Tips & Advices
Woman misses cruise after flight canceled: Would travel insurance help?
Janine Foster was excited to take a cruise this past spring, but her flight that morning had a mechanical issue.
“We were standing at the little ticket gate, they put up a sign – 6:45 (a.m.),” Foster said. “Well, 6:45 (a.m) came, then it was 7:45 (a.m.), then, at 8 (a.m.) minutes to 8 (a.m.) – ‘sorry for the inconvenience, this flight has been canceled.'”
Foster’s cruise was set to depart Miami six hours later. “We went to every counter, and we could not get there time-sensitive,” she said.
With her flight canceled, she missed her cruise. Luckily, the cruise line agreed to refund most of her trip.
But in many cases, that doesn’t happen if you do not purchase extra protection.
Watch as a travel agent describes when to buy extra insurance:
Travel insurance alert, after woman’s canceled flight leads to missed cruise
What to know about travel insurance
As many Americans prepare for that long-awaited summer vacation, you may wonder whether it’s worth getting travel insurance.
After you’ve scrimped and saved to pay for the vacation, you may cringe at the idea of shelling out more money for insurance.
Yet, Lesley Sawhook, Owner of Exclusive Travel Partners, warns that many travelers regret skipping insurance when unexpected situations arise.
“We’ve had people who show up on property, and on the very first day, they slip by the pool and break their leg,” Sawhook said. “That’s not something you’re planning on happening, but a lot of times, your medical insurance won’t work out of the country. Then if you’re needing to get on a flight and go home, and now you’re out that $10,000 you paid on your trip, that $200 to $300 investment’s looking pretty good.”
Sawhook emphasizes that those with pre-existing conditions need to be extra diligent about insurance, especially when taking a cruise. She says many people don’t realize that “even if you’ve added the travel insurance, you have to add and pay for that travel insurance within 14 days of booking that cruise for that pre-existing condition to be covered.”
She says it takes time to gather your medical records before the trip in case you need to be evacuated by a medical helicopter off the ship.
Sawhook suggests working with a travel professional who can connect you with insurance carriers. You can choose your coverage options based on your specific needs, such as whether you’d prefer a full refund instead of a credit on a future trip.
Common misconceptions that could be costly
Sawhook also advises consumers to make sure they clearly understand any policy, rather than blindly clicking on the added protection when booking travel, or thinking they have full protection with their credit cards.
“A lot of my guests will be like, oh, I don’t need it. My Amex covers it,” she said. “Okay, but if you have to be medevacked off a ship, is it going to cover that? I don’t think so.”
She further explains that a “cancel for any reason” policy sounds simple, but consumers need to read the fine print, especially with cruise lines.
“Even if you have to cancel for any reason, they may let you cancel, but you’re just going to get a future cruise credit. You’re not going to get a refund.”
“I always try to encourage my cruise guests to add travel insurance,” Sawhook said. “If they won’t, I tell them to have a flight out two days minimum before their cruise. Especially now that you’re in hurricane season and the weather’s crazy, you’ve got to allow for those delays because that ship’s not waiting for you.”
Janine Foster
Janine Foster says this was the first time she had booked a flight to a cruise the same day the ship was scheduled to depart.
She says she will rethink that next time and will make sure every part of the trip is insured. Almost all cruise insurance policies will protect you if your flight is canceled or delayed, causing you to miss the sailing.
Sawhook says this is a reminder to realize the cost you could incur if you aren’t covered by insurance and something happens.
That way, you don’t waste your money.
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The Citi Strata Elite℠ Card is the bank’s newest addition to its Strata line of cards and its first premium card since the Citi Prestige® Card, which is no longer available to new applicants.
The card comes with nearly $1,500 in value each year through perks like the $200 annual Splurge credit and a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership. Citi is also furthering its partnership with American Airlines and offering some AA-specific perks that frequent flyers will appreciate.
CNBC Select dives into Citi’s newest premium option to see how it stacks up against a very competitive travel credit card landscape.
The Citi Strata Elite℠ Card aims to brings premium restaurant rewards and travel benefits to users, including an annual hotel benefit of $300.
- High rewards rate on travel
- 6X on restaurants
- Can transfer points to American Airlines at a 1:1 rate
- Up to $200 annual splurge credit
- High annual fee
- Limited rewards categories
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select’s editorial staff.
- Earn 80,000 bonus Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening
- Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com and 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com
- Earn 6 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants including Restaurant Delivery Services on CitiNights℠ purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET. Earn 3 Points per $1 spent any other time
- Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases
- Up to $300 Annual Hotel Benefit: Each calendar year, enjoy up to $300 off a hotel stay of two nights or more when booked through cititravel.com.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
Balance transfer fee
Balance transfer fee applies with this offer 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.
Citi Strata Elite Card review
Welcome bonus
If you’re approved for the Citi Strata Elite Card, for a limited time, you can earn 80,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first three months of account opening. With these points generally valued at around 1.75 cents per point by the industry, this welcome bonus is worth about $1,400, which is a great return.
This bonus is earned in the form of Citi ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed in a number of ways, from simple statement credits, to paying with points or transferring them to one of Citi’s travel partners.
Benefits and perks
The Citi Strata Elite comes with several perks, with the bulk of its value in travel and lifestyle categories.
Statement credits
- $300 Annual Hotel Benefit: Enjoy up to $300 off a hotel stay of two nights or more booked through Citi Travel every calendar year.
- $200 annual Splurge credit: Every calendar year, earn up to $200 in statement credits from your choice of up to two of the following brands: 1stDibs, American Airlines, Best Buy, Future Personal Training and Live Nation, with the option to change your selection at any time.
- $200 annual Blacklane credit: Enjoy up to $200 in statement credits, every calendar year, when booking with Blacklane, up to $100 from January through June and up to $100 from July through December.
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® credit: Receive a statement credit of up to $120 every four years as reimbursement for either the Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee.
While you do have to book via Citi Travel, the $300 hotel credit isn’t tied to any specific brand, meaning you’ll have more options. The $200 splurge credit is another welcome addition that gives you more control over how you earn rewards, letting you choose and switch between several brands, ranging from tickets to technology.
One credit that isn’t as common is the one for Blacklane, a global chauffeur service. While it might serve as a nice luxury option for special occasions, odds are that you’ll have an easier time with a taxi or public transportation.
Additional offerings
In addition to straightforward statement credits, the Strata Elite also offers some extra benefits:
- American Airlines Admirals Club passes: Every calendar year, you’ll receive four Admirals Club Citi Strata Elite passes, good for entry to 50+ Admirals Club lounges.
- Complimentary Priority Pass Select membership: Access to 1,500+ airport lounges worldwide for the primary cardholder and authorized users, plus up to two guests.
- Access to The Reserve by Citi Travel: A collection of 4.5- to 5-star hotels.
- Travel and shopping protections: Perks like trip delay protection, enhanced trip cancellation and trip interruption protection, plus lost or damaged luggage protection, MasterRental coverage, extended warranty and purchase assurance plus.
- Mastercard World Legend benefits: The newest premium tier to the Mastercard Collection, offering priority reservations at restaurants, including in Europe through Mastercard’s partnership with TheFork, ticketing access and more.
If Citi happens to be a company you bank with, it’s possible that you could be eligible for additional savings through an offer just for Citi customers:
- Citigold® Private Client Relationship Tier credit: Citigold Private Clients who qualify for the card will receive a first-year banking credit of $595, covering the card’s annual fee. You’ll then receive a $145 annual credit each following year, with an open and current Strata Elite card.
- Citigold® Relationship Tier credit: Citigold Clients who qualify for the card will receive a $145 banking credit with an open and current Strata Elite card.
How to earn and redeem Citi ThankYou Points
Earning
The Citi Strata Elite has a high earnings rate when you book via the Citi Travel portal, and it offers elevated earnings rates during certain eligible times:
- Earn 12X points on hotels, car rentals and attractions booked on cititravel.com
- Earn 6X points on air travel booked on cititravel.com
- Earn 6X points at restaurants on Citi Nights℠ purchases, every Friday and Saturday, from 6 PM to 6 AM ET; earn 3X points any other time
- Earn 1.5X points on all other purchases
What jumps out first is the very high 12X on hotels and more, but it is tied to the issuer’s travel portal, a common theme with premium travel cards. It’s also the first time we’ve seen a card that has a timed window to earn elevated rewards. It earns a higher rate at restaurants on Friday and Saturday nights, which could make your weekend date nights a little more affordable.
Redeeming
When redeeming the Citi ThankYou Points earned by your Strata Elite, you have several options to choose from, like:
- Travel
- Gifts cards
- Cash back
- Shopping via select retailers
- Charitable donations
While options like cash back and gift cards are usually the simplest, they often don’t provide you with the best value; the highest value usually comes from taking advantage of the transfer partners offered through Citi:
- AAdvantage® Program (1:1 ratio for Citi Strata Elite, Citi Strata Premier and Citi Prestige cardmembers)
- ALL Accor Live Limitless (2:1 ratio)
- Aeromexico (1:1 ratio)
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue (1:1 ratio)
- Avianca LifeMiles (1:1 ratio)
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles (1:1 ratio)
- Choice Privileges (1:2 ratio or 2:3 with select Citi cards)
- Emirate Skywards (1:1 ratio)
- Etihad Guest (1:1 ratio)
- EVA Air (1:1 ratio)
- JetBlue TrueBlue (1:1 ratio or 5:4 with select Citi cards)
- Leaders Club (5:1 ratio)
- Preferred Hotels & Resorts (1:4 ratio)
- Quantas Frequent Flyer (1:1 ratio)
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club (1:1 ratio)
- Shop Your Way (1:10 ratio)
- Singapore Airlines (1:1 ratio)
- Thai Royal Orchard Plus (1:1 ratio)
- Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles (1:1 ratio)
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club & Virgin Red (1:1 ratio)
- Wyndham Rewards (1:1 ratio or 5:4 with select Citi cards)
Rates and fees
The Citi Strata Elite was built to compete with some of the most popular travel credit cards, and its $595 annual fee represents that. The card has no foreign transaction fees and a late or returned payment fee of $41. The card’s variable purchase APR ranges from 21.24% to 29.24%, depending on creditworthiness.
Card comparison
Citi Strata Elite Card vs. The Platinum Card from American Express
The Platinum Card® from American Express is a premium card loaded with annual statement credits, entertainment benefits, extensive airport lounge access, elite status perks and more. (Enrollment required for select benefits mentioned)
- Access to 1,400+ airport lounges, including Priority Pass™ Select lounges (enrollment required) and Amex Centurion lounges
- Statement credit offers worth up to twice what the annual fee costs
- Elite status perks for hotels and rental cars (Enrollment required for select benefits mentioned)
- High annual fee
- Many statement credit offers are complicated and are earned in increments or limited to specific purchases
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select’s editorial staff.
- You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®.
- $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings through American Express Travel using your Platinum Card®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
- $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney+ bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
- Enjoy the benefits of the Global Lounge Collection, with over $500 of annual value if you visit Centurion Lounges and each of our partner lounges including Delta Sky Club® lounges when flying an eligible Delta flight (subject to visit limitations) , select Lufthansa lounges when flying Lufthansa, Plaza Premium lounges and Escape Lounges, and enroll in Priority Pass Select. See terms.
- A Walmart+ membership can get you free shipping with no order minimum on eligible items shipped by Walmart. Use your Platinum Card® to pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) and receive one statement credit for up to $12.95 (plus applicable taxes. Plus Ups not eligible) each month. Free Shipping excludes most Marketplace items, freight & certain location surcharges. Paramount+ Essential plan only, separate registration required.
- $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card® Account. American Express relies on airlines to submit the correct information on airline transactions to identify incidental fee purchases. If you do not see a credit for a qualifying incidental purchase on your eligible Card after 8 weeks, simply call the number on the back of your Card. Qualifying airlines are subject to change. See terms & conditions for more details.
- $200 Uber Cash: Platinum Card® Members can ride or dine in style with $15 in Uber Cash each month, plus a bonus $20 in December after adding their Card to their Uber account. Use your Uber Cash on rides and orders in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- $199 CLEAR® Plus Credit: CLEAR® Plus helps get you to your gate faster by using unique facial attributes to verify you are you at 50+ airports nationwide. Receive up to $199 in statement credits per calendar year after you pay for your CLEAR Plus Membership (subject to auto-renewal) with the Platinum Card®.
- Receive either a $120 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card®. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
- Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card®. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- Use Global Dining Access by Resy to access premium dining experiences. Receive Priority Notify and unlock insider access to some of the world’s most sought-after restaurants with Global Dining Access by Resy. Download the Resy iOS app or log into Resy.com and add your Platinum Card® to your Resy profile to take advantage of your special benefits and discover restaurants near you.
- $695 annual fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees
Balance transfer fee
Foreign transaction fee
The Platinum Card® from American Express offers more value in the form of statement credits, making it a good option for those seeking direct value from the card. Amex’s Platinum also comes with hotel status upgrades and permanent access to Amex’s Global Lounge Collection, including its Centurion Lounges. While enrollment is not necessary for Centurion Lounge access, some other lounge programs within the American Express Global Lounge Collection, such as Priority Pass, do require enrollment. The Strata Elite offers a high rewards rate on restaurants and a flexible $200 Splurge credit. The ability to earn up to 12X on hotels and 6X on air travel booked through Citi Travel can help you rack up ThankYou Points very quickly and help finance even more getaways.
Citi Strata Elite Card vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is a standout premium credit card with plenty of luxury perks and statement credits to justify its annual fee.
- Access over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide with a complimentary Priority PassTM Select membership, plus every Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club with two guests.
- Up to $300 in annual travel credit each account anniversary year
- You can transfer rewards to all of Chase’s travel partners including World of Hyatt, Southwest Rapid Rewards and many more
- Top-tier travel and shopping protections
- High annual fee
- Requires a high credit score
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select’s editorial staff.
- Earn 100,000 bonus points + $500 Chase TravelSM promo credit after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Get more than $2,700 in annual value with Sapphire Reserve.
- Earn 8x points on all purchases through Chase TravelSM, including The EditSM and 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct. Plus, earn 3x points on dining worldwide & 1x points on all other purchases
- $300 annual travel credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
- Access over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide with a complimentary Priority PassTM Select membership, plus every Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club with two guests. Plus, up to $120 towards Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck® every 4 years
- Get up to $150 in statement credits every six months for a maximum of $300 annually for dining at restaurants that are part of Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Coverage, Lost Luggage Insurance, no foreign transaction fees, and more.
- Get complimentary Apple TV+, the exclusive streaming home of Apple Originals. Plus Apple Music — all the music you love, across all your devices. Subscriptions run through 6/22/27 — a value of $250 annually
- Member FDIC
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each balance transfer, whichever is greater
Is the Citi Strata Elite Card right for you?
The Citi Strata Elite is a great fit for those who don’t mind booking primarily through travel portals, and for American Airlines customers eager to have a card that earns rewards that can be transferred to the AAdvantage program. The card comes with up to $300 in annual hotel benefits and a flexible $200 Splurge credit, both fairly easy credits to redeem. If you’re invested in the Citi ThankYou Points system or looking for a card that earns rewards compatible with American Airlines, this card is the next perfect addition to your wallet.
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