AIG reimburses the nonrefundable amount paid to any Travel Supplier (flights, hotels, tours, resorts) charged to the Centurion, up to $10,000 per Covered Trip and $20,000 per card per 12 consecutive months. The 7 covered reasons are: accidental bodily injury or illness, inclement weather, military order change, terrorist action or hijacking, jury duty or court subpoena that cannot be waived, primary dwelling made uninhabitable, and physician-ordered quarantine. The full amount of transportation by Common Carrier must be charged to the card. Coverage is secondary to any refunds or credits from the Travel Supplier.
Amex Centurion benefits: does the $5,000 fee card's insurance actually pay out?
American Express·$5,000/year·American Express·AMEX Assurance Company / New Hampshire Insurance Company (AIG)
2,2/5Independent review · verified July 2026
2,0
2,8
1,9
Our Verdict · Travel Insurance
Our take on travel insurance for the American Express Centurion
Expert review · Pauline LauroreAuthor of HelloSafe's card insurance reviews
Same Platinum limits. Zero medical. Here's what that combination actually means at $5,000 a year. The amex centurion insurance package runs through AIG and covers up to $10,000 per trip for cancellation and interruption, with $500 trip delay after 6 hours. That's not a gap, those are real numbers that pay out. The gap is the one nobody talks about until they're in a foreign ER: no emergency medical coverage, no evacuation guarantee, just a concierge who coordinates logistics while you pay every bill yourself. A serious hospital stay in Japan or Germany runs $30,000 to $100,000. AIG still decides what's covered. The concierge files paperwork on your behalf, that's operational, not financial. If you hold this card and travel internationally without separate health coverage, the $5,000 annual fee buys you excellent service and a real $10,000 trip cancellation. It does not buy you medical protection.
What works on travel
- $10,000 trip cancellation per trip: 7 covered reasons including illness, weather, military, terrorism, jury duty, uninhabitable home, physician-ordered quarantine
- $10,000 trip interruption: same 7 covered reasons, covers forfeited non-refundable arrangements and additional transportation home
- $500 trip delay after 6 hours: covers meals, lodging, toiletries, medication during the delay
- Centurion concierge files all AIG claims on your behalf, gathers documentation, tracks claim status
- $3,000 baggage loss coverage: $2,000 checked, $1,000 carry-on, via AMEX Assurance Company
Where travel breaks down
- No emergency medical insurance abroad: every hospital bill is yours regardless of the $5,000 annual fee
- No emergency medical evacuation coverage: Premium Global Assist coordinates logistics only, no cost guarantee
- Trip cancellation and interruption limits identical to the Amex Platinum at $695, no premium for the $5,000 fee
- Pre-existing conditions excluded under a 60-day lookback: a condition from 59 days before booking voids the claim
- No travel accident insurance (AD&D) on the card
Our methodology
Every score is derived from official bank documents: terms and conditions, benefit guides, and claim procedures. No commercial relationship influences our ratings.
Travel Insurance · 11 guarantees
What does American Express Centurion Travel Insurance actually cover?
Round-trip travel required: one-way trips without a return destination are excluded from coverage. The trip may consist of one-way and round-trip tickets combined, but the overall itinerary must return to the departure city.
What's covered
- Accidental bodily injury, illness, or death of the cardholder, Traveling Companion, or Family Member
- Inclement weather preventing travel
- Change in military orders
- Terrorist action or hijacking
- Jury duty or court subpoena that cannot be postponed or waived
- Primary dwelling made uninhabitable
- Physician-ordered quarantine for health reasons
What's not covered
- Pre-existing conditions under a 60-day lookback window
- War, declared or undeclared
- Mental or emotional disorders unless the traveler is hospitalized
- Sports activity for salary or prize money
- Intoxication or narcotic use
- Criminal acts, parachuting, motorized races
- One-way travel without a return destination
- Financial insolvency of a travel agency or supplier
- Any occurrence while incarcerated
No emergency medical insurance exists on the Centurion, despite a $5,000 annual fee. Every dollar of a hospital bill abroad is yours. A serious ER visit in Japan or Germany runs $30,000 to $100,000. Premium Global Assist coordinates logistics, it does not pay.
No emergency medical coverage. Premium Global Assist provides 24/7 coordination of medical referrals, hospital admissions, and logistics during a medical emergency, but it does not reimburse hospital bills or treatment costs. All medical costs abroad are the cardholder's responsibility.
What's not covered
- No medical reimbursement of any kind. Premium Global Assist provides coordination only, with no financial guarantee behind medical costs.
An air ambulance from Southeast Asia or sub-Saharan Africa runs $100,000 to $300,000. The Centurion concierge will help arrange the transport. The bill is yours.
No emergency evacuation insurance. Premium Global Assist coordinates evacuation logistics around the clock, but it provides no financial guarantee and does not cover transportation costs. Actual evacuation expenses are entirely the cardholder's responsibility.
What's not covered
- No evacuation cost coverage. Premium Global Assist is a coordination service only, with no insurance payment behind it.
AIG reimburses the nonrefundable prepaid arrangements missed due to a covered event and the additional transportation required to return home or rejoin the trip, up to $10,000 per Covered Trip and $20,000 per card per 12 consecutive months. Same 7 covered reasons as trip cancellation. Economy-class return fare is the ceiling for additional transport costs.
What's covered
- Forfeited, non-refundable, prepaid land, air, and sea arrangements missed due to the covered event
- Additional transportation up to economy-class fare by the most direct route to return home or rejoin the covered trip
- Same 7 covered reasons as trip cancellation
What's not covered
- Pre-existing conditions under a 60-day lookback window
- War. Mental or emotional disorders unless hospitalized
- Financial insolvency of a travel agency or supplier
Only 4 covered causes: weather, terrorism, carrier equipment failure (with documentation), and lost/stolen travel documents. An FAA groundstop, staffing shortage, or schedule change is not a covered reason even if you miss a connection.
AIG reimburses reasonable additional expenses up to $500 per Covered Trip when the trip is delayed more than 6 consecutive hours by a covered cause. Covered expenses include meals, lodging, toiletries, medication, and personal-use items. Coverage is limited to 2 claims per Eligible Card per 12 consecutive months. The Centurion concierge can file the claim on your behalf.
What's covered
- Meals, lodging, toiletries, medication, and personal-use items purchased during the delay
- Covered causes: inclement weather, terrorist action or hijacking, Common Carrier equipment failure (documented), lost or stolen passports or travel documents
What's not covered
- Covered losses known to the traveler before departure
- Expenses paid before the Covered Trip began
- Delays caused by the traveler's intentional acts
- Employer-authorized expenses on commercial cards
- Airline-caused delays not covered: FAA groundstop, staffing shortages, and schedule changes are not covered causes
No missed connection coverage. If a delayed inbound flight causes you to miss a connection, rebooking costs and additional expenses are not reimbursed by this card. Costs from a missed connection are the cardholder's responsibility.
What's not covered
- No missed connection benefit on the Centurion.
No early return benefit. Additional transportation costs from cutting a trip short are not separately reimbursed outside of the trip interruption benefit. Costs of returning home early qualify only if the situation meets one of the 7 covered trip interruption reasons.
What's not covered
- No standalone early return benefit. Last-minute one-way return flights not covered independently outside trip interruption.
No baggage delay reimbursement confirmed in available benefit documents. Essential purchases of clothing and toiletries during a baggage delay are at your expense. The Centurion concierge can assist with carrier follow-up but provides no financial coverage for delay expenses.
What's not covered
- Reimbursement amount not confirmed in available benefit documents.
AMEX Assurance Company covers lost, stolen, or damaged baggage up to $3,000 combined per claim: $2,000 for checked baggage and $1,000 for carry-on baggage. High-value items including jewelry, watches, cameras, and electronics are subject to a $500 sub-cap per claim. File a Property Irregularity Report with the carrier at time of loss and contact AMEX Assurance via americanexpress.com/benefits or 1-800-228-6855.
What's covered
- Checked baggage up to $2,000
- Carry-on baggage up to $1,000
What's not covered
- High-value items (jewelry, cameras, electronics) limited to $500 per claim
- Items not reported to the carrier at time of loss
- Intentional damage or loss without documented evidence
No travel accident insurance (AD&D). Accidental death or dismemberment while traveling on a Common Carrier is not covered by this card. No lump-sum payment is provided in the event of death or dismemberment on a covered trip.
What's not covered
- No AD&D coverage included with the Centurion.
No hotel theft protection. Personal belongings stolen from your hotel room are not covered by this benefit. Items stolen from hotel rooms may qualify under purchase protection if within the 90-day window, but there is no dedicated hotel theft benefit.
What's not covered
- No standalone hotel theft benefit on the Centurion.
Policy document 1
Policy document 2
We source benefits from official card guides, but PDFs are sometimes hard to obtain or update. Spotted something off?
Coverage Radar
Where the American Express Centurion wins, where it loses
Coverage snapshot for this tab — click any layer to highlight its scores.
Stay Interrupt: well above the market average
Baggage: well above the market average
Trip Cancel: above the market average
Medical: not covered by this card
Evacuation: not covered by this card
Compare
CenturionThis card2.2/5?
$5,000/yrWith travel insuranceIdeal
Complete coverage · 5.0 / 5Premium card avg.
$167 avg. annual feeClick a layer to highlight its scores on the radar.
Side-by-side comparison
How the American Express Centurion stacks up against the alternatives
Same 5 coverage dimensions, ranked head-to-head against the cards most Centurion shoppers also consider.
| Card | This card Centurion American Express · $5,000/yr 2.2/5? | Hilton Honors Aspire American Express · $550/yr 2.9/5? | Sapphire Reserve Chase · $795/yr 3.9/5? | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Trip cancellation Per person, per trip cap | $10,000 per trip All prepaid travel | $10,000 per trip 7 covered reasons | $10,000 per person 13 covered reasons | |
Emergency medical Hospital bills abroad | Not covered Cover this gap → | Not covered | $2,500 | $50 deductible $50 deductible | |
Emergency evacuation Air ambulance + repatriation | Not covered Cover this gap → | Not covered | $100,000 | pre-auth required Pre-authorization required | |
Trip delay trigger Hours before benefits kick in | 6h / $500 Trigger: 6 hours | 6h / $500 Trigger: 6 hours | $500 after 6 hours Trigger: 6 hours | |
Trip interruption Covered amount | $10,000 per trip All prepaid travel | $10,000 per trip Same 7 reasons as cancel | $10,000 per person Shared limit with cancellation |
StrongLimited / misleadingNot covered
Data verified against each card's Guide to Benefits, May 2026.
Cardholder reviews
What cardholders say about the American Express Centurion
Real experiences with the concierge, claims, and travel protection 47 reviews
FC
FlyerTalk Centurion member
Concierge rebooked me on a charter before I reached the gate
The Centurion concierge proactively called me when my flight was cancelled and had me rebooked on a private charter before I even got to the gate. That is not insurance. That is true service.
RA
r/amex
Same $10K limits as the Platinum at $695
At this price point I expected travel insurance limits higher than $10K, same as the Platinum. The value of the Centurion is entirely in the service experience, not the insurance amounts.
PT
Premium travel blogger
Even Centurion cannot override an AIG denial
Even with the Centurion, a denied claim is a denied claim. The concierge can help you navigate, but AIG still makes the final call on what is covered. I had to appeal twice before the claim was approved.
Emergency · Card assistance line
How to contact American Express Centurion assistance?
Dedicated Centurion service line handles claim filing, documentation, and 24/7 emergency coordination
US Assistance
1-800-228-6855
24/7
International Assistance
collect: +1-715-343-7977
Collect calls accepted · 24/7
Benefit administrator: New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company (trip cancellation, interruption, delay) | AMEX Assurance Company (baggage loss, CDW, purchase protection, extended warranty)
Claims & pre-authorizations
How to file a Centurion travel insurance claim
1
Step 1: Call your Centurion concierge immediately
Call 1-800-228-6855. The Centurion service line handles the entire claim filing process on your behalf. They open the file with AIG, request the documentation checklist, and coordinate directly with the insurer. Notify within 60 days of the covered loss or the claim may not be honored.
2
Step 2: Gather your documents
The concierge will request your Amex card statement showing the charge, Common Carrier tickets, proof of the covered reason (physician order, carrier delay statement, court summons, military orders), and copies of all travel supplier cancellation policies. For baggage claims: your Property Irregularity Report filed with the carrier at the airport.
3
Step 3: AIG reviews and determines
AIG (1-844-933-0648 or aig.claimnotify.com/americanexpress) reviews the claim and supporting documentation. The concierge tracks status and follows up if AIG requests additional information. For CDW claims: visit americanexpress.com/protectionbenefits or call 1-800-338-1670.
4
Step 4: Reimbursement issued
AIG issues reimbursement for approved covered losses up to the applicable limit. Even with the Centurion concierge's assistance, AIG makes the final determination on coverage. If denied, request the specific denial reason in writing and address it point by point in your appeal.
FAQ
What people ask about the American Express Centurion
- Activation is automatic when you charge the full cost of a Covered Trip's Common Carrier transportation to your Centurion card. No enrollment is required. For car rental coverage, charge the entire rental to the card and decline the rental company's CDW at the counter. For purchase protection and extended warranty, simply charge the item to the card. The Centurion concierge can handle the entire claim process on your behalf: call 1-800-228-6855.
- Coverage extends to the primary cardholder, their spouse or Domestic Partner, unmarried dependent children up to age 19 (or 26 if enrolled full-time in college), and Traveling Companions whose transportation was charged to the Centurion. For car rental coverage, the cardholder, their spouse or Domestic Partner, and Authorized Drivers listed on the rental agreement are covered. The cardholder must be a US citizen or legal resident of the US or a US territory.
- No. Despite the $5,000 annual fee, the Centurion card does not include emergency medical insurance. Premium Global Assist Hotline provides 24/7 coordination of medical referrals and hospital admissions, but it does not reimburse any portion of hospital bills or treatment costs. If you are hospitalized abroad, every dollar is your responsibility. A standalone travel medical policy is strongly recommended for international travel on this card.
- The Centurion provides secondary CDW (collision damage waiver) coverage through AMEX Assurance Company, up to $50,000 per rental agreement. Secondary means your personal auto insurance pays first in the event of a collision or theft, then the card covers what remains. To use it: charge the full rental to your Centurion card, decline the rental company's CDW at the counter, and sign the agreement as the driver. The rental period cannot exceed 30 consecutive days. Rentals in Australia, Italy, New Zealand, and OFAC-sanctioned countries are excluded.
- Call your Centurion concierge at 1-800-228-6855. They open the claim with AIG, request your documentation checklist, and manage the back-and-forth with the insurer. You will need your card statement, Common Carrier tickets, and proof of the covered reason: a physician's written order, carrier delay statement, or court summons. Notify AIG within 60 days of the loss or the claim may not be honored. AIG makes the final determination. If denied, request the denial reason in writing and appeal with specific documentation.
- The Centurion does not cover emergency medical expenses abroad, medical evacuation costs, travel accident insurance, missed connections, baggage delays, cell phone protection, or return and price protection. Trip cancellation and interruption cover only 7 specific reasons: illness, weather, military orders, terrorism, jury duty, uninhabitable home, and physician quarantine. Pre-existing conditions under a 60-day lookback window are excluded. Financial insolvency of a travel supplier is not a covered cancellation reason.
- No. The Centurion and the Amex Platinum carry identical AIG-backed travel insurance limits: $10,000 trip cancellation and interruption per trip, $500 trip delay after 6 hours. The difference between the two cards is the concierge service, not the coverage amounts. The Centurion concierge files claims on your behalf and manages documentation, which reduces friction. It does not change what AIG will and will not pay.
- No. The Centurion covers trip cancellation only for 7 specific reasons: accidental bodily injury or illness, inclement weather, military order change, terrorist action or hijacking, jury duty or court subpoena that cannot be postponed, primary dwelling made uninhabitable, and physician-ordered quarantine. Cancel for any reason is not available. A job loss, change of plans, supplier bankruptcy, or fear of travel is not a covered reason. The full cost of Common Carrier transportation must be charged to the Centurion card to trigger coverage.
- If your trip is delayed more than 6 consecutive hours by one of 4 covered causes, AIG reimburses up to $500 in additional expenses per trip. The 4 covered causes are: inclement weather, terrorist action or hijacking, equipment failure documented by the Common Carrier, and lost or stolen passports or travel documents. Covered expenses include meals, lodging, toiletries, medication, and personal-use items. You are limited to 2 delay claims per 12 consecutive months. Notify AIG within 60 days and keep all receipts.
Not just American Express
Other cards worth considering
Centurion is a strong choice — but depending on what you prioritize, one of these may suit you better.
Sapphire Reserve
Chase
Sapphire Reserve Business
Chase
Ritz-Carlton
Chase
Prestige
Citi
Fill the gaps in your card
Find complementary travel insurance
We analyze the gaps in your card and recommend the best complementary travel insurance based on your destination and profile.
Step 1 of 3
