What does the insurance on my Citi Rewards+ card actually cover?

Citi·$0/year·Mastercard World·Virginia Surety Company, Inc. (VSC)

Pauline LauroreAuthor of HelloSafe's card insurance reviewsUpdated June 15, 20268 min read

Our Verdict · Travel Insurance

Our opinion on Citi Rewards+ Travel Insurance

Pauline Laurore
Expert review · Pauline LauroreAuthor of HelloSafe's card insurance reviews

No travel insurance, full stop. Not a gap: the entire category is absent from this card's Guide to Benefits. An ER visit in Tokyo or Paris averages $20,000 to $80,000 out of pocket with this card. Most people assume a Mastercard World comes with at least basic travel protection. The Citi Rewards+ benefits guide is 12 pages covering only purchase protection and warranty extension. Even no-annual-fee travel cards typically carry baggage delay and a basic cancel benefit. If travel protection matters at all to you, this card needs a travel-focused companion.

What works on travel
  • $0 annual fee: no cost to keep in wallet as a backup for domestic purchases
Where travel breaks down
  • No trip cancellation or medical insurance of any kind
  • No baggage delay or lost luggage protection
  • No travel accident or emergency evacuation coverage
  • 3% foreign transaction fee on all international purchases
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 Citi Rewards+ Travel Insurance actually cover?

Quality, not just caps

No trip cancellation exists in this card's benefits. A $3,000 non-refundable vacation is entirely at risk if you get sick before departure.

No trip cancellation coverage. This benefit is not included with this card. All non-refundable trip costs are the cardholder's responsibility if a trip is cancelled for any reason.

No emergency medical coverage in this card's Guide to Benefits. A serious ER visit in Europe or Asia runs $20,000 to $80,000 out of pocket.

No emergency medical insurance. This benefit is not included with this card. All medical and hospital costs abroad are the cardholder's responsibility.

Medical evacuation from abroad can exceed $100,000. Without coverage, every dollar of that cost is yours.

No emergency evacuation coverage. This benefit is not included with this card. All evacuation and repatriation costs are the cardholder's responsibility.

No trip interruption coverage. This benefit is not included with this card. All additional transportation and lodging costs from a disrupted trip are the cardholder's responsibility.

No trip delay coverage. This benefit is not included with this card. Meals, lodging, and incidentals during any delay are out of pocket.

No missed connection coverage. This benefit is not included with this card. All rebooking and waiting costs for missed connections are the cardholder's responsibility.

No early return coverage. This benefit is not included with this card. Emergency return transportation costs are the cardholder's responsibility.

No baggage delay coverage. This benefit is not included with this card. Essential purchases during a baggage delay are entirely out of pocket.

No lost luggage coverage. This benefit is not included with this card. All lost, stolen, or damaged baggage costs are the cardholder's responsibility.

No travel accident insurance. This benefit is not included with this card. No accidental death or dismemberment benefit is provided for any travel on this card.

No hotel theft protection. This benefit is not included with this card. Items stolen from a hotel room are the cardholder's responsibility.

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

Coverage Radar

Where the Citi Rewards+ wins, where it loses

Coverage snapshot for this tab — click any layer to highlight its scores.

Compare

Rewards+This card0.2/5?
$0/yr
With travel insuranceIdeal
Complete coverage · 5.0 / 5
Premium card avg.
$150 avg. annual fee

Click a layer to highlight its scores on the radar.

Side-by-side comparison

How the Citi Rewards+ stacks up against the alternatives

Same 5 coverage dimensions, ranked head-to-head against the cards most Rewards+ shoppers also consider.

Card
This card
Rewards+

Rewards+

Citi · $0/yr

0.2/5?
Prestige

Prestige

Citi · $495/yr

3.5/5?
Aeroplan

Aeroplan

Chase · $95/yr

3.2/5?
Sapphire Reserve

Sapphire Reserve

Chase · $795/yr

3.9/5?

Trip cancellation

Per person, per trip cap

$5,000 per trip

Hotels + flights covered

$1,500 per person

All prepaid travel

$10,000 per person

13 covered reasons

Emergency medical

Hospital bills abroad

Not covered
$2,500

Reimbursement only

$2,500 | $50 deductible

$50 deductible

Emergency evacuation

Air ambulance + repatriation

$100,000 | pre-auth required

Pre-authorization required

$100,000

Pre-auth required

$100,000 | pre-auth required

Pre-authorization required

Trip delay trigger

Hours before benefits kick in

$500 after 3 hours

Trigger: 3 hours

12h / $500

Trigger: 12 hours

$500 after 6 hours

Trigger: 6 hours

Rental CDW

Primary or secondary

Primary / $75,000

Primary coverage

Secondary / $75,000

Secondary CDW

Primary / $75,000

Primary coverage

StrongLimited / misleadingNot covered

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

Cardholder reviews

What cardholders say about the Citi Rewards+

Real experiences on purchase protection and card benefits 89 reviews

KG

Katie Genter, The Points Guy

2024

Best companion card in the ThankYou ecosystem

I keep it in my wallet for small purchases that I want to round up to 10 points... I appreciate getting 10 percent of the points I redeem back. It's a great companion card for anyone in the Citi ThankYou ecosystem.

RC

r/CreditCards

2025

No travel or rental coverage is a dealbreaker

The lack of any travel insurance is a real dealbreaker for me. No rental car coverage, no trip cancellation. For a Mastercard with zero annual fee, I expected at least some basic travel protections.

UC

US Credit Card Guide

July 2025

Lost both unique features in the Strata conversion

The card is no longer available for new applicants. Existing cardholders were automatically converted to the Citi Strata Card in July 2025, losing both the 10% rebate and the round-up features. The two reasons people held this card.

Emergency · Card assistance line

How to contact Citi Rewards+ assistance?

Purchase protection and extended warranty only — no travel claims

US Claims

1-866-918-4670

Monday to Sunday, 8 a.m. to midnight ET

International Claims

collect: +1-312-356-7839

Collect calls accepted · 24/7

Benefit administrator: Virginia Surety Company, Inc. (VSC) for Purchase Protection and Extended Warranty

How to file a Citi Rewards+ claim

1

Step 1: Report as soon as possible

Call 1-866-918-4670 (Monday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to midnight ET) or visit mybenefits.cardbenefitclaims.com as soon as possible after the incident. For theft claims, file a police report first. The claims team will ask questions and advise on required documents.

2

Step 2: Gather required documents

Collect the original purchase receipt, your card statement showing the charge, photos of the damaged item (purchase protection), or the manufacturer's warranty documentation (extended warranty claims). For theft: include the police report.

3

Step 3: Submit documents within 180 days

Return all requested documents within 180 days of the date of the incident. Keep the damaged item — the claims administrator may request it for salvage. Virginia Surety Company, Inc. will notify you of their decision once the claim is processed.

FAQ

What people ask about the Citi Rewards+

  • The Citi Rewards+ does not include travel insurance. There are no trip cancellation, medical, evacuation, or baggage benefits to activate. The card covers only two protections: Damage and Theft Purchase Protection and Extended Warranty. Both activate automatically when you pay for an eligible item with your card — no registration required. For travel coverage, you need a separate travel credit card or a standalone travel insurance policy.
  • Purchase protection and extended warranty benefits apply to the primary cardholder and any authorized users on the account. To be eligible, the item must be paid for at least in part with the Citi Rewards+ card or ThankYou Points. Coverage follows the purchase, not the person — meaning the item is protected regardless of where you are when damage or theft occurs, as long as it happens within 90 days of purchase.
  • The Citi Rewards+ does not include rental car coverage. There is no collision damage waiver, no secondary CDW, and no personal accident coverage for rental vehicles. If you rent a car using this card and decline the counter CDW, you have no card-based protection for rental damage or theft. To cover your rental, either purchase CDW at the counter or use a credit card that includes rental car insurance.
  • To file a purchase protection or extended warranty claim, call 1-866-918-4670 (Monday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to midnight ET) or visit mybenefits.cardbenefitclaims.com as soon as possible after the incident. You have 180 days from the incident date to submit all required documents. For stolen items, a police report is required. Keep the damaged item — you may be asked to provide it. Coverage is administered by Virginia Surety Company, Inc.
  • The Citi Rewards+ does not cover any travel-related risks. That means no trip cancellation, no emergency medical abroad, no evacuation, no baggage delay, no lost luggage, and no travel accident insurance. There is also no rental car CDW. On the protection side, there is no cell phone protection, no price protection, no return protection, and no identity theft coverage. The card's benefits are limited to Damage and Theft Purchase Protection ($1,000 per incident) and Extended Warranty (+24 months per item).
  • No, the Citi Rewards+ does not include cell phone protection. Screen cracks, theft, and accidental damage to your device are entirely out of pocket. The card's 90-day Damage and Theft Purchase Protection does cover a phone purchased with the card during those first 90 days — but once that window closes, there is no ongoing phone coverage. For dedicated phone protection, look for cards with monthly-bill-based cell phone benefits.
  • No, the Citi Rewards+ does not cover trip cancellation. The card has no travel insurance of any kind — no cancellation, no interruption, no delay protection, and no medical coverage abroad. If you book a trip with this card and need to cancel, all non-refundable costs are your responsibility. For trip cancellation coverage, pair this with a travel-focused credit card or purchase a standalone travel insurance policy before your next trip.
Not just Citi

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Rewards+ is a strong choice — but depending on what you prioritize, one of these may suit you better.

Sapphire Reserve

Sapphire Reserve

Chase

See Sapphire Reserve review
Sapphire Reserve Business

Sapphire Reserve Business

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See Sapphire Reserve Business review
IMA Assurances

Travel insurance that picks up exactly where your card stops.

Secure Gold

by IMA Assurances

From$1/day

WITH HELLOSAFE

Trip cancellation

$10,000

Medical fees abroad

$600,000

Medical repatriation

Actual costs

Trip interruption

$2,000

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