How do I activate the Centurion travel insurance benefits?

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.

Who is covered under my Centurion benefits?

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.

Does the Centurion cover emergency medical expenses abroad?

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.

How does the Centurion rental car coverage actually work?

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.

How do I file a Centurion travel insurance claim?

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.

What does the Centurion travel insurance NOT cover?

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.

Are the Centurion insurance limits higher than the Amex Platinum?

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.

Does the Centurion cover trip cancellation for any reason?

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.

What does the Centurion trip delay benefit cover?

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.

Amex Centurion benefits: does the $5,000 fee card's insurance actually pay out?

American Express·$5,000/year·American Express

Pauline LauroreAuthor of HelloSafe's card insurance reviewsUpdated June 11, 20268 min read

2,2/5Protection gap.Independent review · verified June 2026

Travel Insurance

2,0

Car Rental

2,8

Protection

1,9

Our Verdict · Travel Insurance

Our opinion on Centurion Travel Insurance

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

Travel Insurance · 11 guarantees

What does my Centurion card's travel insurance cover?

Quality, not just caps

Guarantee

Status

Limit · Cap

Trip cancellation

All prepaid travel · 7 covered reasons

$10,000

Covered

$10,000

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.

Medical fees abroad

Not covered

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.

Medical repatriation

Not covered

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.

Trip interruption

All prepaid travel · 7 covered reasons

$10,000

Covered

$10,000

Transport delay

Trigger: 6 hours · Max 2 claims / 12 months

$500

Covered

$500

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.

Missed connection

Not covered

Lost luggage / theft

Not covered

Baggage delay

Not covered

Baggage loss

$2K checked / $1K carry-on · $500 sub-cap: high-value items

$3,000

Covered

$3,000

Personal liability

Not covered

Hotel theft protection

Not covered

View all guarantees and assistance (PDF)

We source benefits from official card guides, but PDFs are sometimes hard to obtain or update. Spotted something off?

Report an error Send updated PDF

Coverage Radar

Where the Centurion wins, where it loses

An 8-dimension snapshot compared to the Amex Platinum ($695/yr) and the average premium travel card.

Compare

CenturionThis card2.2/5?

$5000/yr

With travel insuranceIdeal

Complete coverage · 5.0 / 5

Premium card avg.

$150 avg. annual fee

Amex Platinum

American Express · $695/yr

Click a layer to highlight its scores on the radar.

Side-by-side comparison

How the 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 · $5000/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
Rental CDW Primary or secondary	Secondary / $50,000 Secondary coverage	Primary (intl) / $75,000 Primary outside US	Primary / $75,000 Primary coverage

StrongLimited / misleadingNot covered

Data verified against each card's Guide to Benefits, May 2026.

FlyerTalk Centurion member

November 2023

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.

r/amex

April 2024

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.

Premium travel blogger

June 2024

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.