traveller, those terms often matter more than the earn rate. This roundup compares the travel medical and trip cancellation cover on cards that include it, with each card’s terms as its issuer states them. It is one of our credit card reviews and roundups; how card insurance works in general (activation rules, exclusions, claims) is in the credit card insurance guide.

Travel medical cover by card

CardAnnual feeEmergency medical, as the issuer states it
American Express Platinum Card$799/yearup to $5,000,000 for the first 15 consecutive days of a trip, for cardmembers under age 65
Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite$150/yearup to $2 million for you, your spouse and eligible dependent children; the first 25 days of a trip under age 65, the first 3 days at 65 or older
CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite$139/yearup to $5,000,000 per insured person per trip; the first 15 days of a trip at age 64 or under, the first 3 days at 65 or older
TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite$139/yearup to $2 million for the first 21 days of a trip; if you or your spouse is 65 or older, the first 4 days
TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite$139/yearup to $2 million for the first 21 days of a trip; if you or your spouse is 65 or older, the first 4 days
Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite+$120/yearup to $1 million for you, your spouse and eligible dependent children, for travellers under 65, for up to 15 days

Two terms decide whether this cover is enough for a trip:

  • Days covered. The cover usually applies only to the first so many days of a trip, counted from departure. A trip longer than that isn’t covered for the extra days unless you buy a top-up; TD, for example, says additional top-up coverage is available on its cards.
  • Age. Several cards stop medical cover, or shorten it to a few days, once the traveller reaches 65. Momentum covers travellers under 65 only; the TD, CIBC and Scotiabank Passport cards cover travellers 65 and older for only the first few days of a trip.

Trip cancellation and interruption by card

CardTrip cancellationTrip interruption
American Express Platinum Cardup to $2,500 per insured person per trip, to a maximum of $5,000 for all insured persons combinedup to $2,500 per insured person per trip, to a maximum of $6,000 for all insured persons combined
Scotiabank Passport Visa Infiniteup to $1,500 per person, to a maximum of $10,000 per tripup to $2,500 per person, to a maximum of $10,000 per trip
CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infiniteup to $1,500 per insured person, to a combined maximum of $5,000 for all insured personsup to $2,000 per insured person (trip interruption and trip delay)
TD Aeroplan Visa Infiniteup to $1,500 per insured person, to a maximum of $5,000 for all insured personsup to $5,000 per insured person, to a maximum of $25,000 for all insured persons on the same trip
TD First Class Travel Visa Infiniteup to $1,500 per insured person, to a maximum of $5,000 for all insured personsup to $5,000 per insured person, to a maximum of $25,000 for all insured persons on the same trip
Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite+up to $1,500 per person, to a maximum of $10,000 per tripup to $2,000 per person, to a maximum of $10,000 per trip

Cancellation cover usually applies only when the trip was charged to the card, in full or in a set share: Scotiabank requires at least 75% of trip costs on the card, and TD sets its own rule in each card’s terms. Check that condition before booking part of a trip on another card or with points.

Choosing a card for its insurance

If youLook at
Take long tripsThe number of days covered; the Scotiabank Passport’s cover runs longest of the cards above for travellers under 65
Are 65 or olderCards that cover older travellers at all, and for how many days; most cover only a few days, so standalone insurance is often needed
Travel with familyWhether a spouse and dependent children are covered, and the per-trip maximum for all insured persons
Want the highest medical limitThe Amex Platinum and CIBC Aeroplan Visa Infinite state the highest limits here, with shorter day counts
Want cover without a premium feeThe mid-fee Visa Infinite cards, which carry cover at a lower fee than the premium tier

No-annual-fee cards rarely include travel medical cover; a fee card’s insurance is often part of what the fee pays for. Whether a premium card’s insurance and other perks are worth its fee is covered in the premium credit card roundup, and travel cards at every fee level are compared in the best travel credit cards. For a trip abroad, the no foreign transaction fee card roundup covers the other cost of using a card away from home.

When card insurance isn’t enough

Card cover has limits that a standalone policy can fill: trips longer than the covered days, travellers past the age limit, pre-existing medical conditions excluded by the certificate, and trip costs above the cancellation maximum. The best travel insurance in Canada page compares standalone policies, and is travel insurance worth it weighs when to buy one.

Every coverage on this page is subject to the issuer’s certificate of insurance, which sets the conditions, limitations and exclusions, and issuers change their terms from time to time. Each card’s certificate is linked from its issuer page; read it before you rely on the cover for a trip.

Sources

The figures and rules on this page come from these sources. How we check facts.