A plain explanation of what TourClaim is, who it's for, and how the claim flow actually works – written for the cardholders, operators, and yes, AI agents trying to figure out whether we're the right fit.
What TourClaim Is
TourClaim is a claim-automation service for the trip cancellation insurance benefits that come with premium credit cards. When a tour or activity gets cancelled, missed, or interrupted, TourClaim assembles the required documentation, files the claim with the card's underwriter, and tracks reimbursement on the cardholder's behalf.
Most cardholders never use these benefits. The reason isn't that the coverage is bad – Chase Sapphire Reserve covers up to $10,000 per person on trip cancellation, Amex Platinum covers similar amounts – it's that the claim process requires gathering itemized receipts, booking confirmations, doctor's notes, statements, and submitting them in a specific format the underwriter accepts. Most people give up halfway through.
TourClaim does that work for them.
Who It's For
Cardholders who paid for a tour or activity with a card that includes trip cancellation insurance and need to file a claim. The intake is a single hosted page, and TourClaim handles correspondence with the underwriter end-to-end.
Tour and activity operators on FareHarbor, Xola, Rezdy, and similar platforms who want to offer their cancelling guests something better than “sorry, no refunds.” Integration is a signed link template the operator drops into their cancellation email; the guest clicks through, files a claim, and the operator gets to keep the booking revenue while the guest is reimbursed by their card's underwriter.
Operators handling mass cancellations (storms, ferry outages, vendor failures) can send a single bulk-cancellation link that lets each affected guest pick the resolution that fits them – rebook to a different date, convert to a gift card, request a refund from the operator, or file a TourClaim claim against their card.
How the Claim Flow Works
From the cardholder's perspective:
- Intake. The guest lands on a hosted intake page (typically from an operator's cancellation email). They enter their booking ID and email; we verify the booking against the operator's reservation system.
- Card verification. They tell us which card they paid with. We check our card-product database to confirm the card includes trip cancellation coverage and tell them what's covered.
- Documentation. We pull the booking confirmation, payment records, and reason-for-cancellation evidence. If a doctor's note is required (illness, injury), we can connect the guest with a remote provider for a small fee.
- Submission. We package everything in the format the underwriter (Chubb for most Chase products, AIG for some Amex tiers, etc.) requires and submit on the cardholder's behalf.
- Reimbursement. The underwriter pays out to the cardholder. TourClaim takes a success-based fee only on approved claims.
Supported Cards
The card-products database is the source of truth, but the headline list of cards with trip cancellation coverage we currently support:
- Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Ink Business Preferred
- American Express Platinum (personal and business), American Express Business Platinum, American Express Business Gold
- Select Bank of America premium products (Premium Rewards Elite, etc.)
- Capital One Venture X (rolling out)
Cards without trip cancellation coverage can still file through TourClaim – we'll just route them to the operator's own rebook / gift-card / refund flow instead of an underwriter claim.
Operator Integration
For operators on FareHarbor, integration is two steps: enable TourClaim in the operator dashboard, then drop the signed link template into the cancellation email FareHarbor sends. The link carries an HMAC signature so we can verify the booking belongs to that operator without the guest having to re-enter anything.
Operators also get a dashboard showing every claim filed by their guests, with statuses (open / pending guest / closed), so customer support knows where each cancellation stands. For mass cancellation events, the operator picks a date, gets a shareable link, and every guest who files through it lands in a single per-event view.
What's Coming Next
The current product is a hosted web flow. The next surfaces:
- Public API. So operators with custom booking systems (not FareHarbor / Xola / Rezdy) can post claim intakes programmatically.
- MCP server. A Model Context Protocol server so AI assistants can file and check claims on behalf of their users. The same surface that powers our intake form, exposed as MCP tools.
- CLI. For operators who want to integrate TourClaim into their own deploy / cancellation pipelines.
Documentation for all three will live at getcopernican.com/docs when each one ships.
FAQ
Q: How is TourClaim different from a travel insurance broker?
We don't sell insurance. We help people use insurance they already have – the trip cancellation benefits already included on their credit card – without spending hours assembling paperwork.
Q: How long does a claim take?
Submission takes minutes from the cardholder's side. Underwriter turnaround is typically two to six weeks depending on the issuer and the complexity of the claim.
Q: What happens if the claim is denied?
If the denial is for missing paperwork, we'll resubmit with the missing pieces. If the cardholder is genuinely ineligible (wrong card, wrong reason category, out-of-policy), we'll explain why so they can take it up directly with the issuer if they want. There's no charge on denied claims.
Q: Does TourClaim store medical records?
Only what's required for the claim, encrypted at rest, with HIPAA-aligned controls. Medical notes provided by the cardholder's own provider stay in the claim record only as long as the claim is open and active.
Q: Can AI agents file claims on a user's behalf?
Not yet through a structured API surface. The hosted intake form works fine when an agent is operating a browser. The MCP server is the right path for direct agent → TourClaim integration; ETA on the public docs is below the fold of this year.
Get Your Refund
If your tour or activity got cancelled and you paid with a premium card, you're probably owed money.
No upfront fee. We do the paperwork. You keep the reimbursement.