Rogers Red World Elite Mastercard insurance: which protections actually hold up?

You prepay a trip on the card. If a covered reason forces you to cancel before departure, the card reimburses the non-refundable, non-transferable portion up to $1,000 per person and $5,000 per account. The covered reasons list is broad: illness, injury, death, jury duty, a job loss after one year with the same employer, an employer transfer, a government travel advisory issued after booking, even a travel supplier going bankrupt. You must charge the full trip cost to the account and tell the supplier within 48 hours of the event.

You are out of province and land in an emergency room. The card covers up to $1,000,000 per person for sudden, unexpected sickness or injury, on top of what your provincial health plan pays (it pays almost nothing outside Canada). It includes hospital and ambulance, emergency dental to $2,000, and meals and lodging at $200 per day if you are stuck. Here is the trap: coverage runs only 10 consecutive days if you are under 65, and just 3 consecutive days from age 65 to 75. There is a hard age cap at 75.

If you cannot be treated where you are, the card pays to move you. Emergency air transport and evacuation, transportation to bedside for a family member, return of a travel companion, and repatriation of remains are all included inside the $1,000,000 medical limit. Allianz Global Assistance arranges and coordinates the transport. One firm rule: call Allianz before any treatment or evacuation, or your claim can be reduced.

Your trip starts, then a covered emergency cuts it short or strands you. The card reimburses the unused, non-refundable portion plus the extra cost of a one-way economy fare home, up to $1,000 per person and $5,000 per account. If a covered reason delays your return, it also pays accommodation and meals at $150 per day for up to 3 days. The covered reasons mirror the cancellation list.

A delay only pays here if it comes from a covered reason, not just any tarmac wait. When a covered reason delays your scheduled return, the card reimburses commercial accommodation and meals at $150 per day for up to 3 days, inside the $1,000 per person interruption cap. There is no simple flight-delayed-four-hours payout. Weather has to delay your carrier for 30% or more of the trip, or the delay has to tie to one of the listed reasons.

Miss a connection because a connecting vehicle ran late, and the card helps you catch up. If inclement weather, a common-carrier mechanical failure or accident, a traffic accident or a police road closure makes you miss your ticketed departure, the card covers the cost to rejoin your trip up to the limit, or a one-way economy fare via the most direct route. The connecting vehicle must have been scheduled to arrive at least 2 hours before your departure.

Early return is folded into the trip interruption benefit. If a covered emergency means you have to head home before the trip ends, the card reimburses the extra cost to change your return ticket to a one-way economy fare, or buys that fare if your ticket cannot be changed. It draws on the same $1,000 per person, $5,000 per account interruption limit.

No baggage delay coverage. The card does not reimburse clothing or toiletries while a delayed bag catches up. Those replacement purchases during a delay are the cardholder's responsibility.

No lost or stolen baggage coverage. The card has no benefit if a bag is lost, stolen or damaged in transit. The full replacement cost of luggage and contents falls on the cardholder.

No travel accident insurance. The card pays no lump sum for accidental death or dismemberment while travelling. Any such loss is not covered under this certificate.

No hotel theft coverage. The card does not reimburse belongings stolen from your hotel or motel room. Those losses are the cardholder's responsibility.