The best credit cards with trip delay insurance have you covered when the airlines don't

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

Travel disruptions are stressful enough without having to worry about the potential extra expenses associated with catching a later flight.

Depending on what credit card you used to pay for the trip, you may be protected. Many of the best travel credit cards come with built-in trip delay insurance. This coverage reimburses the cardholder when a trip is delayed — regardless of whether the delay was within the travel provider's control — and covers expenses such as meals, hotels, toiletries and transportation. And it doesn't only apply to delayed flights — all sorts of land, water and air bookings qualify.

If you'd like to know more about this benefit, CNBC Select has the details on how this travel protection works and the best credit cards to get for trip delay insurance.

For the most comprehensive trip delay protection, you'll need a premium credit card. The *trip delay insurance that comes with the Chase Sapphire Reserve, American Express Platinum and Capital One Venture X cards applies to eligible delays of as little as six hours. That's half the time it takes to qualify for the trip delay coverage available with many other travel credit cards.

• Chase Sapphire Reserve®: You can be reimbursed up to $500 per ticket for reasonable expenses resulting from a covered delay of six hours or more, or a delay that requires an overnight stay. Coverage applies to the cardholder, spouse and children under 26 years old.
• The Platinum Card® from American Express: Cardholders and eligible family members, can be reimbursed up to $500 per covered trip (up to two claims per 12 months). Eligible family members include spouses and domestic partners and unmarried dependent children up to 19 years old (under 26 years old for full-time college students). Coverage applies to an eligible trip that is delayed more than six hours. Terms apply.

• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: You can be reimbursed up to $500 per ticket for reasonable expenses resulting from a covered delay of six hours or more, or a delay that requires an overnight stay. Coverage applies to the cardholder, spouse and dependent children under 22 years old.

You don't need a rewards credit card loaded with luxury perks (and a big annual fee) in order to have access to trip delay insurance. The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card has a reasonable $95 annual fee and comes stocked with all sorts of travel protections, including a trip delay benefit. And the Marriott Bonvoy Bold Card comes with trip delay insurance and no annual fee.

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: You can be reimbursed up to $500 per ticket for reasonable expenses resulting from a covered delay of 12 hours or more, or a delay that requires an overnight stay. Coverage applies to the cardholder, spouse and dependent children under 26 years old.
• Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card: You can be reimbursed up to $500 per ticket for reasonable expenses resulting from a covered delay of 12 hours or more, or a delay that requires an overnight stay.

To qualify for a small business credit card, you need to run a small business, side hustle or have a freelance gig. The quality of your trip delay coverage depends on which business travel credit card you have. The Chase Ink Business Preferred has a lower $95 annual fee, but its trip delay insurance only kicks in after a delay of 12+ hours (or an overnight stay). The American Express Business Platinum card has more robust coverage that applies for delays of 6+ hours, but it has a higher $695 annual fee (see rates and fees).

• Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card: You can be reimbursed up to $500 per ticket for reasonable expenses resulting from a covered delay of 12 hours or more, or a delay that requires an overnight stay. Coverage applies to the cardholder, spouse and children under 22 years old.
• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: Cardholders and eligible family members, can be reimbursed up to $500 per covered trip (up to two claims per 12 months). Eligible family members include spouses and domestic partners and unmarried dependent children up to 19 years old (under 26 years old for full-time college students). Coverage applies to an eligible trip that is delayed more than six hours. Terms apply.

Credit card trip delay insurance reimburses you for eligible expenses you incur when a covered delay occurs on a trip you paid for (all of or part of the trip, depending on the coverage) with a card that has this benefit. This includes award travel when you pay with the points associated with that specific card. Your booking just needs to be operated by a "common carrier" to qualify, which includes commercial airlines, trains, cruises and buses. The only major exceptions are local buses and trains, as well as rental vehicles.

You'll typically be reimbursed up to a certain amount per ticket and the coverage applies to the cardholder, spouse or domestic partner and eligible dependents. You can be reimbursed for reasonable expenses that aren't covered by the travel provider or other insurance, including lodging, meals, medications and toiletries. However, this type of coverage won't reimburse you for prepaid expenses.

Trip delay coverage only applies to covered delays. Covered delay reasons include anything from inclement weather to mechanical issues to system outages. In order to be reimbursed for extra expenses, the delay typically must require an overnight stay or be at least 6 hours or 12 hours long (depending on the card). In addition, any delay due to a covered hazard that was made known or was public prior to departure is not eligible for coverage.

Whenever you have a qualifying trip delay, you'll want to be on top of collecting all of the right documentation.

The first step is to call your card issuer to have them put you in touch with a trip delay insurance benefits administrator. The benefits administrator can provide you with a detailed list of exactly what you need to submit when you file a claim. You'll typically need the following:

• Proof the trip was charged to your card
• Receipts for the additional expenses
• Documentation from the travel provider with the reason for the delay
• A copy of your ticket or original itinerary

Be sure to ask how long you have to file a claim and submit the necessary documentation. You'll typically have to contact the claims administrator within 30 to 60 days and submit your documentation within 100 to 180 days depending on the card issuer.

Depending on what credit card you have, you may not need to pay extra for travel insurance. Some credit cards have built-in protections such as trip delay insurance. When you pay for your travel with a credit card that has trip delay insurance, you're automatically protected. That means you can be reimbursed for eligible expenses if your travel is delayed.

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every credit card review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of credit card products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics. See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best travel credit cards.

To determine which cards are best for trip delay protection benefits, CNBC Select analyzed over 230 of the most popular credit cards available in the U.S. We compared each card on a range of features, including: rewards, welcome bonus, introductory and standard APR, balance transfer fee and foreign transaction fees, as well as factors such as required credit and customer reviews when available. We also considered additional perks, the application process and how easy it is for the consumer to redeem points.

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For rates and fees of the Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.

For rates and fees of the Business Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.

*For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply

*For the American Express products listed on this page, the maximum benefit amount for Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance is $10,000 per Covered Trip and $20,000 per Eligible Card per 12 consecutive month period. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.