I Turned a Nightmarish Three-Day Flight Delay Into a Free Vacation Using This Credit Card Hack

It was my last day of vacation in New York City. I was taking a final ride on the Staten Island Ferry when my phone buzzed with a text from American Airlines. I froze. My flight had been canceled because of inclement weather. This must be a mistake, I thought, looking around. The skies were clear. It was only a few hours before my flight and I was just about to leave for the airport.

Instead, I called American Airlines. For some, an unplanned overnight delay in one of the most expensive cities in the world would be a major headache. But as a personal finance writer who loves testing out money hacks, I was also curious about a credit card perk I'd never used before.

I booked my flight with my Chase Sapphire Preferred Card*, which comes with a trip delay reimbursement perk. On the other end of the line, the customer service representative confirmed the flight delay and I soon received another text inviting me to rebook my flight for the next day.

What You Need to Know About the Chase Sapphire Preferred's Trip Delay Reimbursement

The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card has some of the best features when it comes to travel protections. Among them is trip delay reimbursement, which can reimburse you for up to $500 of reasonable expenses incurred during a delay. Here are the details:

• Reimbursement amount: Up to $500
• Eligible expenses: Food, lodging, transportation, and other related costs
• Duration: Must occur within 24 hours of your scheduled departure time
• Reason for delay: Inclement weather, mechanical issues, or other unforeseen circumstances

I would never have taken advantage of this benefit if I didn't need it. But now that I had, I realized just how valuable these protections can be.

The Claims Process Was Relatively Smooth, But There Were a Few Hiccups

After my flight took off without issue the next day, I started filing the claim through chasecardbenefits.com. The process was very intuitive and only took me about an hour to complete.

I filled out a form with the necessary information and uploaded documentation such as receipts and bank statements. But eight days later, I received an email asking for additional documentation from American Airlines. It seemed like there was some confusion due to how my flight was booked.

After uploading all the relevant documentation again, including a brief note about codeshare flights, I submitted the claim and waited anxiously for the outcome.

Ten days later, I received an email saying my claim had been approved and asking how I'd like to receive my reimbursement. After double-checking that the email was legitimate, I chose direct deposit and filled out a form with my bank information.

The total reimbursement amount came out to about $380 - more than enough to make up for the card's $95 annual fee.