The 2024 hurricane season is in full swing and is expected to cause chaos for travelers around the world due to flight delays and cancellations.
Brian Kelly, founder of travel website The Points Guy, offered three ways travelers can protect their wallets all season long.
Kelly said the first thing to do is get travel insurance. As of May, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimated there was an 85% chance that the hurricane season would be more active than normal. That prediction proved correct in early July when Hurricane Beryl became the first Category 5 storm to form in the Atlantic. The storm caused more than 1,300 flight cancellations and 1,000 delays in a single day.
“[Hotels] “In the event of a hurricane, in most cases there will be no refunds,” Kelly told Yahoo Finance. “You will need to insure your own trip.”
According to a Forbes Advisor analysis of travel insurance rates, travel insurance averages 4% to 6% of the total cost of a trip, and Kelly advised travelers to purchase third-party travel insurance rather than purchasing insurance through the airline.
A group of passengers wait to board inside Mexico City International Airport after their flight was delayed due to Hurricane Beryl on July 5, 2024. (Gerardo Vieyra/NurPhoto via Getty Images) (NurPhoto via Getty Images)
But Kelly’s second tip is to encourage travelers to book their actual flights directly with the airlines.
While airlines allow passengers to change their flights at no charge, and new Department of Transportation rules require airlines to provide prompt and automatic cash refunds when travelers are due a refund, travel agencies are not held to the same standards.
“I spoke to one of our followers today,” Kelly said, “and they’re having a really hard time trying to change their flight through an online travel agency because of the hurricane, so please book directly with the airline if you can.”
As a third tip, Kelly encourages travelers to use credit cards, which often have built-in hurricane protection at no cost if the airline can’t accommodate. Coverage varies by card, but travel insurance typically includes trip cancellation and interruption insurance, baggage delay insurance, trip delay insurance, and lost baggage coverage. Forbes magazine has compiled a list of the best credit cards for travel insurance, with the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card coming out on top.
Read more: Chase Sapphire Reserve Review: A Premium Travel Card with Luxury Benefits and Flexible Rewards
“If the airline isn’t accommodating you the way you want them to, make sure you call and contact the credit card company you used to purchase the ticket so they can help with any delays, cancellations or rebookings,” Kelly said.
Maya is an intern at Yahoo Finance.
