5 Best Credit Cards for Paying Cell Phone Bills (Feb. 2024)

While your cell phone may already provide you with some important conveniences, discovering the best credit cards for paying your cell phone bill can often sweeten the deal. You have a phone bill every month that needs to be paid. Why not use this monthly bill to optimize your credit card benefits as well?

One of the key benefits of paying your cell phone bill with a credit card is the cell phone protection plan many cards offer. Luckily, several quality credit card options with cell phone insurance are available to choose from.

Best Overall | More Cards | FAQs

The Chase Freedom Flex℠ is a great choice with which to pay your cell phone bill because it comes with cell phone protection, as do all of the cards in this review. You can get up to $800 per claim and $1,000 per year to cover your cell phone against theft or damages.

1. Chase Freedom Flex℠

To use this cell phone protection coverage, you’ll need to pay your monthly phone bill with your Chase Freedom Flex℠ card. You can file a maximum of two claims in a 12-month period and pay a $50 deductible per claim.

Chase Freedom Flex℠ is just one of many credit cards that offers competitive benefits and reliable cell phone insurance. Whether you’re a college student, business owner, or someone looking for a low-fee cashback rewards card with no foreign transaction fee, quite a few card options are available to you.

Here are our other top picks for the best credit cards to pay your mobile phone bill with.

2. Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

at Chase'ssecure website

BEST OVERALL RATING

★★★★★

4.7

OVERALL RATING

4.7/5.0

Our Review »

• Earn 100k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,000 cash back or $1,250 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Travel℠
• Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases
• Round-the-clock monitoring for unusual credit card purchases
• With Zero Liability you won't be held responsible for unauthorized charges made with your card or account information.
• Redeem points for cash back, gift cards, travel and more - your points don't expire as long as your account is open
• Points are worth 25% more when you redeem for travel through Chase Travel℠

• See application, terms and details.

Intro (Purchases)	Intro (Transfers)	Regular APR	Annual Fee	Credit Needed
N/A	N/A	21.24%-26.24% Variable	$95	Good/Excellent

The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card covers against theft and damage for you and your employees listed on your monthly phone bill when you pay your bill with this card. Losing or damaging your personal cell phone is bad enough, but you may need that extra protection if you’re also paying for a business phone and your employees’ cell phone service as well.

You can get up to $600 per claim and file a maximum of three claims in a 12-month period. There is a $100 deductible to pay whenever you file a claim. However, this cell phone protection plan can save you hundreds of dollars if you do need to repair or replace your employee’s phone or your own.

3. U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card

at the issuer'ssecure website

BEST OVERALL RATING

★★★★★

4.6

OVERALL RATING

4.6/5.0

• For a limited time, get a special 0% introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers for 21 billing cycles. After that, the APR is variable.
• Enjoy Cellphone Protection Coverage of up to $600 annually when you pay your monthly cellphone bill with your card
• View your credit score anytime, anywhere in the mobile app or online banking. It's easy to enroll, easy to use, and free to U.S. Bank customers.
• Fraud Protection detects and notifies you of any unusual card activity to help prevent fraud
• Choose your payment due date
• $0 Annual Fee

• See application, terms and details.

Intro (Purchases)	Intro (Transfers)	Regular APR	Annual Fee	Credit Needed
0% for 21 billing cycles	0% for 21 billing cycles	18.74% - 29.74% (Variable)	$0	Excellent Credit

Additional Disclosure: The information related to this card has been collected by CardRates.com and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this product.

This credit card offers an introductory APR of 0% for 21 billing cycles and has no annual fee. The U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card is also a great card for balance transfers to help you pay off credit card debt.

If you pay your phone bill every month with this credit card, you’ll get damage or theft coverage of up to $600 per incident with a $25 deductible. You can file up to two claims in a 12-month period. You do not have to formally enroll in this program — just pay your phone with your credit card consistently each month to keep coverage active.

4. Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

BEST OVERALL RATING

★★★★★

4.7

OVERALL RATING

4.7/5.0

Our Review »

• Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
• Receive a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
• Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
• Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
• Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
• Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network

• See application, terms and details.

See Rates & Fees

Intro (Purchases)	Intro (Transfers)	Regular APR	Annual Fee	Credit Needed
N/A	N/A	19.99% - 29.99% (Variable)	$395	Excellent

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card provides up to $800 in coverage for your phone if it’s stolen or damaged. Stolen devices require you to file a police report within 48 hours of the incident.

As with most cards that carry this coverage, you must pay your bill with the card to receive the benefits. The insurance is supplemental to any other insurance policies you have. The deducitible is $50 per claim.

5. Deserve® EDU Mastercard

at the issuer'ssecure website

BEST OVERALL RATING

★★★★★

4.2

OVERALL RATING

4.2/5.0

• New applications are temporarily paused as Deserve redesigns this card.
• Earn 1% cash back on all purchases + Amazon Prime Student on us for 1 year
• Cash back earned is automatically redeemed as a statement credit in $25 increments
• Cellphone protection up to $600
• Prequalify in just seconds with no impact on your credit score
• Collision Damage Waiver through Mastercard

• See application, terms and details.

Intro (Purchases)	Intro (Transfers)	Regular APR	Annual Fee	Credit Needed
N/A	N/A	23.24% (variable)	$0	None/Limited

Deserve is a card issuer dedicated to helping consumers build their credit and develop better financial habits. Whether you’re a college student looking to build credit or an international student with no credit history, the Deserve® EDU Mastercard is a solid option. With this student credit card, you’ll earn cash back and take advantage of other cardmember benefits, including free Amazon Prime Student for a year.

The Deserve® EDU Mastercard also offers cell phone protection of up to $600 per claim so long as you pay your monthly phone bill with the card. There is a $50 deductible and you can only file claims of up to $1,000 in a 12-month period.

If you’re looking for the best credit cards for paying your cell phone bill in terms of cell phone protection plans, the Chase Freedom Flex℠ card wins hands down. This card offers the most protection — up to $800 — per claim. While the deductible is a little higher, it could be worth it if you end up using the whole claim amount.

It’s no secret that phones are getting more and more expensive each year, so the odds of a cardholder having a phone that may cost $800 or more to repair or replace is not hard to imagine.

Many of the other card options only provide up to $600 per claim. While the odds of having to file two claims in one year are slim, you’d still have $400 left if you used the entire $800 claim amount the first time with the Chase Freedom Flex℠.

The other benefits of this card, including cash back, no annual fee, and a low introductory APR, only add to its above-average cell phone insurance plan, making it a quality card to keep around for a while.

Your cell phone may be one of your most useful possessions. If it’s stolen or damaged, it’s nice to know you may have insurance coverage through your credit card. How cell phone protection through a credit card works is a little different than other types of insurance.

Normally, with insurance such as homeowner’s insurance or health insurance, you must pay a premium to receive coverage benefits. With credit card cell phone coverage, all you have to do is pay your monthly phone bill with your card.

This is good news because you have to pay your phone bill anyway to keep the service on. By paying it with a card that provides cell phone coverage, you’ll essentially be getting this service for free.

It’s important to read through the fine print when choosing a credit card that offers a cell phone protection plan. You want to know when coverage starts and when it ends, as well as what the maximum claim amount(s) and deductible are.

For example, with U.S. Bank, cell phone protection plan coverage begins on the first calendar month after you make a payment. If you fail to pay your cell phone bill with your qualifying credit card in a particular month, your coverage will be suspended.

Credit card cell phone protection plans are usually supplemental coverage, which means it will kick in after any other insurance you may have is applied.

This means if you obtained insurance through your cell phone carrier or included your phone in your list of property on your renters or homeowner’s insurance, you may have to file a claim with them first before your credit card cell phone protection plan benefits can be used.

How you file a claim depends on the type of credit card you have. You can always start the process by calling the number on the back of your card for direction. Some credit cards even offer instructions online or when you log into your account.

If your credit card is a Mastercard, there’s a good chance your cell phone protection coverage will be handled through Mastercard. Visit mycardbenefits.com to file a claim online.

Make sure you file your claim within 60 days of the theft or damage and submit supporting documentation for your claim within 90 days of filing it. The claims benefit administrator will notify you if more supporting documents or information are needed. If all goes well with the claim, you’ll be reimbursed within a specific time frame set by your cardholder’s terms.

Remember, if you have other personal insurance you should file a claim there first.

More than a dozen different credit cards offer cell phone insurance, including select World Elite Mastercards, most Wells Fargo cards, and the Uber Visa Card, which is no longer open to new applicants, hence its omission from this review.

All of the cards featured in this review provide cell phone insurance when you pay your monthy bill using the card.

If you’re looking for a secured credit card, the Navy Federal Credit Union Secured Credit Card offers cell phone insurance. Remember, secured credit cards will still report your card payment history to the major credit bureaus, and once you increase your credit score, you can qualify for an unsecured credit card.

Ways to increase your credit score with a credit card include keeping your credit utilization rate low and always making at least your minimum payment on time. Your credit utilization ratio represents how much you owe on your credit cards. Your credit card payment and balances are reported to the credit bureaus monthly.

If you’re looking for a credit card with a cell phone protection plan that didn’t make this list, thoroughly review the card benefits before signing up to confirm whether a credit card company offers cell phone insurance. You can find this information on the card issuer’s website when you click to view all the different credit card options.

For Chase credit cards, there’s a section under each card description that says Explore Additional Benefits. Click on Service and Protection to confirm whether the credit card offers cell phone insurance when you pay your monthly cell phone bill with the card.

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card featured in this review offers supplemental insurance of up to $800 in coverage per eligible claim.

And while other Capital One cards may not offer cell phone insurance, you can get purchase protection benefits. Some of Capital One’s best cards, including the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card, offer purchase protection benefits that extend to your cell phone if you buy a new phone with your card.

Capital One’s purchase protection covers eligible purchases in the case of damage or theft, up to the original purchase price, for up to 90 days after the purchase date. You can file a claim of between $500 and $10,000, depending on which card you have.

So, if you just purchased a new phone with your Capital One card, the bank may replace, repair, or reimburse the cost of your phone (up to the maximum allowable benefit) in the event of damage or theft. But you’re only covered for three months, unlike ongoing cell phone insurance.

Wells Fargo offers cell phone protection with most of its credit cards when you pay your monthly cell phone bill with the card. While you can file a claim of up to $600 and pay a $25 deductible, the coverage limits reimbursement to the repair or replacement of your original cell phone that is either stolen or damaged. This coverage does not extend to phones that are lost or disappear without explanation.

The protection does not apply to cell phone bills paid from a Wells Fargo debit card, Wells Fargo business credit card, or Wells Fargo commercial card. If you are renting or borrowing a cell phone or received it as part of a prepaid plan, you also won’t be eligible for cell phone protection coverage.

As with many other types of credit card cell phone protection plans, Wells Fargo provides supplementary coverage. As a result, if you have any other personal coverage, the benefits provided by Wells Fargo will not be equal to or exceed the benefits of your primary insurance.

Unfortunately, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® does not have a cell phone protection plan. However, this card offers a Purchase Protection plan where you can receive repair services or reimbursement for eligible items in the event of theft or damage. Items must be purchased with your Chase Sapphire Reserve® credit card to be eligible.

You’ll receive up to $500 in coverage per claim and up to $50,000 per account. To receive your coverage benefits, you must successfully file a claim within 90 days of the loss, damage, or theft. While items like your cell phone, jewelry, furniture, and other personal items may be covered, some items that aren’t covered include:

• Used or pre-owned items
• Antiques and collectibles
• Boats, cars, or any other motorized vehicles
• Computer software
• Items that suddenly disappear with no evidence of a wrongful act

Review your guide to benefits for a full list of limitations and exclusions.

Cell phone protection is an added perk that comes with many different credit cards. Accidents and emergencies happen, so it’s nice to know that you will have cell phone protection with one of these best credit cards for paying your cell phone bill.

While this coverage could save you hundreds of dollars in the event your phone is stolen or damaged, this may not be a deciding factor when choosing your next credit card. Now, if you’re a business owner paying for multiple employees’ cell phone plans, you may see things a little differently.

It all depends on what you need and prefer in a credit card. If you’re looking to maximize your spending overall, consider selecting a credit card with great rewards, a reasonable credit limit, and low fees, in addition to cell phone protection. That way, you’re getting much more out of the card even if you don’t end up needing cell phone protection in a given year.