$300 baggage delay + $300 trip delay coverage from United Explorer

As we approach winter and holiday travel airline delays become even more common and frustrating. One snowstorm in the wrong place, and your plans could be shafted for days at a time.

Normally, when weather causes issues the airline has no obligation to help you. Zip, zilch, nada. They just have to get you on their earliest available flight. Which is why you see people camping out in cots around holiday snowstorms.

Enter the idea of trip delay and baggage delay coverage from the United Explorer credit card…which we found while reading the fine print of its benefits guide…

$300 trip delay coverage. Provided you charge your airplane ticket in full on the card, the United Explorer offers $300 toward ‘reasonable expenses such as meals and lodging’ if you are delayed more than 12 hours or have an overnight stay.

Eligible causes are wide – it can be mechanical delays, weather, or strikes. And it doesn’t have to be a United flight — any flight counts as long as you pay for it with your card.

Just make sure you get a printout of the screen showing the delayed flight, or ask an agent for a print out. They’ll want that as proof for your reimbursement. And you need to call and let them know at 1-800-419-8027 within 30 days of the delay.

This is great for securing a hotel room when you’re stuck away from home or a rental car to get you where you need to go.

$300 delayed baggage coverage. If your checked baggage is delayed a 18 hours or more after your scheduled arrival, you are eligible for $100 per day of reimbursement of the purchase of ‘essential’ items for up to 3 days. These items include:

• Contacts, glasses, hearing aids
• Dentures or bridges
• Tickets, checks, valuable papers
• Business samples
• Jewelry and watches
• Cameras, video recorders, and other electronic equipment

Again, it doesn’t matter what airline you use — as long as you used the card to pay for the ticket in full. Oh, and the baggage and delay coverage are separate, so if you encounter both problems on a trip, you’re eligible for reimburement of both.

Read our review of the United Explorer here. Our complete list of benefits is here.