If you pay an annual fee on a credit card, you are very likely paying for travel perks you have never used. Lounge access, trip insurance, rental car coverage, no foreign fees — they are sitting in your card’s benefits, waiting. Here is how to find them and put them to work.
The travel perks hiding in your card
Travel benefits are some of the most valuable and most ignored perks on a credit card. The most common ones include airport lounge access, trip delay and cancellation insurance, rental car damage coverage, lost or delayed luggage protection, and no foreign transaction fees when you spend abroad.
Each of these can be worth real money. A single lounge visit or one covered trip delay can pay for a card’s annual fee on its own. The catch is that nobody hands them to you — you have to know they exist and ask.
Why people miss them
Most of these perks are buried in a benefits guide you probably skimmed when the card arrived. The issuer does not remind you, and they only pay out when you file a claim or show up and ask. So millions of dollars in benefits go unused every year simply because cardholders do not know what they have.
How to find what your card includes
Open your card’s app or the issuer’s website and look for a section called benefits, guide to benefits, or card perks. You can also search the name of your card plus the words benefits guide. Read the list once so you know what is there before your next trip.
Pay special attention to the rules: trip insurance usually requires you to have paid for the trip with that card, lounge access may need you to enroll first, and rental coverage often requires you to decline the rental company’s own insurance. The perk is free, but only if you follow its steps.
Use them before your next trip
Before you book anything, put the trip on the card that gives the best protection and skip the foreign transaction fee. Enroll in any lounge program ahead of time. And if a flight is delayed or bags go missing, keep your receipts and file the claim — that is the moment the perk turns into money back in your pocket.
Common questions
What free travel perks come with credit cards?
Depending on the card, you may get airport lounge access, trip delay or cancellation insurance, rental car coverage, lost luggage protection, and no foreign transaction fees.
How do I find out which travel perks my card has?
Check your card’s benefits guide on the issuer website or in the app, or look at the terms you received when you opened the card. Each perk has its own rules for how to claim it.
Are these travel perks really free?
They are included in what you already pay for the card, so using them costs you nothing extra. If your card has an annual fee, using the perks is how you get your money’s worth.
By O.B., Founder · Last reviewed June 2, 2026
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Benefit Guardian is an independent educational resource. We are not a bank, issuer, or financial advisor. Card terms, fees, and benefits are set by the issuer and can change — always confirm details on your official card terms before acting.