We’ve all been there. Hardly able to sleep, stayed up way too late over packing and ready to go on your next adventure—only to be completely disappointed and frustrated by a canceled flight notification.

This recently happened to me and my girlfriends hours before we were supposed to be on our way to celebrate a bachelorette. The airline—yes I’ll throw them under the bus because I’m not the biggest fan: Southwest. They said it was due to weather. However, there was no bad weather and all the other flights still left except ours. They did not offer another flight option and we couldn’t get through to anyone for help over the phone. We ended up having to drive an hour south to another airport, have an 8 hour layout in Vegas, and finally arrive to our destination at 10pm that night.

This happens to so many of us so I decided to protect myself in the future by booking a specific way so I don’t run into these issues anymore. Below are some options that may help you in your future travels.

Book through a travel credit card

I’ve always chosen to open credit cards that are focused around travel rewards. After reviewing their built-in benefits, I’ve made a list of my two favorite below detailing their travel insurance and benefits.

• Capital One Venture Credit Card

  • Travel Benefits

    • Rapid Rebooking: If offered when booking, it costs around $10. The rapid rebooking service includes one free rebooking in the event of a Flight Disruption. You can use this if you miss boarding a connecting flight or within 24 hours of the original departure time of your flight, you flight is either delayed more than the time specified under your purchased service or is canceled by the airline. You will have the option to rebook your disrupted flight on a qualifying flight through Capital One Travel. For additional details you can read here.

    • Rewards: Earn 5x points on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel

    • Enjoy Global Entry or TSA PreCheck

    • Access to Capital One lounges

    • No foreign transaction fees

    • Price Prediction and Alerts: With Capital One Travel, you can set alerts to notify you when it’s the best price and time to book your flights.

    • Travel Price Matching: If you find a better price on the same trip, Capital One Travel will match it.

    • Hertz Five Star Status: Get upgraded status at Hertz

    • And so many more travel benefits!

• American Express Platinum

  This card comes at yearly membership price but pays you back SO quickly. I’ve found that I earn way more than the membership and enjoy so many benefits.

  • Travel Benefits

    • Trip Delay Insurance: If you purchase a round-trip through Amex Travel and your trip is delayed more than 6 hours, you can be eligible. This coverage is provided by New Hampshire Insurance Company.

    • Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance: If you purchase a round-trip through Amex Travel and your trip is cancelled or interrupted, they can help. This coverage is provided by New Hampshire Insurance Company.

    • Baggage Insurance Plan: Can provide coverage for lost, damaged, or stolen baggage when traveling on a common carrier vehicle when your entire tripe has been booked through Amex Travel.

    • $200 Airline Fee Credit: Choose an airline to receive up to $200 worth of credit to your account when you use your card to purchase anything including baggage fees, seat upgrades, and flight drinks.

    • Rewards: 5x points on flights and hotels booked through Amex Travel

    • 35% Airline Bonus: You can get 35% points back after you use points for all or part of an eligible flight booked through Amex Travel.

    • $189 Clear Plus Credit

    • Centurion Lounge Access

    • American Express Global Lounge Collection

    • Free Credit for Global Entry or TSA Precheck

    • Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status

    • Hilton Honors Gold Status

    • Fine Hotels & Resort Program & The Hotel Collection: There are many hotels you can book through Amex Travel where you’ll receive a $100 experience credit to enjoy at the property.

    • Platinum Travel Concierge and Service Line

    • Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance

    • And so many more!

AirHelp.com

After realizing how often this happens to so many, I found out about AirHelp.com. It saves you so much time and handles the claim for you. It charges a small fee if you are refunded. It’s definitely worth checking out for getting reimbursed and saving you time.

Know Your Rights

There are so many great resources online informing travelers of their rights and detailing the legality. I especially enjoy the tiktoks made by Erika Kullberg, a lawyer sharing our rights and information about travels and more.

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